The Candidate's Wife Read Free Page B

his arm every weekend. But maybe. . . .
    Adam chuckled, a bitter, sardonic sound. Again, he picked up the gold pen on his desk and toyed with it, his long, slender fingers betraying a restless energy otherwise perfectly contained. "Afraid not. No prospects in sight, and besides, Phil says my taste in women is 'unsuitable'. He has a better idea."
    "Oh?" Julia turned to Phil and waited expectantly.
    The old man's amused grin deepened the grooves framing his mouth. "I think Adam needs a woman who's mature, serious, and politically knowledgeable. Preferably a woman with a child -- a ready-made family -- and someone who's already loyal to the campaign."
    Julia frowned, confused. "But where will you find --"
    She broke off. Her eyes widened as Phil's words sunk in. Their meaning hit her like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky. Her heart thudded against her ribs, and the roar of blood in her ears threatened to deafen her. "Oh, no," she said. "Oh, no. You're not serious, are you?"
    She twisted around in her chair, her mouth slightly ajar with shock and horror, to catch Adam's stormy, rebellious expression and the glint of resignation in his eyes. He nodded. A muscle twitched again in one of his hard, angular, perfectly tanned cheeks. When he spoke, his words dripped with irony.
    "Will you marry me, Julia?"
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    An hour later, alone with Adam, Julia understood why the senator's friends -- and his enemies -- claimed he could sell ice to polar bears. He was smooth as silk and incredibly persuasive, with an answer for everything. Julia soon found herself running out of new objections, so she repeated the old ones.
    "It won't work," she said, for the third time, as she folded her arms over her chest. "Everyone will know we've just met."
    Adam gave her the slightly condescending smile that made her feel like a 6-year-old. "You won't have to lie, Julia. We'll say we're keeping the details of our courtship private. Phil will get someone to spread a rumor that we've been seeing each other secretly for months. He could even invent a romantic setting for the proposal." Adam glanced around at the office. "Something more appealing than this, I hope. Wine, roses, candlelight. . . ." As he trailed off, his voice grew softer, more seductive. Despite her better judgment, a tendril of distinctly sexual heat uncurled in Julia's abdomen.
    Adam pressed his advantage. "Think about it. We'll make a great team. There's plenty in this deal for you, too." He gave Julia a slow, sexy grin that made her pulse race. For the first time, she noticed the deep dimple in his right cheek, something she'd only seen in the photos. "If I win, you'll have more access to the governor than anybody in the world. You'll get the best political job in the state -- maybe, one day, in the nation."
    Julia shook her head and forced herself to think clearly. There were at least a thousand things wrong with Adam's proposition. She wasn't sure why she was even willing to consider it, especially since she had long ago decided she would never marry again. "What if someone finds out that we've made a -- a marriage of convenience?" she challenged him. Even as she said it, Julia blushed. The phrase sounded so nineteenth century. "If the media found out, it would sink the campaign." This possibility was actually the least of her problems with the idea, but she wasn't sure how to voice her other objections. The effect that a sham marriage would have on her son headed her concerns.
    "No one will find out. Unless, of course, you tell them." Adam stood and peeled off his jacket, draped it casually over the back of his chair, and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white shirt. Thick, pale hair covered his sinewy forearms. "If you agree to this, Julia, you can't let anyone in on our secret, not even your family and friends. It stays between the two of us. And Phil, of course. " His eyes narrowed and grew suddenly cool and calculating. His glacial gaze seemed to pierce her