Why did I do this? Oh, my god, he could kill me! Jem would know where to send the police, but it could be too late by then and?—
“Easy, I’ve got you. Take a deep breath,” Heath says right against my ear.
I realize that at some point, he unbuckled me and dragged me into his lap. “Let me go!” I scream.
He cups my face. “I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”
“You bid TEN MILLION DOLLARS ON ME! The bidding was nowhere near that! Why would anyone do that?” I shout.
“Because I didn’t want any of those other men to see you like that. You shouldn’t be naked and paraded around in front of anyone but me.”
“TEN MILLION DO?—”
“Yeah, I know. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I just wanted you off that stage.”
“That, that’s like…” I trail off, my mind working overtime.
“It’s a drop in the ocean to me.”
“You sound like an asshole.”
He laughs. “Sorry.”
“Are you?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t mean to make you panic like that.”
“You promise you’re not a murderer?”
“Promise.” He crosses his heart, and something about the movement is endearing.
“Okay,” I relent, moving to crawl back into my seat.
“Sit tight. We’re home,” he says, shifting into drive.
“What?”
I look out the window, and my mouth drops open. Up the driveway is the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. It’s a modern-style cabin, right on the edge of the mountain. An icy lake sits below it, and the forest seems to stretch for miles all around it.
“You live here?”
Heath nods as he pulls into the garage to park. “Come on.”
He climbs out of the car, taking me with him. Then he carries me inside and sets me down on a couch. I sink into the soft leather, trying not to moan as I relax.
“So, we need to talk.”
“Okay,” I say hesitantly.
“I want you to marry me.”
I blink up at him. “Are you insane?”
“No. I need a wife. Now.”
“Yeah… the auction was only for one night,” I tell him, wondering if he read the information wrong.
“I know. I’m talking about extending that contract.”
