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He swallowed, nerves screaming. “In the past, I thought I might avoid getting hitched. I didn’t want to be a serial husband like my dad.”
“And that’s why you…” She gently swished around her glass, seeking words, the cider spinning around like a liquid golden web.
“I what?” He wanted to hear her say it.
She smiled sweetly and his heart flipped.
“That’s why you date all those women,” she said. “At least, that’s what they say.”
Yeah, all those women. The ones who didn’t have any interest in families at all. There was a cold comfort in that kind of emptiness. Security. And the more Lucas thought about David’s suggestion that he find an “appropriate” woman, the more he came to believe that it wouldn’t be much of a change from his previous relationships. He wouldn’t have to invest emotion. It was a business deal, pure and simple. A situation that would benefit everyone all around. His girlfriend could spend his money any way she wanted to, especially when it came to taking part in charity work that would generate positive ink in the press. And Lucas would be a better man—at least in the eyes of the world.
Putting down her glass, Alicia then propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. She was just as beautiful as David had said, even more so. Her physical appearance whipped his overused libido into a frenzy, but that’s not what really tore Lucas up about her.
She had soul. A sincerity you had to travel far and wide to find. Something he’d never experienced.
“You want to know the truth?” he asked.
“What?”
Lucas pushed his plate away, appetite for food gone. So many other appetites stoked.
“I wouldn’t mind finding a wife at all. Someday.”
Her eyes had gotten a little wider, probably because his comment clashed with his reputation.
Before he knew it, he found himself laying the groundwork to take the next step in this plan—not that he was going to go further. Hell, no, he was still thinking about all the pros and cons. He wanted to measure the possibilities, that’s all.
Measure her to see if she’d be a fit….
“I know you’re doing your best to save the world in this small corner of the earth,” he said, pulse picking up speed, “but what if you had the chance to make changes on a large scale? How far would you go to get that opportunity?”
She was getting curious about where he was leading. He could tell from her puzzled smile.
“How big of an opportunity are we talking about?” she asked.
“Getting loads of money to spend as you see fit, on any cause that would speak to you.”
Her lips parted, her eyes going hazy, her head tilting.
He fought himself, feeling his inner playboy stir: The guy who loved fine champagne and loud music. The guy who loved a good, dirty, heart-stopping off-road race in expensive mechanical toys.
The guy who’d surprisingly been struck with respect for this woman’s apparent selflessness.
“I would do just about anything to get that kind of chance,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.
Anything, he thought. Would she even sign on for a fake liaison with a billionaire? Somehow he doubted it. A person with such devotion to others would never hop into such a calculating situation and compromise herself like that.
So why was he even pursuing this subject?
The images overtook him again. A woman who would bring grace and charity to his name.
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