Gina is convinced that he is either gay... or her perfect match He might be too good to be true... Ben Walsh should be single. Handsome and wealthy, Ben is
equally at home in Idaho where he grew up and in Manhattan
where he's now an art dealer. Suave and successful with
impeccable taste, he normally has women beating down his
door. But the one woman he wants can't be convinced that
he's for real... And she doesn't have the luxury of believing in fairy tales... Gina Reyez has fought for every bit of her success, and it's
about time for things to start going her way. So when Ben
makes a proposal that will allow her to take care of her
family the way she wants to, she agrees. Besides, a guy this
perfect would never be interested in her...right? By the time Gina figures out that she's read Ben all wrong,
their lives have become intertwined, and seriously
complicated...
Excerpt "Karma Kincaid, will you marry me?" Ben Walsh sat
on the weight bench in the home gym of his Columbus Avenue
loft after spending the morning flipping through his
not-so-little black book for the hundredth time. The
pressure of a deadline was taking its toll. He had a book
full of names of women he'd dated over the last ten years,
none of whom he would ever consider marrying. Not that he
ever wanted to marry anyone in the first place, but his
grandfather had taken that decision out of his hands. He
didn't have a choice-well, not one he could live with
anyway. He adjusted his Bluetooth to make sure they were
still connected, and picked up a twenty-pound dumbbell,
working his biceps while he waited for her reply.
"Benjamin Joseph Walsh, do you have any idea what time it
is?" He smiled and counted his reps silently. "Two
hours earlier than it is here in New York. Did I wake you?"
Sheets rustled over the phone, feet stomped, and then if he
wasn't mistaken, he heard peeing. "Do you always go to the
bathroom when you're on the phone?" "No, you're just
privileged. You have some nerve calling me at seven
twenty-two in the morning. I closed the bar last night and
didn't get to bed until after three." The toilet
flushed. "Well, are you going to marry me or
not?" "How many times do I have to tell you I can't
marry you? Not only is it illegal; it's disgusting. You're
my cousin." "I am not." Ben switched hands to work
his left arm. "We're like cousins but we're not blood
relatives. There's no law against marriage between two
unrelated people who grew up like family. It's perfectly
legal." "Maybe, but I remember you in Spiderman
underwear-" "It was Superman." "Whatever. I
have no interest in ever seeing you in your underoos again,
and even less interest in seeing you without them. Besides,
even if I did marry you, which I won't, Grampa Joe would
never buy it. Like he'd ever believe, after knowing each
other our entire lives, we chose this highly convenient time
to fall madly in love." Ben placed the weight on the
floor and lay back on the bench, curling his arm under his
head. "Gramps never said anything about love. He said I had
to get married and start working on producing an heir or
two-" "Can I just say one thing? Ewww! Not unless
it's artificial insemination and even then, it's gross. No
way. Sorry. I love you, Ben, but not that much."
"Come on. Gramps is old. Maybe he's finally losing it and
going senile." Karma snorted. "Right. Big Joe Walsh
is anything but, and you know it. Besides, he just turned
eighty. That's like sixty in human years. He's probably
going to live to be at least one hundred and ten. Did I tell
you I almost ran into him the other day on Castle Rock
skiing? I swear the man acts like he owns the mountain."
Frustrated, Ben stood and picked up the dumbbell to
return it to the rack. "I think he does. So, that settles
it. I'm going to ask her, Karma." "Ask who what?"
"Gina, I'm going to call her and invite her over."
"That friend of Annabelle Ronaldi's who you've met how
many times? Twice?" "It's Annabelle Flynn now, and
yes, I'm going to propose to Gina." "Then why the
heck did you bother proposing to me?" "Last-ditch
effort, I guess." "You've made up your mind?"
"It's the only logical conclusion. I have to marry
someone. The only question is who. Since you have so
unceremoniously rejected me, what choice do I have?"
"You can call Big Joe's bluff." "And let him sell
my ranch to the highest bidder? No way. That's my home."
Karma let out a groan that sounded wrought with
frustration. "It's just land." "It's my land, or it
will be as soon as I talk Gina into marrying me."
"What makes you think you can trust her?" "I've
done my research. Gina's made no bones about never wanting
to marry." "Yeah, that's before she met you and your
family's billions." "You haven't read her dossier.
She has a very interesting and impressive background."
"I don't care what her background is. Greed is not
discriminatory; people from all walks of life suffer from
it." "Good luck with that. What famous lawyer said
he'd never seen a prenup he couldn't break?" "Your
brother, Trapper." "He's not so famous, but he knows
what he's talking about-usually." "I have a team of
lawyers working on it and I'm paying through the nose for
the best legal advice I can buy." "Okay, so let's say
this prenup is air-tight. What's going to keep Gina from
falling for you? All your women do, you know." Ben
laughed. "All but you and Annabelle." "Quit feeling
sorry for yourself. This is a big deal, Ben." Ben
moved on to the treadmill and started a mountain hike. "You
think I don't know that? Gina's never had a relationship
last more than a month or two, and from what I've learned,
she has ample reason not to trust people enough to let them
get close-especially men." He pumped up the incline and
speed. "She's young and she's making a real name for herself
in her field. My sources claim she has no interest in ever
getting married." "What about sex?" Ben
laughed. "Karma, I don't know what your mama told you, but
you don't have to be married to have sex."
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