Read Online Her Convenient Millionaire by Gail Dayton - Free Book Online

Now he was pacing, at right angles to Sherry. Her pacing had rubbed off on him.
    â€œBecause you don’t mean it.” She stopped to watch him walk back and forth. “Besides, I didn’t really ask you to marry me.”
    â€œYou didn’t? Gee, that’s what it sounded like to me. What did you say? ‘Mike, will you please marry me?’ Yep. That sounds a hell of a lot like a proposal to me. Note I said proposal and not proposition.”
    â€œIf you’ll just calm down and let me explain, you’ll see that it’s not really such a big thing.”
    â€œIt sounds like a big thing to me. A damn big thing.”
    â€œMike, please.”
    The plea in her voice made him stop. He turned to face her, arms crossed. She couldn’t possibly have any explanation that would make sense, that could make him agree to such a whacked-out idea. Even if the idea of snuggling up every night to Miss Sherry Nyland’s sweet curves had him breaking out in “want-to” hives, he couldn’t do it, precisely because the idea held so much appeal.
    But he would listen. She was obviously worried about something. He could at least find out what it was. “All right, talk.”
    â€œI got a call this evening from Juliana. She called your mother’s number. She got it off my father’s desk. I don’t know how he got it—probably somebody who was in theclub today called and told my father I was working there, though how he got Clara’s home number, I don’t know. But I know Tug has the phone number. And the address.”
    Mike swore. He didn’t know Sherry’s father, but he didn’t like the idea of a guy who would kick his own daughter out on the street knowing where his mom lived, no matter how good the security was here. “What does that have to do with you wanting to marry me? Is it money?”
    She frowned. “I’m not exactly sure. Probably. It has to be. Why else…?”
    â€œHow can you not know? Either you want the money or you don’t.” He advanced on her, angry. These trust-fund kids were all the same. Damn her for proving it. Damn him for wanting her anyway.
    Sherry backed away, putting her hands over her ears. “Stop distracting me. You keep talking and it gets me off-track. Just let me explain, okay?”
    â€œOkay.” Mike glared down at her, hands on his hips.
    She ducked away from him, crossing the room to start her pacing again. “Juliana told me she heard Tug shouting today. Yelling on the phone at somebody.”
    â€œWhat does that have to do with you wanting to marry me?”
    â€œI don’t think either Tug or Vernon is going to back down till they get what they want. Which is me, married to Vernon. I don’t know exactly why they’re so determined, but it has to have something to do with money. I think— I’m not sure—but I think Vernon must be paying money to Tug so I’ll marry him. I don’t know why he’d want to do a crazy thing like that, but that’s the only reason that occurs to me.”
    Mike knew why, running his gaze over her sleek figure and classically beautiful face, but if she didn’t know, he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her.
    â€œBut if I’m married to someone else,” she went on,“then obviously I can’t be married to Vernon. All I need is to be married till I turn twenty-five. Then we can get a divorce.”
    â€œWhat’s so important about twenty-five?”
    â€œThat’s when I get control of my trust fund.”
    â€œI knew it!” Mike bit out a curse. He’d hoped, just a little, that Sherry might somehow be different. He should have known better.
    â€œI just need some time. I need to get Tug to back off till I can get my trust fund. There’s twenty million there, more or less. I can make it worth your while to do this for me.”
    Mike went cold inside. He shouldn’t. He