Page 60 of Some Like It Deadly
She moistened her lips and her breath hitched at the end of his request. “That’s the offer?”
“You want the consideration?” He locked gazes with her, his soul in perfect lockstep with the fiercely strong woman in front of him. Her spirit and intelligence would never fail to amaze him.
“Absolutely. After all, any good contract must have those elements.”
“They do, but you have to have acceptance in order to achieve consideration.” He closed the distance between them, every molecule inside him leaning toward her.
“True. So the key here is for me to say yes?” She lifted her brows. “And what would the quid pro quo be?”
“You’ll make me the happiest man on the planet and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to repay the favor?—”
“Impossible,” she murmured.
“I’ve heard that before.” His voice lowered, his pulse beating only for her.
“No, I meant it would be impossible for you to spend the rest of your life achieving what you’ve already done. May I suggest a different quid pro quo?”
Delight filled him, but he kept his mind on the most important negotiation of his life. “Absolutely.”
“You spend the rest of your life being you and you’ll make me the happiest woman in the world.”
“Only if you never stop being you,” he added the caveat.
“Then, yes, Richard. I’ll marry you.” Her smile lit him up from the inside out.
“I want that in writing.” He flipped the box open. “Witnessed and filed, in perpetuity, binding with no way to sever.”
Tears swam in her eyes and she held up her left hand. “I can only give you my word right now, but as soon as we’re done, I’ll sign anything you want.”
He slid his ring on her and something wrenched into the right place in his soul. She’d said yes and Kate was not the kindof woman to go back on her word. “Done.” Bending his head, he caught her mouth in a sweet kiss that left his pulse racing and his blood hot.
A round of applause broke out around them and Richard glanced up to find Armand, his brothers and their security grinning like idiots. “You two are certifiable,” George, the youngest of the three brothers, announced. “What kind of a wedding proposal requires legal negotiation?”
“The best kind,” Kate declared and leaned into Richard’s arms.
Laughter and a round of congratulations followed. Kate drifted over to speak to Sebastian. Richard glanced at his best friend, who did his best not to fidget despite his violent attention to the clock. “Nervous?”
“Incredibly.” He sounded mystified by the idea. “Have you forgiven me yet?”
“Does it matter? You would still have done exactly what you did.”
“Yes.” Armand faced him. “It matters.”
It did, but at least he wasn’t sweating the last few moments before he married the woman he’d lost for nearly a decade. “Tempted to make you suffer a little longer, but yes. I forgive you. Don’t do it again.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you were acquainted with me.” But the last lines of tension around Armand’s eyes eased and gratitude showed in them. Demanding, full of pride and definitely a man who liked to be in control, Armand could be nothing else. The strain between them had cost them both.
“True, but I think it’s only fair to mention that if you do pull a stunt like this again, you understand I’ll kick your ass.”
“You don’t scare me.” He chuckled. “I have security.”
“I have Kate.” Richard grinned wider and glanced over at the woman who held the key to his heart. She met his gaze with a smile full of promise. “I win.”
