by Jennie Lucas
Scarlett looked up at him, hardly able to breathe. He was so close to her. “I didn’t...”
“It took a week for the nail marks to disappear from my back.”
She flinched, then glared at him, folding her arms. “So you’re good in bed. Big deal. I didn’t have the experience to fight my desire for you then, but I do now. I won’t sell myself to you and I definitely won’t sell my baby.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “So you prefer that our son has no father? That he is raised without my name or my protection or my love, all of which I freely offer you now?”
“Your...love?”
“Of course, you think I would not love my own child?”
Oh. Of course that was what he meant. Biting back her disappointment, angry with herself for feeling it, she said, “You’re not offering me anything for free. If you were, you wouldn’t make me sign those horrible documents.”
“You expect me to marry you without a pre-nup? Leaving you free to take half my fortune?”
Scarlett shook her head stubbornly. “Of course not. You wouldn’t want to take the risk. But neither do I. So, the answer is simple. We will not marry.”
Vin stared at her in the Geneva sunlight. A soft wind rustled the autumn leaves above the grassy slope, between the modern two-story clinic and the sparkling water of the lake. She heard the soft call of a bird, the distant sound of honking and noise from the city.
“Because you’re hoping to marry for love.” He glared at her. “You are just like my mother was, before she died. Ignoring your responsibilities to run toward some romantic fantasy.”
“I’m not! I’m running away from a nightmare. You!”
His lips pressed together. “Perhaps once our child is born, you will run away from him, too.”
“Never!” she gasped.
“How do I know?”
“I love my baby more than anything!”
“So all you want from me is child support—is that it?”
“I don’t want your money.”
“You’d be the first.”
“Money comes with strings, as you know perfectly well. Or you wouldn’t offer it.”
“So how do you expect to support our baby alone?”
“Well...” She tilted her head, thinking. “If you weren’t pursuing me, and I didn’t have to hide from you, I might go back to Gstaad and learn to cook fried chicken.”
Vin looked at her incredulously. “You mean, instead of living in the lap of luxury as my wife, you’d pursue a career as a common cook?”
“You’re such a snob! Fried chicken makes the world a better place. Can you say that about what you do?”
“Owning a billion-dollar airline?”
“Yeah, stuffing passengers like cattle into economy class, in seats the size of a postage stamp!”
He ground his teeth, letting her insult slide. “I have great appreciation for fine meals and for the talented chefs who prepare them. But according to Wilhelmina Stone, that’s definitely not you.”
“So I’ll learn.” Scarlett folded her arms. “I worked my way through a year of community college to become a nursing assistant, studying at night after working all day. I can handle it. All it takes is hard work and a willingness to do without sleep, and fortunately I’ve had experience with both.”
Vin’s dark eyes glinted so dangerously, she was almost surprised she didn’t burst into flames beneath the force of his glare. “So you don’t want my name, you don’t want my money and you won’t marry me. You prefer for our child to have no father at all while you aspire to low-paying jobs and try to survive.”
Scarlett looked at him uneasily. When he put it like that, he made her sound like an idiot.
* * *
Vin looked into her beautiful eyes and a realization chilled him to the bone.
He had no leverage.
No way to force Scarlett’s compliance, at least not one he felt comfortable with. This wasn’t the business world, where he could offer a higher price or blackmail shareholders over their secrets in order to make them comply with his requests. The standard rules of mergers and acquisitions didn’t apply.
Or did they?
He’d learned enough from his investigator to realize how little Scarlett had going for her. No family. No savings. Her savings account held the same amount one might spend for a business dinner with a few bottles of wine. She had no bachelor’s degree, and worst of all, thanks to Blaise Falkner, she’d have no job recommendation.
But Falkner would suffer for that. Vin’s lips lifted. He’d regret treating Scarlett so badly. He’d regret threatening Vin’s future wife and child.
If Scarlett ever actually became his wife.
He didn’t understand why this was so hard. Why shouldn’t he be able to just buy her? He’d be willing to pay quite a bit, as long as it didn’t cost something he actually cared about. Like his time. Or control. Or any requirement for him to be vulnerable.
But money? He had more than he could spend. Money was confetti to him. A way to keep score. A way to buy toys. And he wanted Scarlett Ravenwood more than any toy.
Shifting his strategy, he lifted an eyebrow. “What if I sweetened the pre-nup with a million-dollar payout for every year of our marriage?”
“No.”
He frowned. “Two million?”
“Vin, you can’t buy me.”
“Everyone says that. But everyone has a price. Ten,” he said. “My final offer. Ten million dollars for every year we stay married. Think about that.”
Her eyes widened. For a moment he thought he had her. Then her chin lifted. “I told you. Not for any price.” Her green eyes glittered furiously. “I’m not giving you the right to order me around like a slave—and permanent custody of our baby if I ever try to fight back. Freedom is worth more than some stupid money.”
Vin stared at her, then regretfully decided he believed her. Damn it. Everything about her body language spoke of stubborn sincerity. He was dealing with an idealist, with a heart as stubborn as his own.
He had mixed feelings about it. That made her different from his own mother, which would be good for his son’s happiness.
But it made Scarlett a more challenging adversary for Vin. How could he gain his objective, if money wasn’t enough to sway her?
Standing on the grassy hillside behind the clinic, Vin looked at the sunlight flickering across Lake Geneva.
He wanted Scarlett as his wife, as his lover. In his bed, at his beck and call.
He also wanted his son to be safe and secure and loved, raised in the same home, with the same name. He wanted his son to have siblings. Vin wanted to know exactly where his family was and that everyone was protected, and provided for, at all times.
He looked at Scarlett. “How can I change your mind?”
“You can’t,” she said firmly. “The only reason to marry someone is for love. And I don’t love you.”
“You wanted a home. I can give you six.” Or more. He couldn’t quite remember which ones he’d sold or bought lately.
She looked wistful, then squared her shoulders. “A home without love isn’t a home at all.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
But he suddenly knew his answer. He’d use her romantic heart against her.
Scarlett cared about two things: love and freedom. All he had to do was give her both.
Or at least make her think he was giving them to her.
Vin had never tried to pretend to be in love before, but how hard could it be? He’d been raised by a woman who was a master at it, who’d used the pretense of emotion as a means of manipulating others.
But could he pull it off? Scarlett was no fool. Would she buy it?
He’d have to move slowly...
Vin tilted his head as if in thought, then took a deep breath and looked up almost pleadingly.
“Maybe you can show me I’m wrong. Prove to me that love isn’t an illusion for fools.”
Her
eyes widened in surprise, then faded. “Please. You’ll never give your heart to anyone. You’ve made it clear that to you marriage is a business deal.”
“Maybe I’m wrong. Because you’re different from any woman I’ve met.” That was certainly true. “I want you as I’ve never wanted anyone.” Also true. “You’re carrying my child. I respect your intelligence, your warm heart. I need you. Want you.” Clawing his hand back through his dark hair, he gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe that’s how it starts.”
He held his breath, waiting for her response.
“You expect me to believe that... That you could someday love me?” She gave a harsh laugh. “Nice try. What kind of idiot do you think I am?”
“Just give me a chance,” he said quietly. “To see where this could lead.”
“How?”
He thought furiously. Then he knew.
His eyes pierced hers. “I’ll marry you without a pre-nup.”
“What?” she breathed. She shook her head in disbelief. “Like you said—you’d risk half your fortune! From the moment we spoke our vows!”
Vin watched her carefully, watched the play of conflicting emotions cross her pale, lovely face. The way her white teeth nibbled furiously at her full, pink bottom lip. “Maybe it’s worth the risk.”
Yes. He was taking a risk, gambling that he’d quickly make her fall in love with him, placing her securely under his thumb and willing to sign a postnuptial agreement before the ink on their marriage license was dry. Which, he thought arrogantly, was almost no risk at all.
He’d never tried to make a woman fall in love with him before. Usually it was the opposite—getting women into bed and leaving them before any emotional attachment was formed. This would be interesting. He felt strangely excited by the challenge.
Or maybe it was just standing so close to Scarlett, beneath the golden sun, feeling the cool October breeze against his overheated skin, knowing that he would soon possess her. In this moment, he would have been almost willing to pay half his fortune just to get her in his bed.
“Will you?” he said softly, coming closer. “Will you take a chance on me, if I take one with you?”
She seemed to shudder, looking up into his eyes. Her expression was bewildered, vulnerable, as if she were fighting hope itself. “But why?” she whispered. “Why does marriage matter so much to you?”
He didn’t want to answer, but the new role he was playing, that of a secretly vulnerable man who could possibly be open to love, forced him to at least partial honesty. “I know what it’s like to grow up without a father. My son must have a better childhood. He must always know who his parents are.”
She looked confused. “How could he not know that?”
Vin changed the subject. “Family starts with a name. With a home. Our baby must feel safe and loved. He must know where he belongs.” He looked at her. “Marry me, Scarlett. Right now.”
She bit her lip, visibly wavering.
He pressed his advantage. “My private plane is fueled up and waiting. We can be in Las Vegas in...”
“No!” He was surprised at the sudden vehemence of her tone. She licked her lips. “Um, Dr. Schauss said I could go into labor at any time—”
“She also said she saw no imminent signs.” He looked at her pale face and added soothingly, “We can bring a doctor on board with us, just in case.”
“Forget it.” She swallowed. “I’m not getting on any plane.”
“Why?”
She took a shuddering breath. “If I do, I’ll die! We’ll both die!”
“What are you talking about?”
Tears spilled over her lashes. “My father died in a plane crash...”
“Yes,” he said, his voice gentle, “but that doesn’t mean—”
“Two weeks ago, my own flight almost crashed.” He vaguely recalled reading something about an emergency landing in Ireland for her London-bound flight. She continued, “After what happened to Dad, I should have known better than to get on a plane for any reason! I told myself I was being silly. I ignored my intuition, and it almost killed us!” Hugging her belly, she shook her head fiercely. “I’ll never get on another plane—ever!”
“But, Scarlett,” he said quietly, “there are, on average, a hundred thousand flights every single day. Almost every one takes off and lands safely, without incident. Statistically—”
“Shut up! Don’t you quote statistics to me!”
Her voice sounded almost hysterical. He had the feeling if he pushed her, he’d lose even the small bridge of trust he’d created. So he changed tactics. “I own an airline and also have two private jets for my own use. I even have a pilot’s license, should I ever need to fly a plane myself. So I can supervise the equipment check, Scarlett. I can personally guarantee you’ll be safe.”
Scarlett choked out a tearful laugh. “And I can personally guarantee that I’m never getting on another plane!”
He tried to think of a way to reason with her. But as he looked into her beautiful, anguished eyes, as he saw the tears streak down her cheeks, he suddenly didn’t want to argue. He just wanted to make it better.
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms. She fell against him, and he wrapped her in his coat, stroking her hair and back, murmuring gentle words until her sobs quieted and she was no longer shaking.
“All right,” Vin said softly. “We don’t have to fly. I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do. I’ll always look out for you, Scarlett. Always.”
Nestled against his white button-up shirt, wrapped beneath the lapels of his long black coat, Scarlett lifted her head with a ragged breath. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight, he thought. Her tearful eyes shone like emeralds.
She was vulnerable. It was the moment Vin should have pressed his advantage, gotten her to acquiesce to his proposal, boxed her in.
Instead, he felt something twist in his heart. And instead of pouncing on her weakness, forcing her to agree to his demands, he did what he’d wanted to do since he’d first seen her standing in the New York cathedral, her red hair tumbling over her shoulders, her green eyes luminous and pleading beneath a beam of golden light.
Cupping her face in his hands, Vin lowered his head and kissed her.
CHAPTER FIVE
SHE HADN’T EXPECTED him to kiss her.
The world seemed to whirl around Scarlett, making her dizzy as Vin’s lips moved against hers. The kiss deepened, his mouth becoming hard and demanding, as if she belonged to him, and he owned the right of possession. He held her tight, her rounded belly and overflowing breasts pressing against his taut stomach and the hard muscles of his chest. He wrapped her in his warmth, protecting her from the wind, and she shook as she felt a hot rough pulse of electricity course through her.
She’d forgotten what it was like to kiss him. She’d forced herself to forget. But now, as she felt the tip of his tongue flick inside her mouth, as she felt his hot mouth silky against hers, she clutched him closer, never wanting to let him go. She couldn’t. Not when every night for eight and a half months, she’d ached for him, dreaming of the hot night he’d ruthlessly taken her virginity, given her mind-blowing pleasure and filled her with his child.
He’d made her feel wanted. Adored. Even...loved.
“I’ve wanted you so long,” he whispered against her skin. Her heartbeat tripled in her chest. “Say you’ll marry me, Scarlett. Say it...”
“I’ll marry you.”
His handsome face lit up with joy and hope, and she realized what she’d just said. With an intake of breath, she met his eyes.
“Do you mean it?”
She saw in his dark eyes that he wanted her to marry him. Desperately. And she...
She wanted to be in his arms. She wanted her baby to have a father. She wanted her child to be safe and loved and live in a comfortable home. Was she a fool? Of course she wanted those things!
But only if their marriage could be real. If she and Vin actually cared for each other, they
might have a chance at happiness...
Will you take a chance on me, if I take one with you?
Vin was willing to marry her without a prenuptial agreement. He was taking the biggest risk. Was she willing to take a smaller one?
For the potential happiness—for all of them?
Yes.
“I’ll marry you,” she choked out and realized she was crying. She had no idea why, until he pulled her into his arms and held her tight, and she knew.
Vincenzo Borgia, so handsome and powerful, could have chosen any woman for his wife.
But he’d chosen her. Not only that, he was giving her incredible power over his life. If he could be brave enough to do that, so would she.
She’d be brave enough to make the choice based on her hopes, not her fears...
“I’d never take advantage of your trust,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said with a private smile, then kissed her tenderly. “You’ve made me so happy.”
“Me, too,” she said, smiling through her tears.
“Let’s marry as quickly as possible.” He caressed her cheek. “But the marriage laws are much stricter in Europe. My assistant says the quickest options include Gibraltar and Denmark, but at your state of pregnancy, I’m not sure you’d find a long car ride comfortable. I also have to be in Rome in five days to close a business deal.”
“What deal?”
“A controlling interest in Mediterranean Airlines. After I lost the deal with Air Transatlantique so spectacularly a couple of weeks ago—” he gave a wry smile “—I’m determined to get it. It’s a closely held company and the founder insisted on meeting with me before he’d sell his shares.”
“So let’s get married in Rome.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “It’ll take a little longer to get married there, with the required paperwork, but if we drive straight through, we could be in Rome by late tonight. I think I even own a house there.”