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“So what if you get pregnant?” he asked casually, not even taking his eyes from the road. “So what?”
I gasped. This was not what I expected.
“We have an agreement!” I said, completely stunned. “We get married and then divorced as soon as you get control of The Milano. Don’t you remember? We agreed!” I sputtered.
“Of course I remember,” the big man answered smoothly, raising an eyebrow at me. “I could never forget that pussy fuck in my office, with my mom walking in to boot. But sweetheart, that’s the thing,” he continued. “There was no talk of a baby during that conversation.”
I gapsed at him.
“But wouldn’t a baby be a no-no?” I asked. God, why did I have to use the word “no-no”? It made me sound like child myself, so I took a deep breath and tried again.
“Gray,” I said firmly. “I can’t get pregnant. We can’t get pregnant. We’re getting divorced remember? And if we’re getting divorced, there’s no way we should have a baby together.”
The billionaire just shrugged.
“Maybe I want you as my baby mama,” he growled, throwing me a look, blue eyes flashing. “Maybe what that saleslady said was right. You’re eighteen, ripe and fertile, so why not? You could have a couple of my kids, it’d be no problem.”
I stared at him even as my body thrilled to the idea. Oh god, not just having one of his kids, but a few? Getting pregnant over and over again, that virile sperm seeding my fertile body in perpetuity? God, I wanted it, I absolutely wanted it.
But common sense took over because I frowned then, brown eyes grave. The billionaire was just throwing things out there, none of the words even made sense.
“Gray, please,” I said in a soft voice. “Please be serious. You don’t need a baby mama, I don’t need to be anyone’s baby mama, what we need to do is to use protection. I’ll get on the pill asap, but it takes a while to kick in. So promise you’ll use condoms next time, okay?”
The alpha was silent, staring at the road in front of us, those eyes inscrutable.
“Gray?” I prompted again, this time reaching a hand out to rest on a strong forearm. “Do you promise?”
Looking down at where we touched, those blue eyes blazed as he answered.
“I promise,” he growled, swinging that devastating gaze at me, making me shiver. “If that’s what my baby girl wants, then so be it. I promise.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, my heart was heavy. Because for a split second there, the clouds had parted and a ray of sunshine had touched my soul. The unthinkable had happened and that was the possibility of children with Gray, and maybe, just maybe, even a future. Could it come true? Could something so amazing happen to a poor girl like me? Oh god, please, yes.
But my inner voice spoke again. You’re just a hired gun, it said scornfully. You’re getting paid just like the thousands of other women who work at his hotel. So don’t get your hopes up. You’re no Cinderella, and Gray’s no prince. Get your head out of the clouds and back to Earth, the voice commanded. Once the alpha gets his money, you’re a goner.
And tears pooling in my eyes, I nodded silently. God, the voice was right. I was a no one, hired to play a role so that the billionaire could fulfill the terms of some godawful will. And once he got what he wanted, I’d be tossed out like yesterday’s trash, my shelf life expired. All this had been made clear from the get go. So why was I hoping? Or more accurately, why did I want to be with Grayson Channing so bad?
I bit my lip and looked out the window, mind whirling this way and that, spinning all sorts of reasons. But I forced myself to stop because it didn’t matter. The boundaries were drawn, every line crystal clear. I was nothing but an actress and once the curtain went down, there was only one way out … the exit.
CHAPTER NINE
Gray
Holy shit, is this really happening? Is this really going down?
I was standing in a small wedding chapel at the Milano, dressed in a gray suit with a blue tie. The sun streamed through stained glass windows, lighting up the small room, teak pews gleaming as the minister beamed.
And yeah, this really is my life. Gray Channing is getting married, the impossible was coming true. So? the voice in my head snorted. It’s just a fake marriage, you’re getting divorced as soon as the money’s released.
And my internal voice was right. I should have felt nothing. This ceremony should have meant absolutely zero, but instead I was proud to be here. My huge chest was strong and straight, arms powerful as I waited by the altar. And though I looked relaxed, in no way was I relaxed at all. If anything, my heart was thumping like a fucking drum, practically bursting with excitement.
