The Marriage Merger

oh, hell, he was in trouble.



Big trouble.



He shook his head, shut off the water, and followed her out.



…



Who would’ve thought the ice queen had turned into raging Nympho?



Julietta wrapped the terry robe around her. Her muscles were limp noodles and an inner peace radiated from within. Was this what great sex did to a woman? Turned her brain to mush and plastered a stupid smile on her face?



This was dangerous in real life. No wonder women acted like fools under a man’s spell. Sawyer only had to crook his finger and she fell to her knees. Happily.



oddly, her reaction didn’t bother her as much as before.



Maybe she was so sexed out no worries were able to pen-etrate any brain cells. Tomorrow she’d probably wake up in a full-fledged panic attack. Maybe.



Maybe not.



Julietta watched him stalk out of the shower. He wore a relaxed expression and finally owned a limp dick. Not for long, she bet. The man was a sexual dynamo, and for a little while, he belonged only to her.



The possessive thought threw her off for a moment, but she refused to analyze it. Sawyer grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and turned.



She gasped.



His back and upper buttocks were a mass of crisscrossed scars, some faded, some red and angry. There seemed to be no logic to the marks. Perfectly formed circles marred his biceps. He froze in place, as if he had forgotten his original plan to hide his nakedness from her. Julietta flicked back to the evening. He had kept his shirt on until the last moment on the bed. And he never presented his rear to her—only his front.



Her throat tightened. Why did this seem different from the scar on his face? As if he didn’t care who saw that public mark. A tattoo that gave him flavor and a bad-boy de-meanor. But these hidden scars were so much more. She sensed these were the ones he hid from the world, a secret, deeper pain no one suspected. Pain he refused to share or explain.



The rational woman inside knew the proper response.



Be cool. Ignore the marks, pretend she didn’t care, and move on. A woman engaged in a one-night stand obeyed the rules—no attachments or emotion or sharing painful pasts.



Just pleasure, orgasms, alcohol, and a hasty retreat at dawn.



She struggled to be that woman, but silly tears threat-ened to fall. The idea of the strong man before her being helpless and hurt by nameless people tore her soul. She moved toward him and laid her hands gently on his back.



Sawyer flinched. With light strokes, she caressed and traced every scar over the broad expanse of flesh. He never moved.



Didn’t speak. Finally, she broke the silence.



“I’m sorry someone hurt you.” Julietta made sure no pity leaked into her voice. No one could possibly pity a man who exhibited such strength and character and success.



Perhaps the scars drove him to be better. She refused to cluck over him and ask a million questions, but she would never pretend she didn’t see what someone or many had done to him. “I’m glad you won.”



He bent his head. Sucked in a ragged breath. And spoke.



“I never talk about my past, Julietta. I lived in it far too long and fought too hard to leave it behind. He was evil, and I was stuck with him for too many years. He tried to beat everything out of me, but I refused to give him that final satisfaction.” His voice took on the demons of a past she couldn’t even imagine. “I’ve done—things. I won’t apologize for them either. I understand if you can’t handle that right now or choose to leave. I’ll release you from the contract.”



She gazed at the back of the man who had commanded her orgasms and made her feel like a woman for the first time in her life. Throughout the hours, he’d never taken but had freely given and pushed her boundaries. He made her feel safe. yet he actually believed she was so fragile she’d run at the sight of a few scars or his admission he’d made some bad choices?



Julietta pressed her lips to his back. He tensed under-neath the caress, but she kissed each scar with a gentle humbleness she ached to show. “Che idiota! How dare you insult me with such a comment? Whatever things you had to do you did to survive. Do you really think so little of me to believe I’d run from a few physical scars after the greatest sex of my life?”



He turned and faced her. Gaze wary, he studied her expression. She cursed the telltale dampness on her cheeks and realized she’d never be good at this stuff.



Sawyer reached out and ran his thumb over her face.



“Are you crying?”



His stunned tone lit her temper. “I’m not crying for the man you are,” she bit out. “I’m crying for the boy who never had anyone to care.” Julietta let her anger dry up her tears.



“I hope he is dead. I hope whoever put his hands on you died in a horrible, painful way.”



A raw longing burned from amber eyes. His fingers traced the curve of her cheek as if she was a fairy about to disappear into the mist. Slowly, he pulled back, and Julietta caught the tremor in his hand. He opened his mouth, but before the words left his lips, Sawyer bit them back. His lower lip quirked in that sexy half smile that tripped her heart. “Calling me an idiot again, huh?”



She sniffed. “That’s how you’re acting.”



He chuckled. “Such violence tucked beneath polite civility. remind me never get on your bad side, baby.”



“I have no civility when someone hurts one of my own.”



Sawyer stilled. The words had slipped out before she’d had an opportunity to censor herself. Mio Dio, what had she done? He didn’t belong to her. Never would. This was a contract—pure and simple—and though they had extended it to one more night, there was no relationship possible.



Was there?



An array of emotions flickered over his face. His voice came out rough and gravelly. “I believe you. The man you choose as your own is one lucky son of a bitch.” He cleared his throat and the crackling tension eased. “Come with me.



you must be hungry.”



He intertwined her fingers with his and led her back to the bedroom. They feasted on crisp crackers, creamy cheese, and sweet peppers, washing it down first with water and then champagne. Sawyer lifted her feet into his lap and massaged the tender insteps, sore from the high heels. Surprised she didn’t feel awkward after the various intimate encounters, Julietta relaxed into conversation about work, then chatted about her upbringing with a protective older brother.



Swirling the golden liquid in the delicate flute, she broached her next question with care. “How long have you known Wolfe?”



His fingers paused. “About a year.” She fought a groan as he kneaded the tight muscles in her hamstrings. “I never thanked you for giving him a chance. Most see his appearance and believe he’s useless.”



“you’d never hire an employee who didn’t own incredible skills. especially with Purity. He told me a little bit about his past.”



Sawyer gave a half laugh. “yeah, he told you he came from a tattoo parlor, didn’t he? Tells everyone that story.



Wolfe doesn’t talk about his real past.”



“He said you kept him from jail and took him in. Gave him a chance to prove himself.”



He looked up in surprise. “I can’t believe it. He never— he never shares.”



Julietta smiled. “He admires you. Hides it behind a smart-ass attitude. He’s got some incredible business skills for someone so young. No wonder you brought him to Italy.”



Sawyer shook his head as if trying to clear it. “yeah, he’s a smart kid. Got lost in the foster system and was trying to make it on his own in the streets. I caught him trying to pickpocket me, and I gave him a choice. Jail or an internship at my company.” A flash of pain lit his eyes. “The first few months he gave me so much shit I was tempted to throw him out. But he was so damn smart it was eerie. He has a photographic memory and knows how to talk to people once he gets over his initial insecurity. every time I gave him a task, he finished it before my regularly paid employees.” Sawyer shrugged. “So I kept increasing his workload, paid him a salary, and waited for him to run. He hasn’t yet.”



“you care about him.”



He flinched and pulled his hands from her leg. Her skin cooled as fast as his tone. “This has nothing to do with emotion. I decided to bring him with me to test his skills. He listened to that rosetta Stone thing and learned the language in record time. But if he fails, I’ll let him go.”



Julietta studied the man before her. odd, he was able to give so much in the bedroom, but normal relationships seemed impossible for him to accept. Sawyer was lying.



He obviously cared more about Wolfe than he was ready to admit. Probably had no clue how to deal with a broken teenager, and Julietta suspected they shared a similar past.



But this wasn’t the time or place to push.



“Understood. After all, business is business.”



His gaze warmed and the ghosts receded. She sucked in her breath as the familiar heat took hold. Sawyer wrapped his fingers around her ankles and dragged her close.



“exactly. I think it’s time to get back to our own negotia-tions.”



Julietta ignored the rush of joy and chalked it up to sexual hormones. “I thought we had concluded our business.



Three orgasms definitely wins the bet.”



He gave a wolfish smile. “Then just call me an over-achiever.”



He covered his body with hers. Julietta had never known losing could be so sweet.



Chapter Ten



Sawyer paced the unfinished lobby of Purity with the team. The roar of power tools filled the air, and the scent of wood, oil, and paint rose in his nostrils. The empty building of the popular Le Méridien had been abandoned for years: a lonely, sprawling piece of architecture that created a longing in the heart of the city. After years of working on buying the building, he’d finally won. He’d taken the first step in making his mark in the world and obtaining a slice of immortality. It was the best he could ever hope for.



The structure owned the old-world grace he needed to make his mark here. The marble winged horse in front led to an elegant building with a crumbling white facade amidst the bright red doors lending distinctive character. The full restaurant and lounge would be replaced by a modernized version of entertainment and the best of technology brought in for a media suite for business. Already furnished, each room needed to be made over and renovated while decisions of what furniture and structures should remain and what should be ripped out boggled his team of designers.



Pride surged as he led the team through the slowly de-veloped rooms. They chattered as Wolfe took notes and Sawyer guided them toward his vision, pointing out where each of their respective spaces would be housed. When he stopped in front of the bakery area of La Dolce Famiglia, he paused to direct his attention to Julietta.



She had cried for him.



The memory of her tears wrecked his concentration.



other than a few flashes of being held by his parents, he had no soft memories to hold on to. Touch usually meant punishment or something to avoid at all costs. He’d learned brutally early that tears were useless and looked upon as weakness. How many times had he been beaten bloody, starved, humiliated, or punished in various ways and not one person had given him a second glance? even his foster siblings were too busy looking after themselves, and any kindness to him was always severely punished.