Page 210

‘So…you’re asking me just because I’m here,’ she said slowly. ‘That’s the only reason? Convenience?’

‘Yes. Convenience is the correct term. It would be an on-paper marriage only, though you will have to live with me for approximately five years.’

Liberty’s lush mouth opened, then shut. Then she said, ‘Are you completely mad?’

‘No,’ he said tersely. ‘What I am is pragmatic. Think of it as a business proposition.’

‘I’m sure there are plenty of other women who would be more than happy to receive that particular business proposition. I’m not one of them.’

Kaius wasn’t used to being refused and he didn’t like it. In fact, it was strange that now she’d refused him, he felt a perverse desire to convince her otherwise. ‘Your home will get all the finance it needs to keep operating indefinitely,’ he said. ‘I will personally guarantee it.’

Her brow creased. ‘So, what you’re saying is that if I don’t agree, you won’t give me the money for the home?’

He met her gaze. ‘I won’t.’

‘But what about that cheque? You just gave me—’

‘I will stop it.’ He didn’t care. Neve had cultivated his ruthless streak and encouraged him to use to it. It had certainly served him well in his own business practices, and he had no doubt it would continue to do so. Nothing came for free, as he well knew.

A little flame of anger, though, had ignited in Liberty’s amber eyes, and he had the sudden thought that it suited her. As did the flush that had suddenly washed through her cheeks. ‘You can’t do that,’ she said.

‘I most certainly can. It’s my cheque. I can put a stop on it whenever I like.’

‘Why? Just because I won’t agree to marry you?’

‘Yes.’ He kept his expression hard and cold. ‘Nothing comes for free, Liberty.’

Her pretty mouth tightened. ‘That’s…that’s… I can’t do that, Kai. I can’t.’

‘Mr. Frost, if you please.’ He pushed himself away from the desk, straightening up. ‘I’ll give you some time to think about it.’

She folded her arms and shifted on her feet, clearly angry, yet just as clearly not knowing what to do about it.

Perhaps he should feel sorry for her. It was an outrageous thing to demand, after all. Still, it wasn’t as if she didn’t have a choice. She didn’t have to marry him. She could leave and find a donor elsewhere.

‘So…what?’ she said after a moment. ‘I marry you and live with you? That’s it?’

‘Yes. As I said, it will be a legal marriage, but an on-paper one only. I won’t be requesting that you share my bed.’

She went scarlet at that, glancing away from him, obviously embarrassed, and yet again, he found himself studying her face. The curve of her cheek. The stubborn point of her chin. The lush bow of her mouth.

She was so unlike Neve. Neve’s beauty had been of the cold, remote variety, while there was a warmth to Liberty’s that he hadn’t noticed initially, but was certainly aware of now. A golden quality, like a warm summer afternoon, when the sunlight suffuses everything in a warm glow.

He’d once thought nothing could compare with Neve’s loveliness, but he could see the attraction in Liberty’s. Yes, he definitely could.

It’s been a year and longer since you’ve had a woman, too.

Another strange wave of heat went through him. Oh, he hadn’t forgotten how long it had been, but he surely wasn’t ready to take another woman to bed, not yet. Not when he was still grieving. He hadn’t felt even a glimmer of desire for anyone since Neve had died, so why he was feeling it now, he couldn’t imagine. And all for a woman who wasn’t his type in the slightest.

Then again…

‘I should think not,’ Liberty said repressively, looking back at him. Then her gaze widened, and her colour deepened even more, as if she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. Intriguing, not to mention beautiful, that flush in her cheeks and the flickering golden anger in her eyes.

Yes, it had been a whole year and longer since he’d taken a woman to bed, and for some reason, this golden sunburst of a woman, who’d unexpectedly invaded his frozen exile, had made him feel the first thread of desire he’d had in a very long time.

And it seemed that she wasn’t…unaffected by him, either.

When he’d first read about Neve’s insistence that he marry in her will, sex had been the last thing on his mind. All he’d felt was rage that she would ask that of him, that she’d want him to carry on her legacy, but only if he married another woman. It was particularly galling, considering he’d once asked her to marry him himself, only for her to brutally and devastatingly refuse.