Page 20 of Loving Her Enemy

“It makes perfect sense to me. Besides, we have chemistry.” He wanted to say sexual chemistry but kept that part to himself.

“Try again,” she said, looking unconvinced.

He grinned. “We do have chemistry, and if you try to deny it, you’ll just be lying to yourself. But more than anything, though, my reason for presenting this idea to you is because I trust you. Halayna, for a man like me, trust doesn’t come easy, and I honestly believe I’ve come up with a proposal that’s mutually beneficial.”

She shook her head and lifted her hands out in front of her. “I just… I still don’t get it. Why are you even thinking about marriage? You don’t come across as the marrying type. I mean, yeah, you’re kind when you want to be, you’re attentive, and you’re overall a good guy, but I just never thought of you as… husband material.”

Sloane mulled over that for a moment. After growing up in a dysfunctional home with parents who acted more like housemates than husband and wife—and parents who barely acknowledged he and Bristol’s existence—he could admit marriage had never been at the forefront of his mind.

But he wanted children, or at least one child, without baby-mama drama. He also wanted to procreate with someone who was like-minded with similar morals. Someone who wasn’t out for his money but wanted to raise kids with him.

Granted, nothing was guaranteed, but with a contract, everything would be spelled out on paper. Still, he didn’t want this type of agreement with just anyone. He wanted it with someone he could trust. Someone who would never deny him access to his child even when their marriage of convenience was over. Someone who knew him well enough to know that, no matter what, he would always take care of her and their child. Halayna was that person.

Instead of bringing up the having a baby clause of the contract, he’d start with the other line items.

“Let me tell you why I’d like for you to consider this proposal.”

Halayna rocketed out of the seat. “No! Don’t bother. My answer is no. I don’t need details because this is the craziest idea you could’ve ever come up with. No way I’d consider marrying you because, remember, I don’t like you.”

Sloane chuckled and set the contract on the table before standing. He might’ve believed the last part had the words not come out barely above a whisper. “You keep saying that, but Halayna, you like me more than you’re willing to admit.”

She was standing near the wall next to his desk, her arms still crossed.

“And I think your arrogance and your big ego have you believing you can have anything you want. But Sloane you can’t have me!” she bit out. “If marriage is what you wanted to talk about, this conversation is over.”

She turned to walk away, but Sloane reached out and slid his arm around her tiny waist and gently tugged her back against him. He nuzzled her neck, inhaling her sweet scent, and she stiffened in his hold but didn’t pull away. Which was a good sign.

He had no right to hold her like this, like she was his for the taking. Hell, he shouldn’t even be touching her. At least not until he proved to her that she was just as attracted to him as he was to her.

But he couldn’t let her go. Not yet.

He turned her stiff body to face him, and she still didn’t pull away. So, he backed her to the wall and maintained his hold.

“If you would’ve let me finish, I could have told you all the perks you’d get out of the deal—for starters a half million dollars.”

A whisper of a gasp slipped through her pretty lips, but she kept her face expressionless as she watched him.

“A hundred thousand will be deposited into your account right after you sign the contract, and a hundred-and-fifty thousand will be deposited into your account the day after we’re married. You’ll receive the balance at the end of the contract, but don’t worry. While we’re married, I’ll cover all your expenses. The money in your account is for you to do with whatever you want to.”

Still, she said nothing. He half expected her to at least ask about the contract’s end date, but she remained silent. So, he kept going.

“If you agree to my terms, I’ll also help you get your perfumery off the ground. Or buy you an existing one where you’d be the sole owner. Or if you decide you don’t want to run the business but would prefer to have a lab to create fragrances until your heart’s content, consider it done. Halayna, whatever you want to do regarding your career, I’ll help, and my generosity doesn’t stop there. I’ll also—”

“Sloane, this is crazy, even for you.”

Hope bloomed inside of him because she didn’t say no again.

“You would be settling by marrying me because I have nothing to offer you.”

Sloane smiled as he brushed the back of his fingers down her soft cheek. “You have more to offer than you realize. You’re intelligent, kind, and one of the most beautiful women, inside and out, that I’ve ever met. I also trust you, Halayna. I can’t say that about many people. And I wouldn’t be settling by choosing you because you and I have a connection, an attraction that’s been getting stronger by the day.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, right.” When she attempted to move away from him, Sloane didn’t release her.

His hold around her waist tightened, and with his other hand, he cupped her cheek, loving the way she leaned her face into his palm. The move was so slight, she probably didn’t even realize she’d done it, but he didn’t miss it.

That was trust. She trusted him like he trusted her.

Maybe instead of telling her they had a connection, it would be better to show her.