Oh fuck. I can’t believe she just asked me that. Point blank. And worse, I don’t know how to answer. I’m halfway freaked the fuck out and halfway elated. Because the way she just said that makes it sound like she might feel that way about me. I can’t be sure, but it certainly sounds like a possibility.

Looking at Ashley, all perfect and gorgeous and so fucking sexy as she stands there waiting for my answer, I suddenly know.

I do.

I love her.

I can’t believe it. I never even saw it coming. But it’s true. Even knowing that the network arranged for her to meet me, that they set the whole thing up, I still know that I really and truly love her. Honestly, after all these years of women hounding me, trying desperately to get a piece of me or my money, not really caring about who I am, I never expected to find someone who I could fall in love with.

Until Ashley. But she doesn’t care about my money. She doesn’t care about my show, or about being the one to get Carter Blaine to give it up. None of that matters to her. She just likes me for me.

And I’m totally and completely in love with her.

I take a deep breath, preparing to lay it all out for her.

“Ashley.” I take a step toward her. “I need to tell you. I know I do. Maybe we should sit down for this.”

She gives me a dubious look, like she’s afraid I’m about to drop some huge bomb on her, and I kind of am. I don’t think anyone else but Lola, Chase, and the executives at the network know about the two billion dollar financial incentive in the contract.

Shaking her head, Ashley places a hand on her hip. “I’m fine right here.”

Her body language screams that she’s on alert, that she’s throwing up walls left and right to brace for what I’m about to say.

I reach for her anyway. I take her by the shoulders and pull her close. She doesn’t resist, though her gaze is wary.

“Look. Here’s the deal. When I first signed with ABN, they put a stipulation in my contract. Well, more of an incentive. They thought it would help me agree to sign on for a full season. And they thought it would help me make it to the end of that first season—or at least close.”

She shakes her head in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

I know it’s not making much sense, so I try again. “Basically I signed a clause stating that if I remained a virgin for five full years, I would get a bonus of two billion dollars at the end of the five years. Well, guess what—that five years is up in eight weeks. At the close of this season, I stand to make more money at one time than anyone in television history. Unless I have sex before then.”

She gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. She had no idea about the incentive, just as I thought. Of course Lola wouldn’t have told her that when she hired her to seduce me. Why would she give anyone more information than she absolutely had to?

“Yeah,” I say with an irritated smile, “tell me about it. Apparently no one thought I would make it through one year, much less five. And now they’re freaking out because they’re eight weeks away from the biggest payout ever, and they don’t have it.”

“Oh my God. Carter, that’s insane.” She shakes her head. “I mean, I always thought you had some kind of superhuman strength or some crazy strong iron will. But this makes sense. No wonder you’ve been content to just sit around and remain a virgin all this time.”

I reach up and caress her cheek. “Have been,” I say. “Past tense.”

She searches my face, her gaze questioning. “Past?”

I nod and press a soft kiss to her lips. “Yeah. Ashley, these last two weeks have been incredible. I never thought I’d meet a woman like you. Hell, I’ve spent five years dating all the ‘most eligible’ women in the country and I haven’t found a single one that compares to you. I’ve fallen in love with you.”

She's stunned into silence, her mouth falling open, her beautiful blue eyes wide with shock. After a minute she stammers, “You—you have?”

My mouth quirks up at the corners. “Yeah. I have. And now that two billion dollars doesn’t mean a damn thing to me. I couldn’t care less. I know you may not feel the same way, and maybe it’s a mistake to just blurt it out like this, but I want you to know the truth. I love you. And if you want, I’m more than willing to throw all that money away right this minute and have sex with you—to show you just how much I love you. The money means nothing to me compared to you.”

Ashley reaches up and laces her fingers around my neck, and I lower my mouth to hers in a kiss that shows her how everything I just said was completely true. I pour out all my feelings into the kiss, worshipping her, showing her how special she is. Hoping that she feels even a little bit the same way.

When I pull back, tears are streaming down her gorgeous face, and she’s laughing in disbelief. A happy laugh. An ecstatic laugh. Like everything she could've wanted has just been spread out before her.

“Carter,” she says softly, reaching up to run her palm over my jaw, tracing the line of it and brushing across my lips. I kiss her fingertips, causing her to smile again. She shakes her head as if she’s trying to clear it.

Then she gives me the most brilliant smile and says the four words that totally rock my world.

“I love you, too.”