“Nice place you’ve got here,” he says after a thorough inspection of my tastefully decorated personal living room, slowly turning around to face me.
“Thank you. I think so.” Fuck, his top is pulled so tight across his chest and abs it almost looks painted on. I can make out every dip and curve of his upper torso, and he’s every bit a work of art. How the hell am I going to deny him? Especially if he goes out of his way to tease me, like I suspect he will? “How did you get my address?” I blurt, stalking toward the couch and my wineglass.
“I’m quite handy with a computer, and it actually wasn’t that difficult to find.”
I know he’s lying because there is no trace of my address on the internet. I make a mental note to check with my IT guy to see if anyone has somehow managed to hack into any of my systems. “Next time, call me if you plan to drop by unannounced. I was busy.”
“Indulging your Viking fetish, I see.” He wears an infuriating smirk on his handsome face.
“Have a seat,” I say in a clipped tone, struggling to remain calm in the face of his aggravating presence. I drop down on the couch. “And I don’t have a Viking fetish. I have an Alexander Dreymon one.”
“Pfft.” He rolls his eyes as he stands before me instead of sitting like a normal human. “He’s completely overrated. Unlike me.” Bending down, he brings his mouth to my ear. “I totally exceed expectations, and you’ll quickly come to realize my value.”
“Your arrogance is astounding,” I say, pressing my back into the couch. “And you’re crowding my personal space. Back off.”
“Apologies,” he says, sounding utterly unapologetic as he straightens up. “I’ve had an idea I think you’ll like.” He waggles his brows, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like the next words out of his mouth.
“Debatable.”
“We could role-play and spice up our sex life. I’ll order a long wig and a Viking costume online. I can get one for you too. We can indulge our baser desires and fuck like wild savages.” His eyes glimmer with a mix of amusement and lust, and I discreetly squeeze my thighs together, not in any way repulsed by the idea.
I clear my throat and conduct a stern inner talk with my wayward libido. “Role-playing is not part of our arrangement.”
“Only because some party pooper redlined it, along with all my other fun suggestions. I might think you’re a prude or frigid except any woman who fucks a complete stranger in an airport bathroom is clearly neither of those things.”
The fucking nerve of this man! Who the hell is he to cast judgment on me? Irritation fires at me from all angles, and it’s a challenge not to give in to it. But I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he is getting to me.
At least his judgy comments have poured cold water all over my libido.
For that, I’m grateful.
“Did you seriously come here this close to midnight to discuss the deleted details of a contract we both already signed?” I ask, in a lethally calm voice.
“Nope, but I love winding you up. It’s my new favorite pastime. Think of all the fun times ahead!”
Oh joy. I close my eyes and count to ten in my head. “What do you want, Massimo?” I ask in a resigned tone, reopening my eyes a few seconds later. “Unlike some I could mention, I worked a twelve-hour day, and I have a full schedule tomorrow.”
A muscle clenches in his jaw, and it’s not the first time mentioning his lack of purpose has struck a chord. I wonder why? If he was a true playboy, insults like that would roll off his back. My tech guy, Enrique, has been digging, trying to find out more about the man I’m marrying, but his search is turning up nothing more than the usual trivial gossip. I don’t trust it or buy it. Massimo is hiding something, and I fully intend to find out what.
His jaw smooths out, and his features soften; that fleeting aggravation disappearing as quickly as it appeared on his face. I’m instantly on high alert, my spine turning rigid as I wait for him to state the nature of his visit. “First, I apologize for dropping by so late, but I just got off a plane from Berlin, and I’m tied up the next few days, so I figured this is the only chance I’ll get to do this.”
Berlin? Why was he in Berlin? I make a mental note to ask Enrique to check that out too. “Do what?” I ask.
“Second,” he says, ignoring me because it seems to be programmed into him. “You look beautiful. I don’t think you realize how utterly compelling you are. You are so fucking gorgeous you take my breath away.” Taking my hand, he pulls me to my feet. I’m ashamed I let him, but his words and the intense way he’s looking at me have magnetized me so much that I’m incapable of protesting. His fingers thread softly through my wavy hair. “Is this natural?” he asks, in a gruff voice that sends shivers cascading over my skin.
“Yes,” I croak as his forest-green eyes lock on to my eyes.
He traces the pad of his thumb across my naked face. “You are flawless, and your skin is so soft.” I blink as if in a daze, wondering what this man is doing to me. Leaning in, he presses a featherlight kiss to my cheek. “I know you are wary of me, but I mean every word of what I have just said.”
“Thank you,” I say, finally breaking through the haze. “But I’m sure you didn’t visit to shower me with compliments.” Before I can sit back down, he drops to one knee and removes a small black velvet box from his pocket.
“What are you doing?” I blurt even though it’s obvious what he’s doing.
He flicks the box open, and I’m almost dazzled by the large pear-shaped diamond sitting on a platinum band embedded with a row of smaller diamonds. “I know our arrangement is a business arrangement, but I want our marriage to succeed, and I want to set the tone from the outset. Every woman deserves to be proposed to, and I’m going to do this the right way.”
“Get up,” I snap, tugging on his arm, as panic replaces the blood flowing through my veins. My heart thumps against my rib cage, and pressure clamps down on my chest.
Why is he doing this?
