“Not sex,” he said quickly.
But she didn’t halt.
“Laurel … don’t go!” He reached forward and caught her hand. Her fingers were stiff with outrage. Before she could yank her fingers free and storm away, he said, “Sex is not what I’m after. Sit down. Listen to my proposition—it has advantages for your family.”
Her fingers stopped wriggling. “A business proposition?”
“Yes.” Rakin knew it was now or never. “I want you to marry me.”
“What?”
Laurel couldn’t believe she’d heard Rakin right.
Shocked, she sank back onto the padded cushions in the recesses of the alcove and stared at the stark figure in the formal suit, his shirt pristine white and collar crisp and crease-free. A beautifully knotted narrow tie completed the picture.
He didn’t look insane.
He looked dark, intense … and utterly gorgeous. Her heart skipped a beat. Scanning his face she took in the taut cheekbones, the lack of humor in his eyes. There were no signs of the fun companion who’d entertained her all day long.
“You’re serious.”
“Completely.” Challenge glinted in that enigmatic gaze as he let her fingers go.
Giving a light, incredulous laugh, she spread her hands. “I can’t marry a man I hardly know.”
He tilted his head back against the high, padded back of the booth, and the gaze that locked with hers held raw intensity. “Laurel, there’s nothing to fear. I am a businessman—utterly respectable and a little boring.”
She didn’t fear him. But to take a risk and marry a man she barely knew … the grandson of a Middle Eastern prince? Laurel wasn’t so sure about the wisdom. “You’re not boring,” she said at last.
The warmth that seeped into the dark eyes caused a funny stir deep in her chest.
“Does that mean you will agree to marry me?” he asked softly.
Tipping her head to one side, Laurel tried to ignore the way her heart had rolled over and considered him. “You don’t even mention love.”
“So you want love? A proposal wrapped up in sweet words? Should I kneel on one knee before you?”
She shook her head slowly. “If I still dreamed of that kind of love I would’ve snatched the bouquet that Kara tossed at me.”
Rakin gave her a slow, appreciative smile. “You’re a realist. We haven’t known each other long at all … and although I would like to think we’ve discovered much in common, I wouldn’t insult your intelligence by talking of love so soon.”
“Thank you—I think.”
She was still trying to make sense of his bombshell proposal. He’d said that her family would benefit from the proposition. But what was in it for him? Her mind leapt from one scenario to the next. But none of them made any sense.
“You’ve asked me to marry you, but I still have no idea why.”
The smile still lurked in his eyes. “You’re a very beautiful woman, you must know that.”
She could sense that he was prevaricating, even as she countered, “Beauty doesn’t guarantee that a marriage will succeed—you only need to look at my mother’s marriage to know that. You implied you were putting a business proposition to me—I didn’t expect a marriage proposal.”
“My marriage proposal is a business proposition.”
Laurel started to laugh.
He sat forward, and his knee pressed against hers. “Believe me, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. My grandfather has been threatening to change his will and disinherit me for years for not forming an alliance with the various women he has picked out for me—each time I have ignored his threats, because he is an irascible old man with plenty of life still left in him. He will cheat death for a while yet. But recently the threats have intensified. He no longer merely threatens to disinherit me on his death—now he has vowed he will force the board to vote me out as CEO. And, not satisfied with that, he will also transfer the controlling stocks he holds in the Abdellah business empire to my cousin. All this will be done if I am not married by my thirty-sixth birthday. It is no longer a matter of waiting until he dies to find out whether he has made good on his threats—he intends to disenfranchise me within the next year.”
Rakin’s face was a study in frustration.
“I have no intention of being robbed of the company. I have spent many hours of my life working to expand the Gifts of Gold division until it has become a first-class supplier of soft furnishings and luxury linens.”
She knew from listening to Eli rave about his friend that every word Rakin spoke was true. He’d built up a network of clients across the finest hotel chains and resorts in the world, including Eli’s.
“So I need a wife.”
At that, Laurel couldn’t help being conscious of the solid weight of his leg resting against hers. Even through his trousers and the sheer stockings that she wore, she could feel the warmth of his flesh. But she didn’t shift away. “Will your grandfather really go through with such a pointless threat? Surely it would harm the family as much as you?”
“It’s not pointless to him. He’s a proud man—and he’s accustomed to having things his way. Right now he doesn’t care about profits. He wants me to marry, and this is the way he intends to bend me to his will.”
“Who will run the company if he wrests control from you?”
“Ah, my grandfather already has that sorted out. The cousin to whom he is transferring the controlling stocks on my thirty-sixth birthday will be ushered in as the new CEO of Gifts of Gold. None of the board would dare act against my grandfather’s orders.”
“This cousin is married?”
“He is engaged—to a woman my grandfather handpicked for him.” Rakin’s lip curled up.
Understanding dawned. “You and your cousin don’t see eye to eye?”
The sharp incline of his head confirmed her suspicion. “Zafar hates me. He would destroy me if he could, and I would die before I allowed Zafar to take this from me … so I will be married first.”
“Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for you also to marry a woman your grandfather had chosen for you?”
Rakin’s eyebrows drew together, giving him a formidable air. “That would give him too much power over me.” The frown relaxed. “Besides, even if he scoured the whole earth, my grandfather could find no better candidate than you.”
Laurel could feel her cheeks heating. “That is shameless flattery!”
“Not at all. You are beautiful and presentable. You are well connected … and incredibly gracious.” Leaning farther forward he captured one of her hands. “And, to make sure you are equally happy, I will also make sure that our marriage will lead to benefits for The Kincaid Group.”
Laurel jerked upright at his touch. “What kind of benefits?”
He had her.
Rakin was certain of it. She was going to agree to marry him—exactly as he’d hoped. He let her hand go and sat back. Not far away he could hear the chiming of a slot machine announcing a winner, the whoops of celebration that followed.
He focused on the woman beside him, the woman he was determined to have as his wife. “There are many exporters and importers in Diyafa—they rely on shipping containers to transport their