"Yes." He said it so simply, so easily. "I've dreamed about you for six months, Naomi. After Daisy Phillips' reception, I called you to ask you out. You never returned my calls. So I admit, in a moment of desperation I had my mother ask you to plan her party. It was the only way I could think of to get you in my life."
Dear God. I covered my face with my hands, trying to drag air into my too-tight lungs. A loud roaring filled my ears; my stomach cramped. What kind of sick, alternate world had I slipped into?
Things began to click into place. That day in his office, when he'd spoken on the phone about "the one," who he would win, he'd been talking about me, I realized. A merger of sorts, he'd said, meaning marriage.
"Do-do you love me?" I asked, unable to face him.
Another pause, this one heavier, deeper. Then, "Yes. I do."
"This is crazy, Royce. You have to see how crazy this is."
He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his chin to the side, regarding me, studying me, gauging exactly what he would reveal. "This company thrived under my father's care, yes, but I doubled its profits by acting on my instincts. They've never steered me wrong, and right now I know, know, you're the woman for me."
"You're just desperate to get married. Any woman will do."
"Is that so?" He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Then why the hell haven't I chosen one of the applicants?"
I placed a trembling hand over my mouth and simply blinked at him. Yes, I'd known he desired me-the way he kissed me was proof of that. Hell, the erection he still sported was proof of that. I'd even suspected, yesterday in my apartment, that he wanted a commitment from me. Hearing it, though, having it confirmed… This was ludicrous. Love?
"Royce-"
He cut me off with a stiff shake of his head. "Don't say no. Just say you'll think about it."
Think about it? I'd be able to think of nothing else for the rest of my life. Any decision I made would be the wrong one, and I suspected I'd always wonder what would have happened if I'd gone the other way.
"I want you in my life, Naomi, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to convince you of that fact."
His sweetness, his willingness to fight for me, beat at my resolve harder than anything else had. But- No! my mind screamed in the next instant. He's dangerous. You'll get hurt. He's a man. He'll cheat. I had to combat him, had to continue to resist, and there was only one way to do that. I couldn't think of him as Royce Powell, sexy man of my dreams. I had to think of him as simply a man, a cheating, lying bastard of a man.
"I-never-want-to-get-married," I shouted. "Never ever, ever." For emphasis, I stomped my foot. "Never!"
Unperturbed, he shook his head. "You don't mean that."
"Like hell I don't. I wouldn't get married if aliens invaded our planet and the only way to escape a deep body probing was to marry the leader. Do I make myself clear?"
"You're exaggerating, trying to push me away for whatever reason. I can still see the fear in your eyes."
"What will it take to make you realize the only way to get me down an altar is to carry my cold, dead body in a casket?"
He regarded me silently for a moment. "You're telling me you have no interest in love? No interest in a white gown, a diamond ring and a church filled with family and friends oohing and aahing?"
I nodded with determination. I didn't even have a slight pang of doubt. "That's right." Been there, almost killed myself because of that.
"You won't mind if I laugh in your face, will you? I know women, and I know they dream about a splashy wedding, about having an adoring husband and bearing his children." He held out his arms, a wide open invitation for me to peruse him at my leisure. "Well, here I am, willing to give you those things. And you still want to tell me no?"
"That's right," I said again, unwavering.
"Unbelievable." He shook his head in exasperation.
"This has all been very interesting," I said, smoothing down my skirt. "You've given me the men are from Mars example I've always wanted, so now I'll give you a women are from Venus example. I promise you on all that is holy that I'm. not holding out for a ring. In fact, I don't even want to be a bridesmaid."
He shook his head. "I don't believe you."
How could I explain it in terms he'd understand? "I do not want a man. Period. No men. Men make me sick. Men bad. Gag, gag, gag."
He regarded me, his eyes growing wide. "Wait. You don't like men?"
Finally. Contact. "No."
"Well, why the hell didn't you tell me that sooner?"
"We work together, for one thing. Personal business isn't something co-workers need to discuss."
"I didn't realize." Shaking his head again, he fell into the chair behind him. "I'm sorry."
"Yes, well, now you know the truth."
"Have you always felt this way?"
"No," I answered, again opting for the truth. "Just the past six months."
"There were no signs. I mean-" he plowed a hand through his hair and glared at me in accusation. "You kissed me. Twice. I thought you liked it. You seemed to like it. It's the blondes, isn't it? The twins in the pictures on your coffee table. I should have guessed. But how could I have known?"
Had we just entered the twilight zone? "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You prefer women to men," he said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, I just didn't realize. You seemed to like- Oh, shit."
Argh. This was too much. Both of my hands, which were now fisted, went to my waist. He thought I was seeing two women, twins at that. What was it with men and twins? "I'm not gay, Royce. If a woman isn't interested, it doesn't mean she's gay."
A long, protracted silence filled the space between us.
His features gradually relaxed. "So you're not… "
"No."
"Damn it," he said, suddenly losing all traces of relaxation. "You said you wanted nothing to do with men, that men made you sick. Earlier you mentioned hating everything with a penis. What else was I supposed to think?"
"Maybe that I'm not interested in a relationship, like I've been trying to tell you. Or maybe that I want to live alone, without a man's interference. Or maybe I simply want nothing to do with romance. Especially with a Triple C."
A glaze of puzzlement washed over him, halting the tirade I knew was coming. "What the hell is a Triple C?"
"Corporate. Controlling. And completely wrong for me." Okay, so it had been and a total Commando, but this was my phrase and I could change it if I wanted.
His brows arched, almost hitting his hairline. "I'll admit to being corporate. But controlling? Wrong for you? I don't think so. I happen to be a WHP."
I crossed my arms over my chest and rolled my eyes ceilingward. "Explain please."
"Willing. Horny. And Perfect for you."
Not to mention egotistical. "Is that so?"
He crossed his own arms over his chest, mimicking my battle stance. "Yeah, that's so."
"This isn't a game, Royce. I'm truly not out to catch a man. Any man. Even a WHP. That's all there is to it."
His lips lifted in a slow, knowing grin, his eyes sparkling like sapphires. "Now, I happen to know that's a lie." He studied me in an openly assessing way, like he possessed X-ray vision and could see to my very soul.
I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "You keep saying you know when I'm lying," I said, hating how my voice trembled. I knew I was lying, that I wanted him in a very bad way, but there was no way he could know it. Right?
"Your list. I might have forgotten about it for a moment, but now that I've remembered-"