“We’re going to have to be intimate soon.”
“I know.” I did. And the more I thought about it, the more timid I got. The first night with him, I would’ve spread myself out like one of the buffets Vegas used to be known for. Now, I wasn’t sure I could survive goingback to my quiet life when he deemed me of no use to him.
Would the sex be worth it? Would that be better or worse? “Thanks for, you know, giving me time.”
The look he pinned me with was dark and promising. “The clock is ticking.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Autumn
Gideon had gotten a message from his dad that the celebration would start at five. He’d worked at the table all day. I had texted Mark that I’d gotten married in Vegas and would bring in my documents to change everything with HR. Messaging my friends was next. Then I’d shut down my phone. I’d continue dealing with my family’s reaction later; my coworkers would have to wait.
It was almost four. We’d have to go to Hank’s party soon. I’d suggested arriving early to help his dad and put on a good show of being happy newlyweds. My nerves were a lump in my stomach.
I gently prodded Sprinkles off my lap and rose. I’d spent the day working on lesson plans only because I felt guilty reading while he was working.
I was sneaking behind Gideon when he pushed backthe chair and faced me. The force of his gaze sent shivers whispering over my skin.
“My lawyer has the documents prepared. You can read through them and sign.”
I glanced from him to his laptop screen. There was a document-signing program up with a bold yellow button on it.
“This is the postnup,” he explained. “Then you can read through the divorce papers, but you don’t need to sign them now.”
“That was fast,” I muttered. I’d had the day off, but his legal team hadn’t.
“I don’t pay my legal team to drag their feet.”
Well. I slid into the seat. He crossed his arms and loomed over me. I’d been exposed to a fair number of contracts through Copper Summit, but always through our lawyers first. I scanned over our information. “Don’t you need my property information?”
“I told him all it needed to say is that anything that was ours before marriage is ours after and anything we make or produce or come into ownership of while married belongs to whoever received it.”
Meaning I’d have no claim over Percival Farms. I was fine with that. I’d expected pages and pages of documents, but in the end, it was simple. Gideon didn’t want me to get anything that was his, and he couldn’t claim anything that was mine. He had more to lose when we divorced. But he might not have Percival when we divorced.
I went through the clicks to sign the document.
He leaned over me, his scent washing over me, and clicked on another tab. Divorce papers. He stepped back and took his heat with him.
A chill sank into my bones as I read over more legal jargon. “There’s nothing in here about children.”
“We can cross that bridge when we know there’s a river. If you’d like more time to look them over, I can send a copy in an email.”
I let him dismiss the kid topic. For now. “No. That’s fine. You can send them when it’s time to... file.”
“We need to get going,” he said softly.
I gladly escaped to the bedroom. I changed into a long-sleeved dress with my trusty leggings underneath. I might’ve picked another pair of rust-colored bottoms because of my new nickname and not just because they looked really good with the blue designs in my favorite pair of cowboy boots.
My heart skipped a beat when I caught Gideon eyeing my legs on our way out the door. But during the drive, his expression returned to his normal smolder. It was his standard CEO look and not a special heat just for me.
We’re going to have to be intimate soon.
He would live up to his end of the deal. Neither of us knew if we’d get what we wanted, but we were willing to try.
Was that what I wanted?
Gideon, yes. His perfunctory compliance? No.
