the exceptionally beautiful woman. After all of her spirited reactions so far, he was eagerly anticipating what she might say to his next announcement. “I’d like you to be my fiancée for a while,” he finally said, then waited impatiently for her response.
It was slow in coming but when it did, it certainly wasn’t what he expected. He’d been watching her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction and expected eager acceptance. So he was startled when it finally came, although definitely not what he was expecting.
He expected dollar signs to show up in her eyes which would happen with so many women of his acquaintance…or maybe he thought she would toss out an enormous dollar figure or ask for a credit card, or even just smile seductively as if she’d captured a prime catch. But did she do any of those things?
No, this startlingly lovely woman with fascinating green eyes that vacillated between fury and humor did the unexpected. She threw back her head and laughed. She laughed so hard and for so long, Royston was becoming quite irritated. He was vaguely aware of other diners starting to look at them curiously but he didn’t care. He simply waited for her laughter to subside.
When she looked across the table, her laughter finally slowing down to a few chuckles, she wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks with the linen napkin before taking a deep breath. “Oh, goodness. That was wonderful,” she finally said. Shaking her head, she smiled at him. “Rumors are wrong. You have a wonderful sense of humor.”
That eyebrow went up once again, her first indication that he wasn’t joking.
“So what would it take for you to act as my fiancée?”
Miranda was startled by his question, honestly thinking he had been joking. Her mouth fell open and she stared at him as if he’d suggested she commit a murder or blow up a building. “Why in the world would you need someone to act as your fiancée? Don’t you have scads of women who would jump at the chance to be your real fiancée?”
He simply shrugged one of those ginormous shoulders. “I have many female acquaintances who would use the situation to their advantage. Which is why I am asking you.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. It made her sound…un-entrepreneurial. “How do you know I wouldn’t do that?”
He watched her carefully, debating how to reply. In the end, he went with the truth. “Instinct,” was all he said.
Hmph, she thought. Which made no sense at all. “Okay, so explain to me why you need a fiancée. And am I wrong in guessing you only need someone for a little while?”
He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. “You’re correct. My sister wants me to be happy,” he explained with as few details as possible. “She is deliriously happy in her own marriage and thinks that being attached is the only way a person can be happy. So in order to keep her from worrying, I will become an almost-married man.”
Miranda’s eyes widened as he explained and she was touched by the first sign of humanity inside of his tough, intimidating exterior. “You would do all that just to keep your sister from worrying?” Something inside of her melted, feeling a deep sense of something…something similar to a strange heat inside of her stomach.
He shrugged again, causing her mind to blank for a moment while she pictured those shoulders without the expensive suit covering them. When she realized that her mouth had gone dry, and the reason why, she shook her head slightly and refocused on the whole man. “I’m sorry, but I can see many problems with this kind of a charade. And I don’t like deceiving people so you’ll have to find someone else to help you lie to your sister. If she’s worried about your happiness, she’s probably a very nice person. I don’t lie to nice people.”
He didn’t exactly smile so much as something in his eyes changed, revealing his amusement. “With the implication being that you only lie to mean people?” he teased. When he got the expected blush, he relented. “I apologize, but couldn’t resist.” He shifted ever so slightly, changing the subject as he said, “Would it make a difference if I paid you?”
She was intrigued at the idea that he needed a fake fiancée so badly, he was willing to hire someone to play the part. Then she realized what she was doing and shook her head. “No. Money isn’t