‘Not to me, it isn’t.’ She bit her lip. ‘Last night you said you wanted our relationship to continue, but you had no intention of marrying me, did you?’ she said shrewdly.
‘That was different. Last night I did not know that you are carrying my heir,’ he replied bluntly.
‘Your heir!’ She quickly looked down at her fingers, which she had unknowingly been twisting together, determined not to let him see how much his comment hurt. Of course the only reason he was considering marrying her was for the sake of his child. ‘I’m expecting your baby, Drago—a tiny new human being that in a few months’ time will take his or her first breath of life. It’s rather too early to be planning the baby’s role as CEO of Cassa de Cassari.’
Jess’s description of the new life developing inside her touched a chord deep inside Drago and brought home to him as nothing else had the astounding, amazing reality that in a few months from now she would give birth to his child. Her pregnancy was unplanned and totally unexpected. She had seemed so certain she could not have conceived the first time they had slept together. But now, with irrefutable proof that she had not been protected, he was trying to come to terms with how he felt.
Immediately after his telephone conversation with the doctor he had been stunned—and, if he was honest, dismayed. His life was already busy enough, without the additional responsibilities that having a child would bring. But, like it or not, Jess’s pregnancy was a reality he needed to deal with. She was carrying the Cassari heir and he had a duty towards her and the child. His decision to marry her was not only driven by a sense of duty, Drago acknowledged. Now that his shock was fading he felt excited, somewhat overwhelmed, but ultimately delighted by the prospect that he was going to be a father.
The doctor had confirmed that the baby was due in January. As long as all went well with Jess’s pregnancy, Drago reminded himself. His euphoria faded as memories of Vittoria’s pregnancy returned to haunt him. He would always feel guilty that he had not paid her enough attention or taken proper care of her. He would not make the same mistake again, he vowed. Jess would receive the best medical care.
Her talk of working during her pregnancy sent a shaft of fear through him. She was so hot-headed and independent. He could not risk her deciding to go back to England to run her decorating company. The only practical solution, whereby he could keep a close eye on her during her pregnancy and be a full-time father to his child once it was born, was to persuade her to marry him.
‘I’m not thinking of the baby’s possible future role within the company. After what happened with Angelo I will not put the pressure of expectation on my child,’ he said ruefully. ‘But this baby will be a member of the Cassari family, and he or she has a right to grow up here at the palazzo. It is also our child’s right to be loved and cared for by both its parents. Surely, after growing up in a children’s home, you must agree that the best thing we can do for our child is to provide a stable family unit?’
Shaken by the fervour in his voice, Jess felt a lump form in her throat. All her life she had longed to be part of a family, and of course she wanted that security for her baby. But it had not crossed her mind that Drago would want his child, let alone that he would suggest they should marry. She knew he was not talking about the sort of marriage that featured in romantic films and fairy tales. He had not mentioned love. Was it foolish to want to be loved? she thought painfully. Was it selfish to wish that she mattered to someone?
‘We can give the baby security without getting married,’ she said quietly. ‘We could lead separate lives but still share parenting responsibilities.’
‘You mean we could go to court and argue over access rights and which of us the child will spend Christmases and birthdays with?’ Drago’s voice deepened. ‘Is that the best we can offer the little person we have created, who shares your blood and mine, cara?’
Jess bit her lip. She wondered if Drago had deliberately played on her ragged emotions with his evocative words. He did not know that she had once made the hardest decision a mother could make so that her child would have the best possible life. Now she was being asked to make another difficult decision—this time to marry a man who did not love her for the sake of the child she carried.
The strident ring of his phone shattered the tense silence that had fallen between them. Muttering a curse, Drago glanced at the caller display and frowned. ‘It’s Dorotea. I’d better speak to her.’
After a brief conversation in Italian he ended the call and glanced at Jess. ‘Angelo is to undergo more surgery on his leg this morning. My aunt wants me to go to the hospital, but I told her I have something important to deal with here.’
‘I think you should go,’ Jess said quickly. ‘Your family need you. Dorotea must be so worried.’
‘I’m not leaving you while we have issues to resolve,’ Drago told her fiercely. ‘You, and the child you are carrying, are the most important things right now. I have asked you to marry me and I need your answer, Jess.’
The huskiness in his voice tugged on Jess’s emotions, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Part of her wanted to accept Drago’s proposal. He had sounded as though he meant it when he’d said she was important to him, but she reminded herself that it was the baby he cared about—not her. The idea of giving up her life in London, her independence, and agreeing to marry a man who did not love her was not a decision she could make lightly, and the fact that she was in love with Drago made that decision even harder.
She lifted her eyes to his handsome face and knew she needed to be alone while she considered her options. ‘I want some time on my own to think,’ she said quietly. ‘Marriage is an enormous step, and I need to be sure in my mind that it is the right thing to do.’
Something in her voice made Drago control his frustration. It was true that marriage was a big step, he acknowledged. Yet strangely he did not find the prospect of giving up his playboy lifestyle and committing himself to a long-term relationship with Jess unwelcome. She was the mother of his child, and for that reason the decision to marry her was an easy one to make.
He wanted to stay with her and try to allay her doubts, but she had asked to be alone and he had to respect her request. ‘You’re right. I should go to the hospital and try to keep Aunt Dorotea calm,’ he said abruptly. ‘God knows, she has suffered enough stress lately.’ He walked over to the bed and stared down at Jess. ‘We’ll continue this conversation later.’ He leaned over her and captured her mouth in a brief, hard kiss. ‘But I warn you, cara, I will do everything I possibly can to persuade you to be my wife.’
Hours later Jess could still feel the imprint of Drago’s lips on hers. He would not have to try very hard to persuade her to marry him, she acknowledged ruefully. One kiss turned her to putty in his hands—which was why she was glad she had insisted on him giving her time to think about his proposal.
The palazzo’s gardens were an oasis of green tranquillity in the heart of Venice. Usually she loved to sit beside the ornamental pool and watch the goldfish dart beneath the water lilies, but as the afternoon slipped towards evening her thoughts were still confused and she found no sense of peace in her beautiful surroundings. She knew that for the baby’s sake the sensible option would be to accept a marriage of convenience with her child’s father, but her heart ached at the prospect of being Drago’s unwanted wife. Would it be possible to sustain a relationship built solely on passion? Jess feared not. And when Drago’s desire for her faded would he seek his pleasure elsewhere? Oh, she was sure he would be discreet, but the idea of him having affairs with other women was unbearable.
‘Francesco tells me you have been out here for most of the day. I hope you kept out of the sun?’
Jess whipped her head round at the sound of Drago’s voice, and her heart lurched as she watched him striding across the garden towards her. What chance did her heart stand when he was so impossibly gorgeous? she thought wryly. As he sat down on the bench beside her she tore her eyes from him and pretended
to study the fish in the pool.
‘How is Angelo?’
‘The surgery went well, and now that the plaster cast has been removed from his leg the consultant is hopeful that he can be discharged from hospital in a week or so.’
‘Good…that’s great news. I’m sure he’s pleased.’ She didn’t know what to say to him, and sticking to the topic of his cousin’s recovery seemed a safe option.
‘Jess…’ Drago could not hide the faint impatience in his voice. ‘Much as I care about my cousin, my only interest right now is whether you have reached a decision.’ He slid his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face so that he could look into her troubled green eyes. ‘I can see you still have doubts. Talk to me, cara, and tell me what is holding you back.’
‘I don’t belong in your world,’ she muttered, voicing one of her biggest worries. ‘Aren’t you concerned that I won’t be a suitable wife for you? I proved at the party last night that I am a hopeless hostess.’ She flushed as she remembered her awkward attempts to talk to the guests and her clumsiness at the dinner table.
Drago frowned. ‘That’s not true. Many people remarked on how charming you were, and how much they enjoyed chatting with you.’
Jess wasn’t convinced. ‘You can’t get away from the fact that I am the daughter of a drunk, not a member of the Italian aristocracy. Theresa Petronelli told me you were once engaged to a woman called Vittoria whose father is a count. I know she is very beautiful and sophisticated because she featured on the front cover of that magazine that you saw when we were in St Mark’s Square.’
He shrugged, but beneath his casual air Jess sensed sudden tension. ‘It’s no secret that at one time Vittoria and I planned to marry. But it didn’t happen. She ended our engagement and now she is happily married to another man. I’ll be honest and admit that until I received the phone call from Dr Marellis this morning I had no great desire to marry,’ he said bluntly. ‘But knowing that you are expecting my baby has changed everything. I don’t want my child to be born illegitimate. I know it is not considered important these days, but to me it matters a great deal that my child will bear my name.’
He grimaced when he saw the doubtful expression in Jess’s eyes. ‘I know you don’t have happy memories of your father, but I swear to you that I will not be like him.’ He took her cold hands in his strong, warm ones. ‘I will love our child with all my heart,’ he promised, ‘and I will be the best father I can possibly be.’ He would not fail at this second chance to be a father, Drago vowed silently. He would not fail this child.
Jess stared at their linked hands through eyes blurred with tears. Perhaps pregnancy was making her feel emotional. She hadn’t cried since…She drew a swift breath as she was bombarded with memories that still had the power to make her weep.
Seven years ago, after Seb had made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the child she had conceived by him, she hadn’t known what to do. She had felt alone and scared. But now, with Drago, she did not have to fear the future. He had promised to take care of her and the baby, and as the full implications of his offer to marry her sank in she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. There was no need for her to worry about how she would manage to bring up a child on her own, and no need for her to make a terrible choice like the one she had made seven years ago.
‘I suppose you will want me to sign a prenuptial agreement?’ she muttered. ‘It makes sense for you to protect your assets should we decide to…to divorce.’
She caught her bottom lip with her teeth as he slid his hand beneath her chin and gently forced her to meet his steady gaze.
‘I’m not planning for us to divorce. I am prepared to make a lifelong commitment to you as well as to our child.’ Drago stood up and drew her to her feet, his midnight-dark eyes focused intently on her face. ‘What is your answer, Jess?’
All that mattered was the baby, she reminded herself fiercely. So she would have a husband who did not love her? Well, there were many worse things in life. Drago’s avowal that he viewed marriage to her as a lifelong commitment gave her some measure of reassurance, but even so her heart was hammering hard against her ribs and she found it difficult to breathe as she said unsteadily, ‘All right…I’ll marry you.’
CHAPTER TEN
‘AT THE END of this month! Why do you want us to get married so quickly?’
Her expression tense, Jess twisted the enormous diamond solitaire ring on her finger. For the past week she had tried to ignore the reservations she still had about accepting Drago’s proposal, but when he had slid the engagement ring onto her finger a few moments ago she had been gripped by panic. She had always known he was powerful and commanding, but the speed with which he was organising everything and taking over her life was frightening. Her common sense told her she was doing the right thing for the baby, but Drago’s determination to rush ahead with the wedding, and the way he bulldozed any objections she voiced, made her feel trapped.
He shrugged. ‘What reason is there to wait? You are expecting my baby and I want to make you my wife as soon as possible.’
‘But what if…?’ Jess’s voice faltered. ‘I’m very early in my pregnancy. What if something goes wrong and there is no baby? We will have married for no reason.’
Drago’s expression was hidden beneath his heavy lids. ‘Nothing will go wrong,’ he stated with fierce conviction, as if he dared fate to argue with him. ‘The doctor said after he examined you this morning that you are fit and healthy—although you need to put on a bit of weight. From now on I am going to make sure you eat properly,’ he added in a warning tone. ‘You also need to get plenty of rest—especially in the early months while the baby is developing. I don’t want you to do too much, or feel stressed. That’s why it is best for us to have the wedding soon. And you won’t have to worry about the arrangements. I’ll take care of everything.’
Drago was certainly taking his duties as a prospective father seriously, Jess thought with a sigh. It was rather nice to receive so much attention from him after a lifetime of fending for herself, but she knew his only concern was for the baby—which meant that while she was pregnant he was concerned for her well-being too. Of course she was glad that he was going to be a devoted father. After her own miserable experiences, growing up with her alcoholic father and then in the children’s home, she was relieved that her baby would have a very different childhood from the one she’d had. But it would be nice if Drago cared for her a little, rather than regarding her as an incubator, she thought wistfully.
From the sound of it she was not going to have much say regarding what sort of wedding she would like. She could imagine his reaction if she told him she had always dreamed of getting married on a white sandy beach, barefoot, with flowers in her hair. The huge, blindingly brilliant diamond engagement ring was an indication that the wedding would have no expense spared, and she assumed that the guest list would be made up of his sophisticated friends.
‘Are you ready to go down to dinner? You’re not feeling sick again, are you?’ Drago frowned when he saw how pale Jess was. ‘I thought morning sickness was called that for a reason,’ he said drily.
‘It can happen at any time of the day. I used to—’ She stopped abruptly.
‘Used to what?’ he demanded, puzzled by her sudden, palpable tension.
‘I…I used to have a friend who was sick at all times of the day when she was pregnant.’ Jess could feel herself blushing. She was not a natural liar, and she could tell from the speculative look Drago gave her that he was not convinced by her explanation. To her relief he did not pursue the matter.
‘I can arrange for your dinner to be served up here, if you would prefer it?’
‘No, I feel fine. Besides, I want to see Angelo on his first evening home from the hospital. He’s going to be surprised when he hears about us.’
‘My cousin is delighted—as are my mother and aunt.’
‘You mean you’ve told them already?’
Ever since she ha
d agreed to marry Drago, Jess had suffered badly from pregnancy sickness and had not left his wing of the palazzo or seen Luisa and Dorotea. She had assumed that he would wait until she was with him to announce their engagement, but clearly that had not been the case. He was like a steamroller, driving forcefully towards his goal—which in this case was marriage to the mother of his child, Jess thought dismally. Once again she felt a sense of panic that she was trapped and powerless against his formidable strength of will.
‘Of course I informed my family of our intention to marry,’ he said coolly. ‘They are all delighted about the baby.’ He hesitated, and to Jess’s surprise streaks of colour flared along his sharp cheekbones. ‘My family are under the impression that our marriage is a love-match.’ The expression in his dark eyes was faintly challenging. ‘I don’t want them to be disappointed.’
Jess could not hide her confusion. ‘I don’t understand. Are you saying that they think we are…’ she stumbled over the words ‘…in love? Why don’t you tell them that we’re marrying for the baby’s sake?’
‘It is precisely for the baby’s sake that I haven’t explained the nature of our relationship.’ When Jess frowned, Drago continued coolly. ‘Babies do not stay babies for very long. They grow up fast. And children are very perceptive. Do you want our child to have the pressure of knowing that we married purely for their sake? If it is believed by everyone that we married for love then there will be no risk of our child feeling that we sacrificed our happiness for him or her.’
Jess bit her lip. Did Drago feel that by marrying her he was sacrificing his happiness? If so, how on earth were they going to give a convincing performance that they were in love? she wondered.
He drew back the cuff of his dinner jacket and glanced at the gold Rolex on his wrist. ‘We should go down for dinner. Before we go, I want to say how beautiful you look, mia bella,’ he murmured, his eyes darkening as he studied her. The emerald silk strapless dress revealed her slim white shoulders, she had piled her hair into a loose knot on top of her head and, unbeknown to Jess, she looked so exquisitely lovely that desire corkscrewed through Drago.
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