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“So…what’s in it for them?” I pressed.
“You.”
I laughed, short and harsh. “I’m not worth billions.”
He was quiet again.
“I’m not…am I?” I faltered. “I don’t have any money.”
His jaw worked.
“Merrick?”
His eyes darted up. “Osian Cardiff wasn’t the only person to make a bid for you. You’re the Welsh Princess, cariad. Anyone who marries you gains my favor and a very coveted position.”
My jaw hung slack. “So…how many people made a bid for me?”
“Sixty-eight.”
“Sixty-eight? Like eight and six?”
He nodded.
I stared at him, reeling.
“What the fuck, Merrick,” I said.
“The Cardiff family outbid everyone,” he said. “And I thought Osian seemed like he fit the bill for what you wanted.”
My stomach churned.
Shit.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Osian doesn’t get home for a few months. Can I just…think about it for a bit?”
His lids flickered. “Cariad, I don’t want you to make this choice based on money.”
“How can I not?” I whispered.
“Because you are priceless,” he said. “And if you want me, regardless of everything we’ve discussed, I’ll find a way out of this mess.”
I wanted to speak, but my mouth wouldn’t move.
There was a long silence and he rose, lifting me to my feet. He cradled my face and his mouth moved over mine. Slowly, drawing that breathless, burning sensation from the deepest parts of me.
“Do you love me?” he whispered into my neck.
“Merrick,” I breathed. “You know the answer to that.”
“Tell me,” he demanded.
The energy in the room had done a complete turnaround. My core pulsed hot, so empty, begging to have him inside me. His hands were hard on my body and his mouth was dragging up my throat, scoring me gently with his teeth.
“Tell me you love me or I’ll eat it out of you,” he said.
“I’ll take that option.”
He lifted me and laid me out on the desk, pressing me to my back. He worked my sweatpants and panties down my legs and spread me wide. In his office, surrounded by all his dark wood, leather, and brass, I felt so vulnerable.
