Bought by a Millionaire Read Free Page A

as?”
    â€œYour favorite color, your favorite ice cream, your first broken heart.”
    â€œAll right,” she agreed softly, an idea creeping into her head. She was feeling more herself now, more secure in the situation since he’d made it clear this wasn’t part of her job interview. “But if I answer your questions, I think it’s only fair that you answer some of mine in return.”
    He considered that for a moment, but she could tell by the glint in his eye that the thought amused him.
    â€œDeal.”
    The appetizers arrived, and as they picked at their food, she answered the first three questions he’d posed.
    â€œMy favorite color is green,” she told him. “Any shade, from mint to khaki. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, but rocky road comes in a very close second. And my first crush was Tommy Scottoline, in the second grade. He broke my heart when he started spending recess with Lucinda Merriweather.” She shot him a teasing grin. “Lucy climbed the monkey bars every day in a dress and let Tommy follow along on the ground in case she fell.”
    â€œAh.” One corner of Burke’s mouth quirked upward with humor.
    â€œYour turn,” she prompted.
    â€œShould I answer the same questions, or do you want to ask me something else?”
    â€œSame questions.”
    â€œOkay. I guess my favorite color would be black. I don’t really like ice cream, but if I had to choose, I’d probably say vanilla. And I’ve never had a broken heart.”
    Surprised, Shannon paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. She lowered it slowly before saying, “Never?”
    â€œNope.” Burke continued eating, unmoved by their topic of conversation.
    â€œWhy not?” She knew she should mind her own business rather than pry into his personal life, but she was genuinely curious.
    His color and ice-cream preferences didn’t surprise her; she’d seen his office, all black and glass, and he seemed much too button-down to like a dessert as pedestrian as tutti-frutti. How, though, could anyone get through life without having his heart and soul, if not broken, at least battered a bit? Even if it was only a case of puppy love in early childhood, most people had experienced some form of romantic disillusionment.
    His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It’s hard to get your heart broken when you’ve never been in love. I don’t have time for such trivial pursuits.”
    Shannon’s muted laughter was a mix of both amusement and disbelief. “How can you say love is trivial? Isn’t that what makes the world go ’round?”
    â€œThe almighty dollar is what makes the world go ’round,” he answered shortly. “And love is highly overrated.”
    Eyes wide, Shannon said, “That’s a rather cynical view of life. Money can’t buy everything, you know.”
    His lips twitched. “When you’ve got as much of it as I do, it can. And I prefer to think of myself as realistic.”
    She supposed he was right. He was already planning to use a portion of his millions to buy a mother for his child, and if he had the means to accomplish that, he likely had the means to accomplish almost anything.
    But it saddened Shannon to think his life had been so barren that he didn’t even believe in love, when she knew just how powerful a sentiment it could be. There were all kinds of love—romantic, familial, the love between close friends… She wasn’t sure Burke had ever experienced any of them, but suspected his feelings on the subject would change dramatically the minute he held his very own child in his arms—regardless of who the baby’s mother was. On that day, if not sooner, he would discover the meaning of true, unconditional love.
    â€œI’d think you would be glad I tend to put sound financial judgment above anything as mercurial as human emotion. It’s about