[Hannah]

I couldn’t believe that Roman had just gotten down on one knee for an absurd marriage proposal, but it had been amusing.

Did he really think that it would work?

"What’s your plan?" I asked him. He was sitting next to me and I was hyperaware of his thigh touching mine.

"We just tell everyone that we met at one of your father’s client events," he said with a shrug. "We’ll tell them that I spoke with your father and since he knows I’m the heir to a billion-dollar business he didn’t hesitate to give me his blessing." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I grimaced. "Sad, but true," I said. "My father has certainly shown his true colors." I turned away, but Roman reached over and gently turned me back to face him. His blue eyes were bright and intense.

"You can tell everyone that you accepted my proposal so that you could get away from your father," Roman suggested. "It’s true."

I smirked. "Is that a believable reason to accept a marriage proposal, though?" I asked him. "What about love and commitment?"

Roman shrugged. "It’s no one’s business but our own," he said. "We’ll have a big wedding, a huge wedding, and we’ll invite everyone. We’ll find a venue and hire wedding planners. You can choose flowers and colors and whatever else it is that the bride does."

Roman seemed to be completely fine with the idea of us getting married. I wanted to believe that it would work, but it was just too abrupt. "Roman, it won’t work," I said.

"Why not?" He asked with a frown.

"People actually need to believe that we’re in love, or at least like each other enough to get married"

"You don’t like me?" Roman asked and I scoffed.

"It’s not about whether I actually like you or not," I said. "it’s about whether or not people believe it. It’s rare for a couple to meet one day and get engaged immediately."

"What business is it of theirs?" Roman asked. "It’s our wedding. Hell, as far as anyone knows, your father and I could have been planning this engagement for a while."

"But you weren’t," I said flatly. "Think about it, if my father thinks we’re just getting married to nullify the contract and go our separate ways, he’ll find a way to get to me. He’ll send my sister to auction just to spite me. He wants us to get married and to have you as a partner."

"You seriously think so?" Roman asked me with a frown. "Like some kind of family alliance?"

"It’s the way his mind works," I said. "You basically gave him a hundred million dollars to marry me, and he knows you’re a billionaire. He’s going to milk this situation to make it even more of a monetary benefit for him."

"I guess I shouldn’t put it past a man who can just treat his daughter like property," Roman said. I nodded.

"So, what’s your plan?" l asked him again.

"Sht," he said, rubbing his face. "Well just have to convince everyone that we’re both willing participants in this engagement."

"Exactly," I said. "I don’t think we can do it. We barely know one another."

Roman waved his hand dismissively. "I won’t have a problem convincing people that I want you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You’re attractive, Hannah, and I have a feeling that you know it," he said with a smirk.

"Shocking that attractiveness is all you need to pretend to be in love with a woman," I said. "Is that all you want in a wife?"

"No, but it’s a damn good start," he said. "Let’s remember that you’re the one who offered me our first kiss when we were in the kitchen with Lauren."

I scoffed. "I offered you a peck on the lips and you took it further," I said, remembering him lifting me onto the counter to kiss me thoroughly.

"You weren’t complaining," he said with a smile, and I punched him in the arm, which only made him laugh harder. "Be a lover, not a fighter, Hannah," he said teasingly.

"Don’t be such a jerk and I won’t have to hit you" I said, smiling.

"So you don’t find me attractive?" Roman asked me.

Roman’s blue eyes were staring at me expectantly. He knew he was attractive, he just wanted me to say it. "Of course you’re attractive," I said, holding his gaze. "Women don’t just flock to you because you’re a billionaire, Roman. I can only imagine that you’d get the same attention from women even if you weren’t so wealthy."

Roman smirked. "So, you’re saying that you can pretend to at least enjoy being in the same room as me?" he asked.

I groaned. "If you really want to go through with this marriage," I said, "I can at least pretend to enjoy your company." Silence passed between us as we gazed at one another. Roman. suddenly grabbed my legs behind my knees and spun me toward him, draping my legs over his thighs.

"We might as well get some practice," he said and before I could ask what he was up to, he reached around my back and pulled me closer to him. Roman slipped his fingers into my hair and pressed his lips against mine. I was all too willing to comply, gripping the front of his shirt and parting my lips to deepen the kiss. He immediately slipped his tongue into my mouth, and I moaned as I flicked the tip of his tongue with mine. Roman slipped his hands under my a*s, pulling me onto his lap.

I released his shirt and laced my fingers behind his neck, increasing the rhythm of our kiss.

There was a knock at the study door and I broke the kiss, trying to push away from Roman, but he held me in place. "We have to be convincing," he reminded me in a low voice, rough with desire. I met his blue gaze as he bid the visitor to enter.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, sir," Geoffrey said, noting the way that I was sitting in Roman’s lap as he stepped into the room, "but dinner has been prepared for you and Ms. Macalester."

"Soon to be Mrs. Thaddeus," Roman said, smiling at me. I didn’t know what to say to his remark. I could only return his gaze with wide eyes. He turned to Geoffrey. "We’ll be down shortly. Thank you, Geoffrey."

"My pleasure, sir," Geoffrey said before he left the room, closing the door behind him. I tried to wriggle off of Roman’s lap, but he held me there, smiling.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"I’m going to dinner," I said, trying again to get off of him, but he held me in place.

"Another kiss?" he asked me with a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. I laughed.

"You’re nothing but trouble, Roman Thaddeus," I said, teasing him.

"You’re right," he said, releasing me and offering me a hand to help me up. "We can finish this later. I’m already having fun with this pretending thing."

"At least one of us is," I said, and he laughed as he moved to open the study door for me.

"I’m sure Geoffrey thinks we’re crazy."

Roman put his hand on my back, guiding me along the corridor and around the corner to the elevator. "When will we make the announcement official?" he asked me.

I groaned. "I don’t know," I said. "I don’t even know if I’m ready for this wedding, Roman," I admitted as we stepped into the elevator.

He shrugged. "We have some time to think about it." I followed him toward the kitchen, but he turned down a different corridor, leading me to the dining room. It was a large room, decorated with purple and silver.

Two spots were set up across from each other with plates and silverware, glasses, and a chilled bucket of red and white wine.

Roman pulled my chair out for me himself before taking his seat across from me.

Maids entered the room with platters of lamb, potatoes, steamed vegetables, and gravy. Once our plates were filled with food, Roman glanced up at me.

"Food allergies?" he asked.

"None that I know of," I said. "This looks and smells amazing."

"Would you like red or white wine?" Roman asked me.

"I’ll take white," I said. A maid popped open the bottle of chardonnay and filled our glasses.

Roman lifted his glass toward me. "To us," he said.

l eyed him skeptically but I lifted my glass to his. "To us," I repeated. We both sipped from our wine glasses before we began to eat.

"We should probably get to know each other" Roman said quietly.

I nodded. "What was it like growing up here?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Pretty typical," he said. "Went to school, played sports, traveled with my parents."

"So that’s a typical childhood for the heir to a billion-dollar business?" I asked him.

Roman chewed his food thoughtfully before answering. "My parents never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do just because we have money," he said. "If I had an interest, they did whatever they could to support me."

"That’s refreshing," I said between bites of food. "My parents flaunted their money whenever they could, even when it came to their children and anything we did. They never asked what we wanted."

"I would never do that to my children," Roman said. "It’s not healthy. Of course, if you have money, use it, but don’t flaunt it. My parents would never treat me that way."

I poured more gravy on my potatoes from the gravy boat on the table, but I didn’t eat them right away. Roman had spoken of children, and remembered the additional month in the contract to try for an heir before marriage. "So, do you want children?" l asked him.

"Someday," he said. Our eyes met briefly before we turned our attention back to our dinner. "What about you?" he asked me.

"Yes, someday," I said, "when I meet the right man."

We ate in silence for a moment, neither of us wanting to delve into what was to come of our forced marriage. "I spoke with Geoffrey and asked him what you and your family are like" I admitted, changing the subject.

Roman Looked up at me with his brow raised. "That’s a pretty smart thing to do," he said. "Geoffrey told you that you’re crazy for being with me, didn’t he?" Roman asked with a smirk.

"How did you know?" I asked in mock surprise. Roman laughed and I smiled at him. It was as if his laughter could diffuse any situation. The man was so handsome and carefree. Why hadn’t I seen that in him before? "Actually, he said that you’re kind and fair, like your parents."

Roman nodded. "It’s true, my parents have always been kind and fair to everyone. They treat people with respect, no matter who the person is."

"I wish that I could say that about my parents," I said.

Roman met my gaze. "I wish you could too," he said, "but you don’t have to be like them. I can already see that you’re not anything like them."

He held my gaze as he sipped from his glass of wine. I was glad that Roman was willing to marry me if only to nullify the contract, but I also felt guilty for being a burden on his life.