Under Her Skin

“Why won’t you go to your father for the money? He has plenty.”

“Not an option.”

“I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

“I didn’t ask for your help.”

Noise from the party filtered out to them, but it was as if they were in another world. Just the two of them. She was aware of his breathing, aware of every part of him. He was a constant distraction, which made her crazy.

He stared at her, then nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. “You know the senator who is here?”

“What? Sure. Be grateful you’re not female. He’d want to pat your ass.”

“I spoke to him earlier. Introduced myself. He was polite, then dismissed me.”

“He can be pompous,” Lexi said, feeling oddly protective of Cruz, which just went to show how very stupid her hormones could be.

“I could buy and sell him five times over, but that doesn’t matter. No matter how custom the suit, I’m still that kid from the barrio. But you know this world. You live in it.”

“Hey, I’m not like that.”

“But you’re one of them. Tell me why you won’t go to your father for the money you need.”

She wouldn’t have told him before, but now he’d exposed himself to her and she felt obligated to do the same.

“While there is family money,” she began slowly, “my father controls it and he’s not exactly giving us a million-dollar allowance. He is Titan World Enterprises, not me. I had a small trust fund from my maternal grandmother, which I used to start my day spa. Other than that, the only money I have is what I make myself.”

She sighed and looked into his eyes, then wished she hadn’t. Staring into the dark depths made her want to lean forward and kiss him. Maybe more.

Maybe? Who was she kidding?

“Jed Titan is a controlling bastard,” she said, wishing it weren’t true. “A few years ago he sat my sisters and me down and explained he would be leaving Titan World Enterprises to one of us and only one of us. We have a finite amount of time to prove our worth in the winner-take-all game.”

She still remembered being horrified by her father’s words. He was making them choose—the family business and fortune that went with it, or each other. The unspoken part of the bargain was that the winner didn’t just get the money—she got Jed, as well. The father who had always made it clear his affection was conditional.

“My two sisters and I had been close, but once that happened, everything changed. I realized that working for my father wouldn’t get me far in the competition. So I quit and started my day spa. Skye runs her foundation and Izzy…” She frowned. “Izzy defies death on a daily basis. My point is, if I go to my father, I’ve lost my chance to run the company.”

And her father, because Jed only ever cared about winners.

“I made a mistake,” she continued. “I got greedy and stupid, which means I now have a two-million dollar problem. I was offered a loan by a private investor. He didn’t want a piece of the business, which was great for me. I took the money and expanded my spa. The note was callable. I have three weeks to cough up two million dollars or lose everything.”

She turned away. “Now you know my deepest, darkest secret.” She was already regretting the confession. “How are you going to use it?”

“I’ll give you the money,” he told her.

She spun back to face him. Was it possible he meant it? “You mean you’ll loan it to me.”

“No. I don’t want it back. I want something else.”

Wariness replaced excitement. “What, exactly, do I have that’s worth two million dollars to you?”

He dropped his gaze to her bare toes and worked his way up. The meaning was clear. Even though nearly every cell in her body began to cheer, she ignored the liquid wanting pouring through her, raised her chin and said, “I don’t think so.”

He smiled. “Not sex, Lexi. I don’t have to pay for that any more today than I did ten years ago.”

She flushed. “Then what?”

His dark gaze sharpened. “Access. You’re a Titan. Your mother can trace her bloodline back to the American revolution. I have all the money I need, but I will always be a poor kid from the barrio. I want better for my children.”

She understood the words, but not the meaning. “How can I change that?”

“Marry me.”

She gripped the cool iron railing to keep herself from falling over in a faint.

Married? He wanted to get married?

“For a year,” he added. “That should be enough time for me to gain access to your world. You can introduce me to your rich and powerful friends, including the senator. They’ll accept me because of you. At the end of the year, we part. For that, I’ll give you two million dollars.”

“You’re buying a bride?”

“A temporary one.”

Right. Because after a year he would leave her to marry someone he actually cared about. She might not approve of his plan, but she appreciated his honesty.

“Your idea is totally impossible,” she said.

“It’s a business deal. Nothing more.”

“It’s marriage. It’s an institution. It’s meaningful and significant and I won’t get married for money.”

He looked at her as if she were both foolish and naive. Maybe she was.

“It is a means to an end,” he said. “Nothing more.”

At least not for him, she thought, realizing that despite having spent a night in his bed, she knew nothing about Cruz. The man was a mystery to her.

No. That wasn’t totally true. She’d just learned he would do nearly anything to get what he wanted.

“My father would be impressed,” she told him. “He would appreciate the bold plan, the total disregard for convention or feelings.”

Cruz shrugged.

She didn’t bother pointing out that being like her father wasn’t admirable. She’d had a lifetime of trying to prove herself to Jed Titan. She wasn’t looking for his worldview in a husband.

And she wasn’t going to marry Cruz for two million dollars. She still believed in love and being with someone forever. She wanted the magic, the promise, the future. She wanted a man who thought she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She wasn’t interested in being part of a deal.

Which meant she was back where she’d started—desperate, with nowhere to turn.