seem to change the woman you want with alarming frequency.”
“And that’s why it would be such a big story if I were preparing to get married. I’ve dated enough actresses and models to have serious headline appeal with the tabloids.”
“Okay, yeah, I’ll give you that. But where are you going to find a woman who won’t want to marry you for real? One who will keep her mouth shut about the arrangement.”
She looked back at Gage—his blue eyes were trained on her and a slow smile spread over his handsome face.
“Lily.”
She didn’t like the way he said her name, with intent, his low voice rolling over it, making it sound like a verbal caress. And it made her stomach tighten and her breasts feel heavy. Like last night. Like when he’d held her in his arms.
“I want you to marry me.”
She could only stare at him. Words were failing her, which was virtually unheard-of. She always knew what to say. She always knew how to respond in every situation, quickly and efficiently, cutting if necessary. She was never speechless. Except she was now.
She opened her mouth, then shut it again, trying desperately to think of some kind of sharp, witty response. Instead she settled for simple. “Not really, though.”
A short chuckle escaped his lips. “No. Not really. I just want you to be my fiancée.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No! Absolutely not.”
“How much do you value your job, Lily?”
She locked her teeth together. “It’s everything to me. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am.”
“It would be a shame to have any of your hard work compromised, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes,” she bit out.
“I don’t want Madeline’s hard work compromised because she got tossed to the wolves. I don’t want her to lose all of the progress she’s made, all of the confidence she’s managed to gain.”
The threat, though he didn’t state it explicitly, was certainly implied. If she wanted to keep her job, she had to play by his rules.
“And it has to be you,” he continued. “You and I were seen together at the gala last night, and we were definitely breaching the boundaries of professionalism.”
“We were well within normal boundaries of a boss and employee attending an event together,” she said, even as images of him holding her close flashed through her mind.
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