Page 31 of The Rancher's Vengeful Heart

"I think you must've missed a memo or something," she joked weakly. "You'll be tired of me in 48 hours—-"

"I won't."

Her heart pounded at how swiftly and firmly Lucius answered, but Tassy reminded herself just as firmly (and frantically)notto get carried away.

"I don't know what game you're playing—-"

Tassy stopped speaking when Lucius suddenly grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest, where she could feel how hardhisheart was pounding.

"Does that feel real enough for you?"

Tassy was finding it harder and harder to breathe. "We barely know each other—-"

"And yet people who have known each other for decades still end up divorced."

He had her there, darn it, but—-

"I'm not really the kind of woman you'd want to marry," Tassy heard herself say shakily. "I already warned you, didn't I? I'mextremelydemanding—-"

"So am I."

"And unreasonably possessive—-"

"Peas from the same pod then."

She looked at him in frustration. Why was he still here? Shouldn't he have run away by now?

"If that's all you're concerned about—-"

"I'm clingy, too," Tassy declared in a rush. "In the most annoying way possible!" That should make the billionaire think twice—-

"Perfect," Lucius said smoothly.

—-or double down on his decision to marry her simply because he hated being said 'no' to?

"I'm not lying," Tassy warned desperately. "I'm clingy to the point that you'll find yourself cringing—-"

"Prove it then."

Er...what?

Lucius took a step back and raised a challenging brow. "You can start clinging anytime now."

Tassy suddenly felt as if she had backed herself into a corner, and—-

Buuuuzzzzzzzz.

The sound of her phone's alarm going off was a welcomed interruption, and Tassy was more than a little relieved to have a legitimate excusenotto drive herself crazy over Lucius' invitation to, well,cling.

"I'm sorry about this, but that's my alarm for work—-"

Tassy was already walking backward to the door as she gave the billionaire her apology.

"Can we, um, continue this conversation next time?"

Lucius waited for relief to hit him as he watched her walk away, but instead, he found himself fighting off the urge to haul her back anddemandthat she accept his proposal.

He could see that a part of herwantedhim to stop her from leaving...while the other half of her dreaded the same thing. He knew he could bullyandseduce her into marrying him if he wanted to, and perhaps that was exactly what he would have done in the past...with any other woman.

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