It was something in the way he’d made that statement that made her feel that perhaps they weren’t talking about the same thing. With all the poise she could muster, she then stood to her feet. “Well, that’s all I had to cover with you, Morgan.”
He nodded. “There is this business proposition that I’d like to discuss with you, if you have the time.”
She smiled as she settled back comfortably in her chair. “You have another house you want me to sell?”
“No, but it is something very important to me, something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time but kept putting off because there wasn’t anyone I’d met that I felt comfortable about approaching to discuss a partnership.”
Lena leaned forward. “Not even Cameron Cody? I understand the two of you are good friends and have done business together on several projects.”
Morgan cleared his throat, cracked a smile and chuckled. “Trust me, Cameron wouldn’t work for this. I need a woman.”
He watched her eyes reflect a myriad of questions before she repeated the last part of what he’d said. “A woman?”
“Yes. In order to pull things off successfully, I need a very astute businesswoman, someone with an open mind, who could think outside the box, and who will appreciate a golden opportunity. And I believe that you are just that person.”
The charming smile on Morgan’s lips almost had Lena agreeing to anything, without knowing exactly what this “business venture” was about. His eyes were hooked on hers, and somehow she felt his keen sense of intelligence as well as his single-minded determination. He had piqued her curiosity and she definitely needed him to elaborate. “Just what type of business proposition are you talking about, Morgan?”
Morgan leaned forward a little, making sure he had her absolute attention. He also wanted to be right there, to gauge her reaction to his words. “I want you to marry me and have my baby.”
Dead silence.
Morgan studied her expression as she sat perfectly still. He saw her blink, then witnessed the fine arching of her brow; and mere seconds later he became an ardent observer of how her lips trembled slightly at the corner. His gaze then moved back to her eyes and saw how they slowly narrowed to sharp slits. Her expression left no doubt in his mind what he’d just told her wasn’t anything like what she’d expected.
“Excuse me. I must have heard you wrong,” she finally said, not taking her eyes off his.
“No, you heard me right, Lena.”
She stared, as if what he’d said didn’t make sense and she was imagining things. Then she spoke as she straightened up in her chair. “In that case, I need you to explain why you think I’d be interested in involving myself in something so preposterous.”
He smiled. “Is it really preposterous? Think about it for a second. It’s no different than a couple agreeing to a prenupt. Marriages of convenience, or more simply put, the one I’m interested in, a marriage of purpose, are not unheard of these days. People are marrying for a lot of reasons. Not everyone who marries is doing so for love.”
Lena heard what he was saying and a part of her was a little disappointed. She had been the product of a couple who loved each other dearly, and when she had met his parents at Kylie’s wedding, she had thought the same thing about them. And if she’d ever married, it was to have been for love. But then, she had given up the idea of ever marrying, so her feelings or lack of feelings were really a moot point.
However, she couldn’t understand why Morgan of all people would settle for a loveless marriage when his two older brothers had married for love. Chance and Sebastian were so head over heels in love with their wives that it wasn’t funny. Was there a reason Morgan intended to fight the same fate?
“All of that may be true, Morgan, but why are you willing to settle for less than love? You’re good-looking, a successful businessman and you have a good personality. I think any woman would find you marriage material.”
He chuckled. “Thanks, but the question is, would I find them wife material? I have a lot going on in my life. The last thing I need is drama, or getting into a situation I’d be trying to get out of a few weeks after the wedding. And not to put your gender down because there are some in mine that are just as bad, possibly even worse, but there are some women who’re conniving, vicious, manipulative and looking to marriage as a way to secure their financial future. I don’t have a problem with the latter, but I want that individual to be one of my choosing and not the other way around.”
“And you actually see me as that person?”