‘The candidate would be able to keep the rental cost on their property the same for the next five years,’ he replied slowly.
‘And would there be some sort of pay-out as soon as she’d signed the marriage register?’ she asked, her gaze intent on his now.
‘There could be, if it was a reasonable request.’
‘But she’d have to live with you,’ she appeared to swallow, ‘in your house?’
Noting the renewed flush of her skin, he could guess what she actually meant by that.
‘It would be a purely business arrangement,’ he reassured her, ‘which would mean she’d sleep in her own bedroom. There wouldn’t be any conjugal expectations. In fact, it would be a totally platonic relationship, to avoid any complications.’
‘I see,’ she said, her shoulders seeming to relax a little.
Despite his wish to keep sex out of the deal, he couldn’t help but feel a little miffed by her apparent horror at the idea of sleeping with him. Was it really that off-putting an idea? He shook off his irritation, telling himself not to be an idiot. The woman didn’t know him from the next man, so of course she’d be nervous about the idea of any expected intimacy between them.
‘We’d also both have to agree not to have any sexual relationships outside the marriage, again, to avoid complications.’
‘Okay,’ she said without expression, not giving him any clues about her feelings on that one. Would that be a deal-breaker for her? She was an attractive, sparky woman and he guessed she must get plenty of male attention. There was something really appealing about her, especially when she smiled.
‘One of the other stipulations would be that she’d need to take my surname for the duration of the marriage,’ he said, pulling his attention back to the matter at hand. ‘It would just be for appearances and she could change it back again afterwards, of course.’
‘Afterwards?’
‘After the divorce. There’ll be a pre-nuptial agreement to sign so she won’t be able to petition for money or property during the legal severance of the marriage.’
There was a pause in which the air seemed to vibrate between them.
‘Oka-a-ay,’ she said slowly, her voice sounding a little breathy now.
He frowned, panicking for moment that she might be stringing him along for a laugh.
Before he could start to backpedal, though, she fixed him with a steady gaze, her lips quirking into a wide smile—triggering a warm, lifting sensation of hope in his chest—then took an audible breath and said, ‘I’ll do it. I’ll be your wife.’
Copyright © 2018 by Christy McKellen
ISBN-13: 9781488089527
Captivated by the Brooding Billionaire
First North American publication 2018
Copyright © 2018 by Rebecca Winters
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