The Marriage Agenda Read Online Free PDF Page B

because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
    She snorted. “Gotta say that didn’t work out so well. I’m over it now—or I was until you came at me with the bald avenger—but your selfless dissolution of our relationship wouldn’t win you the character vote. If you don’t believe me, put that in your poll.”
    Pinning her down with a hard look, he said, “Dammit, Chloe. I get it. But I need you to get it. I didn’t want to draw you into this life.”
    “Nice chivalry,” she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “Did it ever occur to you to let me make my own decision? I’m a reporter, remember? I make a living off the ugly side of life, from which you’re so gallantly trying to protect me.” She froze, his words sinking in. “You didn’t want to? Past tense?”
    “My campaign manager has decided I need a wife.”
    She blinked.
    “He was ready to fabricate a relationship, but I drew a line. I’m not going to lie for votes.”
    She forced a laugh. “Are you sure you’re cut out to be a politician?”
    He ignored the jab. “I have a proposition for you. A business arrangement. Mutually beneficial, of course.”
    Her eye twitched. “You have boatloads of money. Privilege. Connections. I’m from the wrong side of the tracks and—judging by the way you left me—completely disposable. What could you possibly need from me?”
    He looked at her so long her insides started to quake. Finally, he said, “I want you to be my wife.”
    The room jolted into silence. After several seconds, the drone of a distant airplane broke through the fuzz in her head. She looked down at the dress he’d provided, then back up again. “What?”
    “I can do the Senate job, and I can do it well. I can restore honor to the family name. The race is mine to lose, but like I said, I need a wife.”
    She took a deep breath that did nothing to steady her churning heart. “And what, exactly, is in this for me?”
    But even as she asked, she knew. Access . Access to a story that, if her suspicions proved true, would tear Rex Hamilton’s reputation to shreds and possibly land him in jail.
    And Knox hadn’t a clue.
    “Networking,” he said. “You’d be on my arm at every major function in this town…including the ones closed to the press.”
    Even as the implication of his words sank in, her mind spun. Her job—her integrity as a reporter—meant everything to her. With newsprint losing favor in the shifting digital landscape, where competition was fierce and freelancers worked for a portion of her pay, job security was a myth. She wasn’t willing to stoop to tabloid reporting to keep her name on the front page, but a legitimate story, exposing one of the Washington elite? She’d grab it in a heartbeat. And this…this had the potential to be so much more. She strongly suspected Rex had pushed through approval on a project that should never have seen the light of day. As a direct result, her grandmother was on the verge of losing the farmhouse Chloe’s grandfather had built with his own hands, and a huge swath of environmentally sensitive wetlands were endangered. If she accepted Knox’s offer, she’d be in an unparalleled position to prove it.
    But marriage? Marriage should matter. Knox hadn’t professed his undying love, and there had been no mention of his inability to live without her. Sure, the sex between them was incredible, but by marrying him, would she give up her chance at something real? Her heart ached for love at first sight or happily-ever-after or whatever fairy tale Disney was selling these days—all things he hadn’t mentioned, let alone promised her. She had everything to gain, but at what cost?
    Either way, marrying Knox could be the biggest break of her life.
    He watched her expectantly, the question in his eyes genuine. It wasn’t a politician who stood before her, but a man.
    A man who offered her almost everything.
    Almost .
    She took a deep breath. “No.”

Chapter Five
    Knox’s heart