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“That’s my one and only condition. Take it or leave it. Anight of passion, Brand.” She folded her arms across her chest, willing her body to hold its stony posture instead of giving into panicked trembling. Where had she gotten the nerve to make such a request? Where had that even comefrom?
“A night of passion? What, exactly, does that mean to you?” Brand’s face was a mixture of suspicion and arousal.
She lifted her chin. “Just what I said.”
“One night or over the course of our marriage?”
Over the course of their marriage, she almost blurted out, catching back the words at the last instant. “I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give me.”
“Even if it’s only one night?”
Could this get any more humiliating? “Yes.”
“Tell me exactly what you want.”
So, yes. It could get more humiliating. “At some point during our marriage, Iwant you to seduce me. Afull on, romantic, sexy, no-holds-barred seduction.”
Chapter4
The Beaumont’s Cinderella Ball—Forever, Nevada
“Seduce you,”Brand repeated.
He stared at Mia. She sat across from him, as cool and calm as though she’d just ordered a cup of tea. Her gaze remained fixed on his, not showing a trace of discomfort, though her crossed arms hinted at a certain wariness.
God, she was beautiful. Unusually so. From her jet-black hair to her luminous hazel eyes to her delicate, patrician features, she exuded grace and elegance. Not to mention the shapely curves gently hugged by her simple navy-blue dress. It made every other woman appear overdressed and garish.
Hadn’t he sworn he’d choose someone plain? Not to mention practical. Practical women did not want to be seduced. Practical women also didn’t attend a Cinderella Ball expecting to meet and marry their soul mate. And yet, every single person here, with possibly a few exceptions, hoped to do justthat.
Did he want her? Oh, no question. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from sweeping her off her chair and finding a far more secluded section of the garden where he could strip and seduce her until she couldn’t see straight. But that wasn’t why he’d attended the CinderellaBall.
He’d come here looking for a mother for Toni, not a wife. Wives expected their husbands to dance to their various whims, no matter how insane. They expected to be entertained and constantly reassured that they were loved and treasured. And no matter how often the words were said, how sincerely they were meant, it was never enough.
No. He couldn’t handle that sort of entanglement. Not after Carina.
Mia reached for her wineglass and took a small, restrained sip. “If you can’t bring yourself to seduce me, I’m sure I can find someone who finds me appealing.”
She glanced around as though waiting for a potential mate to erupt from the bushes and carry her off for a night of hot, passionatesex.
This had to be the most bizarre conversation he’d ever conducted. Ever. He chose his words with care. “I have no problem seducing you.” He spared her a smile that fell short of warm and probably plunged into the spectrum of “wintry.” “What man wouldn’t?”
“And yet?”
“Since our marriage will be temporary, I’m hesitant to introduce sex into the equation.”
Amusement turned her eyes incandescent. “Isn’t sex usually part of the equation when it comes to any relationship between a man and a woman?”
“Obviously, it can be,” he conceded.
She returned her glass to the table and nudged it aside. In that moment, he knew she planned to walk away. Knew it as surely as he knew he couldn’t let her. He stood and reached for her hand, pulling her from her chair and into his arms. He’d taken her by surprise and she stumbled, her right leg giving out from under her. He caught her with ease, holding her in a loose embrace.
She rested her open palms against his chest and stared up at him for a moment. What he saw impacted like a shot to the gut. The wariness had transitioned to an intense vulnerability, warning his initial rejection had hurt far more than he’d realized. Despite that, an innate pride kept her from backing down, her chin set at a combative angle, her eyes darkening with storm clouds. The hazel green turned almost a shadowedjade.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Taking the first step.” He tugged her closer, joining them in a delicious juxtaposition of male and female, soft impacting against hard. Curves fitted to angles. “Testing the chemistry.”
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. Nor did she encourage him. Her refusal to return his embrace made a statement and he heard it loud and clear. She wanted to be seduced, even if only an initial taste. Abit of foreplay that would eventually lead to the main event.
