The Greek Billionaire’s Email Bride Read Online Marian Tee

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire Tags Authors: Marian Tee Advertisement1

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He pulled her chair out, and she belatedly hurried to take her place on the table.

"You look different."

"Different good or different bad?"

"Just different."

She had feared and hoped at the same time that he would close to her. And he actually did, which left her feeling terribly self-conscious and excited. But when their first course arrived, and she had her first sip of her soup—

Wow.

Hope took another spoonful, aware of his gaze still on her. "This is amazing. Is everything in this soup..."

Colin nodded. "Homegrown. And the meant, plant-based."

"I need to correct myself then. I think you're amazing, too, with everything you've created. Your groundbreaking work in sustainable farming, the advancements in—" Hope broke off upon noticing how Colin was staring at her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You're saying everything right," he drawled, "which is not what I expected. Most women would only care to know about my net worth."

"I'm not most women," Hope said lightly.

"Clearly."

The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, but it was charged with something Hope couldn't name.

"Tell me about your job in Michigan," Colin finally said, cutting into his steak.

"It was mostly administrative work for a plumbing fixtures company. Nearly two decades updating spreadsheets about toilets."

"You never thought of changing jobs?"

"It paid the bills. That was what mattered most."

"So you seemed to prize stability over pleasure. And yet you left for this." Colin gestured around them. "A temporary arrangement with a stranger."

"You're forgot 'highly compensated'."

"Is what I'm paying for truly enough, considering you'll have to carry a divorced tag for the rest of your life?"

Having him talk about the end of their marriage within hours of meeting hurt more than she expected, but she reminded herself that he was simply being honest.

"It is what it is," she said with a shrug.

"What about other men? Is there someone who will likely care that you're suddenly married?"

Hope shook her head.

"When was your last serious relationship?"

Hope focused on cutting a piece of asparagus into unnecessarily small pieces. "Define serious."

"Intimate."

The blunt word hung between them. Hope's face burned, but she refused to look away. "Not in a long time."

Colin set down his fork, his full attention now on her. "How long?"

Hope's fingers tightened around her knife. "Quite long."

Colin stared at her, and she had to fight against the urge to squirm.

"You're a virgin."

"Yes." She worked hard to keep her voice steady even though admitting this made her feel horribly inadequate as a woman. "Will that be a problem?"

"Women who've made it to forty without intimacy don't typically sign up to marry strangers."

Hope's eyes widened at his perception. "I never said I hadn't been kissed."

Colin's mouth curved slightly. "Your reaction on the plane said it for you."

The memory of that kiss flooded back, making Hope's lips tingle anew. "I've been kissed before. Just not... like that."

"Like what?"

Hope searched for words that wouldn't reveal too much. "Like it mattered."

Something shifted in Colin's expression—a flicker of vulnerability quickly masked. He picked up his wine glass, breaking the intensity of the moment.

"The reunion is in two weeks. We should discuss how to prepare. What do you know of Princess?"

Hope chose her words with care. "She was our school's golden girl. Homecoming queen. Prom queen. The girl everyone wanted to date or befriend."

His gaze narrowed. "Our school?"

She nodded. "I was—"

"Don't tell me. I finally remember. You're the valedictorian. You graduated a few years after us."

"Two to be exact."

"How did you end up studying in our school?"

"Edith was friends with the principal. They offered me a scholarship. Free board and lodging. In return, my free hours were spent helping out however way I can."

A flicker of recognition crossed Colin's face. "I remember another thing. I often see you taking care of the cats in the school yard."

Hope could only nod. She had never imagined he had noticed her in any way back then. But whether that meant something in the long run...she didnt want to think of as well.

"This should be a lot easier then," Colin said after a moment. "You already know my history with her."

"I don't know anything about what happened after, though. Were you still together in college?"

"No." Colin's voice was curt. "I promised Princess I'd make something of myself. She didn't believe me. She wanted what was already guaranteed, so she ended up marrying Roland."

The school quarterback, Hope thought, recognizing the name. And another thing she recognized? The hardened expression on Colin's handsome features. It told her that Princess' rejection still stung, even when twenty-five years had already passed.

"Tell me more about the reunion itself." Hope decided it was time to change the subject, and she saw that this was the right thing to do when Colin visibly relaxed in his seat.

"Three days of events. Cocktail mixer the first night. Golf tournament and dinner the second day. Formal gala the third evening."

Hope's stomach dropped. "I don't know how to play golf."


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