Chapter 6 I Need A Wife

Inside the Bentley, Leanna sat rigidly in the seat, her complexion drained of color.

Seated beside her, Wesley glanced over and asked casually, "Was last night because you found out I'm... Carl's uncle?"

Slowly, Leanna lifted her gaze to him, fragile uncertainty shimmering in her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I already knew you were Carl's uncle-that's exactly why I approached you in the first place. Our night together began with a lie... and for that, I'm truly sorry."

As she spoke, tears slipped down her cheeks one after another.

For a brief moment, Wesley seemed caught off guard.

Leaning closer, he raised a hand and gently brushed the damp tracks from her face, his brows knitting with mild confusion. "Where did that bold woman from yesterday disappear to? Didn't you claim you were bold enough to handle anything? Why all the tears now?"

At that point, Leanna could no longer keep her composure. As the car jolted along the road, her unsteady body tipped forward until she collapsed against Wesley's chest.

Through shaky breaths, she admitted, "My mother's in critical condition at the hospital... I have to save her. I have to find some way to break free from the Wheeler family..."

A moment later, overcome with emotion, she grabbed the front of Wesley's shirt and used it to wipe the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to fool you. I'm honestly grateful you stood up for me today. I just... never imagined you'd actually come all the way to the Wheeler Mansion to look for me..."

Wesley lifted his hand, intending to rest it on her back, but his movement halted halfway through.

After a brief pause, he kept her loosely within the shelter of his arm, his large hand lowering to give her back a light, reassuring pat.

Even so, a quiet thought lingered in his mind-was this apology sincere, or merely another careful performance?

After all, throughout everything that had just happened, he had hardly spoken a single word.

Moisture soaking into the fabric of his shirt made Wesley crease his brows slightly. "This suit isn't cheap. Each one costs a hundred thousand dollars."

Jerking her head up at once, Leanna stared at him in disbelief. "One hundred thousand dollars... for a single outfit?"

Her gaze drifted back down to the fabric she had just soaked with tears, the realization hitting her all at once that she had treated something so outrageously expensive like a tissue.

Shock flooding her expression, she hurriedly blurted out, "I'm sorry-really, I am. I'll pay you back for it."

A faint, mocking snort slipped from Wesley's lips. "Pay me back with what? That check I handed you this morning?"

Leanna dropped her gaze, shame flickering across her expression. "I shouldn't have taken that check in the first place. If you want it back, I'll hand it to you."

"Spoken like someone born with money," he drawled. "Does money really mean so little to you? You must be sitting on quite a fortune."

While speaking, his attention drifted to the tablet beside him, fingers sliding across the screen as though adjusting a few documents.

With a shake of her head, Leanna replied in a low voice, "I'm not rich. But I studied design in college. If you give me time, I can create something to repay you."

During her university years, her design work had won one award after another.

Amusement flickered in Wesley's eyes as he observed her, his gaze sharp and unreadable.

Without warning, he bent toward her and casually set the tablet aside.

His chin brushed against her soft lips before he pressed down in a sudden, commanding kiss.

Air slowly deserted Leanna's lungs, her breathing growing uneven as heat crept across her flushed cheeks.

Just as she began to feel dizzy, Wesley finally pulled back, giving her a moment to breathe.

Doubt flickered across his face as he looked at her. "You're this inexperienced? Don't tell me you've never even been kissed before."

Her fingers rose to brush her tingling lips, the gesture hesitant and self-conscious. "I have kissed someone."

A smoldering intensity settled in Wesley's eyes as he studied Leanna's face, and then he leaned down and captured her lips in another firm kiss.

Unlike before, he showed no intention of stopping quickly, drawing the kiss deeper again and again until her breath grew uneven.

"This makes my second kiss," Wesley remarked in an easy, almost careless tone. "If you've already kissed someone before, why do you seem even clumsier than I am?"

Leanna's face briefly filled with stunned surprise.

After a long pause, she lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting together. "Truth is... I've never kissed anyone at all. I was just lying..."

From Wesley's throat came a cool, knowing laugh. "I figured as much."

Reaching up, he tilted her chin so their eyes met, his gaze steady and unreadably deep. "About the question you asked me yesterday, I've already made my decision. But I don't need a girlfriend-I need a wife."

Silence wrapped around them as Leanna stared at him, a slow realization spreading through her mind that she might have entangled herself with a man no one could ever hope to resist.