“No. To everyone but us, it would be a real marriage.”
I crinkled my nose. “I’m a terrible liar.”
“You won’t have to lie. We will be legally married.”
“You’re speaking like it’s a foregone conclusion I’ll say yes.”
He raised a brow. “Weren’t you the one who told me you say yes when there’s the smallest chance you’ll get something out of it? I’m surprised by your hesitation.”
I had to laugh at that. “You’re asking me to marry you, Luca. I may be spontaneous, but even I need to think this one through from all angles. Besides, what would I be getting out of this marriage?”
His lids lowered, and he slanted his body toward mine. “Me, as a husband.”
Oh, he was turning on the charm. He must’ve really wanted this.
“Is that supposed to be an incentive?”
“I do have a really nice condo.”
“You do, although I love living with Elise.”
“She’ll be moving in with Weston before you know it.”
A thousand questions battled for first place in my mind. The most inappropriate one claimed victory. “What about sex?”
“I like it.”
“Shut up, Luca.” I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “I mean, are you going two years without getting laid? Or will you be bringing home random women?”
“Are you taking yourself off the menu?”
“This is your idea. Surely you’ve thought about this.”
“What about you, Saoirse? Can you go two years without getting laid?
“Sure. I’ve done it before.”
He winced. “Why?”
“Despite what you may think based on our first meeting, I don’t like casual hookups. That’s one thing I rarely say yes to.”
“Won’t you get anything out of it?”
I chuffed. “Not often.”
“Then why did you say yes to me?”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “Because I was pretty certain I would get something out of being with you.”
He blinked slowly. “And you were right.”
We exchanged a long look, but I didn’t have to say anything. We’d both been there. He knew exactly what I’d gotten out of being with him.
He propped his ankle on his knees and rubbed his chin. “To answer your question, no, I won’t be bringing random women home. That’s not a good look for a married man, and I can guarantee it would get out. As for us, if we fuck, it’ll be outside the confines of our agreement.”
“What does that mean?”
He dropped his hand, his fingers curling around the arm of his chair. “Eventually, I would like to have a real marriage, much like my parents’。 Marriage means something to me. That isn’t what this is. I’m marrying you because it’s convenient for both of us, mutually beneficial, and I have a feeling you’re not looking for a husband, or you would have found one.”
“I’m definitely not. I never want to get married.”
He considered me, raking his dark eyes over my face. “Never? No dreams of a big, white wedding?”
“No. Never.” I twisted my lips. “I like dresses, but I’m not a traditional kind of girl.”
“Good, then you won’t be disappointed that we’ll be eloping in a private ceremony.”
I snorted. “You’ve really planned this out, haven’t you? I suppose I won’t be getting a honeymoon then.”
“I can’t exactly take a vacation right now.” His jaw flexed as he stared at me intently. “I would like to save all those traditions for my future wife. I won’t say no to a wedding night, though.”
“You’ll ditch all the traditions except the one involving sex. That makes sense.”
“We’re coming at this from opposite directions, but we’re meeting at the same point. This is a business transaction. Sex isn’t business, so when it happens, it won’t have anything to do with our marriage.”
I rolled my eyes. “Again with the foregone conclusions.”
“I don’t waste time pretending, Saoirse.”
He had me there. If it weren’t for us having this outrageous conversation, I might’ve liked to climb into his lap and pick up where we’d stopped.
“I’ll have to think about this.”
Something in him deflated. “I thought you said yes to experiences.”
“I did, but you’re asking me to do something I don’t believe in.”
“All the more reason to do it. If you don’t believe in marriage, what’s the harm in entering a fake one with me?”
I folded my arms over my chest, refusing to be convinced by this very convincing man. “We’ll have to lie to our friends and family. That’s the harm.”
“That’s the downside, I agree. But when we divorce, it’ll be amicable. We won’t force anyone to choose sides since there won’t be a rift.”
He was so calm and slick with his answers I wanted to shout and ruffle him up a little. This man was asking for a lot while behaving like it was nothing.
“I can’t say yes right now. I’m sorry if that’s disappointing, but I need to really consider this.”
There was a tense moment where it seemed he was poised to argue with me but then released a long exhale.
“Of course you can have time. Send the contract to your lawyer—”
“I don’t have a lawyer, Luca.”
“Right.” He slid his phone from his pocket, tapping something on the screen. “I’m sending you the name of another firm I trust. I’ll let them know to expect a call from you. Obviously, I’ll be paying all legal fees.”
“Obviously.”
Luca walked me to the door. Before he opened it, I spun around to face him.
“You realize this is nuts, right?”
He paused, staring at his hand on the knob, then lifted his gaze to mine. “I do, which should tell you how fucking desperate I am to be out from under some of the weight pressing down on me.”
It only lasted a few seconds, but in that time, Luca’s charm fell away, letting me see his fatigue and turmoil. It was almost enough for me to agree right then and there, but I was smarter than that.
Saving Luca couldn’t be the only reason I said yes.
Charlie was hanging around my cubicle when I hustled into the office. Though I’d shown up to Rossi at the ass crack of dawn, somehow I was running late.
Well, not somehow. I knew how. After Luca’s sneak attack of insanity, I’d gone to my favorite nearby coffee shop. Over a latte and croissant, I’d gotten lost in my thoughts and time had slipped away from me.
“Hey,” I chirped. “Good morning.”
Since I’d started at Rossi three weeks ago, Charlie had been nothing but friendly. There was an underlying interest there, but he hadn’t acted on it or made me feel uncomfortable. Even at the weekly office happy hours. He made it a point to sit beside me, and maybe after a drink or two, he got a little flirtier, but not so much I had to turn him down.
That was a relief since I’d be working here for at least another month. The last thing I wanted was an awkward workplace situation.