She frowned. “Marrying your search consultant doesn’t put out that fire. On the contrary.”
“How can I look at other women when I have you in my life?” A spark lit deep in his gaze.
It was amusement. It had to be. But for a brief second, Danica imagined what it would be like if his words were the truth. If she mattered to his life, was the center of his focus. She swallowed, hard, and looked away. “What’s the other win?”
“You fulfill the terms of your contract. Before the deadline, so you qualify for the bonus.”
“Bonus?”
He held up three fingers and counted them down as he spoke. “Jayne, Felicity and you. That makes three candidates I’ve accepted.”
“But I’m not a candidate.” She laughed. It was either that or cry. “Last night was...last night. I wanted to be there. It wasn’t an audition. I don’t meet the criteria.”
“You think fast on your feet, you handled the Felicity situation with grace under pressure, and I received a thank-you this morning from the Peninsula Society. Grayson Monk gave a very generous donation. He credited you for daring him to match your winnings at the roulette table.” He moved a step closer, his blue gaze frank and warm. “You more than fulfill the requirements.”
Every cell in her body ached to believe him. Then she remembered he was a skilled negotiator, while she was tired, worried for her family and still on sensory overload from the night before.
She shook her head. “I can’t be part of a pretend marriage.”
“Who said anything about pretending?”
She blinked rapidly, trying to parse his meaning. “Of course we’d be pretending.”
“No. We’ll be married. As soon as possible.”
He spoke in English, but his words didn’t make sense. “Married? Like, married married?”
“If by married married you mean legally, then yes.”
“Married...in every sense of the word?”
His gaze fell to her chest. Her nipples tightened at the visible appreciation in his eyes. “That would be an advantage of this deal.”
Would it ever... Wait. He was far too sure of himself. “Again, just because I slept with you once, it does not mean I want to repeat it, much less be legally tied to you.”
The hot light left his gaze. He ran his right hand through his hair, leaving it mussed. Just like it looked when she’d stood by his bed and said goodbye. “I know our association started to save the acquisition. And I still need to present a wife to Nestor Stavros.”
“I’m your recruiter.” Even as she said the words, a memory flash of how he’d caused her to scream his name turned her cheeks to flame. “We agreed last night would not affect our business relationship.”
He moved closer. There was a slight bite mark just below his jaw. She could still taste his skin, the rasp of his whiskers stinging her tongue. If she just leaned forward, she could kiss that reddened area better...or do more damage.
Right now, she was torn.
“We would still have a business relationship. We’ll have a new contract. With a marriage certificate as an addendum,” he stated.
She narrowed her gaze. “Explain.”
“I hired you to find a wife to demonstrate to Nestor I’ve changed. We’ll extend our arrangement to you fulfilling the role of the wife. We act like a faithful couple in public, the goal is achieved, and the acquisition goes through.”
“And after you get what you want?” His scent wafted over her. It made her think of rumpled bedsheets and hot skin sliding against hers and his mouth...oh, his mouth.
His gaze searched hers. “That’s up to us. To you.” There was a note in his voice she’d never heard before. It almost sounded tentative.
But Luke didn’t do tentative. He cut relationships and walked away. She suspected that was partly why the current situation with Irene got under his skin. He couldn’t shun Irene and still work with Nestor.
The late night, the lack of sleep and the churning turmoil in her nervous system made it hard to think. Although even if she had slept a full eight hours it would still be difficult to think when he stood so close. She could see the streaks of dark lapis lazuli in his ocean-blue eyes.