For a fraction of a second his eyes held hers, and then he glanced pointedly down at her stomach.
‘Because I’m pregnant?’ She stared at him in exasperation, the air thumping out of her lungs. How could he do this? It was bad enough that he’d tricked her into coming here in the first place. But to sit there, so handsome and smug, making these absurd, arrogant statements... And then assume that she was just going to go along with them.
‘Maybe a hundred years ago that might have been a reason. But it is possible to have a baby out of wedlock. People do it all the time now.’
‘Not my baby,’ Ram said flatly, his stomach clenching swiftly at her words.
How could she be so casual about this? So dismissive? Did she really think that having a father was discretionary? A matter of preference? Like having a dog or a cat?
He studied her face, seeing the fear and understanding it. Good. It was time she realised that he was being serious. Marriage wasn’t an optional extra, like the adaptive suspension he’d had fitted on his latest Lamborghini. It was the endgame. The obvious denouement of that night on his sofa.
Shaking his head, trying to ignore the anger pooling there, he said coolly, ‘By any definition this situation is a mess, and the simplest, most logical way to clear it up is for us to marry. Or are you planning on buying a crib and just hoping for the best?’
Nola felt her heartbeat trip over itself. How dare he?
She didn’t know what was scaring her more. The fact that Ram was even considering this as an option, or his obvious belief that she was actually going to agree to it.
Looking up into his handsome face, she felt her skin begin to prickle. She couldn’t agree. She might not have planned this pregnancy, but she knew she could make it work. Marrying Ram, though...
How could that be anything but a disaster?
They barely knew each other, had nothing in common, and managed to turn every single conversation into an argument. She swallowed. And, of course, they weren’t in love—not even close to being in love.
Her head was spinning.
All they shared was this baby growing inside her, and one passionate night of sex. But marriages weren’t built on one-night stands. And, no matter how incredible that night had been, she wasn’t so naive as to believe that a man like Ram Walker would view his wedding vows as anything but guidelines.
Her fingers curved into the palms of her hands. For her—for most people—marriage meant commitment. Monogamy.
But Ram could barely manage five days with the same woman. So how exactly was he planning on forsaking all others?
Or was he expecting to be able to carry on just as he pleased?
Either way, how long would it be before he felt trapped...resentful?
Or, worse, bored?
Remembering the distracted look in her father’s eyes, the sense that he was always itching to be somewhere else and her own panicky need to try and make him stay, she felt sick.
She knew instinctively that Ram would be the same.
Wanting Nola to be his wife was just the knee-jerk response of a CEO faced with an unexpected problem. But she didn’t want her marriage to be an exercise in damage limitation. Surely he could understand that.
But, looking over at him, she felt a rush of panic.
He looked so calm, almost too calm, as though her opposition to his ludicrous suggestion was just a mere formality—some twisted version of bridal nerves.
And with any other woman he would probably be right in thinking that. After all, he’d almost certainly never met anyone who had turned him down.
Her heart began to pound.
Until now.
Slowly, she shook her head.
‘I can’t marry you, Ram. Right now, I’m not sure I ever want to be married. But if at some point I do, it will be because the man asking me loves me and wants me to be his wife.’
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were cool and resolute.