Page 356 of Hate Mates

Her eyes jump to mine, her hands finally falling to her sides. “You want to know the terms?”

I walk back over to the sofa, falling onto it tiredly, resting my head on the back. “Well, you’ve come all this way. May as well see if it would benefit me at all.”

She rushes toward me, excitement in her eyes as she drops down on the sofa beside me, her hands squeezing my knee as she exclaims, “It would benefit you greatly. Because I have exactly what you want.”

“And what is that?”

“The team.”

I blink at her, sure I misheard what she said, or if nothing else, I’m misconstruing what she’s insinuating.

Before I can say anything, she adds, “It’s yours. If you do this for me, if you help me beat my father at his own stupid game, I will give you the team.”

My breath gets caught in my throat and I have to clear it a few times, and still I croak, “The team?”

She nods vigorously, likely knowing she’s got me on the hook, and as much as I want to shut her down, shut her up, and kick her out, that’s one big fucking hook.

“Free and clear.”

Slowly, I straighten, sitting upright and holding her gaze as I ask, “And what do I have to do, exactly?”

Her lips press together again, her body tensing as she appears to be steeling herself to relay information I may not like. And if there’s a chance I may dislike it enough to give up the chance to own the team, it’s gotta be pretty fucking big.

“Go ahead,” I say softly. “Just fucking spit it out.”

“Well, obviously, the marriage has to be real. Doesn’t matter if we have a big wedding, go to city hall, or Vegas, but it has to be legal.”

“And?”

“And we have to live with each other. We don’t necessarily have to share a bedroom or anything, but we have to reside under the same roof. If there’s any evidence of there being an arrangement, anything that could make him look foolish, everything will be null and void, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be disowned.”

“Okay, so we’re the loving married couple in public?”

“I’m serious, Ren. There can be no shenanigans. Ever. The very last thing we would want is a cheating scandal.”

“Well, I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a fucking cheater,” I reply tersely. “How long would I be forced to enjoy myowncompany?”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

“How long would I be expected to go without sex?”

Her lips twitch, her eyes widening slightly, and then she laughs. “I’m pretty sure sex is required in a marriage.”

I shift in my seat, the earlier shock having long worn off until the mention of sex gets all sorts of attention. “So, you mean the marriage itself won’t be fake, then?”

“Well, it can be to a point.”

She immediately has difficulty meeting my eyes, and I groan, knowing she must not have gotten to the actual kicker yet. “What else, Cassidy?”

“I’ll get everything signed over to me, and my dad will fully retire after I fulfill the full terms of the trust.”

“And what does this entail, exactly?”

“Marriage.”

“For fuck’s sake, Cassidy. Marriage and?”

“An heir,” she says in a rush.

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