Free The Risqué Contracts Series by Fiona Davenport Page B

back positive.”
    I should have been surprised by his answer, but nothing he did could shock me anymore. One thing did bother me, though. “What if the test came back negative? What would you have done then?”
    He dropped the food he’d pulled from the fridge on the counter and walked toward me. “I wanted to have this conversation after you’d changed and eaten, but from the look in your eye, I have a feeling you’re not going to let it go, are you?”
    “No,” I whispered. “I don’t think I am.” It might have been akin to cutting off my nose to spite my face since I was uncomfortable and hungry, but this conversation couldn’t wait any longer.
    “If you insist,” he murmured. He led me into the living room, settled me on the couch, then went to the foyer and lifted his briefcase from the table near the door. Rifling through it, he withdrew three items and put them on the coffee table in front of me.
    A stack of papers eerily similar to the ones I’d signed the night he’d called me into his office at our first meeting.
    A red leather box almost identical to the one that had held the Cartier bracelet currently on my wrist, only slightly smaller in size.
    And another jewelry box. This one was the signature robin-egg blue known for making women’s hearts race around the world. Mine was no exception.
    My eyes were glued to the blue box when Caleb sat down next to me. To my disappointment, it wasn’t the box he reached for first. Instead, he picked up the papers and dropped them in my lap.
    “You fulfilled the requirements in the penalty clause, effectively ending our business association.” I shivered at the reminder of the night I’d completely surrendered myself to him—an experience I hoped would happen again in the future. “Although I’m compelled to honor the terms of that agreement, I’d like to propose a new arrangement.”
    An arrangement? He wanted an arrangement between us? My heart fell at how business-like he sounded. I didn’t want an arranged marriage with Caleb. I wanted to marry him because I loved him, and I needed him to want me as his wife for the same reason. My fingers trembled as I picked up the papers and began to read the words printed on the first page.
    Prenuptial Agreement jumped out at me right away and my nerves settled slightly. Caleb was a wealthy man. As much as it might hurt to know he felt the need to protect his money, it would have been crazy for him to enter into a marriage without a prenup. I scanned the document quickly, my heart skipping a beat when I realized it wasn’t to keep me from his money, but a promise to make sure I was always well taken care of.
    It outlined the deposits to be placed into an account in my name upon our marriage, each anniversary, and for the birth of any children we would have. Millions upon millions of dollars he wanted to settle on me when I became his wife, on top of the money he’d already spent to save my family’s business. It wasn’t what I wanted, though. His money wasn’t what I needed from him. There was only one thing that would convince me to marry him, and I wasn’t going to find it on the pages in front of me.
    “I can’t do this,” I sighed.
    “What needs to be changed so you’ll feel comfortable signing it? My lawyers can have a new copy to us within the hour,” he offered.
    “This isn’t the problem.” I waved the papers at him.
    “Then what is the problem, baby? I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s bothering you.”
    He was right. It was unfair for me to expect him to read my mind, to understand what was bothering me if I didn’t tell him. For the last two weeks, I’d been hoping and praying he’d say the words I needed to hear—a confession of his love. I’d wanted it to come from his need to tell me how he felt for me, not because I’d asked him for them. It felt too much like begging for his affection. But the moment never happened and now I found myself considering a lifetime