Bought For Love

“Thank you for agreeing to come back to my office with me.” Julia sat across from me, behind an immaculate glass desk. “This particular situation is unusual for me as well, since I don’t normally track women down at their jobs in order to sign them on so I can match them up with a client of mine.”

“Match?” I gasped. My gaze went to the Luxe Connections logo on the wall to the left. “Is that what you do here? You’re a matchmaking service?”

“We are,” she confirmed.

“I don’t understand.” I met her brown eyes. “Judging by the look of this place, I’d be a horrible match for any client of yours.” I gestured to my uniform. “I’m a waitress. I grew up in a tiny town in North Dakota where we went cow tipping for fun. My parents don’t have any money, and I’m barely getting by on my own. A guy who can afford to hire a company like yours couldn’t possibly want anything to do with me. I’d stick out like a sore thumb the first time he took me out somewhere.”

Julia pressed her hands against her desk and leaned forward. “The first thing I noticed about you when I walked into The Purple Kitchen was how naturally beautiful you are. Then I watched you smile and chat with your customers, making each one feel like they had all of your attention when you were helping them. You cleared tables and carried out food, working harder than I’ve seen anyone else do in a long time.”

“I’m a waitress. That’s all part of the job,” I pointed out.

“You can dismiss it as much as you’d like, but I know what I saw. And I’m quite familiar with the amount of work required for a server, since I hardly ever eat at home and I’m a people watcher by nature.”

“You have clients who’re looking for a woman who’s a hard worker? Then I guess I might be your gal after all,” I laughed.

“It’s about more than being pretty or conscientious, Emma. There’s something special about you. The people around you see it, even if you don’t. Like the host at the diner who treats you like his granddaughter.”

I shook my head. “Cosmo is lovely, but he’s not Luxe Connections material, either.”

“But the man I’d like to match you with is, and he was insistent that only you would do.”

“Me?” I gasped.

“Yes, you.” Her smile widened. “I have an extremely wealthy client who’s looking to get married, and he wants you to be his bride.”

My hands trembled as I twisted my hands together in my lap. “I couldn’t possibly agree to something like this, marrying a man I don’t know. No matter how much money he has.” Even if I was kind of tempted, since it offered a solution to my problem.

“Normally, I’d be able to tell you that you could get to know him before the wedding. But my client’s preference is for you to meet at the ceremony.” She lifted a hand to rub her finger along her bottom lip. “Although you’ve technically met already.”

“Except I have no idea who he is!”

She flipped open a folder on the corner of her desk and pulled a photo from it. Turning it over, she slid it towards me. I leaned forward, and my lips parted on a gasp when I recognized the ginger hottie from the day before. “Him? He’s your wealthy client who wants to marry me?”

“Yes, he is,” she confirmed. “I’m aware that you don’t know each other well, but I can assure you that you’d be in good hands with him. We run extensive background checks on our clients, and the contract you’d sign would protect both of you.”

“I’ll do it,” I found myself blurting out. It was an insane choice, and if it had been anyone else I would have said no. But that man had made my heart race in a way it never had before. Even though my mind had been in overdrive trying to figure out how I was going to find somewhere to live if my roommate kicked me out, I’d still found my thoughts drifting to him over and over again. I never expected him to be the answer to my prayers, but I wasn’t going to allow myself to second-guess the decision now that I’d made it.

Her lips tilted up in a satisfied grin. “I was hoping that would be your answer. Let me fill you in on all the details so you’ll know exactly what you’re agreeing to.”

Chapter Three

MILES

Glancing at my watch, I checked the time yet again. I tried to calm myself with the knowledge that Emma had signed the contract and she was legally obligated to be here. But I couldn’t still all the nerves, and I wanted nothing more than to get my ring on her finger and my baby in her belly.