by Kira Archer
The last thing the girls needed was to see the woman they depended on ditch them for a month to go shack up with some guy. They’d seen too many people in their lives walk away, and not come back. She’d never do that to them.
She’d been young when she’d been left at an orphanage herself, but she remembered standing there, knowing she’d been left, knowing she was alone in the world. When her adoptive parents had come along, it had been better for a while. And then her mother died. She’d been abandoned again. She still had her father, but after her mother’s death, he’d been different. Too wrapped up in his own grief to realize the pain his daughter was in. Realize that to her it was like being left at that orphanage all over again.
She’d never voluntarily leave her girls for any length of time, for any reason, but she didn’t need to explain her reasoning. It was none of his business.
Luca shook his head, looking at her like she was crazy. “And your family had nothing to say about you doing this? Throwing your life away for a bunch of kids you have no real ties to?”
Constance glared at him. “I did not throw my life away, and yes, my family was a little shocked when I decided to become a part of the program.”
That was an understatement. It had been like she’d announced she was having a child out of wedlock…times six.
“They got over it. Look, I know some people,” she said, pinning Luca with a glare again, “might find this…unusual. I knew what a huge step I was taking, basically adopting six kids. But the need is so great. So many children need homes, someone to love them, care for them. And they’ve been nothing but a blessing in my life. Caring for my sweet girls was the best decision I’d ever made.”
Luca shook his head again. “Seems like it would put a damper on your social life.”
She sighed. Yes, it made the prospect of dating nearly impossible. There weren’t many men who were willing to date a woman with six children in tow, but that didn’t matter all that much to her. “I don’t expect someone like you to understand. I’ve never regretted my decision. I’m not just going to ditch my girls to come play house with you.”
“Fine. They can stay here too then. I’ve got a whole guest wing that is never used. There is more than enough space. Besides, wouldn’t opening my home to orphans buy me some bonus points?”
The calm and collected Joseph actually did a double take look at his boss. She guessed neither of them saw that one coming, but then he pursed his lips and nodded. “Strictly from a PR standpoint, it couldn’t hurt.”
“Of course it would hurt!” Constance said, her mind reeling. “How am I supposed to keep the girls from thinking this whole thing is real if we are all staying in your house and I’m sleeping in your bed.”
Luca shrugged. “They’ll be on the opposite side of the house, and you seem the type to be the last one in bed and the first one awake.”
She grimaced at him. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is. In any case, I’m sure it’ll be easy enough to keep our sleeping arrangements from disturbing the little darlings. Tell them you’re sharing a room with your housekeeper woman. They won’t know the difference.”
The man was crazy. Insufferably crazy. End of story.
He blew a breath out. “I’ve never had to work so hard to get a woman into my bed,” he muttered.
Constance rolled her eyes. “I bet.” He winked at her and she stifled an exasperated groan. “I am not sleeping in your bed.”
“Have it your way. There is a sofa in there. Should be comfortable enough for you.”
“I’m the guest. Maybe you should take the sofa,” she mumbled.
The half grin was back. “Hey, I offered you the best bed in the house. The offer still stands.”
She almost answered his smile with one of her own. It was disturbingly difficult to keep brain on the right track when he was trying to be charming. “If it comes with you in it, I’ll take the sofa.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“This is insane.” She rubbed her temples.
“You act as though I’m asking you to stay in some condemned shack. Would it really be such a sacrifice to stay here for a few weeks?” he asked, gesturing at the luxury that surrounded them.
It wasn’t staying in the house that bothered her. It was staying with him. But as she had no intention of admitting that she ignored the question. “I don’t know if I’d even be allowed to bring them,” she said.
Luca waved that comment off. “I’ll make sure it’s all arranged with your directors. A sizeable enough donation should make any objections go away.”
Constance shook her head. She couldn’t possibly, although, the house was gorgeous and huge. And she would love for her girls to get to experience living in a place like this. It might make it more difficult to return to their modest home. Perhaps, as long as she made it seem like a holiday…
She couldn’t believe she was entertaining the thought, even if there was a certain logic to the plan. That didn’t mean she had to like it. Only she was afraid that that was the problem. Somewhere deep inside, she did like it. Some long neglected part of her was nearly crying for joy at the thought of belonging to this man. It was a part she was going to need to tear out by the roots if she was going to get out of this in one piece.
“So,” Luca said, his face once again relaxing into his usual smug expression. “What’s it going to be, Stanzia? I’m going to be calling your directors one way or the other in the morning. What will I be telling them?”
Constance stood, praying her legs would support her long enough to get her to her moped.
“Fine. You’ve got yourself a fiancée.”
Chapter Three
Constance checked her watch for the fifth time and scanned the street again, even though there was no way a car could have come in without her seeing. Just great. Luca was supposed to have walked into the office with her, a solid, united front to help give their ridiculous story a little credence. Instead, she’d have to slink in there on her own, since he couldn’t be bothered with showing up. If she lost her children, their deal was so off. She took a deep breath and walked into the building to face the music.
Within five minutes, she was sitting before her director’s desk, praying the cold sweat she was sure hovered near the surface of her skin would stay put long enough for them to spin their load of crap and get out of there. The grim countenances of the Reverend Mother, Ms. Castellanos, and even Mrs. Ballas didn’t give her much hope for that, especially as Luca still hadn’t deigned to join her.
What if he’d changed his mind? Gotten a call from his dad or someone that the charade wasn’t necessary so he’d decided to call the whole thing off and hadn’t bothered to tell her? He wouldn’t do that, would he? Just bail on her like that?
The fact she even questioned whether Luca would hesitate to ditch her showed how far past her usual defenses he’d already gotten. Of course he would bail on her. Bailing is what Luca Vasilakis did best. Just ask his father…or the dozens of perfectly formed models he’d dated and then discarded when his interest ran out.
Constance tried to swallow past her suddenly dry mouth as the Reverend Mother stared her down until she wanted to curl up in a hole and die. And still Luca didn’t show.
“Miss McMurty, I’m afraid we can’t wait any longer. Apparently, Mr. Vasilakis has thought better of joining you if indeed he ever intended to be here in the first place.”
Constance’s mouth dropped open but the Reverend Mother gave her no leeway to defend herself.
“We’ve called you in today to discuss your shocking behavior yesterday. Your conduct until now has always been above reproach. What possessed you to behave in such a…reprehensible fashion, I have no idea, and in front of the children, no less.”
Constance tried to think of something to say but before she could the door opened and in breezed Luca. Pure relief blew through her. He hadn’t ditched her after all. The identical expressions of shock that gr
aced the faces of the three women at the desk would have been comical if the girls she loved weren’t on the line.
“Sorry I’m late, darling,” he said, marching over to her.
Before she could respond, he bent over, captured her face in his hands, and kissed her, hard, fast, and so thoroughly that all four women in the room, Constance included, were gasping and clutching their figurative pearls by the time he was finished. Constance grabbed at his shirt, meaning to shove him away yet somehow only pulling him closer. The smug and completely male sound of his low, deep laugh hit her right in the belly and spread like fire.
She blinked up at him, completely blindsided. What the hell had that been? And how was it possible to be so pissed off and completely turned on at the same time? She wanted to slap him for thinking he had the right to touch her like that…and push him up against the wall and make him do it again. It took her a second to shake off the haze of hormones his lips had unleashed and pull herself together. He grinned at her and pressed a much more chaste kiss to her forehead.
Anger won out over desire. How dare he march in there and ambush her like that? In front of two of the most conservative women on the island and her friend, who looked like she wasn’t sure if she should applaud or shout for help.
Luca looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. His rumpled hair looked almost artfully tousled though it was probably the result of just having left his pillow. The morning scruff on his chin only enhanced the sexy bedroom vibe he had going on. It was unfair for someone to look that appealing without any effort.
“My apologies if I kept anyone waiting,” he said to the still-stunned trio behind the desk. “Had a little bit of business to take care of, and I’ve got quite the full day scheduled so I’m afraid this will have to be brief.”
He took Constance’s hand and pulled her from the chair.
“Mr. Vasilakis,” Reverend Mother said, only a slight stammer to her voice.
Constance was impressed. It took a will of steel to keep one’s composure in front of the Luca Vasilakis.
Reverend Mother continued. “We’d like to offer our sincere apologies for any inconvenience the actions of Miss McMurty may have caused…”
Luca interrupted her. “There’s no reason for apology. My fiancée had merely brought the children to my estate, at my request, so that I could meet the charges she’s so fond of.” He pulled her into a one-armed hug that squeezed the breath from her lungs. “She goes on and on about them.” He gave her a loud kiss on the cheek and she tried to glare at him with her eyes without letting her anger show on the rest of her face. She must have partially succeeded because an amused grin spread across Luca’s lips.
“Your fiancée?” Ms. Castellanos sputtered.
“Yes. Didn’t Stanzia tell you? Ah, that’s my little duckling. So modest.” He chucked her under the chin with his finger and Constance had to grit her teeth to keep from biting him. If he didn’t tone it down, he was going to blow it.
He must have realized she was nearing the end of her very frayed rope because he loosened his grip on her waist and turned back to the women at the desk, his demeanor sobering. A little.
“Well, ladies. As I said, we have quite the busy day planned. I only wanted to stop by and make sure there was no confusion about what happened yesterday. Everything is on the up-and-up and all that.”
“Yes, I suppose…”
“Also, I hope it won’t be too much of a bother, but we thought we’d best give it a bit of a trial run with the children. They’ll be staying at my home for the next several weeks. I know I need to go through all the proper paperwork once we are married and the children will be with us full time, but we thought a bit of a holiday on my estate could help ease them into it. Mrs. Ballas, of course, is invited as well.”
Mrs. Ballas turned bright pink and stammered out a response, but Constance knew she was excited. The Reverend Mother didn’t look quite as pleased.
“Well, I don’t know if that’s…”
“You know,” Luca said, interrupting again. “I’ve always found the work you do here admirable. I’ve been meaning to make a nice donation for some time now. I guess no time like the present, eh? I’ll have my assistant deliver a check this afternoon if that suits you.”
“Oh. Yes, that would be wonderful, Mr. Vasilakis. How generous.”
He waved her off. “Speak nothing of it. It’s a deserving cause. I’m happy to do it. Now about the children. If it’s too much trouble, I suppose we could…”
“Oh, well…” Reverend Mother patted at her hair and straightened her necklace, more flustered than Constance had ever seen her. It wasn’t every day a woman got steamrolled by the force of nature that was Luca Vasilakis, she supposed.
“No, not at all,” she finally said. “I’m sure the children will enjoy themselves. As long as Mrs. Ballas accompanies them as well, so they have both their regular caregivers…”
“Oh, but of course. We have Mrs. Ballas’s room all ready for her.”
Constance bit her lip to keep her jaw from dropping. Luca was playing the Reverend Mother like a well-tuned violin. Good God, the man had no boundaries. He’d bribed a nun, no matter how he’d spun it.
“Excellent! Well, ladies, it’s been a pleasure,” he said, giving them a slight bow. “Darling, let’s leave these saints to their work.”
Constance let him take her hand and lead her from the office and back out onto the street before she pulled away. Luca glanced at her but kept walking. She had no choice but to trail after him.
“What was that?” she asked his retreating back.
“What?” He pulled his keys from his pocket, looking at her with genuine confusion.
“Laid it on a bit thick back there, didn’t you?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
He shrugged. “I handled it. You’ve still got your position. We’ve got permission to have the kids stay, which will make the excursions—”
“Photo ops,” she interjected.
“If that’s how you prefer to see it.”
“Of course that’s how I prefer to see it. I always prefer to call a spade a spade.”
“No,” he said, coming back over to her. “You prefer to see the world as you want to see it and stubbornly refuse to see it any other way.”
“Me? Stubborn? Looked in a mirror lately?”
The smile he gave her sent warm tingles rushing through her, and she looked away just to try and minimize his effect.
“As I’ve said, the children will be kept out of the photographers’ way as much as possible. I can’t guarantee no one will get a picture. But I can promise it won’t be my doing and my team will do what we can to prevent it.”
He sounded sincere enough. She hoped she could trust him. At least in this. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “Let’s get out of here,” he said. “I’ve only had one cup of coffee and it wasn’t nearly enough for being awake this early.”
They’d reached his car. Joseph folded the paper he’d been reading and jumped out to open the back door for them.
Constance pulled out her keys. “I drove myself, remember?”
“Joseph will drive your scooter. You’ll come with me.”
She blew out an exasperated breath, trying not to lose her temper with the pompous ass. And failing. “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m capable of driving myself. Besides, if he drives my scooter to my house, how will he get back home?”
Luca’s eyes narrowed and a twinge of unease rattled Constance’s stomach. He was obviously not used to being told no. Well, tough. She wasn’t going to let him order her around.
He crowded into her personal space, stepping so close she had to crane her neck to meet his deep brown gaze. She tried to draw in a deep breath without giving away the fact she was suddenly finding it more difficult to breath. It was like the man was some inferno who absorbed all the oxygen around him and ignited anything female within a ten-mile radius. Constance had been around commanding, dominee
ring men before. They all had the same swagger, the same presence. The whole I’m king of the world and you will fear and obey me mentality.
With Luca it was different. Oh, he had the ego and the charisma that most men of his station had, and he had more than his fair share of sex appeal, but he wasn’t the first handsome, wealthy, powerful man she’d been around, or even been intimate with. Not that she’d been intimate with Luca, or ever would be. There was no reason this man should affect her this much. What the hell was it about him?
He stroked a hand down her arm, eliciting a tremble that left him giving her a smug smile and her glaring at him. Before she realized what he was doing, he’d plucked the keys from her hand and tossed them to Joseph. Constance started to give him a good chewing-out but he pressed a finger to her mouth.
“It isn’t necessary to argue with everything I say.” His finger brushed along her lips, igniting an instant fire that she wanted with all her being to give herself over to, but everything was happening too fast. He was too much, too overwhelming, and too overbearing by far.
She jerked back, but he just smiled. “Joseph needs to drive your moped because we have a little errand to run. He can bring it to my place and you can retrieve it there.”
She frowned. “What errand? We’ve spoken with my director. I wasn’t aware we had anything else planned for the day.”
He sighed. “Ah, yes. It’s all about you, isn’t it?”
She planted her hands on her hips but he continued on before she could get a word in. “We’ve seen your director, kept up my side of the bargain. You remain House Mother of the Year. Now it’s your turn to help me with a little damage control. That was the agreement, correct?”