A Daring Proposition by Jennifer Greene Read Free Book Online

about a permanent commitment to a specific home, are we? I mean, we don’t even know if marriage with us would work a month, much less a lifetime,” she said frankly. “I have to admit I’m a little disappointed, though.”
    “Disappointed? Why?”
    “I was hoping you lived in one of your own houses. One that you designed.”
    “Just what do you know of my houses?” he asked curiously.
    She hesitated, then took a small sip of coffee. “Did you forget I had access to all your books the four weeks I worked for your firm? Although I have to admit, if anyone had questioned why I was in the sepia room…”
    His eyebrows raised. “Why on earth were you?”
    She gave him a lazy grin. “To find out what kind of man you were. You build honest buildings, Brian. I would never have approached you otherwise.”
    He choked a little on his sandwich. “Honest buildings,” he repeated dryly. “What the devil does that mean?”
    She shook her head. “If you’re not careful, we’ll find ourselves making polite conversation, Brian.” It was a tentative try at being comfortable around him, a hint of teasing. She was rewarded with a smile so disarming that she felt her heart skip a beat. And then he was all business again.
    “I’m afraid we’re going to have to disagree—on the subject of where we live, that is. I would prefer to live in your house. Frankly, you surprised me. I thought you would automatically want to stay at your place.”
    “Then why did you even bring me here?” she asked curiously.
    “To let you win the first round of arguments,” he said bluntly. “I thought you would insist on your own home, and I would give in. But then I would have an advantage on the next issue.”
    “Oh. Well…” She finished her sandwich, and then concentrated on her coffee.
    “Your house is bigger, and we would be less likely to get in each other’s way,” he continued. “You’re already settled there, and so is Robert. The cost of running the place hardly matters. You’ve got both a study and a library downstairs, so it won’t matter if I take one of them over. And I like the land around the place. I’m sick of concrete.”
    “All right, we’ll live there,” Leigh said affably. “Why don’t you just keep this place, too, so that you have a place for your little…”
    His eyes met hers, instant black lightning. “As long as we’re not talking about your private life, you can be blunt enough, can’t you, Red?” he said shortly.
    She didn’t answer. She wished she had his ability to maintain a totally impassive face for hours at a time. She had no way of judging his emotions at all, beyond what he said and what he communicated with his eyes, and both his words and his gaze seemed to have a disconcerting effect on her senses.
    As if to reinforce that effect, he changed the subject. “I’ve got the marriage license. As soon as we get the ceremony over with, we can get on with the child.”
    Was that where he wanted the advantage? “No,” she said firmly. “First I want to be sure I can get pregnant. Otherwise, there would be no reason at all for me to get married.”
    “But if you conceive first, it won’t be a full-term baby.”
    “A month ‘premature’ wouldn’t matter.”
    There was a moment’s silence, and then Brian gave a short, harsh chuckle. “I’m still having difficulty seeing myself as an advocate for marriage.” He got up and poured himself a second cup of coffee, turning cold eyes in her direction. “To look at you, Red, you’re as soft and vulnerable as a kitten. But I’m not sure I’d want to face you across a boardroom when you get that look in your eyes.”
    “I—”
    “If you want my child,” he interrupted sharply, “it will be a full-term, nine-month baby. The ceremony can be secret, but it must precede the pregnancy. As a concession to you, we won’t announce the marriage until you’re pregnant. If we make no baby, we’ll set new terms. The ceremony takes less