“You think little of yourself.” He ran his hands down her arms, from her neck to her bare wrists. “You do not know your own worth, Lucia.”
Lucia. Every time he called her that it was a caress, making her feel exotic, beautiful, desired. She loved the feeling—almost as much as she feared it…
She took a deep breath.
If a handsome man seems too good to be true, she repeated to herself fiercely, he’s lying.
So why was he trying to make her believe he desired her?
Because he thought she’d refused his proposal.
The realization gave her the strength to pull away. Narrowing her eyes, she raised her chin.
“You’re not proposing marriage because you think I’m beautiful,” she said evenly. She held up the prenup with a loud rattle of paper. “You had your lawyers working on this for hours. Stop trying to seduce me. I’m not one of those simpering women to melt at your command. Tell me why you want to marry me. Whom will it hurt? And how?”
“Cara—” He moved toward her, palms up in a gesture of supplication.
“No!” She moved backward, unwilling to let him touch her. “Don’t you ‘cara’ me. I want cold, hard facts!”
His expression changed.
And suddenly, he laughed aloud.
“Bravo, signorina,” he said with a satisfied clap of his hands. “You are the first woman to resist me since I was fifteen years old. Bravo.” He gave her a nod. “I respect your intelligence.”
She flushed, feeling unaccountably pleased by his praise.
“And as you’ve left me no choice…” He took the file from her, opening it on a nearby table. “Here are your cold, hard facts. Our marriage will last approximately three months. I will allow you to spend my fortune as if it were your own. In return, I will have complete control and management of all your current and future assets.” He paused, looking up to search her gaze. “Do you find that unfair?”
She said with a bitter laugh, “My only asset is a beat-up old Honda that barely runs. If you want to try to manage that, be my guest.”
“At the end of our marriage, I will be required to pay you full market value for anything I keep.” He quickly turned to another page. “And in addition, I will recompense you with a settlement of ten million dollars for each month of our marriage.”
She stared at him, unable to comprehend the words.
“Thirty…million…dollars?” she choked.
“Sì.”
Lucy closed her eyes. She would never have to work again. She could spend her days playing with her baby. Chloe would have the best of everything. The best schools. Brand-new toys. Brand-new clothes. Ballet lessons. Italian lessons. Tuba lessons. Anything and everything. They could have the snug, warm little house she’d always dreamed of. She could turn the heat up as high as she wished. They could pick the biggest Christmas tree on the lot. Chloe could have pony rides—no, a whole stable of thoroughbreds. World cruises. Tuition to Harvard. Anything and everything.
She tried to be calm, but her hands were shaking.
“Wh-what would you expect me to do for that?”
“I would expect you to appear to be my devoted wife in every way. To honor and obey.”
She licked her dry lips. “To do something illegal?”
“No.”
“Immoral?”
“That is in the eye of the beholder. It would be a marriage of convenience. A few moments ago, you found that distasteful. Do you still?”
She was suddenly willing to reconsider. “Just three months?”
“That is my guess.” His blue eyes became grim. “I’m waiting for a man to die—a man you don’t know.”