He offered me a small smile. “Excellent question, Willow. I am comfortable facing this with some control over the situation and the people involved. I have been looking for the right woman and nobody threw me off as you did from the first moment we spoke.” He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles in a gentlemanly manner. “I want you. I like that you lead an uncomplicated life and have no ties holding you back. I like that you are determined and feisty-” he gave me another flirtatious wink. “And I want you to be mine. I want you to be completely devoted and invested in me… in our family.
I was lightheaded from all the information he had dumped on me. The sensation was bizarre; I was hovering over us, watching myself sitting with this handsome yet lonely man.
A part of me was yelling profanities at myself for entertaining this absurd conversation. I wondered what I would be called if I accepted this proposal. I couldn’t be called a ‘prostitute’ because Nicholas wanted to marry me. Slave? Not exactly. I would be doing this of my own free will. Maybe an incubator for his future children?
The same part of me screamed that there was something very wrong with Nicholas. Why would he be so desperate and ask a girl he didn’t know to be his? It begged me to take the tuition fees and run for the hills.
Yet, another part of me was about to ask him for the marriage papers and sign the dotted line. He was offering everything I could dream of and more. What was bad about it? I would be wanted and needed. I would have a place to call my own and a family that I had only thought possible in my sweetest fantasies.
I wanted to grab him and never let him go. He was wonderful and handsome, and he chose me over the billions of other women on the planet. He wanted ME! Maybe… just maybe… he even needed me. never felt before.
This part of me demanded that I wouldn’t be stupid and throw away this chance.
I met his gaze and found him hopeful but cautious. My fingers itched to smooth away the worry lines around his eyes.
It was at that moment I knew I had already decided.
“Nicholas, I-”
He placed his finger on my lips, cutting off my words. “You don’t need to answer immediately. Think about everything I just said and we can discuss it further tomorrow. I am sure you will have questions and I don’t want to rush your decision either way and leave you with regrets.”
I was in disbelief. This silly man was about to get his way, but he put a wrench in his own plans by stopping me.
“Have you considered that I don’t need more time?” I challenged. He sighed before smiling.
“I like your decisiveness. But it is always better to take more time.” He stood up and pulled me up with him. “Come, let me show you to your room.” He sounded sad as if he was sure my quick decision translated to him being rejected.
My body screamed to ease his sadness. I was overwhelmed by how much I felt for this stranger. To the point, I was scared of my feelings. So, I stayed silent. He was right to hold me off. It was a big decision… possibly the biggest decision of my life.
As he led me inside, a piece of information suddenly fell into place. “Wait! I am staying here? At your house?”
He stopped and turned to face me. “If that is okay with you. You will have the room all to yourself.”
I was stunned that I wasn’t going to stay at a hotel but also disappointed that he didn’t want me with him that night.
‘What is wrong with me?’
I nod in agreement and he continued on, leading me down the stairs and pointing out different parts of the house. It was all amazing even though I felt out of place.
If I decided to accept his offer, would I feel comfortable with this level of luxury and wealth?
Finally, we reached a bedroom and he urged me inside. The room was exquisitely decorated. There was a bed big enough to fit five of my old ones, topped with a light duvet and a mountain of pillows that I felt the urge to dive into .
I noticed that my luggage was already on the bed as I examined every detail of the room. The room even had a lounge chair right beside a small table that held a couple of books. It was surely meant for me to relax and enjoy if I so wished.
“Nice accommodations,” I teased.
Nicholas grinned. “I’m glad it meets your expectations, Miss Taylor.”
He moved into the room and opened a door to reveal an attached bathroom. “Everything you need should be in here. But if there is something missing, you can contact Laura and ask for it.”
He even showed me how to use the phone if I needed anything else. The house was more like a hotel and although I was uncomfortable having someone at my beck and call like a servant, I gulped down whatever I wanted to say.
He kept his eyes on me as I looked around. I turned to face him. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he replied eagerly.
“If-IF I agreed to your proposal… is this how we would live?” I pointed around the room.
His brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Would we have separate bedrooms? Separate lives? Just you stopping by occasionally to knock me up?” My cheeks heated as I blurted out the question.
He strode over quickly, stopping a few inches from me. My breath caught when I saw the look in his eyes.
“Absolutely not.” He placed his hand on my arm and then slid it up to rest on my shoulder. I shivered from his touch. “If you agreed, you will sleep on my bed. Our bed. We will be together in every way.”