Page 7 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8
‘You’re... You’re not?’ she asked, hopelessly confused.
‘You really don’t see the massive problem here?’ he countered. But it sounded like a rhetorical question, which only confused her more.
‘No, I do not.’ She stared, waiting for him to elaborate, knowing she had exposed herself enough—and also suspecting if she started talking again, her nerves might not allow her to stop.
‘If I’m going to live here, for an entire year,’ he drawled, as if he were talking to someone who was not all that bright, ‘as your loved-up husband, I’m guessing I won’t be able to date anyone else, because that isn’t gonna sell the “we’re madly in love” vibe if the media find out.’
The skin on her cheeks burned, the wildfire spreading across her collarbone, as what he was implying finally dawned on her.
‘Being celibate for a year is a problem for you?’ she murmured.
‘Hell, yeah, isn’t it for you?’ he shot back.
The blush intensified as she tried to cover her dismay—and the now insistent throbbing at her core.
‘Well, obviously, it’s not ideal,’ she managed, attempting to sound as if she knew what she was talking about, when sexual frustration had never,everbeen an issue for her. ‘But I’m sure I could make the sacrifice worth your while...’
‘Oh, yeah? How?’ he demanded, the heated purpose in his gaze suddenly making her palms start to sweat. And the throbbing in her core become turbo-charged.
We could dump the no-sex rule.
She swallowed down the utterly inappropriate thought that popped into her head—and made her sex clench and release.
What was happening to her? She did not wish to be in an intimate relationship with any man,yet. And certainly not with a man like Travis Lord,ever. He was far too arrogant and overpowering... Plus, the American billionaire might as well have had ‘sex god’ tattooed on his forehead, while she was a complete novice. He would almost certainly laugh at her inexperience and could use it against her—when he got bored with her, which of course he would.
She was a queen, not a courtesan. And while she needed this marriage, she had no intention of risking emotional intimacy with any man—least of all a man like him who had already proved to be wholly unpredictable and not anywhere near as easily controlled as she had hoped. So, she blurted out the only thing she could think of to keep the negotiation on track.
‘What if I offered to lease Lord Culture the land you want on the White Ridge for a single dollar?’
CHAPTER THREE
TRAVISSTAREDATthe woman in front of him, struggling to contain his surprise, and that vague feeling of insult that he remembered from when he was a kid—and he’d had to help out his mom on her jobs, while the rich kids they were cleaning up after looked at him like dirt. This wasn’t personal, that much was obvious, so why the hell was he insulted she’d rather sell a tract of her precious kingdom to him for a dollar than consider sharing a bed with him? It wasn’t as if he had been suggesting they hook up. But her desperation to get this deal, without going there, still got his goat. And he wasn’t even sure why.
The truth was, he’d decided as soon as she’d made the offer not to accept it. Sure, he was intrigued and kind of flattered—at first—that she would ask him. But at the same time, he wasn’t about to relocate his whole operation, and sign some secret agreement, or pretend to love someone he didn’t know just for a piece of land. He had his pride and, now he was a billionaire, he could afford to keep it.
The White Ridge might be perfect for what he wanted, but it felt as if he would be selling his integrity—along with his time—and, while he’d always been ruthless, even he had balked at the thought of posing as a loving husband when he was about as far from ever being that as it was possible to get. Hell, how would he even pull off the charade she was suggesting, given he wasn’t a professional actor? But weirdly, as he had glimpsed emotions that she had been trying to hide flit across her face—shock, confusion, panic—pretending that he wanted her, a lot, hadn’t seemed like such a stretch. Because the truth was, for reasons he could not begin to figure out, the whole ‘ice princess’ act she had going on was a challenge that he found surprisingly hot.
Maybe that explained why he was so mad right now. When he shouldn’t be...
‘A dollar?’ he said. ‘Are you serious?’
He’d already decided not to go for this deal... But now he was forced to reconsider. Because more than anything else, he had always been a shrewd businessman. His business had saved him after the accident, when he’d had to give up the sport he loved, and eventually become his life’s work. And while he had resigned himself to start scoping out the other places his team had shortlisted before they’d settled on this one, there was nowhere better for the resort than the White Ridge. He had been ready to offer her up to a half a billion dollars for the land. His turnover was enough at the moment he could afford to pay top dollar, but it would still have been a risk—because Lord Culture’s brand wasn’t yet established in Europe. Getting the land for nothing would take that risk away. And give him the opportunity to invest even more in the construction. And the marketing.
In fact, while he hated to admit it, marrying the Queen would be a huge PR boost, not just for the resort itself, but also for him personally. It would give him class, and an exclusivity he would never have been able to achieve on his own, not just in the States, but globally. And the kind of organic, viral, wall-to-wall publicity that couldn’t be bought. It annoyed him he needed to care about that stuff, because he’d never aspired to be anyone other than who he was... But from a business standpoint, he’d be dumb to ignore the opportunity to turn Lord Culture into something more than just the fastest-growing winter sports brand in the market. This deal could send his business over the top. Give him global reach. And seal his legacy for a generation. And for that, he had to consider his integrity—and his hurt feelings—an acceptable price to pay.
‘Yes,’ she said, staunchly. ‘One dollar.’
He stood up. To hell with it, he’d be nuts not to take a deal like this, no matter the pitfalls. And when it came to business he always went with his gut. And his gut was screaming at him right now to take the deal. ‘Okay.’
She blinked, several times, her cheeks reddening again. His heart rate sped up. And the heat in his groin pulsed, hard.
‘Really?’ she asked, momentarily nonplussed. ‘You’ll agree to the marriage?’
For some reason, he found himself smiling. When he’d walked in here, he’d got the definite impression this was a woman who was well versed in ruthlessly controlling her emotions, and her reactions. That he unsettled her, and seemed to have knocked her off kilter, felt like an important win.
If they were going to spend the next year bonded at the hip, he was going to need something to entertain him—and pushing her boundaries seemed like a great place to start. Especially if he wasn’t going to be having any sex—the one recreational activity he really enjoyed, other than boarding.
‘Yeah. Have your attorney send the paperwork direct to my EA, Claire Ainsley. She’ll handle everything from my end.’