Page 15 of The Marriage Mission

Jacqui nearly missed the edge of the chair as she sat down. She took a moment to right herself, running a hand through her hair, pressing her fingers into her throat, and taking a long, slow, deep breath. Meanwhile, Noah watched her with those piercing eyes, waiting for a reaction. Was it confidence she saw in him, or was it a challenge?

"I'm not cooking meals for you."

"You do it for everyone else in this town and the strangers that come through to visit. Why not for your dear husband?" He grinned, coming to take a seat opposite her. He crossed those thick thighs and stretched his booted feet out. They were so long they reached around to the other side of the desk.

Jacquie rolled her chair to the opposite side of the desk. "Fine, you can eat here for free."

He grinned, like he'd just won.

"And if it's three months, you'll include the light fixtures."

"Already factored into the current bid."

"They are?"

"Of course. It was a hazard. You could've gotten hurt."

Jacqui swallowed. She saw Noah's nostrils flare as his gaze fixed on her throat. She had the distinct feeling that she was letting a wolf into her home.

"So what do you say, Ms. Chou?" He leaned toward her over the desk. "Will you marry me?"

She was a warm-blooded woman. Though she hadn't day-dreamed about her own wedding or proposal, she'd seen her fair share of chick flicks. There was no rousing score accompanying Noah's proposal, but her heart still skipped a beat, her eyes prickled with a hint of moisture, and her fingers trembled—especially those on the left hand.

"I'm going to need this in writing," she finally managed to say.

Jacqui knew that engaging with Noah wouldn't be as simple as signing a contract. This was a man who would push her, possibly infuriate her, and dare her to step outside the carefully drawn lines of her life.

She took out a legal pad. "Three months, and we do this my way. Structured, planned... and temporary."

"Structured and planned."

It must have been the scratch of her pen that let her not notice he left off the wordtemporary. "You stay with me for free, eat at the restaurant for free, finish the job and anything else that might come up around it."

Noah held out his hand. "I do."

Jacqui stared at the massive paw. It would swallow her whole if she let it. She had no intention of letting it.

She took his hand, gripping hard to show him that fact. Noah grinned at the grip, as though she was a fly he could swat away. But instead of swatting, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

"What's this?" Nãinai's voice sliced through the thick tension in the room, her eyes narrowing at the sight of their joined hands.

Jacqui tried to withdraw. Noah’s grip tightened.

"I asked her to marry me," he declared with a surprising gentleness that didn't match his rugged exterior.

Nãinai’s eyes flicked between them, her suspicion palpable. "You just started working here."

"I did," Noah replied smoothly, his gaze never leaving Jacqui’s. "It was love at first sight for me."

The words hung heavily in the air, charged with a daring. Jacqui didn't disagree. She was getting everything she wanted for just three months of pain. She'd managed worse.

Nãinai turned her scrutinizing gaze back to Jacqui. "What did she say?"

"She's sitting right here," said Jacqui.

"At first she said no," said Noah. "But I think it was out of defiance of you. Now she's saying it's too soon. What do you think, Mrs. Chou?"

"I think you should call me Nãinai."

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