“Done.”
I blink. “You’re not going to argue?”
“Would it change anything?”
“No.”
“Then why waste both our time?” He gestures at the folder. “What else?”
I stare at him for a second too long then clear my throat when I realize it. “Separate residences. I’m not moving into some Molloy compound.”
“I have a penthouse in Back Bay. You’re welcome to it. I’ll take a guest room, or I can find somewhere else to go if it makes you more comfortable.”
“You’d give me your home?” My eyes widen.
He shrugs. “It’s a building. I don’t have attachments to buildings.”
I study his face. There has to be a catch. Or a trap. There’s always a trap with men like his father.
But Lochlan just watches me back. Patient. Almost amused.
“What?” he asks.
“I’m trying to figure out your angle.”
“Maybe I don’t have one.”
“Everyone has an angle,” I say.
He grins. “That sounds exhausting.”
A laugh tries to escape my throat. I swallow it and look down at the contract even though I’ve memorized every word. Somehow, it seems safer than looking at him. “Third term. Publicappearances only. We show up together when necessary. Smile for the cameras, play the happy couple. But behind closed doors, this is strictly business.”
“Agreed.”
“You don’t get to touch me.” A tiny chill slips down my spine after I say it.
Something shifts in his eyes. Just for a second. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I’m serious. This isn’t a real marriage. It’s a contract. And when the threat is neutralized and my father recovers, we dissolve it quietly and go our separate ways.”
He doesn’t respond right away. Then he says, “You’ve thought this through.”
“It’s what I do. I strategize.”
“I noticed.” He tilts his head, studying me. “The Brennan acquisition in 2019. You turned a hostile takeover into a merger that doubled your market share.Forbescalled it ‘surgical.’”
My spine stiffens. “You readForbes?”
“I read everything.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m about to marry you.” He says it matter-of-factly, like it’s obvious. “Seemed smart to learn about who you are.”
“You could have just asked,” I say.
“Would you have answered honestly?”
