I put the pen down and folded my hands in front of me as I met his gaze. “The truth?”
He nodded his head. “That’s always preferable, and you said it was your motto.”
“It is.” I pushed my hair behind my ears and tried to appear calm, though my feet bounced. I swallowed and then admitted the real reason I was considering his offer. “You said we all have our price, and I’ve been thinking about mine ever since you said you wanted to marry me.”
He motioned for me to go on. “What is it?”
I took his hand and told him my personal truth. “I … You’ve been clear that you and your family like a private life. And I don’t know what that’s like.”
“What do you mean?”
Damn, he burned through me with those glances and my heart thundered. The memory of his kisses made me wonder what joining together might be like, our cosmic energy combined. But I licked my lips and tried to ignore those thoughts. “I mean, sometimes I’d like to disconnect from my constant updating.”
He put the pen back in my hand. “You can just stop.”
Access to social media.
Ability to write my book.
Unfettered continuation of my blog.
“No,” I said. I put the pen down again and nodded like I was done. “Then my life stops. And I don’t know what working a day job is like, or even how to earn money any other way.”
He didn’t take the paper, and instead sat back. “Do you want a day job?”
“No.” I massaged my temples and flipped my hair behind me as I ignored my racing heart. “I love writing my blogs and teaching my philosophies, and those would have to be in the contract. I need to continue with the social media and promoting.”
He leaned forward and cupped my hand. “Fair enough, but then why marry me?”
Neither of us were in love, but his life sounded like every fairy tale I’d ever read, really. Attraction and fidelity were all I needed.
“Because a princess could disconnect for days and weeks, and no one would lose interest when I tuned back in. I enjoy being an influencer online—just not all the time.”
He grinned. “You can talk to my sister about that one. She’s always being chased by the press, hoping to catch her doing something bad.”
His sister, Emily, and his older brother, Harry, were often discussed in lifestyle and fashion mags. Ryder offered a chance to be the Modern Life Princess, where I could use that media attention to help with my goal of portraying a brighter future. I nodded, turned my hand up, and squeezed his. “Last night I read about you and your family, too.”
His eyebrow quirked. “And?”
Sky diving, bungee jumping, mountain climbing, cross-continent bicycle tour as a teenager were just the tip of the iceberg. I pushed my list of demands toward him. “You are quite the daredevil.”
He picked up the paper and stared at it as he said, “It’s the only time I get to be totally alone, as no one else can follow.”
Maybe we did have something in common, then. I swallowed and took a deep breath. Then I said, “Well, if you think you can get your father to agree to my demands about social media and my blog and lifestyle, you have yourself a deal, Ryder.”
His lips spread and showed off his million-dollar grin. “You mean I have myself a wife.”
I laughed and stared at the curved ceiling of the plane. “Crazy, right?”
He lifted our hands and kissed the back of mine. “And no regrets? You were so adamant about wanting happily-ever-after and waiting for love when you said no.”
My entire body trembled from his touch. I was left with tingles coursing through me, so I squeezed his hand. “I think I get a little bit of that, as sharing part of my soul online does offer me great rewards. And I get you.”
He folded my list of demands and put them in his pocket as he said, “I thought I was supposed to meet you as some sort of spiritual teacher when Gio set up the meeting.”
Our knees knocked now, but I laughed and said, “After what I’ve read, you might be beyond help.”
He playfully pressed his shoulder into mine and sparks rushed through my veins as he asked, “Why is that?”
