Chapter 2 2

Mia's fingers curled around the armrests of the chair, her nails digging into the soft leather. Her heart pounded so hard she swore he could hear it.

She leaned forward, her voice sharp. "Let me get this straight. You want me to marry you, pretend to be your perfect wife, and-what?-share your bed whenever you feel like it?"

Xavier didn't even blink. "Yes."

Her stomach flipped. The sheer audacity of this man. The arrogance.

She let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable."

His expression didn't change. "I prefer efficient."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "And what happens if I say no?"

Xavier's lips twitched, not quite a smirk, but close. "Then you walk out of here, return to your failing shop, and wait for the bank to take everything from you. Within a month, you'll be drowning in legal fees. By Christmas, you'll be homeless."

Her jaw clenched.

Bastard.

She hated that he was right. Hated that he knew it.

"I don't need saving," she bit out.

"I'm not offering to save you." Xavier's voice was smooth, deliberate. "I'm offering you an opportunity. A solution to your problems. And in return, you'll solve one of mine."

Mia swallowed hard. "And what if I say yes? What's stopping you from tossing me aside when you get bored?"

Xavier leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. The air between them grew charged, the space feeling impossibly small.

"I don't get bored, Mia." His voice was lower now, almost dangerous. "I keep what belongs to me."

A shiver ran down her spine.

God, why did his voice have to do that to her?

She forced herself to focus, to breathe past the sudden heat curling in her stomach. "I'm not an object. I don't belong to anyone."

Xavier studied her for a long moment before standing. He walked around the desk, his presence towering over her. Mia fought the urge to shrink back as he placed his hands on the armrests, caging her in.

"I don't expect obedience, Mia," he murmured, his voice like velvet over steel. "I expect loyalty. And in return, I'll give you the kind of security you've never had."

She hated how close he was. Hated how her pulse betrayed her, how her breath hitched at the scent of his expensive cologne-dark, rich, intoxicating.

She lifted her chin. "And what about love?"

Xavier's gaze darkened.

"Love," he said, his voice utterly void of emotion, "is not part of this arrangement."

Of course it wasn't.

Mia should have expected that. A man like Xavier Harrington didn't do love. He did control. Power. Possession.

But so help her, some reckless part of her wanted to push him.

Wanted to see if he could feel anything at all.

Instead, she exhaled slowly. "And how long would this arrangement last?"

"One year."

A muscle ticked in her jaw. "And after that?"

"You'll walk away with enough money to start over."

Mia stared at him, searching for cracks in his perfectly controlled mask. She found none.

This was pure business to him. A transaction.

And yet, beneath all that cold calculation, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more.

Something hidden.

Something dangerous.

Her pulse thrummed as she considered the impossible choice in front of her.

Say no, and she lost everything.

Say yes... and she risked losing herself to a man who didn't believe in love.

Xavier straightened, as if sensing her hesitation. "I need an answer, Mia."

Her throat was dry. "Do I at least get to see the contract before I decide?"

His lips curved slightly, the closest thing to amusement she'd seen from him.

"Smart," he murmured. "Yes, you'll see the contract. But understand this-once you sign, there's no turning back."

No turning back.

Mia's fingers trembled in her lap.

Everything inside her screamed that this was a terrible idea. A reckless, dangerous idea.

But then she thought about her mother's shop. The years of struggling, of barely keeping her head above water. The certainty of failure if she walked away.

And the terrifying, undeniable pull of the man standing before her.

She looked up at Xavier, meeting his gaze head-on.

"I'll think about it."

His eyes gleamed with something unreadable. "Don't take too long."