by Неизвестный
And just like that, whatever fear she’d been harbouring disappeared.
“Your father—your biological father—had flaws.”
His laugh was so bitter, she could taste it. “You call running out on a girlfriend and your six-year-old
son just ‘a flaw’?”
“I’m not defending him—”
“Then what the hell are you doing?” His eyes were furious, twin daggers of frustration and anger.
“I’m saying everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“So why can’t you forgive yourself for your sister’s death?”
The well-aimed jab hit its mark and she drew in a sharp breath. “That’s different.”
“No, it’s not. You were young, you made a mistake.”
“And I paid for it with Grace’s life!”
She yelled the last word, startling them both. But when the echo died, the air held a sudden expectancy.
“Don’t you think,” he said softly, “that Gum Tree Falls has blamed you enough without you joining the
club, too?”
He had this uncanny ability to cut right to the heart of her.
She closed her eyes, knowing he’d only been the voice to her own black thoughts. He’d acknowledged
her deepest, darkest doubt, one she’d hidden from everyone, including herself.
Lord, those memories still possessed the power to chew her up inside.
“And if it wasn’t for your father leaving, your mother wouldn’t have met Victor. And you wouldn’t have
created something groundbreaking, something amazing. VP Tech has taken technology to every school
in Australia, even the remote country towns.”
His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “So it’s all fate?”
“Just like Melissa was.”
He snapped his head up then cursed as his glass smashed in the sink. Gingerly he plucked out the pieces
then tossed them in the trash.
“Right. So she’s not to blame for faking a pregnancy just so you’d marry her?”
Clarity swept in on the tail end of that revelation. “Is that why…?”
“Why what?”
Her chin went up. “Why you don’t trust me?”
Cal’s body was tense and wound up tight with fury—at Victor, at this ever-present arousal, at these
unsettled feelings of conflict. But her soft question washed over him, dousing his anger and yanking him
up short.
She stared at the floor, the perfect-fiancée facade she’d perfected these last few weeks gone. In its place
was an expression so raw that he knew she was barely holding together. She blinked, and to Cal’s horror
he wondered if she was about to cry. Had he done that? The thought shamed him.
“No!”
His rough denial snapped her eyes up to him, where she remained still, almost as if holding her breath.
His insides were all jammed up, tense and tight. He didn’t want to be like Victor, unable to express his
feelings and holding on to this bitter grudge he’d perfected against his stepbrother. He didn’t want to be
like Ava’s father, forcing the ones he loved from his life.
He glanced at Ava’s belly, to the draping fabric that hid the gentle roundness from view. And there it
was again, a rush of incredulity rolling over him, leaving him vulnerable and raw.
“Melissa loved the attention and the money. She didn’t…” Love me. He bit off the words and picked out
another bit of broken glass from the sink. He couldn’t say that, couldn’t leave himself open that way.
“She lied to get into my family. I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Cal—” Ava paused, weighing up the wisdom of her next words. His ex had done more than lie: She’d
taken Cal for a fool, played on his emotions. That was unforgivable. And it cut deeply that he thought
she was like that. “I never intended to blackmail you, no matter what you think.”
Despite her racing heart, Ava held his probing gaze steadily. I need you to believe me.
“I believe you, Ava.”
With a whoosh of breath, she released the pressure gathered in her shoulders, closing her eyes in silent
prayer. But in the next instant, they sprang open as she felt Cal’s fingers brush her cheek.
Cal had leaned forward and was tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Her heart sped up again, this time
with insistent, hot need.
“Cal…”
His hand stilled and when his eyes flew to hers, she caught the want, the desire, before the shutters came
down.
At that moment, that exact second, her heart soared. She could have done a dozen things—pull away,
stop to analyse what she was doing, what it all meant—but instead she grabbed the opportunity with
both hands.
Ava leaned forward and kissed him.
It was a closed-mouth kiss, experimental and tentative. It reeked of caution and fear of rejection but
when she pulled back, his hard face reflected none of her fears. His dark eyes only reflected danger, as if
she’d pushed her luck too far. It sent a forbidden thrill coursing through her limbs, tingling, exciting.
Fear and desire mingled together. Funny how both emotions could bring her to a standstill. She waited
for his next move with breathless anticipation.
As she stood there, looking uncertain, a little scared and so completely out of her depth, Cal’s heart
flipped. Man, she could destroy him with nothing more than a look from those bright blue eyes.
A rocket surge of lust sped through his blood. It had been too long. He’d practically counted the days,
the hours since she’d last been beneath him, since he’d been buried inside her welcoming warmth.
He held out his hand. “Come with me.”
The simplicity of his command tripped off his tongue like the most skilful of seduction lines and Ava
felt herself go under. The intensity, the sheer decadence in the depths of his chocolate-brown eyes
tugged at her restraint as if daring her to refuse, to deny the instantaneous pull they both instinctively
felt. And in that instant, everything around them faded into obscurity.
Her fate was sealed.
Cal couldn’t remember undressing but must have because he was staring down at Ava reclining on his
bed, unashamedly naked with her hands behind her head. Her lush breasts thrust forward, begging for
his touch, the look in her come-hither eyes roaring blood through his veins to his groin.
He paused, imprinting the perfect erotic snapshot in his brain.
“Cal…” Her voice was breathy, proof of her arousal, and when her mouth curved into a languorous
smile he didn’t have a hope in hell of keeping his distance.
His breath came out on a groan as he settled over her, into her, touching and tasting the creamy flesh.
She was flawless, from the curve of her cheek to the shapely legs. Dynamite packed into five-foot-three,
curve upon curve of lush woman. And it was all his.
He swept a palm over her stomach, revelling in the gentle roundness before dipping his head to place a
kiss over her belly button.
Ava was helpless to resist the tremble that started between her legs, a tremble that took over more than
just her flesh—it engulfed her heart in a flood of emotion. Cal, I love you. She squeezed her eyes shut as
she felt Cal’s hands and mouth gently caress her belly, his hot breath scorching, branding her.
When his lips crept lower, she jerked, her breath hissing out in a shocked rush. Against her belly, she felt
his mouth curve into a smile.
“Open for me.” It was more demand than request yet she did as
he bade anyway.
The instant Cal’s mouth touched the most private part of her, she sighed, a gentle, anticipatory whisper
that ratcheted up his heart and sent blood racing at a hundred miles an hour.
In slow, lazy licks he loved her with his tongue and lips, every single sense drenched in her scent, her
taste. He wanted to give more, much more, but when her hips began to rock gently, a maddening yet
completely perfect motion, the desperate urge to be inside her forced him up.
Her whimper of protest ended on a satisfied sigh as he quickly positioned himself and drove into her hot
welcoming flesh.
And as he loved her deeply, thoroughly, he realized that he’d finally come home.
Ten
“C ongratulations. You did it,” Victor said gruffly. They stood in the small anteroom off the
entryway of St Mary’s Cathedral awaiting the arrival of the bride. Inside the church a flurry of guests
seated themselves among the pews, murmuring quietly. Doctors, lawyers, property developers—the
movers and shakers of Sydney society, Cal noticed. The invites included anyone who’d had dealings
with Victor and VP Tech, even those Cal barely knew. In comparison, Ava’s guests barely took up two
rows.
Outside, the street had been cordoned off to preempt the inevitable traffic jam, but it hadn’t stopped the
crowd steadily growing all day, forcing the local police to serve as crowd control.
Cal tweaked his perfectly knotted cravat with unfamiliar nervousness. By unspoken mutual agreement
Sydney was designated business-only—he had VP Tech, she the wedding, interviews, photo spreads.
They’d come together for public engagements and frantic, almost desperate lovemaking in the thin hours
of dawn before real life intruded once again.
On the flipside, Jindalee was his guilty pleasure. When he stood on the porch surveying the construction
chaos against the stunning post-sunset backdrop, his satisfied smile was dimmed only by Ava’s echoing
one. They made sweet, leisurely love in her comfortable four-poster and afterward, in the dark, he’d
stroke her belly and talk to his unborn child, floored and humbled by how simple life could be. Ava
didn’t talk about the past or bring up the future and Cal let it go, instead revelling in every stolen
moment together.
Today, Ava would be his wife. It didn’t matter how the day had come to be, just that it was. That’s all
that mattered. Not this painfully slow ceremony, not the scores of people he didn’t know or care about.
And from this day on, he’d—
“Did you hear me?” Victor said now.
“I heard you.”
For weeks, Cal had kept a tight lid on his simmering thoughts but now they threatened to boil over.
Not now, not today.
He abruptly turned and caught sight of his mother through the half-open door. Beautiful and elegant in a
powder-blue suit and a small-brimmed hat, she stood at the entrance and greeted latecomers with a wide
smile.
He grinned, but that fell when Victor pointedly closed the door.
“You’ve been distracted, unfocussed.” Victor continued with a puckered brow. “If you’re having second
thoughts…”
Cal turned back to the long baroque mirror and straightened his perfectly straight sleeves. “A bit late for
that now, isn’t it?”
Victor sighed. “Look, that was—”
“I don’t care anymore.”
“Clearly not.”
Cal’s eyes snapped to Victor’s reflection through the mirror. Sarcasm, mixed with an odd kind of guilt,
creased the older man’s face.
“We need to talk.”
Cal shrugged. “About?”
“The future of the company.”
He snorted. “I’m getting married, Ava is having my child. Aren’t I doing enough?”
“I have a brain tumour.”
The world slammed to a halt. Victor was sick? Cal gaped. “What?”
Victor’s lip tilt was anything but humorous. “A brain tumour—a slow one, which apparently is the best
type to have. I’ve been seeing a Swiss specialist who’s been monitoring it and now he’s recommending
surgery. It’s a tricky operation with obvious risks, but he’s confident. I go under the knife next week.”
The apprehension eased off a bare inch. “Does Mum know?”
Victor’s slight nod barely classed as acknowledgement. “She wanted to tell you weeks ago, but—”
“Damn right I needed to know! Jesus!” Anger bubbled up inside, churning futilely in the pit of his
stomach. “So what will you do about…” He trailed off, blood rushing from his face as realization
dawned. “So that’s where you’ve been jetting off to. And that’s why you demanded I get married!
Sonofa—”
“You’re having a baby and getting VP Tech. Tell me where you lose in this.”
Cal clenched his teeth. Never before had he felt the desperate urge to deck another man, sick or not.
“You didn’t have to lie.”
Irritation creased Victor’s face. “I didn’t lie—I just didn’t elaborate. I know you, Cal. You needed an
incentive. I wanted you committed—”
“Bullshit. You knew the company was my life, my number-one priority.”
“‘Was’?” Victor frowned.
“You know what I mean. And don’t change the subject.”
Victor crossed his arms stiffly. “I wanted you settled. The company just provided leverage.”
Cal took a deep breath, forcing the fury back behind the gates. “So you have pangs of mortality and
suddenly decide I needed to get married?”
Victor flushed, his eyes skittering away. “A man thinks of lots of things when he’s faced with death.”
They both paused, two proud men unwilling to shine a light on the dark corners of their emotions, until
the panic and worry began to ebb from Cal’s tense muscles.
“Did you have any intention of giving the company to Zac?” he said, less harshly.
“I knew you wouldn’t fail.”
Once, months ago, that simple statement would have been a welcome shot in the arm. But instead of
pride, Cal only felt a low, simmering irritation.
Victor continued. “Zac’s been ignoring my calls since he walked out. Which you would’ve known if
you’d actually called him.”
Cal sucked in a breath. Victor Prescott pulled no punches, that was for sure. “So he’s not coming to the
wedding.”
“He declined the invite. That boy is so bloody stubborn.”
“Like his father.”
Victor glared at him. “Or his stepbrother. I’ve come to terms with Zac never speaking to me again. But
you two should kiss and make up before I die.”
Cal scowled. “Don’t be so morbid. You’re not going to die.”
“I’m not planning on it any time soon. And your mother just wants to see you happy—”
“Do not tell me she knew about your little scheme.”
Victor had the good grace to look uncomfortable. “Not at first.”
“Brilliant. That’s just brilliant.” He raked a hand through his newly trimmed hair, mind whirling.
Someone knocked softly on the door but they both ignored it.
Victor straightened his cuffs and cleared his throat. “So. Now that that’s out, I’ll need your signature
next week to finalise the papers.”
Cal stared at him for the longest time, until Victor’s brows plummeted. “What?”
“We’ll be on our honeymoon.”
“Oh, right. Seven day
s.”
“Ten.”
“We’ve got that product development meeting with the Department of Education next month.” Victor
glanced back to the door as the knock came again.
And this from a man about to undergo major surgery in a week? “Sorry. Can’t do it.”
“Why not? After today the company’s yours, something you’ve always wanted. It will be your numberone
priority and I’ll need to get you up to speed with things before I leave. The workload will be crazy,
of course, but that’s nothing new. Your new bride will understand.”
Cal strode to the door, his insides shaken from upheaval. His whole life he’d met his responsibilities,
had given two hundred percent to gain Victor’s approval. Never walk away. That vow had shaped every
choice, every decision he’d made. And because of it, he’d cut his stepbrother from his life, a decision
he’d never fully forgiven himself for, a decision he’d planned to make right today.
Yet Zac hadn’t showed.
Cal had won the prize but at what cost? He’d been lied to, manipulated, and he’d responded by doing the
same to Ava. Yes, Victor had had his reasons but it didn’t mean it was right.
He’d become so damn focused on work that life was passing him by. He’d become Victor and he hated
it.
That realization brought sudden clarity into stark focus. With a firm slant to his jaw he reached for the
door handle and twisted.
“You blackmailed me into a marriage I didn’t want. But you know what? I don’t care right now.” He
yanked open the door, the hinges screaming in protest. “I’m getting married today—”
Victor tensed. “Cal.”
“—and you can take your company and shove—”
“Cal?”
The tremulous question behind him broke through his subconscious, jerked his head towards the soft
voice.
Ava stood with her hand raised mid-knock. The strapless, flowing white dress, her hair bunched up
under a tiara like some fairy princess, her stunningly beautiful face—it all registered somewhere in his
brain, on another level. But it was her expression that cut him to the bone, deep pools of blue set in a
pale, haunted expression. Those eyes wounded him more deeply than a thousand betrayals.