Sloane kissed me… and I liked it… a lot.
Oh man, she more than liked it. She wanted a repeat. A repeat of his full, demanding mouth taking what he wanted from her. A repeat of the way he held her close to his big, hard, muscular body, and she wanted a repeat of how good it felt being held in his strong, unyielding arms.
For those few minutes, with their tongues tangling, all Halayna’s thoughts and worries had fallen away, and in their place had been a peace she hadn’t felt in months or maybe even years. Sloane had somehow made her feel more cherished than she’d ever felt by a man. Which was saying a lot since she’d been engaged to be married and supposedly crazy in love with Owen.
She snorted at the thought. Talk about her picker being off when it came to choosing men. It was a good thing her relationship with Owen had imploded. Marrying him would’ve been a huge mistake because kissing and being with him had felt nothing like what she had just experienced.
Kissing Sloane had felt like a dream. Like something straight out of a sexy fairy tale, an X-rated fairy tale. But this wasn’t a fantasy. His kiss and the way he’d held her had been very real. She still felt his lips covering hers and the taste of him lingered on her tongue.
How was that possible when it had been just one kiss? One soul-stirring, passionate kiss.
It was clear she and Owen hadn’t had a strong connection. Not like what she had felt a short while ago with Sloane, and that realization had her shook. She almost married a man she was sure she’d been in love with. Yet, she never felt the intense desire and passion swirling inside of her. Never felt that I-can’t-live-without-you vibe.
Oh. My. God. How was that even possible?
Halayna flipped onto her back, and as her heart rate slowly went back to normal, she stared at the ceiling, her mind reeling at these new realizations. The most shocking one was Sloane wanting her to agree to a marriage of convenience… with him.
She shook her head. Sloane Davidson, the wealthiest man she’d ever known, had asked her to marry him. He wanted her to be his fake wife. No, not fake. Just convenient. Wait. Not convenient. He wanted a marriage of convenience. But what the hell did that even mean?
The man was fiiiine, brilliant, and funny. That is when he wasn’t being an asshole. Other than that, he was a good guy who’d do anything for the people he cared about.
He was also the guy women threw themselves at, falling at his feet like he was some type of Nubian god. Which had Halayna wondering more than ever—why her? Sure, he had explained his reasoning, but she wasn’t buying it. There had to be something she was missing.
Had you not run away, he probably would’ve answered all your questions, that pesky voice inside her head screamed.
That was true but…
Halayna bolted upright at the sound of rustling. Her gaze shot straight to the door. A manila envelope, with a note on it, had been slid under the door.
She almost laughed. Sloane was persistent. Which was probably why he was so successful.
Seconds ticked by as she stared at the package before curiosity got the best of her.
She scurried off the bed and picked it up, but before opening it, she skimmed the note.
Don’t say no. At least not before you read through my proposed contract, and he signed it, Your Future Husband.
This time Halayna did laugh. The man was too arrogant for his own good, but just because others probably bowed to his every whim didn’t mean she would. Still, she was too curious not to read through the document.
She pulled the packet of paper out, not surprised how formal the document looked. What did surprise her, though, was the engagement ring was also in the envelope.
Damn that man.
She held up the expensive-looking jewelry in awe of the diamond’s clarity. No doubt it probably cost a fortune, and considering he didn’t know her well, at least she didn’t think he did, he had purchased an engagement ring she would’ve picked for herself.
Unable to help herself, Halayna slipped it onto her ring finger. Of course, it fit perfectly.
Unbelievable.
She looked at the document again. Sloane was no slacker. The man was all about business and no doubt the contract would be thorough.
“I can’t believe I’m actually going to read through this,” Halayna murmured as she strolled to the sitting area and got comfortable in the overstuffed recliner.
For the next thirty minutes, she read every word of the lengthy contract before she got to a section she had to read several times.
A baby? An heir?