Just the eyes alone had enough voltage to power her whole system.
And that wasn’t even considering the way that his incredibly tall and broad body filled out the impeccable lines of his suit.
Had she ever used the wordimpeccablein the context of men’s clothing before? She didn’t think so.
While she struggled to return her inner world to any semblance of order, his gaze remained fixed upon hers like that of a hunter who moved silently and struck in the night.
His astounding irises were rich amber encircled in a deep brown ring and striped throughout with small streaks of equally dark brown.
The intensity of the glow that shone from within them was a reminder that although he had been gifted with a body that was more than enough to house all of that power, being caged only made it all the more desperate to escape.
And, for all intents and purposes, he’d just asked her to marry him.
But why had he asked her to marry him? If he was looking for a business arrangement, what singled her out as the woman to make it with?
And did the answer matter?
“What’s the catch?” Rita asked.
He swallowed, and she realized that he was just as caught in their stare as she was.
“Some women might consider marrying a stranger all the catch they needed.”
“Some women wouldn’t think twice about marrying a handsome and mysterious prince.”
Laughter flared in his eyes, though he only released a chuckle. “Don’t forget rich beyond limit.”
Rita swallowed this time, and it wasn’t just because there was something magnetic about his awareness of his own power.
As NECTAR she had done well for herself, her years of struggle behind her now, but she was far from living a life beyond limit—wasn’t even sure, really, if she knew what that meant.
“There has to be a catch,” she insisted.
He inclined his head with respect. “In addition to marrying a stranger, you will be inheriting a ruthless tyrant for a father-in-law. Being my wife will keep you safe from him, but he, unfortunately, exists nonetheless.”
Rita knew a thing or two about complicated and tyrannical fathers.
“And you’re not after anything physical?” she queried.
Nodding, the Prince said, “I am, in fact, unequivocally rejecting anything physical. A physical relationship would undermine what makes this such a good arrangement.”
“I’m not sure I’m clear on what makes this such a good arrangement.”
“My people would like to see me married, but I am interested in neither a life partner nor a confidant. You can see how being up-front about that might turn prospects away. On the other hand, it would be disingenuous to pretend to be interested in a wife when, in reality, I am merely in want of one. An acquaintance with some common ground and her own life, however, stands out to me as a solution. One that only works if we remember between the two of us that it is all an act. Sex can complicate keeping that in mind. To that end, I reiterate that there is not and never will be anything romantic about our arrangement. This arrangement could work well for the two of us for many reasons, but romance is not one of them,” he said.
“I can see how marrying a stranger could make it easier to maintain distance,” she mused on the thought. Taking it further, she asked, “So you’re proposing that we remain as close as we can to strangers in matrimony for the rest of our, mostly separate from the sounds of it, lives?”
The Prince’s eyes once again danced with humor. “Hardly,” he said, as easy being interrogated as he was tossing out proposals. “A few years is all I expect, and then we can divorce like normal modern royalty.”
Something shuddered through Rita at the worddivorce, but she told herself she could handle that stigma as well as she could handle the stigma of having been disowned.
But she wouldn’t be taken advantage of in the process.
“What about a prenup?” she asked.
The Prince’s eyes narrowed and cooled ever so slightly, but he replied smoothly, “My assets will be protected, I assure you. I had not taken you to be the kind of individual I needed to protect them from, however. Should I revise that opinion?”
Rita let out a short laugh, shaking her head.