Page 30 of Tangled Vows

I’d askedEaston for twenty-four hours to think over his offer. That time was almost up, and I finally had my answer.

“I have some … conditions,” I said, steepling my fingers as I gazed at Easton across my desk. We were back in my office again just like we had been the day before. He sat in the chair, his posture relaxed, a stark contrast to my rigid spine.

“Okay,” he replied, unfazed.

“No sex,” I blurted out, wanting to get that out of the way. It didn’t matter that we would be married; I was fully aware that he wasn’t attracted to me, but I also wasn’t going to be a convenient lay when he was horny and desperate. Which led into my next condition. But before I could open my mouth to speak, Easton cut in.

“None? Like at all?”

“None,” I reiterated.

“Isn’t that one of the perks of being married?” he asked with a sly grin.

“It’s not a real marriage,” I replied flatly.

His face fell, and he glanced away. He cleared his throat and nervously ran his hands over the arm of his chair. He seemed almost … disappointed, and that reaction confused me.

“Right,” he said, picking at the cracked vinyl. “What else?”

“This can’t interfere with my work. I won’t risk losing this jo?—”

“You won’t,” he interjected. “I’ve already spoken with my lawyers and someone in HR.” My brows shot to my hairline, and I stammered my surprise. “They’ve assured me there are no rules preventing us from seeing each other as long as neither of us reports to the other.”

“O-okay.”

“Anything else?” he asked, and I took a second to gather my wits.

I blew out a tense breath and straightened my shoulders, preparing myself for what I needed to say next. This part wouldn’t be easy because thinking about Easton with another woman made my stomach twist into knots I couldn’t explain.

“I don’t expect you to go without…” I began, dropping my hands to the desk and folding them together to keep from wringing them, “having your needs met. All I ask is that you are discreet when doing so. I would like to be able to hold onto at least some of my dignity. And having you running around on me, despite the nature of our arrangement, would look bad. I won’t tolerate that kind of disrespect.”

I chanced a glance at him, and what I saw stunned me. His jaw was set in a hard line, and the gold rimming his hazel eyes practically glowed. I’d never seen him look so furious. Was he seriously mad that I’d asked him not to flaunt his indiscretions while we were married?

“I want to make one thing clear,” he began, his eyes blazing as they burned into me. I held his stare, refusing to back down.This was non-negotiable, and I was prepared to fight for it. “I will not be sleeping with anyone else while I’m married to you.”

How dare h?—

Wait.What?

Had I misheard him?

“I-I don’t understand.”

“As long as we are married, I will not touch another woman. You have my word.”

“But why? I told you we won’t be having sex. Won’t that be…” I trailed off, trying to think of another word besides hard. “Difficult for you,” I finished, unintentionally glancing at his groin. Shit. He smirked, catching me looking at his crotch.

“It will. But like you said, I won’t disrespect you. As long as we’re married, I will honor my vows.”

Stunned silence settled between us. I was at a loss for words. I hadn’t expected him to take our potential fake marriage so seriously. It would be all for show, wouldn’t it? But he acted like some parts of it would be real, and I had no idea how to feel about that.

“O-okay,” I stammered. “I also will not sleep with anyone else,” I promised, unsure what else to say.

“Good.” His head bobbed in a nod. “Is that all?”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, contemplating how I should broach the subject I wanted to bring up next. Easton’s eyes dropped to my mouth and darkened ever so slightly.

“Just one more thing,” I replied, and he returned his gaze to my eyes. “It’s more of a request than anything.” I swallowed thickly then took a deep breath. “I’m hoping to … utilize your connections to find my mom the best care available,” I said, trying to hide my grimace. It felt tacky asking this of him before we even walked down the aisle, but I wanted to make sure I’d have the power of his name behind me once we were husband and wife.

---