LITMIR.BIZ

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as if looking for the right word before continuing “—proposed, if you’ll pardon the pun, his little deal, your first reaction was no. Of course not.”

      “Exactly,” Adam agreed.

      “And then…” She smiled when he frowned. “You started thinking. You came outside. You saw Mom and I and you told yourself that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

      Adam straightened in his chair, then leaned over the table, peering directly into her eyes with a hard stare. “I did not bring you here so that I could propose to you.”

      Gina actually laughed at that. “Oh, you wouldn’t have done that. Not right away, anyway. You brought me here on a date.” She stopped and grinned, looking around the restaurant in approval. “And it’s been lovely, by the way. Anyway, after tonight, there would have been other dates. And after a couple of months, you would have proposed.”

      He stared at her for a long, silent minute and Gina knew that she was right. For whatever reason, Adam had reconsidered her father’s offer. Which was good. In a way. Of course, she didn’t like the idea that he’d been seriously willing to marry her for his own gain. Actually it made her heart hurt to think about that too long. After all, she’d been in love with Adam King since she was fourteen years old. But at least it made her own plan seem more reasonable.

      “Okay, that’s enough.” He lifted one hand in a silent signal to their server, requesting their check. “I’m sorry you feel this way, but since you do, there’s no point in continuing this. I’ll take you home.”

      “Not ready to leave yet,” she said, leaning back into her own chair to watch him. “I know you, Adam. And right now, you’re a little embarrassed and a lot on the defensive.”

      “Gina, what I am is sorry that you misunderstood.”

      “But I didn’t,” she said. “In fact, I completely understand.”

      “Understand what?” His tone was clipped, impatient.

      “Look, I know how much getting the King holdings back together means to you,” Gina said and felt a tug of satisfaction when his eyes flashed at the thought. “I know that you would do just about anything to ensure that happens.”

      “Believe what you will,” Adam said, then paused as the waiter delivered their bill in a sleek, black leather folder. Once the waiter was gone, he continued, “But there are limits to what I’m willing to do. Lines I won’t cross.”

      “Well, if that’s true, it’s a shame.”

      He blinked at her. “I beg your pardon?”

      “Adam, I know you want the land. I know you don’t want to be married. And I know you don’t like being manipulated any more than I do.”

      He nodded. “Go on.”

      “See, I’ve had a little time to think about this and I’m pretty sure I’ve come up with a solution that’ll work for both of us.”

      Still scowling, he folded his arms across his chest. “Now, this I’ve got to hear.”

      She smiled and realized that the flutter of nerves that had been irritating her all night were suddenly gone. Because she’d finally brought everything into the light? Because she knew that what she was doing was the right thing? Or was it the wine they’d had with dinner?

      Didn’t matter now, she thought. She was in way too deep to quit at this point.

      “Well,” she said, letting the words tumble from her mouth in a rush, “the thing is, I’m willing to discuss my father’s offer to you.”

      Adam was stunned. He couldn’t believe she was saying any of this. First off, that she knew about Sal’s offer was bad enough. The fact that she’d guessed Adam had reconsidered the deal was disquieting. Did she really know him as well as she seemed to? And why in the hell would a woman like Gina be willing to consider such an insulting bargain?

      In the candlelight, Gina’s eyes seemed to shine with the deep, rich glow of antique gold. Her skin was soft and smooth and lightly tanned. He’d hardly been able to look away from her all night. His gaze caught in the tumble of thick, dark curls that hung down her back in waves so silky they invited a man’s hands to delve into them. Her black dress hugged every curve—and she had good ones—and her long, tanned legs looked amazing in high-heeled sandals that should have been impossible to walk in.

      All night, she’d tormented him, simply by being Gina. How had he not noticed years ago just how beguiling she was? Had he really been blind enough to dismiss his little neighbor because he’d once known her as a pigtailed child? Well, she was all grown-up now and surprisingly enough, was damn calm and accepting about the bargain her father had offered.

      And somehow, that worried him more than anything else.

      “Why would you want to do that?” he asked and watched as something not quite identifiable flashed in her eyes.

      “I have my reasons,” she said, then smiled at him again.

      Adam hissed in a breath. She really was beautiful—but it was more than that. It was something indefinable. Something that tugged at him. Prodded him. Why else would he have considered Sal’s proposition for more than an instant?

      “What are these reasons?” he asked.

      “Mine,” she said and didn’t offer any more.

      This wasn’t going at all the way Adam had expected. What was it about the Torinos that could keep him off balance? First her father, now her. He was the one in charge of situations. On top of everything. He knew what the other guy was thinking, what his next move would be and exactly the right countermove to ensure that Adam King got exactly what he set out to get.

      Having the tables turned on him wasn’t something he appreciated. And it was damned uncomfortable to have someone know him as well as Gina seemed to. At the moment, she was watching him with patient understanding glimmering in her eyes and it irritated him that she was so damned complacent while he felt off balance.

      Clearly then, it was time to take charge again. Time to let her know that he wouldn’t be twisted around and made to feel as if he’d taken a wrong step. Time to let her know that this date was over.

      “Gina…” He flipped open the check folder, tucked a credit card into the pocket, then closed the whole thing and set it on the edge of the table. Their waiter rushed by a moment later and took it away. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I won’t be maneuvered. By you…or your father.”

      She laughed, damn it, and he was both annoyed and charmed. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”

      “Of course you don’t,” she said and reached across the table to pat his hand as she would have an excitable kid. “But come on, Adam. We’ve known each other way too long for you to put on the big crabby attitude and expect me to either salute or slink away!”

      He ground his back teeth together and hissed in a breath. “Fine. Say what you want to say, then I’ll take you home.”

      She shook her head and smiled again. “Charming to the last.” Before he could say anything to that, she spoke up again, quickly. “Okay. To the point. I’ll marry you, Adam, so you can get the land. But I have a condition.”

      “I can’t wait to hear it.”

      “I want a child.”

      Adam felt the slam of those words crush into his chest and he could have sworn he felt his heart actually stop. Her eyes were clear and steady. Her features calm. Her manner at ease. All the while, his insides were churning and it felt as though the air was on fire. Otherwise, why would his lungs be burning with every breath?

      “You can’t be serious.”

      “Completely,” she assured him and her face softened, her mouth curving gently. “I know what you

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