Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
He’s okay, I tried to convince myself. That was bull. He was stunning, physically perfect and this was a truly terrible idea.
But you’ve already made up your mind.
It was a poor justification at best. The decision hadn’t been voiced yet, which meant there was no agreement, nothing to back out of as of this moment. Yet my feet moved across the fake grass, not stopping until just a few feet separated me and Alex.
“Hey.”
Alex moved slowly, not at all concerned, which for some reason, made this a little easier. He sat up and let his gaze wander over my body until our gazes met, and he smiled wide.
“Sasha. What’s up?”
What’s up?
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. I laughed long and hard until all the tension seeped out and I felt solid and settled in my choice. “Don’t pretend like you’re not impatient to hear my answer when we both know that you are.”
He slumped forward, still smiling and released a weighty sigh. “Good thing you’re getting to know me so well already. Okay,” he said more to himself than to me. “I’m listening. What’s your answer?” His jaw clenched and his nostrils flared, anxiety was written all over his body because my answer mattered to him.
There was no point drawing it out. I wasn’t a dramatic sort of person and this wasn’t real. It was legal but not emotional.
“I’m going to do it.”
Alex whooped as he got to his feet and pulled my chest flush against his, lifting me off my feet as he swung me in about a dozen circles.
“Thank you, Sasha!”
I tried like hell to ignore the way it felt to have all of those considerably hard muscles pressed against my decidedly softer body. He felt good and smelled even better, masculine and clean, like the forest and leather. His grip on me was tight. It was strong and it was comforting. I felt safe, which wasn’t how I should have felt around a man as dangerous—to my heart—as Alex Witter.
“I have conditions,” I blurted out, which effectively stopped the spinning and his revelry as I intended it to.
Alex sobered and set me on my feet before taking a few steps back. “Of course you have conditions. What are they?” He was so serious it was almost comical.
I smiled because I was sure he and Jack had prepared for me to ask for millions of dollars, a house and a few luxury vehicles. It’s what Tatiana would have asked for, probably the other women he’d been linked to over the years too. I’d finally looked them up last night. I needed to know what I would be getting myself into, if I decided to marry him.
“You look worried.”
He shrugged. “You have the power here, Sasha.”
“Heady words for a simple nanny to hear,” I joked before deciding to put him out of his misery. “The first thing I want is one hundred thousand dollars donated to the Children of Alcoholics for every year that we’re married.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes along with about twenty different questions that he kept to himself as he nodded.
“Second, I want you to start a charity in your name for underprivileged kids who show athletic promise but lack the resources to participate. I think half a million dollars is a good starting point, but you can choose how to continue it going forward.”
Alex nodded, thumbs hooked through his beltloops. “Okay. That’s an odd ask, but sure, done. What else?”
What else? “Isn’t that enough? I’ve asked you to spend nearly one million dollars of your hard earned money, Alex.”
He laughed and shook his head. “I expected to pay at least that much for each year of our marriage. Jack was willing to go up to three mil.”
My eyes bugged out at the insane numbers. Sure, I grew up surrounded by money, but I was too young to appreciate this level of spending. “Well that’s all I want. Agree to those terms and I’m your intended. Do you agree?” He’d already agreed, but I needed to hear him say it out loud.
“I agree,” he said, nodding and smiling because he’d definitely gotten a good deal. “I doubt I’ll have a problem getting Jack to agree to those terms.”
“Perfect.” I thought I might feel different now that it was official. I was an engaged woman, but I didn’t feel any different. Of course you don’t, this isn’t a love match. “Now that we have that settled, I think we ought to set some ground rules.” It was the other thing that kept me up all night possibly even more than whether or not to marry Alex.
He frowned. “Didn’t we just do that?” Realization dawned, and it was fascinating to watch Alex transform. His laidback persona vanished and his jaws took on a hard set, his brow furrowed and his beautiful mouth pinched into a frown.