Chapter 15 Deeper
DEEPER
RORY
“And if we decide, somewhere down the road, that we do want to give Luke a cousin, we can certainly negotiate that. I could make it worth your while.”
Rhodes’s words rang in my ears. He’d made the provocative offer and then left, giving me whiplash.
The billionaire might want to have an actual baby with me someday?
How exactly was that supposed to work?
Well, I mean, I knew how it would work. Even though I’d never done “it,” I wasn’t a total fool. At least, not mostly.
But what Rhodes said… Did that mean he wanted to do that with me? Have a baby, and do the thing that got us the baby? All of a sudden, I was in over my head again. Every time I thought I had finally reached some solid footing at Barrington Manor, the undertow knocked me over. My head was spinning.
Leaving my family behind.
More money than I’d ever dreamed of.
Living in a mansion.
Sleeping next to a stranger.
Married next week.
Custody of little Luke.
Talking about having a baby.
My world had been turned upside down so many times in the past few days; no wonder I felt dizzy.
But it was Rhodes Barrington himself who had me most on edge.
I couldn’t figure him out. He didn’t want to know about my personal life, yet he’d grilled me about what was the matter that morning.
He said he cared for Luke and wanted what was best for him, but didn’t know there was a playground in his own backyard.
He’d hired me just for show, but now he was saying he’d make it worth my while to have his baby.
I envied him his bourbon. I probably could’ve used some at this point.
I took off my sneakers and sat at the edge of the pool, sticking my feet in the water. Strange how these people had the most beautiful pool in the world, literally, and on this gorgeous summer day, no one was swimming. I vowed to bring Luke out here tomorrow. Wedding planning be damned!
I knew I needed to get back to the house, to change for dinner, and be available. But I decided to give myself five minutes alone in the sun, with my feet in the cool water, to collect my zigzagging thoughts. It had already been an eventful day.
My grandmother wasn’t happy, but she and my siblings were safe. I didn’t feel good about lying, but I was relieved my family wasn’t going to be evicted.
That was where the good feelings ended. With Miranda’s campaign to take over the company, the pressure was on. Rhodes and I would be married next week. I’d just met the guy—I barely knew anything about him. It was all happening too fast.
Another thing I hadn’t expected: Luke Barrington needed me.
He had Maria, who was wonderful and clearly devoted to him.
But his father was gone, and it sounded like his mother was a lost cause, at least for the moment.
Rhodes wanted full custody of the boy, and I understood that.
He was the only family he had left; they needed each other.
But though well-intentioned, Rhodes seemed clueless about Luke.
And Luke didn’t need clueless—he needed a family.
That was a role I could play. At least, while I was here.
I decided not to think about the ramifications of the five-year contract. When my situation ended, Luke would be nine. I refused to consider what the end of my fake marriage would do to the child. That was tomorrow Rory’s problem. Today’s Rory had enough on her plate!
Adding to my confusion, Rhodes Barrington had just floated the idea of having a child with me.
Maybe he was drunk—still, he’d seemed sincere.
There was an undercurrent to his tone when he’d propositioned me, a dangerous one filled with some sort of delicious promise I sensed but didn’t fully understand.
When he’d spoken the words, my body had responded.
Some illicit spark ignited deep within me. I didn’t recognize it.
It might’ve been desire. But how would I know?
The thing was—the thing Rhodes didn’t know—was that not only was I a virgin, I was a virgin by choice.
I’d never wanted to risk an unwanted pregnancy and end up like my mother.
I never wanted to bring kids into the world until I was certain that I could care for them, that they would be adored, that they would have a home, a family, the sort of life I’d only dreamed about.
I was going to break the cycle. Come hell or high water.
So if he thought he could “negotiate” me into being his surrogate, or doing the thing that could make me get pregnant, he was wrong.
No, the billionaire was eye candy—and that was all he’d ever be.
I was not contractually obligated to sleep with him; our marriage had to appear real, but it did not have to be consummated.
I just had to remind myself not to stare at his thighs. Or wonder what exactly Mr. Billions had going on underneath that suit.