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Not that it mattered. Despite how well she’d done at the Baton Rouge show, she was almost $10,000 short of her goal. She’d screwed up her chance to prove to her father that she could support herself and lost the bet she’d made with him. Honor demanded that she marry Nathan.
Sure, she could renege and walk away a free woman. Losing her trust fund no longer bothered her. The last six weeks had demonstrated that she could take care of herself. But she’d like her word to count for something. And if she’d won and her father lost, she’d expect him to live up to his end of the bargain. She could do no less.
As to how she felt about becoming Mrs. Nathan Case…
Emma stripped off her clothes and stepped beneath the shower, her thoughts locked on Nathan. On the long drive back from Baton Rouge, she’d had lots of time to think. Since moving in with him, some shift in her perception had occurred.
As hot water cascaded over her body, she shut her eyes and imagined his hands roving over her, his long, muscular frame sliding against her bare skin, awakening her desires, his deep voice crooning encouragement as they moved together. He did things to her body she’d never experienced before.
And he made her happy. He took care of her needs both in and out of bed. Feeling cherished and fussed over had opened the door to her considering Nathan’s opinions about marriage. She’d learned enough about him in the last couple weeks to decide that he’d make a great husband. He was committed to their relationship and concerned about her needs.
Still, she knew passion would never be enough for her. But what if it was combined with respect and affection? Emma wasn’t sure. Marriages failed even when the couple loved each other. Could she and Nathan make it without a strong emotional bond?
Emma exited the shower and dried her hair. It was Valentine’s Day. Her day of reckoning. Although Nathan hadn’t mentioned the deal with her father since they’d returned from Baton Rouge, she knew he was gearing up for a romantic evening with a marriage proposal at its core.
Was it reasonable to surmise that she could continue to be happy with Nathan, knowing he would resist losing his heart to her? He sang joyful songs of love and forever, but he didn’t believe a single word. Yet each chorus, every verse spoke to her, seduced her into believing that he could fall in love if he found the right woman.
And more than anything, she longed to be that right woman.
Her heart stopped. Something inside her clicked into place. The final piece of a puzzle that made the picture whole.
No wonder she was considering marrying him when she’d determined from the first that she wanted a fairy-tale ending. That she deserved to marry a man who adored her.
She loved Nathan.
What she’d feared would happen had come to pass. She’d fallen for him. Hard. And Nathan wasn’t ready to let her in. To love her. He might never be. Was she really prepared to settle for that?
Her cell phone rang. She plucked it from her purse and answered it.
“Are you done with your errands?”
Despite the long hours spent stretched out in bed beside him, beneath him, on top of him the previous evening, hearing Nathan’s voice awakened that familiar ache in her body.
“All done.”
“Can you meet me in an hour?”
“What did you have in mind?” Despite her somber mood a moment ago, salacious thoughts began a slow striptease in her head. It did no good to wallow in misery when just talking to Nathan aroused her.
“I had been thinking about lunch, unless you had a little afternoon delight in mind.”
“Why couldn’t we do both? Surely there’s a hotel somewhere nearby your office that offers room service.” A picture formed in her mind. She took a moment and savored the fantasy while Nathan’s voice rumbled in her ear.
“Are you listening to me?”
“No, sorry. I was mentally undressing you. What was that you were saying?” she asked.
A muffled curse filled her ear. “Pack a bag. I’ve booked a suite at the Four Seasons.”
“I’m on my way.”
Emma ended the call and touched her lips, fingertip gliding from one end of her wide grin to the other. She should be worried that the man made her wild with anticipation after just a phone call. He was a heartbreak ready to happen, but she’d promised herself no more worrying about the future. Just live in the moment.
Easier said than done, but an hour later she strolled into the hotel lobby and spotted Nathan. He sat on one of the comfortable couches, reading the newspaper and looking every inch the corporate executive. For a moment she stopped and stared at him, her heart pounding.
Gone was her sexy seducer in jeans and bare chest. In a custom-tailored navy suit with a crisp white shirt and butter-yellow silk tie, he’d become a tycoon once more. The exact sort who’d be in business with her father. Her heart hit her toes.
