Intimate Mergers
Page 20
He doesn’t look at me, but his hand finds mine, holds tight. I squeeze back.
His mother watches us. Her expression isn’t yielding… but it isn’t as hard as it was. She says nothing for so long my pulse starts to sputter.
She’s going to say no, that she’ll never accept me. I don’t know what we’ll do then.
Finally she says to me, “Lucy hasn’t stopped talking about you. Apparently if I do not agree to this marriage, both my children will renounce me.”
I frown. She’s not angry. Or harsh. It almost sounds like… a joke? Or something like it.
Paul is shaking his head. “Lucy’s flair for the dramatic is rubbing off on you.”
His mother sniffs dismissively. “No one could be as dramatic as she is. There isn’t enough drama left in the world for that.” Her gaze lands on me. “Both my children love you. And since I love my children…”
She doesn’t finish that, not that I’m expecting her to. She’s accepted me even if she can’t exactly say that. Paul and I did lie, a big, long lie. We’ll have to work to earn her forgiveness.
I respect her more for that.
“I love your children too.” I glance at Paul. “One perhaps more than the other though.”
A smile flickers at the corner of her mouth. “Has Paul shown you our island yet? There are many beautiful places here.”
I let myself exhale completely. I’ve been invited in. “Not yet. We only just arrived.”
The servants come in to tell us lunch is served. Paul rises, offering one arm to me and one to his mother. And we walk into the dining room together, his mother and me joined by Paul.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Wedding of the Century sounds great and amazing and exactly the kind of party you want to go to… until the Wedding of the Century turns out to be your own wedding.
“I’m sorry. You expect me to do what?” My tone is respectful, but I want the wedding planner to understand that I’m not happy about that suggestion.
“Walk the mile to the church with your wedding party.” The planner smiles as if I should be over the moon. “The press will be able to get so many pictures. And Grace will come in a carriage—”
“No.” I lift my hands, ready to escape this interminable meeting. “I’m not parading myself right before my wedding.”
“But the pictures…”
Next to me, Grace is hiding her smile behind her hand. “What Paul means, I think,” she begins in a conciliatory tone, “is that it isn’t quite our style. And yes, we know the latest British princess had it in her wedding, but we’re looking for something more… traditional. Less exposed.”
The wedding planner sighs. “Your mother wanted me to consider the PR aspects along with everything else.”
Of course she did. She might have retired, but promoting the family interests remains my mother’s main priority.
I just want to get married. To preserve the illusion of propriety, Grace is living in an apartment of her own here in Taipei, and I’m not supposed to be sleeping over. It’s driving me crazy, along with the massive wedding plans I have to comment on. Colors, foods, even down to the individual flowers, require my rapt attention and approval it seems.
“You definitely have that aspect covered,” Grace says. She glances at me. “Perhaps we can cover the rest later? Paul and I have another appointment.”
We don’t, but I keep my mouth shut as the planner leaves, letting Grace save me from any more of this.
Grace turns to me once she’s gone. “You’re the prince. The people want to see you.”
I roll my eyes. Since the moment our engagement was announced—and we gave an exclusive interview detailing a highly polished and sanitized version of our love story—the press can’t get enough of Grace. I’m yesterday’s news as far as they’re concerned.
“They’ll get plenty of pictures,” I say. “They don’t need me parading down the street.”
She sighs, but it’s fake. “I was kind of excited by the carriage.”
“You weren’t.” She’s been handling the press attention pretty well, but I know it wears on her. Once we’re married, it will settle down. Or else I’ll have to call a bunch of tabloid editors into my office and explain things to them. “But I do have something that will excite you.”
Sparks flare in her gaze, and I wish we were somewhere more private than a meeting room in the Tsai Holdings building. Anyone walking by the windows will see us.
“Are you sure I can’t sneak into your bedroom tonight?” I mutter into her ear. “I’m dying.”
She releases a regretful breath. “Me too. But your mother insisted. And think how amazing the wedding night will be.”
“A week is too long.” I check that no one’s watching, then lean over and kiss her neck, making my way to her collarbone. Lord, but she smells so damn good.
“I know.” She tilts her head back, gives me better access. “Wait. You said you had something for me and it wasn’t this.”
Reluctantly I raise my head because she’s right, and I can’t be caught making out with her in my own building. “Here.” I find a file folder in a pile at my elbow, then pass it to her. “This is your wedding present.”
She takes it with a frown. “I didn’t buy you anything.”
“You’re my wedding present.”
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling too. And then her mouth opens as she reads through the contracts. “Is this…?” She looks up, disbelief in her eyes. “This can’t be.”
“It’s real. It turns out you can buy an entire wrestling league if you want.” I shift in my chair because it’s not the usual wedding present—Lucy was appalled I wasn’t buying diamonds—but this is so perfectly Grace I had to. “And it’s all yours.”
She hugs the folder to her chest. “I own a wrestling league. Me.”
“You’re going to make pro wrestling the biggest sport in China.”
She laughs, then bites her lip. “Oh, what will your family think?”
I shrug. “They don’t have to know. It’s under the name of a holding company. And some things can be just for us.”
She kisses me, deep enough to make me wish again we were somewhere else, or she was living with me, or we were married already. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Oh, we’re going tonight,” I say. “There’s a match starting in about two hours. And the jet is waiting.”
“It’s the most perfect present ever.” The love and gratitude and happiness in her eyes makes me swallow hard.
“I’m glad you like it.” I’m trying to catch my breath, but it’s difficult when she’s looking at me like that.
“I love it. And I love you.” She smiles impishly. “Now let’s go have some fun. Just for us.”
Thank you for reading—I hope you loved Paul and Grace’s story! If you want to share the love, you can leave a review here.
Want more Bastards? Sign up for The Cosmopolitan Club, Raleigh’s Mailing List! You’ll get exclusive content and be the first to know everything.
Ready for your next Bastard? Elliot’s story is next in Hostile Attractions! Grab it here or read on for a juicy snippet.
A Note On Elliot’s Book
The description for Elliot’s book contains major spoilers for the rest of the series, so it won’t be up on the bookstore websites until the day of release.
But… newsletter subscribers will get to see it before release. And they’ll know exactly what all the fuss is about. Lucky them!
You can preorder Hostile Attractions here.
Want to join The Cosmopolitan Club, Raleigh’s newsletter, and get the dirt first? It’s easy—just click here.
More Bastard Capital Stories
Enter the world of Bastard Capital: Unrivaled men. Unimaginable wealth. Unlimited power.
* * *
Books in the Bastard Capital Series
* * *
Secret Acquisitions (Book One, Mark’s story)
* * *
<
br /> Unfinished Seductions (Book Two, Logan’s story)
* * *
Competitive Instincts (Book Three, Finn’s story)
* * *
Intimate Mergers (Book Four, Paul’s story)
* * *
Hostile Attractions (Book Five, Elliot’s story)
* * *
Private Disclosures (Book Six, Dev’s story)
About the Author
Raleigh fell in love with billionaire romance as a teenager thanks to Harlequin Presents. She fell in love with San Francisco in her twenties thanks to how charming the city was. And she fell for a coding genius thanks to how charming he was.
Naturally, she had to put all of the things she loved into her romances.
You can find her online at www.raleighdavis.com.