around his mouth softened. ‘Nope.’
He tapped his chest. ‘No heart here; call me Tin Man.’
She loved The Wizard of Oz as a child and the fact this big, bad business bully knew the movie endeared him to her as nothing else could.
‘You want acceptance—’
‘For my business.’ He waved a dismissive hand at the crowd. ‘Couldn’t care less what they think of me.’
His clarification only solidified her impression that this deliberate ostracism had to mean more than he was letting on.
‘Okay, you want them to accept your business, and I want my family business to survive intact. Maybe we should brainstorm a solution to our problems?’
The frown deepened. ‘Why? As you pointed out, we barely know each other. Why the hell would I discuss my private business with you?’ He shook his head. ‘Business proposals I understand. This?’ He pointed at the crowd. ‘Not a hope.’
She stared at him, something tugging at the edge of her consciousness.
He’d used the word proposal again... What if they could nut out a proposal to benefit them both?
The idea shimmered and coalesced, detonating like an ill-timed bomb and she gasped.
‘What’s wrong?’
She glanced at his left hand.
‘Are you married?’
‘No.’
‘Involved with anyone?’
His frown eased, that sexy grin back. ‘If this is your way of asking me out—’
‘I’m not asking you out.’
She placed her palms against his chest, slid them across to his lapels and tugged him closer.
‘I’m asking you to marry me.’
When Denver had been arrested, Jax had been subjected to some pretty outlandish proposals from the media desperate to get the inside scoop.
None as outrageous as Ruby Seaborn asking him to marry her.
‘You know you don’t have to go to those lengths for me to put out. I’m good for it.’
She laughed, a genuine belly laugh that made something inside him twist with longing.
‘This isn’t what you think.’ She darted a glance over her shoulder—yeah, as if anyone would approach them as long as he was part of this twosome.
‘It’s a business proposal.’
She beckoned with a crook of her finger. He didn’t need to be asked twice to get up close and personal with her. When he’d whispered in her ear he’d smelled summer berries. Strawberry? Raspberry? Blueberry? A delicious compote that had him yearning to taste...
He pointed to her empty wine glass. ‘How many of those have you had?’
‘Not enough,’ she muttered, her wry grin adding to her intrigue.
He’d had women proposition him many times but none had been crazy enough to propose marriage.
‘Just hear me out, okay?’
She laid a hand on his forearm and he stilled, her touch innocuous, his libido’s reaction anything but.
‘I’m all ears.’
She slid her hand down to grab his and tug him across to the quietest corner in the room, tucked behind a towering potted palm near the caterer’s entrance.
‘Shouldn’t you get down on bended knee, do this right?’ he teased.
‘Shut up.’ She made a zipping motion across her lips.
‘Is that any way to talk to your prospective fiancé?’
‘Jeez, you’re a pain in the—’
‘You’re not sugar-coating how much you want to be my wife, I like that.’
Amusement lit her eyes. ‘Okay, I guess I deserve whatever you dish out considering how I blurted out that proposal. But once you hear what I have to say I’m sure you’ll agree marriage makes sense.’
He folded his arms. ‘You think? Because from where I’m standing, marrying a stranger holds little appeal. Not that I’m anti-marriage, mind you, but I always thought if I was crazy enough to shackle myself to a woman in matrimony, we’d have a serious relationship going first.’
She sighed. ‘You talk too much. Typical CEO.’
‘Typical?’
She puffed out her cheeks like a balloon. ‘Full of hot air and self-importance, likes the sound of his own voice.’
God, he loved sparring with her. Her quick wit plus her beauty and intelligence equalled a potential problem for his self-control.
‘Why don’t you rationalise your ludicrous proposal before you pump up my fragile ego any more?’
She snorted. ‘Fragile? Yeah, right.’
‘You’ve got two minutes starting now—’
‘Okay, okay.’ She held up her hands in surrender. ‘Sheesh, better add impatient to that list of your questionable attributes.’
‘Ninety seconds and counting—’
‘I want to save Seaborn’s, you want entry into Melbourne’s high society. I can give you the latter, if you agree to stop undercutting our mine for a year and give us a chance to turn our profit margins around.’
He knew blurting out that bit about the crowd shunning him had been a bad move. A smart woman like her had picked up on how much it really meant to him and was now using it to blackmail him into marriage. Gutsy.
‘What makes you think I need you to introduce me to Melbourne’s elite?’
She shook her head. ‘You disappoint me. I’m being honest with you; I expect the same in return.’
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. ‘That mob—the movers and shakers?—tend to snub.’ She paused, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her top lip, and his gut tightened.
‘Especially you, with your background.’
Damn, she knew. Of course she’d know. Everyone in this city knew his lineage. They’d driven him away once and were still using it to beat him around the head.
Didn’t matter how much money his mine had turned over last year. Didn’t matter about profit margins or award recognition by the WA Mining Commission. Didn’t matter he’d busted his ass taking his mine to the top of the competition.
They
