Is she really this naive? “Nobody knows what the future holds. I doubt many people go into marriage planning for a divorce, but we don’t know how this thing is going to turn out. This is just like an insurance policy.”
She licks her lips, her eyes darting between the papers and my face. “I want this to work out, Nathan.”
“So do I, Mel. Let me talk you through the papers, then we can go get some dinner.”
She looks down at her navy scrubs. “I’m not really dressed for one of your fancy restaurants.”
She looks effortlessly stunning in anything she wears, and I would take her anywhere she wanted right now, but I don’t say that. “Then we’ll go somewhere unfancy then.”
Her smile reappears, and whatever worries that were triggered by the prenup seem to have been appeased for now. We go through the document together. She’ll get alimony if we separate, but it’s not generous by any stretch. She doesn’t get a claim to my penthouse, my business, or anything else, no matter how many kids we have or how long we’re together, and she doesn’t question any of it. I read through the morality clause that was added by her lawyer one more time—if she cheats, she doesn’t get alimony, and if I cheat, I’ll owe her fifty million dollars. Satisfied with the verbiage and the knowledge that I’m no cheat—never had to be and never will—I sign next to my name and watch as she does the same.
Mel takes a huge bite from her first slice of pepperoni pizza and licks the grease from her chin before flashing me a wicked grin that travels straight to my dick. Fuck me. It’s been a while since I’ve gone so long without sex, and that must be the reason I’m constantly horny. But I swear this woman could make getting an enema look sexy. Now that I think about it …
“I guess this isn’t the type of place you usually eat?” she says, interrupting my thoughts about her ass.
I glance around the pizza place. “Actually my brother loves coming here so I’ve been a few times before.”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Which brother? Not Elijah?”
I shake my head. “No. He’s more a steak and fine wine kind of guy. Mason.”
“Oh. You have four brothers, right? I’m looking forward to meeting them. Are they all as nice as Elijah?”
I wipe my chin with a napkin, unable to suppress my smirk.
“What?” she asks.
“Nice isn’t usually the first word people use to describe him, that’s all. He’s not usually so …” I search for the right word. “Pleasant.”
The spot between her brows pinches in a cute-as-fuck frown. “He was lovely.”
“Yeah, you seem to have made quite the impression on him.”
She leans forward, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. “I guess I’m just wildly charismatic.” She licks her lips again, and I have a vision of that tongue licking something else. “Some might say irresistible?”
Yes, you fucking are. “Don’t push it, Spitfire,” I say instead, and she rewards me with a sweet laugh that’s like a punch to my gut. Why the hell do I have this much fun just sitting here talking to her?
“You mentioned you had some thoughts on the wedding.” She expertly changes the subject before helping herself to another slice of pizza.
“Yeah, I’m thinking Saturday, the third, at my family home. No press in attendance, but my father will put out a full press release the next day.”
She frowns again. “The third of next month?”
“Yeah. That gives you two weeks to move your things. I have a company that can take care of that discreetly if you want to get a jump on it beforehand.”
“That would be great. It’s just …” She bites her bottom lip. “My mom and Bryce will be there, no matter the date. But there are only two people I really care about being there, and that’s my sister and my cousin. It’s just that Tyler’s traveling for work, and I don’t think his schedule will allow him to get back here.”
I don’t dare unpack what the hell that means about her relationship with her mom and brother. Not when we’re having such a pleasant evening. “I just figured the sooner we do this, the better. I’m happy to give you your six months.” I almost choke on those words because the idea of waiting another six months to fuck her is unthinkable right now. But six months to start trying for a baby doesn’t have to mean six months to have sex. At least I hope it doesn’t. “But I want this part done as soon as possible.”
“I do too. But Tyler has been there for every important moment of my life.”
“And he still will be. This is just the signing of another contract, Mel. It’s not that big of a deal. Elijah won’t even be there. Nor will my youngest brother, Maddox. The wedding is merely a formality.”
I hate the look of hurt that flashes over her face. Fuck, I really could have worded that better. But it’s the cold hard truth. This is a business arrangement. And like Elijah said, the fact that we get along and seem to find each other attractive is a major bonus. Our sex life should be decent at least, and that’s a big part of the reason I agreed to the morality clause. I also believe that if a spouse cheats, the injured party should be compensated in some way.
But our mutual attraction and friendly conversations don’t make this anything more than what it is. I don’t do love and romance. Never have, never will.
Still, I find myself reaching for her hand and gently squeezing it. “Hey. I want to do this with you, Mel. But the wedding is only the starting point. What matters is what happens after, right?”
“Ty always says the bigger and fancier the wedding, the more miserable the marriage.” She lets out a nervous laugh.
I think back to the over-the-top, grand affair that was Elijah and Amber’s wedding, compared to my parents getting married in a tiny church in Valencia with six guests, and I couldn’t agree more. “Seems like this Tyler is a smart guy.”
Her eyes light up. “He is. He’s my favorite person in the world. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
I grunt a response, irrationally pissed that some other guy is her favorite person in the world. I guess she can read me better than I thought because she laughs again, louder this time. “You do understand he’s my cousin and he’s gay?”
“I didn’t say anything,” I insist.
Her eyes spark with defiance, and Jesus fuck, I want to put her over my knee right here at this table and spank her ass. “Course you didn’t, Ice.”
I roll my eyes. “Eat your pizza, Spitfire.”
Chapter
Seventeen
