In McGillivray's Bed Read Online Free

why he hadn’t said a word to her beforehand, but had simply stepped up to the microphone and announced their impending marriage.
    Tonight, he’d said in his charming, dark whiskey voice, they were in for a delightful surprise. Everyone was going to get a living example of how much of a real family St. John Electronics was because they were all going to be witnesses at his shipboard marriage to Simon St. John’s only daughter, Margaret Sydney St. John.
    Her!
    He had taken marriage— her marriage—and turned it into a business deal.
    And then he’d had the temerity to meet her gaze and smile at her! As if she would approve!
    Sydney had gone cold. And white. Stunned and speechless.
    Which is probably exactly what he’d been counting on. And when she finally got her voice back, as he came over and put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze, she still couldn’t say what she was thinking.
    Because she knew better. Simon St. John had taught her well. The company always came first.
    So there was no chance that Syd would undermine her father’s firm or his representatives in public. She always did what was “best for the company.” Corporate from her head to her toes, Syd would never gainsay his claim.
    And Roland knew that. He’d played upon it, had counted on her agreement and on her going through with it because their marriage would be in the best interests of St. John Electronics.
    But even though she might believe that, she couldn’t do it.
    Not like this.
    His announcement had shocked her to her core. Only years of social conditioning had prevented her from showing it on her face. But whether she was more shocked by his announcement or by her own reaction to it was something she was going to have to think about.
    If he’d asked her to marry him, if he’d wooed her, charmed her, pretended to love her, Syd had the sneaking suspicion she might have said yes.
    But he hadn’t. He’d presumed and simply expected her to go along with it—for the good of the company. Not because he loved her. Roland had never ever pretended to love her. They were business associates.
    And yet he would have married her!
    If she had been willing, Syd realized, she’d be Mrs. Roland Carruthers right now. No, she corrected herself, Roland would have been Mr. St. John Electronics.
    Because it was all about business. Nothing else.
    Yet if he had pretended—Syd shuddered to think about how close she might have come to agreeing, if he’d gone about it in a less manipulative fashion—she might have done it.
    Thank God Roland dared to assume! Now she knew there was a line across which she wouldn’t go.
    No matter how good it would be for St. John Electronics, no matter how happy their marriage would make her father, she would not marry for the company.
    She would only marry for love.
    But she couldn’t have said that in front of the guests!
    She’d tried talking him out of it as he’d escorted her below to change into the silvery beaded dress. “This is crazy, Roland,” she’d said. “You’ve had too much sun.”
    â€œOn the contrary,” he’d assured her, “it’s exactly right. For everyone.” He’d turned a deaf ear to all her objections. “You know it’s for the best, Margaret.” He always called her Margaret because her father did. “Don’t act missish,my dear,” he’d said, steering her toward her stateroom. “It’s not like you.”
    No. It wasn’t. But neither was just mindlessly doing what she was bullied into. And so she had shut the stateroom door on him.
    â€œHurry and change, Margaret,” he’d said. “Everyone is waiting.”
    â€œI am not marrying you, Roland,” she’d said through the door.
    â€œOh, Margaret, for goodness’ sake,” he’d said with irritating good humor. “Stop fussing and get a move on.