“All I wanted was you and Colton to myself. I want to join your ménage lifestyle. Preferably sandwiched between the two of you.”
“I want that, too, Isabelle. I also want to know specifically what made you so upset earlier today.”
Isabelle turned on her side, putting her head on one palm. “I heard you tell the person on the phone that you understood you needed to get married but didn’t have a worthy contender yet, although you admitted you were seeing someone. I assumed the person you were talking about was me. I decided that you were lying about wanting me at all.”
“I’m sorry you heard any of that conversation without knowing the full story. The fact is, I never share with them any truths about my real life. I do my best to endure the semi-annual calls I get from my aunt. I wouldn’t have even taken the call, if I wasn’t certain they’d keep calling over and over until I picked it up. It’s the same call every time, insisting I need to sign the papers, settle down, and get married.”
“Why do I sense a but coming?”
“But if I tell them that I want to marry you, my family will immediately dispatch a legion of investigators, private detectives, and possibly even undercover spies to locate, record, and distribute every single minuscule bit of information about you from the time you took your first breath in the hospital the day you were born, until right now.”
“So?”
“So I don’t want to put anyone through that. Especially not someone I’m in love with.”
She grinned. “You’re in love with me?”
Warrick smiled back. “Of course, I am. I told you I want you to be my wife. I have never said that to another woman in my life.”
“Really?”
“Swear.”
“I want to ask, ‘Why me?’, but I don’t want to ruin the mood.”
Warrick smiled. “As I said, I’m in love with you. I’ve thought about this conversation since before we even met in person that first time.”
“Before the courthouse?”
“Yes. That day when we literally ran into each other. I said something stupid until I realized it was you. But then the scent of you made my legs weak. I wanted to crush you to my chest, drop to the marble floor with you naked beneath me, and take you to wild levels of bliss.”
“I wanted that, too. In fact, a few minutes later I remember a particularly vivid time in your office balanced on the edge of your desk, ready to do wicked things with you.”
“The truth is, I wanted you so much in that moment, I could barely think straight. But as dangerously attractive as you are, I didn’t want to get caught with my pants down at work.”
“I appreciate your professional work ethic.”
Warrick laughed, then leaned in and kissed her. “You are still dangerous, but also very special. You were never someone I could fuck once and let go. I knew it on some level before we even met. I cemented that certainty the first time I kissed you. It was a foregone conclusion after we made love to you that first time.”
“Oh? That’s so interesting because I’ve felt all along like once, maybe twice if I was lucky was all I was going to get. Figured I better enjoy all I could while I had your attention.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way. I also didn’t mean to top it off with an idiotic call from my family. I’m glad we resolved this quickly.”
“So what if your family’s legion of investigators discovers my life story including my DNA?” She shrugged. “I don’t care. I’m an open book. I’ll simply ensure they understand that I don’t want your money. I’ll even sign the papers with no issue.”
Warrick closed his eyes. “That won’t matter unfortunately. There is also a level of snobbery involved. After you sign the papers, if they discover that you have more money that they do, then and only then will you be accepted into their midst.”
“And if I don’t have more money than they do?”
“They will hound you every second of every day to break up with me for a variety of reasons—some of which will even be valid—in order to scare you away.”
“Really?”
He nodded solemnly. “They don’t want just anyone with access to their money. Once you run—or maybe even if you don’t—they will promptly hand me a short list of acceptable brides that I’m allowed to consider.”
“Is that so? Hard core.”
He nodded. “I hear they update the document monthly now and those included on the list often shifts regularly depending on how the stock market is doing.”