She’d never met anyone who remotely piqued her interest long enough to consider falling in love, never had the ridiculous tummy free-fall depicted in chick flicks.
In a way, a business marriage would suit her purposes nicely. No fuss, no muss.
And the kicker, she would save Sara in the process.
Win-win indeed.
“I’d take care of everything. Marriage license, ceremony, reception.”
She wrinkled her nose. “We’d have to go through the charade of a reception?”
“This marriage has to look real to my investors, otherwise we’re wasting our time.” His quick look away was the first time she’d seen him anything other than one hundred percent confident in his outlandish scheme. “We can keep the ceremony quiet but the reception will have to be big.”
“How big?”
“I’m a prominent businessman and this deal I’m trying to nail will take Blackwood Enterprises nationwide.” He shrugged. “You do the math.”
If considering this zany idea didn’t make her belly churn, the thought of pretending in front of hundreds did the trick.
“You’re really serious about this?” She searched his face for answers to questions she could barely formulate.
“I don’t propose marriage to every woman I meet.” His wry grin alleviated the tension lines bracketing his mouth but did little for the wariness clouding his eyes.
She knew the feeling. Wary didn’t come close to how she was feeling. Try floundering, confused, and freaking petrified. “What about living arrangements? The legalities of terminating after a year? Appearing in public together? Would there be other functions with your investors—”
“Standard pre-nup to facilitate easy termination. As for the rest, this marriage needs to look real in every way.” His gaze locked on hers, mesmerizing and challenging, daring her to ask how real.
Heat licked her veins at the thought of how far she could go to make this marriage authentic; if she lost her mind. “I guess my assistant, Ashlee, could man the Provost office and I could consult as needed while continuing to run Divorce Diva Daily online.”
“You’d continue with that?”
“‘Course. Your cash injection isn’t going to last forever. Besides, I’d be lousy as a trophy wife.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I can see you lounging around poolside in a black bikini…thong, of course—”
“Dream on.”
“I’m doing plenty of that.” He stepped into her personal space, crowding her, bamboozling her.
She couldn’t think with him so close, let alone breathe, her senses bombarded by his nearness, his crisp aftershave, his heat. So much heat, radiating off him like a furnace and making her want to lean into him.
“You know this marriage won’t be that real, right?” She regretted the question the instant it slipped from her lips as his eyes flared with fire. She should’ve known better than to challenge a go-getter.
“Who are you trying to convince?” His smoldering gaze dipped to her lips. “Because from where I’m standing, making this marriage appear real in every way is my number one priority.”
Poppy couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, his preposterous proposal reverberating through her head until she wanted to bang it against the wall. He made a fake marriage sound logical, but could she really pretend to be this guy’s wife?
Beck Blackwood encapsulated everything she despised: arrogant, commanding, bossy. Being shackled to him, albeit for a good cause, would be insufferable. But she couldn’t lose out on the twenty grand for his buddy’s party, so she better couch her refusal wisely.
“Thanks for the offer, and I appreciate you discussing how this would pan out, but I’m afraid my answer’s no.”
Shock flared in his eyes before he blinked. When he reopened them, the eerily cool green almost sent a shiver of trepidation down her spine. “And I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood me.”
Huh?
“I need a wife ASAP or I’m screwed. You need to protect your sister and I can help do that. Marriage is a speedy resolution for us both.”
Uh-oh. His steely stare wasn’t that of an altruistic man. It was the “You’ll do as I say or else” stare that foreshadowed a threat. Plus he didn’t mention the money to save Sara’s business. He’d said protect. What did he mean?
She shook her head. “Sorry. Not interested—”
“It’s quite simple. Either you marry me or I let slip your precious secret.” His silky tone raised the hairs on the nape of her neck. “And I’m sure you wouldn’t want your sister to hear you’re touting divorce in her condition.”