Kidnapped for the Tycoon's Baby

by Louise Fuller

  ‘My mother got pregnant with me when she was sixteen. In those days girls like her didn’t do so well on their own.’

  Nola blinked. She had imagined many reasons for what had made him the man he was, but nothing like this. No wonder he was so confused—and confusing—when it came to relationships.

  ‘But that’s not your fault,’ she said quietly. ‘I know it must have been hard for both of them. But just because Guy became a father too young, it doesn’t mean you’re responsible for his affairs.’

  He shook his head, his mouth twisting into a smile that had nothing to do with laughter or happiness.

  ‘Guy’s not my father. My biological father, I mean.’

  She stared at him in silence, too shocked to speak, the words in her mouth bunching into silent knots.

  He looked away. ‘My mother was staying with a friend and they heard about a party. A real party, on the wrong side of town, with drink and boys and no supervision. That’s where she met my father. They were drunk and careless and they had sex.’

  ‘Who is he?’ she whispered. ‘Your real father?’

  Ram shrugged. ‘Does it matter? When he found out she was pregnant he didn’t want anything to do with her—or me.’

  His eyes were suddenly dark and hostile, as though challenging her to contradict him.

  She swallowed. ‘So how did she meet Guy?’

  He breathed out unsteadily.

  ‘My grandparents knew his family socially. His father had made some bad investments. Money was tight, and Guy’s never been that interested in working for a living, so when Grandfather offered him money to marry my mother he accepted.’

  Nola didn’t even try to hide her shock.

  ‘That’s awful. Your poor mother. But why did she agree to it?’

  Ram’s face was bleak. ‘Because my grandfather told her he’d cut her off, disown her, cast her out if she didn’t.’

  A muscle pulsed in his cheek.

  ‘She couldn’t face that, didn’t think she could survive without all this, so she gave in. Guy got a generous lifetime monthly allowance, my mother preserved her reputation and her lifestyle and my grandparents were able to keep their dirty linen private.’

  The misery in his voice almost overwhelmed her.

  She took a breath, counted to ten. ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘My mother told me.’ This time his smile seemed to slice through her skin like a mezzaluna. ‘We were arguing, and I compared her unfavourably to my grandparents. I hurt her, so I guess she thought it was time I knew the truth.’

  Nola could feel her body shaking. How could his mother have done that? It had been needlessly cruel. She had to swallow hard against the tears building in her throat before she could speak.

  ‘How old were you?’

  He shrugged. ‘Eleven...twelve, something like that.’

  Her eyes held his as she struggled to think of something positive to say. ‘But you get on with Guy?’

  He shrugged. ‘When I was a child he more or less ignored me. Now I’m older I just avoid him. After my grandfather died he made a big scene about needing more money, so I give him an allowance and in return he has to be devoted to my mother—in public, at least. And discreet about his affairs. Or he’s supposed to be.’

  Nola looked up into his face. There was nothing she could say to that.

  ‘What about your real father?’ she asked carefully. ‘Do you have any contact with him?’

  His eyes hardened. ‘I know who he is, and since he knows who my mother is, he must know who I am, and how to find me. But he hasn’t, so I guess he’s even less interested in me than Guy.’

  His face was expressionless but the desolation in his voice made her fists clench.

  ‘It’s his loss,’ she said fiercely.

  He gave a small, tight smile.

  ‘Are you taking my side, Ms Mason?’

  His words burned like a flame. Was she?

  For months there had been an ocean between them. Then, for the last few days, she’d been fighting to keep him at a distance. Fighting to keep her independence. Fighting the simmering sexual tension between them. Her mouth twisted. In fact just fighting him.

  Only now the fight had drained out of her, and instead she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, ease the desperate ache in his voice and that terrible tension in his body. Her breath seemed to swell in her throat as she reached out and tentatively touched his hand. For a moment he stared at her hand in silence, then finally he reached out and pulled her against him.

  Burying her face against his body, she let out a shuddering breath. Being here in his arms felt so good, so right. If only she could stay this way for ever. But this wasn’t about her, it was about Ram—his pain and his anger, his past. A past that still haunted him. A past she was determined to exorcise now.

  Lifting her head, she looked up into his face. ‘Your mother was so young. Too young. And she was scared and hurt and desperate. People don’t always do the right thing when they’re desperate. But they can do the wrong thing for the right reasons.’

  Their eyes met, and they both knew she wasn’t just talking about his mother.

  Breathing out shakily, he shook his head. ‘I’ve been struggling to figure that out for nearly twenty years. It’s taken you less than half an hour.’

  She smiled a little. ‘It’s all those in-flight magazines I read.’

  Mouth twisting, he clasped her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks.

  ‘I’m sorry for what I did. Lying to you, dragging you off to the rainforest like that. It was completely out of order.’

  Ram was apologising.

  Her throat ached. She could hardly breathe.

  ‘We both behaved badly,’ she said shakily. ‘And we both thought the worst of each other. But I’m glad you did what you did, otherwise we might never have got this far.’

  Her gaze fastened on his face.

  ‘But now we’re here, and I think it’s about time we started figuring things out. If we’re going to make it work, I mean.’

  The words were out of her mouth before she even understood what it was she wanted to say. What it was she really wanted. Her heart began to beat fiercely as his grey eyes searched her face.

  ‘Make what work?’

  It wasn’t too late. There was still time to backtrack. Ram couldn’t read minds, and she’d said nothing damning or definitive. But she didn’t want to backtrack—for wasn’t that their problem in a nutshell? Both of them looking back to the past, and in so doing threatening to ruin the future—their child’s future? ‘Our marriage,’ she said after a moment.

  ‘Are you asking me to marry you?’

  He looked tense, shaken, nothing like the cool, sophisticated Ramsay Walker who could stop meetings with a raised eyebrow. It scared her a little, seeing him so uncertain. But it made her feel stronger, more determined to tell him how she felt—and maybe, just maybe, get him to do the same.

  She hesitated. ‘Yes, I am.’

  He had confided in her, and she knew what each and every word had cost him. Knew too why he was so conflicted, so determined to do his duty as a father even as he pushed away any hint of love or commitment.

  ‘Is this what’s changed your mind?’ he asked slowly.

  She bit her lip. ‘Yes, but also it was that night we spent in your office—I’ve tried not to think about it, but I can’t stop myself. It was so different...so incredible. I’ve never felt like that with anyone, and I wanted to tell you that. I wanted to stay, but I was too scared—scared of how you’d made me feel.’

  ‘I felt the same,’ he said hoarsely.

  She felt a sudden twinge of panic. ‘But it was a long time ago. Maybe we don’t feel that way anymore.’

  His grey eyes locked onto hers.

  ‘We do feel it, Nola. We’ve felt it and fought it.’

  The heat in his voice made blood surge through her body.

  ‘But I don’t want to fight you anymore. In
fact fighting is the opposite of what I want to do with you.’

  She held her breath as he stared down into her eyes. Chaos was building inside her.

  ‘What is it you want to do?’ she whispered.

  His gaze moved from her face down to the slight V of her cleavage.

  ‘This...’

  Holding her gaze, he reached out and slowly unwrapped the towel from around her body. As it dropped to the floor she heard his sharp intake of breath.

  She swallowed, her imagination stirring.

  His mouth was so close to hers—those beautiful curving lips that had the power to unleash a blissful torment of heat and oblivion. For a moment she couldn’t speak. All she could think about was how badly she wanted to kiss him, and how badly she wanted him to kiss her back.

  And then her breath lurched in her throat as, lowering his hand, he began stroking her breast in a way that made her quiver inside.

  ‘I want you, Nola,’ he said softly.

  ‘For ever?’ She couldn’t help asking.

  His gaze held hers, then his hands dipped lower to caress her stomach and her thighs and the curve of her bottom.

  ‘For the rest of my life.’

  She pressed her hands against his chest, feeling his heart beneath her fingertips, and then she was pushing him backwards onto the bed, and he was pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling him.

  Fingers trembling, she undid the button of his jeans, tugging at the zipper, freeing him. His ragged breathing abruptly broke the silence as she ran her hand gently up the length of him and guided him inside her.

  He groaned, his body trembling. Leaning forward, she found his mouth and kissed him desperately. And then his hands were tightening on her thighs, and she was lifting her hips, heat swamping her as he shuddered inside her, pulling her damp, shaking body against his.

  But it wasn’t just desire that was rocking her body—it was shock. For mere sex, no matter how incredible, could not make you want to hold a person for ever.

  Only love could make you feel that way.

  It was like a dam breaking inside her, but even as she acknowledged the truth she knew it was not a truth she was ready to share with Ram. Or one he was ready to hear. But wrapped in his arms, with his heart beating in time with hers, it didn’t seem to matter. For right now this was enough.

  CHAPTER NINE

  THE NEXT MORNING Ram woke early, to a sky of the palest blue and yellow.

  Next to him Nola lay curled on her side, her arm draped across his chest. For a moment he lay listening to her soft, even breathing, his body and his brain struggling to adjust to this entirely new sensation of intimacy.

  Waking beside a woman was something he’d never done before. In the past, even the thought of it would have made his blood run cold.

  But being here with Nola felt good.

  Better than good, he thought, breathing in sharply as she shifted against him in her sleep.

  After last night there could be no doubt that they still wanted one another. They had made love slowly, taking their time, holding back and letting the pleasure build. And, unlike that first time in his office, there had been tenderness as well as passion.

  Forehead creasing, he stared out of the window. But last night had not just been about sex. Exploring the lush new curves of her body had eased an ache that was more than physical.

  He froze as Nola stirred beside him, curling closer, and suddenly the touch of her naked body was too great a test for his self-control. Gritting his teeth against the instant rush of need clamouring inside him, he gently lifted her arm and slid across the bed, making his way to the shower.

  Turning the temperature to cool, he winced as the water hit his body.

  For years he’d never so much as hinted at his parents’ unhappiness to anyone. Even imagining the pity in someone’s eyes had been enough to ensure his silence. But last night—and he still wasn’t quite sure why or how—he’d ended up telling Nola every sordid little detail about his life. Not just his mother’s miserable marriage of necessity, but Guy’s serial affairs too.

  The words had just tumbled out.

  Only Nola hadn’t pitied him. Instead she had helped him to face his past. More than that, she’d finally agreed to build a future with him.

  Tipping back his head, he closed his eyes, remembering how she’d asked him to marry her. His mouth curved. Of course she had—and wasn’t that as much of an attraction as her glorious body? The way she kept him guessing, and her stubborn determination to do things her way and at her pace.

  Switching off the water, he smoothed his dark hair back against the clean lines of his skull. It ought to drive him crazy, yet it only seemed to intensify his desire for her. And now that Nola had finally come round to his point of view he was determined that nothing would get in their way.

  Whatever it took, they were going to get married—and as soon as possible.

  * * *

  ‘I need to drop by the office later, so I was wondering if you’d like to go into town?’

  They had just finished breakfast and Ram was flicking through some paperwork.

  Looking over at him, Nola frowned. ‘Is there a problem?’

  He shook his head. ‘I just need to show my face—otherwise there might be a mutiny.’

  ‘I doubt that. Your staff love you.’

  He laughed. ‘Love might be pushing it a little. They respect me—’

  ‘Yes, and respect is a kind of love,’ she said slowly. ‘Like duty and faith. Love isn’t just all about passion and romance—it’s about commitment and consideration, and sacrifice too.’

  He leaned back in his chair. ‘Then I take it back. I must be very loved. So must you.’

  She felt her skin grow hot. Of course he wasn’t talking about their relationship but his staff, and probably her friendship with Anna. Aware, though, of his sudden focus, she grasped helplessly towards his earlier remark.

  ‘When are you thinking of going into the office, then?’

  ‘Whenever suits you.’

  ‘In that case, maybe I’ll stay here. It’s not as if I really need anything.’

  He was silent a moment, and then he said quietly, ‘Apart from a dress?’

  A dress?

  She stared at him. ‘Oh, yes, of course—for the party.’

  His gaze rested on her face. ‘Are you having second thoughts?’

  His tone was relaxed, but there was an intensity in his grey eyes that made her heart beat faster.

  ‘About the party?’

  ‘About agreeing to marry me?’

  Looking up, she shook her head. ‘No. Are you?’

  Gently he reached over and, smoothing her hair back from her face, he gave her one of those sweet, extraordinary smiles that could light up a room.

  ‘If I could walk outside and find a registrar and a couple of witnesses, you’d be making an honest man out of me right this second!’

  She burst out laughing. ‘I thought the bride was supposed to be the pushy one?’

  His face grew serious. ‘I don’t want to push you into anything, Nola. Not anymore. I just want you to give me a chance—to give us a chance.’

  Heart bumping into her ribs, she nodded. ‘I want that too.’ Taking a quick breath, she smiled at him. ‘So what happens next?’

  There was a fraction of a pause.

  ‘I suppose we make it official,’ he said casually. ‘How do you feel about announcing our engagement at the party?’

  Her pulse darted forward. Engagement?

  But of course logically their getting engaged was the next step.

  Only up until yesterday marrying Ram had been more of a hypothetical option than a solid, nuts and bolts reality. And now he wanted to announce their engagement in three days.

  Three days!

  Ram watched with narrowed eyes as Nola bit her lip. Taking her to the party was a statement of sorts, but announcing their engagement there would escalate and consolidate their relationship in the
most public way possible. Clearly Nola thought so too, for he could see the conflict in her eyes. Only instead of making him question his actions, her doubt and confusion only made him more determined than ever to make it happen.

  But he’d learnt his lesson, and he wasn’t about to make demands or start backing her into a corner.

  ‘It does make sense,’ she said finally.

  And it did—but that didn’t stop the feeling of dread rising up inside her. For how was everyone going to react to the news? Her heart gave a shiver. She might have finally come to terms with the idea of marrying Ram, but this was a reminder that their marriage was going to be conducted in public, with not only friends and family having an opinion but the media too.

  ‘What is it?’

  The unexpected gentleness of his voice caught her off guard, and quickly she looked away—for how could she explain her fears to him? Ram didn’t know what it felt like to be hurt and humiliated in public, to have his failures held up and examined.

  A lump filled her throat as she remembered the first time her father had let her down in front of other people. She’d been on a school trip, and he’d promised to collect her in his new car. She had been so convinced that he would pick her up, adamant that he wouldn’t forget her. In the end one of the mothers had taken pity on her and driven her home, but of course the next day at school everyone had known.

  She clenched her fists. And then there was what had happened with Connor. It had been bad enough splitting up with him. To do so under the microscope of her colleagues’ curiosity and judgement had been excruciating.

  Even thinking about it made her feel sick to her stomach.

  She took a breath. ‘It’s just...once we tell everyone it won’t be just the two of us anymore.’

  ‘Yes—but, like I said, if we go to the party together then they’ll know about us anyway.’ He frowned. ‘I’m confused—I thought you wanted to get married.’

  ‘I do. But what if our marriage doesn’t work?’ The words were spilling out of her—hot, panicky, unstoppable. ‘What happens then? Have you thought about that? Have you any idea what that will feel like—?’

  She broke off as Ram reached out and covered her hands with his.