control everything, so I thought—”
“You are the funniest, most adorable woman I’ve ever met in my life. And as for ending this...” Jason frowned. “You’re the iron fist in a velvet glove, so if this is your way of dumping me—”
She laughed. “You should know by now that subtlety isn’t my strongpoint. I’m a lot more direct than that.”
“I do know.” He smiled as he dragged her close to kiss her beneath the torrent of warm water. “So, what brought this on?” he said, pulling back.
“I’m just trying to keep a hold on reality.”
“This is real for me, Kate.” Switching off the shower, he opened the door and reached for a towel. Having wrapped her snugly, he secured another towel around his waist. “Let’s go discuss reality,” he suggested. Linking fingers, he drew her into the bedroom.
“You are Jason Kent, ruthless tycoon—”
“Stop right there. I’m ruthless according to the press. I’m not sure how many people who work for me would agree with that.”
“—And I am Kate Black, sheep farmer’s daughter,” Kate continued, determined to voice her argument. “So I have to ask myself, how long is this unlikely alliance going to last?”
“Unlikely alliance? I thought you were supposed to be the romantic. You make us sound like a business merger. This unlikely alliance will last as long as we want it to last.”
“Do you want it to last?”
“Of course I do. Why else would I be here?”
“But you live in London and I have a college course to complete up here.”
“And I will support you every way I can. If only because you’re going to be very useful to me in the future,” he teased.
“Doing what?”
“You can add the human touch to my business that I never have time for. That’s your gift, your strength—”
“You want me to work in your business?”
“Yes. How do you feel about that?”
She thought about this for a moment. “So, you’re going to make use of my talents?”
“Vigorously and often,” Jason assured her, not even the slightest bit fazed.
“And as for living in London, I live all over the world, but my main home is an estate in Scotland, well out of the public eye. That’s where my dog lives too, in case you’re wondering where Woolly is. I haven’t come all this way just to go to bed with you, Kate, though I’d be the first to admit, it would have been worth it. I want more than that, though. I want to be the one to cheer you on when you graduate. I want you to host my parties and be the woman at my side. I want you to wear my ring and share your life with me. Is that clear enough for you?”
“But, why?”
“Why is complicated,” he admitted. “I’ve never met anyone like you before—I’ve never loved anyone as I love you before. That’s the first and second reason. The third? If we knew the answer to why we fall in love, I suspect we’d all be too busy analyzing our feelings to make sure we’ve ticked every box, to actually do anything about it—”
“Sorry?” She frowned. “Reel back, please. Did you just say you love me?”
“Yes, of course I love you. Didn’t I just make that clear?”
“You love me?”
“Now you’re beginning to sound like a parrot, Ms. Black, and you know I prefer sheep.”
She laughed, remembering his exploits on the moors in the blizzard, but then her brow crinkled again. “Is this a proposal of marriage?”
“I apologize if I haven’t made that clear. I have to admit this is totally unrehearsed. I have never felt the urge to propose to anyone before, and I never will again.”
A smile curved her mouth. “So this is your one and only chance to get it right?”
“This is my one and only chance,” Jason confirmed. “Refuse me and you condemn me to a life of lonely bachelorhood locked away in my ivory tower.”
“Pretty much where I found you, then,” Kate remarked.
“You might think that,” Jason teased her as he brought her into his
“You are the funniest, most adorable woman I’ve ever met in my life. And as for ending this...” Jason frowned. “You’re the iron fist in a velvet glove, so if this is your way of dumping me—”
She laughed. “You should know by now that subtlety isn’t my strongpoint. I’m a lot more direct than that.”
“I do know.” He smiled as he dragged her close to kiss her beneath the torrent of warm water. “So, what brought this on?” he said, pulling back.
“I’m just trying to keep a hold on reality.”
“This is real for me, Kate.” Switching off the shower, he opened the door and reached for a towel. Having wrapped her snugly, he secured another towel around his waist. “Let’s go discuss reality,” he suggested. Linking fingers, he drew her into the bedroom.
“You are Jason Kent, ruthless tycoon—”
“Stop right there. I’m ruthless according to the press. I’m not sure how many people who work for me would agree with that.”
“—And I am Kate Black, sheep farmer’s daughter,” Kate continued, determined to voice her argument. “So I have to ask myself, how long is this unlikely alliance going to last?”
“Unlikely alliance? I thought you were supposed to be the romantic. You make us sound like a business merger. This unlikely alliance will last as long as we want it to last.”
“Do you want it to last?”
“Of course I do. Why else would I be here?”
“But you live in London and I have a college course to complete up here.”
“And I will support you every way I can. If only because you’re going to be very useful to me in the future,” he teased.
“Doing what?”
“You can add the human touch to my business that I never have time for. That’s your gift, your strength—”
“You want me to work in your business?”
“Yes. How do you feel about that?”
She thought about this for a moment. “So, you’re going to make use of my talents?”
“Vigorously and often,” Jason assured her, not even the slightest bit fazed.
“And as for living in London, I live all over the world, but my main home is an estate in Scotland, well out of the public eye. That’s where my dog lives too, in case you’re wondering where Woolly is. I haven’t come all this way just to go to bed with you, Kate, though I’d be the first to admit, it would have been worth it. I want more than that, though. I want to be the one to cheer you on when you graduate. I want you to host my parties and be the woman at my side. I want you to wear my ring and share your life with me. Is that clear enough for you?”
“But, why?”
“Why is complicated,” he admitted. “I’ve never met anyone like you before—I’ve never loved anyone as I love you before. That’s the first and second reason. The third? If we knew the answer to why we fall in love, I suspect we’d all be too busy analyzing our feelings to make sure we’ve ticked every box, to actually do anything about it—”
“Sorry?” She frowned. “Reel back, please. Did you just say you love me?”
“Yes, of course I love you. Didn’t I just make that clear?”
“You love me?”
“Now you’re beginning to sound like a parrot, Ms. Black, and you know I prefer sheep.”
She laughed, remembering his exploits on the moors in the blizzard, but then her brow crinkled again. “Is this a proposal of marriage?”
“I apologize if I haven’t made that clear. I have to admit this is totally unrehearsed. I have never felt the urge to propose to anyone before, and I never will again.”
A smile curved her mouth. “So this is your one and only chance to get it right?”
“This is my one and only chance,” Jason confirmed. “Refuse me and you condemn me to a life of lonely bachelorhood locked away in my ivory tower.”
“Pretty much where I found you, then,” Kate remarked.
“You might think that,” Jason teased her as he brought her into his
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