Page 6 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8

What?

Isabelle bit her tongue to prevent her horrified reaction to his thoughtless accusation from slipping out of her mouth.

Travis Lord did not know the first thing about her relationship with her parents, nor did he need to.

‘I’m not gaming him,’ she said, as calmly as she could. ‘I’m simply finding an effective way to fulfil the trust’s conditions.’

‘Like I said, sneaky.’

She huffed out a breath. And drew it back in sharply.

Do not let him provoke you, Issy.

‘You’re pretty smart, aren’t you, Belle?’

Belle?She startled at the nickname. And the strange warmth at the thought of anyone using such familiarity. She steeled herself against reacting, though. Even if it was becoming a titanic effort.

‘Yes, I am,’ she concurred, pointedly, to make it clear his opinions did not interest her in the slightest. Although, to be fair, it occurred to her he looked intrigued now, and impressed, rather than amused, so perhaps that was a good thing.

‘So, what do you say, Mr Lord? You pose as my loving husband for a single year, and I will lease you the land on the White Ridge at a very reasonable price, so you can build your resort?’

He leaned back in the chair, crossed his ankle back over his knee, which made the fabric of his trousers tighten across his thigh muscles in disconcerting ways. His searing gaze roamed over her again, making awareness prickle across her skin.

And the throbbing got worse.

She crossed her own legs and tried to squeeze the distracting sensation into submission.

‘It’s an intriguing offer,’ he said at last. ‘And I’ve got to admit, a tempting one. But the answer’s no.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ she said, sure she could not have heard him correctly.

‘The answer’s no, Your Majesty,’ he said, with a finality that shocked her more, and a mock deference that had the spark of temper igniting.

‘But...Why?This is the only way to give us both what we want,’ she demanded, hating the hitch in her voice.

If he refused, she would surely be forced to seriously consider proposing to Rene? Not only did she shudder at the humiliating thought of having to go to him, cap in hand, and beg him to marry her. After she had already turned him down once. But she knew he would absolutely insist on a real marriage. And would probably make her jump through several hoops beforehand, just to pay her back for her previous rejection.

Travis Lord was her only hope of avoiding that humiliation. Because she simply did not know any other eligible men whom she could bribe into a marriage in name only.

‘I want the land on the White Ridge, sure,’ Lord said with maddening insouciance as her frantic thoughts began to spiral into the abyss. ‘But I don’t want itthatmuch.’

‘Would a marriage to me really be so onerous?’ she asked, then winced at the note of desperation. She must not let him see how much she wanted this to work, or she suspected he would take advantage and become even more arrogant... And contrary.

‘Yeah. Because I’m guessing you’d want me to live here, with you, for the duration of our fake marriage.’

The tension—and panic—in her gut eased.

Perhaps this was a problem with a practical solution, not an outright rejection. A solution she was more than willing to negotiate.

‘I’m afraid you would have to reside in the White Palace for the majority of the year, yes,’ she said, because that much was non-negotiable. Not only did she need to sell this marriage to the Ruling Council, she wanted to sell it to her subjects too, so they would get behind the construction of the new resort—and the other changes she hoped to bring to the country’s infrastructure to help drive economic growth. ‘But you would be able to keep up your business commitments. I would endeavour to keep your official engagements to a minimum. And I could certainly make your commitment to me personally worth your while.’

‘How?’ he asked, bluntly.

So, he wanted to play hardball. She could handle that. ‘We could discuss the terms of the lease—negotiate a very favourable rate for your business,’ she said, a backup position she’d planned for. The truth was, she’d be happy to lease the land for a lot less than it was worth, if she had to. The investment in the country’s infrastructure and the chance to circumvent the trust that had hamstrung her monarchy for so long would be worth it. The preliminary plans his company had already submitted included a heliport and an upgrade to the country’s aging rail system as well as over a thousand skilled jobs during the construction alone. But she wasn’t about to let him know that yet.

Then he derailed her, again.

‘I’m not talking about the money. Or the land.’

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