Page 16

Story: Sinful Ruin

Am I really considering this?

Julian smiles smugly, stands, and returns to the kitchen. I watch his every move as he grabs the folder, stalks back to me, and tosses it in my lap.

“Your contract.”

Well, damn.

I didn’t expect him to have it on demand.

I steadily open the folder and flip through the pages of the contract.

His face is unreadable.

“Did you give me a drink before this to alter my comprehension while reading this contract?” I ask.

“Of course not.” He rests his hand over his heart. “A man of my integrity would never.”

I roll my eyes at his lie. “Why do you wantmeto have your baby? You could easily have some random woman do it without having to pay a million dollars.”

“That’s none of your concern.” He bites into his lip, reaching down to skim his finger along my collarbone. “I will admit, though, coming home and seeing you like this, waiting for me, tells me I’m making the right decision.”

I smack his hand away.

He moves it to my shoulder, running it down my arm.

The asshole is fucking with me, turning me on to turn off my brain.

I squeeze my thighs together.

Bad move since it draws his attention to my bare legs.

Fuck.

His eyes immediately dart to my thighs. Desire flashes across his face. I’m surprised he didn’t pay more attention to my lack of pants before.

“You’re asking for a lot here, Julian. It is my concern,” I say.

“You’ll be well taken care of and want for nothing.”

“Well taken care of?” It takes me a moment to get the next words out. “Like marriage?”

That last word snaps his attention back to my face. “Marriage isn’t necessary.”

I raise a brow. “So, after we baby it up, I can marry another man?”

“Absolutely fucking not.” He rips the contract from my hand, withdraws a pen from his pocket, sticks the cap in his mouth, and writes something on the second page.

He shoves it back into my hand, and I reread the page he wrote on.

No goddamn husband, is written in the footnotes.

I scoff. “I’m not spending my life alone.”

He tears the contract from my hand, scribbles on it again, and hands it back.

I wait as he removes the cap from his mouth.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, and you change your mind,” he says. “If you do insist, I won’t expect us to have a traditional marriage.”