Chapter 20 #3
His lips lift at the corners, but he doesn’t make eye contact with me. Instead, he just stalks back and forth, his circuit almost predetermined.
"Yes, I’m going to make a final point very explicit in the contract."
"Oh yeah?" I say, my eyes rolling. "What is that? A no-cheating rule?"
He stops dead, his head snapping toward me.
The fiery look in his eyes makes me wish I hadn’t said anything.
"I didn’t think I had to say that. But yes.
There is no looking at other men, no flirting with other men, and no fucking around behind my back.
I am the only man you’ll ever look at. Do you understand, Talia? "
I gulp, feeling the blood draining from my face. His glare is so intense; his posture is primed and ready; his hands form loose fists. I’m so caught off guard by it that I just nod.
"I was kidding," I rush to explain. "Of course, I don’t expect to sleep around. I don’t expect to sleep with anyone."
His gaze doesn’t falter for a second. Moving towards me, he kneels in front of me and grabs my hands.
"Swear it. Tell me right now."
My heart beats against my rib cage, a wildly fluttering bird yearning for freedom. My lips are dry, and I can’t look away from my future husband. For just this second, no one else exists in the entire universe. He squeezes both my wrists in his hands, and he growls at me.
"Promise me! I want to hear it!"
"I… I promise. I swear."
"You swear what?" he says, giving me a shake. "Tell me."
I lick my lips; my blood is cold as ice and yet hot as fire all at once. "I’ll never cheat on you."
"Not ever," he grits out, his voice low and rough. "Especially not with my brother."
My breath falters. "Of course not. The whole reason that I am marrying you is that I don’t like your brother at all in any way."
"Good." He hisses. "Well, that brings me to the final point."
God, what could be so serious? He’s looking at me now like he requires my consent to keep drawing breath or something. Like if I suddenly say no, he will stop living or something.
Dare’s face is cruel, callous, and cold as he offers his final edict.
"Don’t fall in love with me." He says it so seriously and with such perfect diction that I find his words confusing.
"What?" I ask, shaking my head as if to dislodge something from my ears. I must’ve misheard him.
"You can’t fall in love with me under any circumstances.
It’s a terrible idea. Love is messy. It’s unpredictable.
It’s challenging. And I need the opposite of that from you.
I'm looking for something as simple, easy, and predictable as the tides. That is what I am paying you for, Talia. You understand, don’t you? "
The audacity of him telling me not to fall in love with him causes a bark of laughter to escape my lips. “You are insane. You know that, right?"
He growls and pulls my face closer to his. "I’m no fool. I've been led down the garden path before with a girl. And I'm not going to do it again. Do you hear me? Your kid…"
I can’t help but spit back, "Our kid. Didn't you say that he would be your child, too, once I officially sign this contract?"
His lips thin, and he gives me an imperious look. "Whatever that’s supposed to mean. I only meant that you should keep your mouth shut, darling girl."
A shudder runs through my body, radiating out from his grip on my arm to the very soles of my feet.
"I assure you that I am not going to just roll over one day and fall head over heels in love with you. Our situations coincided at the right time. But I still fundamentally hate your guts. I want my baby to have a great life. But I don’t need some fairytale wedding or fantasy romance for that to happen.
I can live without either of those things as long as my baby and I have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. "
Dare’s lips curl. "Good. Because I have nothing to offer in that department. My ex-girlfriends have all accused me of being cold and unfeeling. Hell, when Daisy left, she said that she was getting a personality upgrade when she agreed to marry my brother. So, softness and kindness are not the qualities that you will find running rampant in my veins. I will be a strong father, and I will be richer than God. But don’t ever expect me to love you. That’s a bridge too far."
Don’t ever expect me to love you.
His words sting just a tiny bit. Some little voice calls out somewhere deep inside, feeling like I deserve better. But that voice is small, stupid, and damaged. I don’t need to listen to every gut impulse I have.
Lifting my chin, I glare at Dare. "Fine."
He gets so close that I can feel his breath as it leaves his mouth and fans over my lips. He stares at me, right through me, as if he can see into my soul, right down to the core of my shattered heart. My heart pounds, driving its rhythm against my chest.
"Fine," he says. "It’s settled, then."
He releases me, pushing himself away, standing back up, and smoothing his hands down the front of his dark jacket as if I somehow rumpled it. He plows his hand through his short, dark hair and gives himself a shake.
I suck in a breath, wondering if every argument with Dare would be that intense.
"What else do we need to talk about now that you brought me here for the weekend?" The words escape me without me even thinking them through.
Dare looks at his watch, his eyes narrowing. He fishes his phone out of his pocket, his mouth pulling down at the corners.
"I need to work for a while."
Pushing the blankets off my body, I stand up. Dare cuts me a look, and I open my mouth. He holds up a hand, rolling his eyes, and shaking his head.
"Don’t. You’d better get used to me saying that I must work.
I’m going to be saying it well into my eighties, so you’ll have to hear it for another fifty years if you sign my fucking contract.
I know that you said yes because you needed safety and security, but you also signed up to deal with my working all the time. "
I shake my head, my mouth pinching.
"It’s true," he continues. "And besides that, I’ll need a lot of time alone. Despite what it may seem like, I need plenty of down time to recharge myself fully."
I walk over to the fire, putting my hands out and feeling the warmth of it. "That sounds like what men tell their wives when they steal away for the weekend to see their mistress."
Dare turns away, walking to the door and yanking it open. "Maybe I am not the kind of man who takes a mistress. Maybe I have my yacht instead. She is always waiting for me with open arms. She doesn’t need me to be anything but the man I already am."
I make a small sound of disgust. "You are a spoiled little boy. You know that? You just happen to be a billionaire, so you have yachts instead of toy ships. It’s ridiculous."
Dare waves a hand up and down his body, issuing his ultimatum. "I am as you find me. The deal still fucking stands. You can take it or leave it, but decide which path you’re on, and do it soon."
With that, he whirls, leaving the room. I’m left gawping at the open doorway, feeling the feeble warmth of the fireplace as it flickers against my skin.
Take him or leave him.
He is what he is. Even though I think he might actually be the fucking Devil.
Swallowing, I remind myself why I’m here. There is five hundred thousand dollars on the line. I yank the two halves of my coat closer, burrowing in it. To save Aunt Minnie, our bookstore, and Hope House, I can deal with the Devil.