"That sounds lonely."
"Maybe." He cupped my face in his hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. "But I'd rather have a partnership built on mutual respect and incredible sex than a love match that falls apart the first time things get hard. Wouldn't you?"
I thought about my mother. About how she'd loved my father desperately, completely, right up until the day he died when I was eight. About how she'd never remarried, never even dated, just poured all that love into me and her company. About how lonely she'd been, even surrounded by success.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I never thought I'd get married at all. And now I have to, and I thought it would be some business arrangement with a stranger who'd tolerate me at best, though I've been stalling for love. But this…you?—"
"I don't just tolerate you, Angelina." His voice went rough. "I want you. Want to see you in my bed every night. Want to watch you build your mother's legacy into something even greater. Want to put my baby in you and watch you grow round with it."
Heat flooded through me at his words, at the possession in them.
"The possession isn't just a kink for you, is it?" I asked.
"No." He smiled, slow and dangerous. "I want you pregnant. Want everyone to know you're mine. Want to see you carrying my child and know that I did that. That you let me."
God help me, I wanted that too. Wanted it with a ferocity that shocked me.
"This is crazy," I whispered.
"Probably." He kissed me, soft and sweet and completely at odds with the filth he'd just been speaking. "But it's also themost practical solution either of us has. So what do you say? Do we spend the rest of the weekend figuring out if this insane idea could actually work?"
I should have said no. Should have walked away, taken my money, and figured out another solution. But as I looked into his eyes and felt the solid warmth of him against me… I couldn't.
"Yes," I said. "Let's figure this out."
His smile was brilliant.
"Thank you’ sweetheart."
Then his mouth was on mine, claiming, possessing, sealing the deal in a way that was far more binding than any contract. And I kissed him back, tasting possibility and danger and the future I'd never let myself imagine. I was brave enough to take this leap. And I knew it could be my salvation or my destruction.
Maybe both.
Dez
Kissing Angelina felt different now. Before, when I'd had her tied to my bed, it had been about dominance. About control. About making her surrender to the pleasure I could give her. This was something else entirely.
This was a promise. A beginning. The first page of a contract we were writing together in real-time. When I finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
"The weekend," I said against her lips. "We have until then to figure out if we can make this work."
"That's not a lot of time."
"It's enough." I stood, pulling her up with me. "Come on. I want to show you something."
I led her back to my office, to the desk where I'd spent the last two hours making calls and doing research while she slept.
"Sit," I said, gesturing to my chair.
She obeyed, looking small in the massive leather seat, and I had a flash of what she'd look like sitting there permanently.Working. Making decisions. Building her empire while I built mine. The image was more appealing than it should have been.
I pulled up a folder on my computer and turned the screen toward her. "While you were sleeping, I had my people pull everything they could find on Vincent DeLuca and his connections to the Vitale family."
Her eyes widened. "You have people?"
"I run security and acquisitions fortheMoretti family. Of course I have people." I leaned against the desk, watching her face as she scrolled through the documents. "What I found isn't good, Angelina."
"Tell me."
