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Under his scrutiny, she could barely bring two thoughts together. “Even still, Lucas—”

“Please reconsider, Allie.”

Every ounce of self-preservation within her screamed no. His promise didn’t change the thread of attraction stretching between them, her secret yearning that Lucas would do exactly what he’d just vowed he would not.

And yet… She studied his face, the impenetrable mask he wore. His eyes were guarded, giving nothing away. But when her gaze dropped to his hands on his desk, her impressions shifted. He’d clenched his fingers together, all the tension in his body centered on the tendons and bones of his hands.

What could be going on inside him that made control so imperative? She’d always seen him as arrogant, autocratic. In the two years she’d worked for him, she’d had to struggle constantly to hold her own, to stand her ground. Marrying him would make that battle ten times worse.

And yet… His gaze met hers unflinchingly as the grip of his hands tightened. Suddenly, her heart ached for him. And she knew, despite the sure peril ahead, what she would say.

“Yes, then,” she said, nodding. “We’ll marry.”

A smile flashed on his face and was gone in an instant. Tension seemed to drain from his body. “Let me update you on my conversation with my attorney.”

He launched into an explanation of the terms and conditions of their prenuptial agreement, his tone as impersonal as if he were discussing an upcoming corporate takeover. This was a union between a man and a woman, a joining together that should be done in love. She wished she could reach inside him somehow and shake that fierce reserve. But he’d withdrawn behind his barriers, unreachable.

She knew one way to shake him. She’d seen it last night when he’d leaned into her car to kiss her. He hadn’t planned it, she was sure of that. Something other than his formidable mind had taken charge, pulled him to her.

What if she initiated a kiss? What if she rounded his desk right now and touched him? Slipped onto his lap, threaded her fingers into his hair and brought his mouth closer to hers? She’d gotten such a brief taste of him last night and the images had replayed themselves over and over in her mind as she’d tossed and turned in bed.

Closing her eyes, she raised her hands to her heated cheeks. She couldn’t let her thoughts stray like this. A chaste marriage with Lucas would be difficult enough without fantasies to distract her.

“Allie, is something the matter?”

Her eyes flew open to see him staring at her intently. Thank God he couldn’t read her mind. “I’m fine. What were you saying?”

“The prenuptial includes a settlement for you when the marriage terminates.”

Planning the ending of their marriage so cold-heartedly only heightened her misgivings. But she was committed now, no matter how wrong it felt. “I don’t need a settlement. You’re already loaning me the twenty thousand.”

“Giving, not loaning.”

“I’m planning to pay it back.”

“Don’t be pigheaded about this, Allie. The money is yours, free and clear as of today. The rest will compensate you for the one to two years this process could take.”

“It’s not a process, Lucas. It’s a marriage. An adoption of a child—a human being. You can’t keep treating this as some sort of business transaction.”

His fingers wrapped more tightly around the arms of his chair, the only indication she’d hit home with her comment. “You’re right, of course. But I intend to give you the settlement, nonetheless.”

“How much?” she asked warily.

“Two million.” He said the amount casually, as if he were only offering her a couple hundred.

“You’re crazy!” She leapt to her feet. “Totally nuts! That’s too much, Lucas.”

“The hell it is.”

“I can’t take that much.” She shook her head. “No way.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression cold. “I’m damn well not budging on this, Allie.”

She stared at him, completely flabbergasted. This was a man she’d seen go toe-to-toe with hardened businessmen, shaving millions off a deal if he felt the price was inflated. How could he justify giving her so much money?

But there was no arguing with him, at least for now. She’d have to find a way to refuse the money when the time came. She nodded her head in acquiescence.

“Give me your account number,” he said, moving his chair up to the desk again. “Then we have to get on with the day. When’s my first meeting?”

Lifting the laptop from his desk, she sank into her chair, trembling. Every time she thought she might have the upper hand, he backed her into a corner. How would she handle two years of this?

“The account number is in my purse. Why don’t we go through your schedule first?”

He gave her a brusque nod, then she read off his commitments for the day. He told her what data he needed for his various meetings, reeling off the information with machine-gun rapidity. Somehow he seemed able to maintain his same businesslike demeanor while her hands shook on the keyboard, making one error after another as she typed.

When she finally escaped from his office to retrieve her purse, she had to give herself a moment to recover before going back inside. She sagged over her desk, leaning against it as she took a few deep breaths. Helen, who worked for one of Lucas’s vice presidents, gave her a sympathetic smile. Allie responded in kind, although it was a weak effort.

Helen would know soon enough, and word would pass around the company from her and the handful of others Allie would tell. For now, she was just as glad to keep the news to herself, to have a chance to accustom herself to the shock.

Her phone buzzed, startling her. It was Lucas. Probably wanted to know what was keeping her. She picked up the phone. “Yes?”

“The account number?” he snapped out.

Struggling to hold onto her patience, she pulled out her checkbook and read off the appropriate digits. “Anything else?”

“Get on that church right away,” he said.

“I will.”

He fell silent and Allie assumed his mind had already shifted to his day’s meetings. She was about to take the phone from her ear when he said, “Allie?”

The tentativeness of his tone surprised her. “Yes?”

Another long pause. “Thank you.”

She didn’t know what shocked her more—that he’d said it or that he sounded so genuinely grateful. “You’re welcome.” She lowered the phone back to its cradle.

She sat for a moment at her desk, trying to resolve the tumultuous feelings inside her. She was marrying Lucas Taylor, her boss. They would put on a facade of a happy marriage to allow him to adopt a child. She would be on her guard every moment against his overpowering personality, against her own inappropriate desires.