‘Why, you, of course,’ Luca confirmed.
‘Of course,’ Samia agreed caustically. ‘I’d be only too pleased to protect you in every way I can.’
‘I knew you’d see sense eventually.’
‘Sense?’she snarled. ‘Have you been indulging yourself sailing around the world for so long you’ve lost touch completely with reality? In my world, women work and raise families, build homes that are warm and loving sanctuaries, care for others, and improve themselves, all at one and the same time. Not at any point do they sit back and let a man take the helm.’
‘I think you misunderstand me.’
‘I think I’ve got a perfect grasp of the situation. You command and I obey.’
‘It wouldn’t be like that.’
‘And my guarantee?’
‘Do you need it spelled out?’
‘Yes. I think I do. If you have a contract for me to sign, then I’ll have one for you as well.’
‘So, that’s a yes to my proposal, then?’
She had to stop her jaw dropping to the floor at his sheer audacity. This was the Pirate Prince at full throttle, doing what he did best, which was to cut a swathe through all objections. Luca needed her to say yes, and he wasn’t too bothered about the form in which her agreement came.
‘At no point do you find this preposterous?’ she demanded.
‘No,’ he confirmed, looking genuinely bemused. ‘Why would I? Perhaps I could have put it better...’
‘Perhaps you could,’ she agreed.
‘I genuinely think this will benefit both of us,’ he insisted. ‘I don’t consider it outlandish in any way. People enter into arranged marriages all the time. If there are enough common factors and sound foundations to build on, there’s no reason why a marriage of convenience can’t be a success.’
‘For five years?’
‘Or for whatever term you state. I’m merely suggesting a minimum of five years.’
She really needed to sit down before her legs gave way. This was so far beyond her ken she didn’t have a ready answer, just feelings that threatened to overflow and drown her. ‘So here’s my take on the situation,’ she offered with a deceptively mild expression on her face.
‘Please,’ Luca invited, opening his arms to encourage her, obviously believing that she was on the point of giving in.
‘As my first marriage proved, there are no guarantees in life, and mistakes can always be made, but to walk blindly into something twice would be supremely stupid, and I’m not daft.’
‘No. You’re a very clever woman,’ he agreed, ‘or I wouldn’t be asking the question.’
‘I’m also a dreamer, as you’ve noted, and my dream is to find the right man to marry so I can build a home and raise children, help others—all those points I mentioned before. At no stage of my dream is there a contract stating when it’s time to wake up and find everything I care about has gone. You might find this hard to believe, but I still believe in love, and I still value marriage, and if and when I marry again, it will be with total love and commitment, and with no boundaries or contracts to define the terms.’
‘But you accept that a second marriage might not work out for you?’
‘Of course I do. I have to. There are two people involved, not just me. There are no certainties in life for any of us.’
‘Then, what’s the difference between our propositions?’ Luca demanded, throwing his arms wide with frustration.
‘Mine is made with love, while yours is made with a deal in mind.’
‘Maybe you expect too much.’
‘Maybe I do,’ she agreed.
They were both quiet for quite a while, and then he said the one thing she’d been dreading. ‘There’s something else behind your reluctance, isn’t there, Samia?’
