Nina leaned back against the hospital pillows and stared at Lucas Grant.
Really stared.
Now that the shock of the completely insane marriage proposal had passed… well, slightly passed, her brain had begun functioning again. Which unfortunately, meant she had time to properly observe him. To actually see the man who had just walked into her hospital room and upended her entire world with a few calm sentences.
And that... was dangerous.
Because the man standing before her was unfairly attractive. Not in the soft, charming way movie stars were attractive, with their practiced smiles and calculated angles.
No.
Lucas Grant possessed the kind of presence that felt engineered for maximum impact. Tall… easily over six feet. Broad shoulders beneath that immaculate charcoal suit that probably cost more than her monthly rent. Long legs that seemed to go on forever. Perfect posture that spoke of military precision or years of expensive deportment training.
His features were sharp and precise, like someone had sculpted them carefully out of marble and then, on a whim, decided to bring the statue to life.
Dark hair, styled with just enough casualness to seem effortless. Strong jaw that could cut glass. Eyes that looked permanently calm and permanently dangerous at the same time, a contradiction that shouldn't work but somehow did.
Nina's gaze slowly traveled upward from his polished Italian leather shoes. To his legs. To those impossibly broad shoulders. Finally, to his face.
Wow.
Her brain supplied helpfully, unbidden.
This man is offensively handsome.
It wasn't fair, really. People this attractive shouldn't exist in real life. They certainly shouldn't show up in hospital rooms making bizarre proposals to complete strangers.
Lucas had remained perfectly still the entire time, like a predator watching prey. But after several long seconds of her shameless appraisal, one dark eyebrow lifted slightly."Are you done?" he asked.
Nina blinked, heat creeping up her neck. Lucas tilted his head just a fraction, the gesture somehow both curious and condescending. His voice remained calm, controlled. "Or would you like more time?"
Nina froze.
Her brain finally caught up to what she had just been doing… openly ogling a man she'd met less than ten minutes ago. A man who had just proposed marriage. A stranger.
She nearly choked on her own saliva."Cough—!"
Her face flushed instantly, warmth spreading from her cheeks down to her collarbone. She could feel the embarrassment radiating off her in waves.
Lucas watched her with what could only be described as faint amusement, the corner of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly.
"Do you like what you see?" he asked, his tone maddeningly even.
Nina coughed again, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table. She gulped it down as though it might somehow wash away her mortification. When she finally recovered enough to speak, she waved a hand weakly in the air.
"Well…"She cleared her throat, buying herself another moment.
"I mean…" She gestured vaguely in his direction, her hand tracing an uncertain arc. "All that hotness is impressive, I'll give you that."
Lucas blinked once, his expression unreadable.
Nina sighed dramatically, placing a hand over her heart as if mourning a great loss. "Such a shame it all belongs to another man."
Silence descended upon the room like a heavy curtain.
Lucas stared at her, his dark eyes fixed on her face with an intensity that made her want to squirm."…Pardon?"
Nina crossed her arms, lifting her chin with false confidence. "Well, obviously," she said, looking at him as though the answer should have been crystal clear to anyone with eyes. "You don't like women."
Lucas's expression remained perfectly still, frozen in place. But the air in the room seemed to drop several degrees, growing thick with tension. Behind her, she could hear Axel's breathing become irregular, the telltale sign of someone desperately trying not to laugh.
Nina continued, her tone completely serious, as if she were explaining basic mathematics to a child. "I mean, think about it."
She gestured at him again, this time more emphatically. "You're ridiculously handsome. Powerful. Rich. You're basically the final boss of eligible bachelors… the kind women write romance novels about."
She leaned forward slightly, warming to her theory."And yet, despite all of that, you've never been seen with a girlfriend. Not once. Not even a rumor of one."
Behind her, Axel clapped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders beginning to shake. Nina pointed at Lucas accusingly, her finger jabbing the air between them."And now you suddenly propose marriage to a complete stranger you met yesterday, a woman you barely know, who has nothing to offer you politically or financially."
She spread her hands wide, as if presenting irrefutable evidence."Suspicious."
Lucas's voice became dangerously calm, each word measured and precise."And your conclusion?"
Nina shrugged, the gesture almost apologetic. "You like men."
Axel exploded.
A loud bark of laughter burst from him so violently that he had to grab the wall for support, his whole body shaking with the force of it. "OH MY GOD—"
He wheezed, struggling to breathe between fits of laughter. "This is the best morning of my entire life. I'm never forgetting this. Never."
Lucas turned his head slowly toward his brother, the movement deliberate and controlled. When he spoke, his voice carried a warning that could freeze fire. "Axel."
The single word hung in the air like a blade.
Axel straightened immediately, though his body still trembled with suppressed mirth. "Sorry. Sorry," he managed, wiping tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. His voice was still thick with laughter. "I just… wow. This is… I can't even…"
Lucas returned his gaze to Nina, his expression darkening with each passing second. "Miss Hale."
Nina nodded politely, though she sensed the shift in his demeanor. "Yes?"
Lucas spoke slowly, enunciating each word with deliberate precision. "I assure you," his voice dropped slightly, taking on a dangerous edge… "I am not interested in men."
Nina tilted her head, her expression genuinely puzzled. "Then why are you asking me to marry you?"
Lucas opened his mouth, paused as if reconsidering his words, then closed it again. A muscle twitched in his jaw. Axel leaned forward eagerly, sensing an opportunity. "Yes, brother," he said, grinning with undisguised delight. "I'd love to hear this too."
Lucas ignored him completely, his focus remaining fixed on Nina.
She continued thoughtfully, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Because proposing marriage out of nowhere is not normal behavior." She held up a finger as if making a crucial point. "Unless."
Lucas narrowed his eyes, his patience visibly thinning. "Unless what?"
Nina nodded slowly, like a detective who had just solved a particularly complicated mystery. "You've never been with a woman before."
Axel inhaled sharply, his eyes widening in shock. Then he collapsed against the wall, laughter overtaking him once more. Lucas's stare turned lethal, but Nina continued, completely confident in her theory and oblivious to the danger.
"That would explain everything," she said, warming to her subject. She began counting on her fingers.
"Extreme wealth." One finger.
"Zero dating history." Another finger.
"And a sudden marriage proposal to the first woman who saved your child." She leaned back against the pillows, satisfied with her deduction. "Classic overcompensation."