One Week with the French Tycoon

by Christy McKellen

  She and Julien had loved every second of it.

  Walking into the kitchen, she gave the food in the oven one last check to make sure it would be ready to serve as soon as Julien walked through the door. She’d been planning this special meal since this morning, wanting to mark the occasion with style.

  Even though Julien had insisted on her teaching him how to cook so they could share the task and give her a break from it when she’d been on her feet all day, she still loved to make food for him, just to see the look of delight on his face when she presented him with one of his favourite meals. He was the perfect recipient, making sure to let her know just how much he appreciated her efforts, showering her with affection and love afterwards.

  She couldn’t have asked for more.

  Except for one thing.

  She twisted the much treasured wedding and engagement rings round and round on her finger as she waited impatiently for Julien to get back from work and walk through the door.

  Since the wedding they’d tried and failed to conceive, each month bringing with it a sense of crushed excitement as the possibility of extending their family failed to come to fruition.

  They’d stayed upbeat about it, but she could tell just how much Julien longed for it to happen. She knew exactly how he felt because she wanted it just as fiercely.

  Her heart bumped hard against her chest as she finally heard the sound of Julien’s key in the front door, and she rushed to meet him, her blood racing with excitement to finally have him home.

  He’d barely made it through the door when she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly to her.

  ‘Whoa!’ he said, nearly losing his balance, only managing to keep them both upright by grabbing hold of the doorjamb. ‘That’s quite a welcome. What’s this about?’

  Pulling away from him, and without saying a word, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and brought out the little bit of magic she’d been checking and rechecking over and over again all day with a ceremonial flourish.

  ‘Ta-da!’

  He stared at it, perplexed, until the penny finally dropped. ‘What does it say?’ he asked, his voice shaking with anticipation.

  She held it closer so he could read the words on the little screen.

  ‘You’re pregnant?’ he said, his voice lifting with excitement.

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘How long have you known?’

  ‘I did the test this morning.’ She could barely talk for excitement.

  ‘Why didn’t you call me?’ he said, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her up so he could swing her round and round.

  ‘I knew you needed to be able to concentrate on the meeting with your investors today,’ she said, laughing with elation at his reaction. ‘I was worried you might go to pieces and they’d think you were a bit loopy and refuse to give you the money.’

  He laughed and put her down, holding on to her until he was sure she had her balance, then flapping his hand in that Gallic way she loved so much. ‘Go to pieces! Me! Never!’ But there was a glint of tears in his eyes now.

  Sliding her hands up to cup his jaw, she gently pulled him towards her so she could kiss his eyes, his nose, his mouth.

  ‘You’re a big softie really,’ she murmured, kissing away a lone tear that had escaped from his eye.

  ‘I’m just happy. I’ve wanted this so much.’

  ‘Me too.’

  He stroked her cheek, looking deep into her eyes.

  ‘I’m so glad my child will have a mother like you.’ He kissed her, his touch firm and possessive. ‘Someone who is dedicated to bringing happiness to everyone she meets.’ He kissed her again, the urgency of it reminding her how loved she was, how wanted. ‘Someone who is full of love for others, no matter their situation.’ This time the kiss went on and on until she was breathless with joy.

  She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have him.

  With each other’s support and love they’d finally been able to close the book on the regrets of their pasts.

  And now an exciting new chapter of their lives was about to begin.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from RAFAEL’S CONTRACT BRIDE by Nina Milne.

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  Rafael’s Contract Bride

  by Nina Milne

  CHAPTER ONE

  CORA BROOKES LEANT down to ruffle the Border Collie’s head, and flopped down on the park bench. She adored Flash, just as she adored all the dogs she walked, but piled onto her day job, and on top of the extra accounts work, it meant exhaustion stretched her every muscle—physical and mental.

  Still, she should look on the bright side—she had landed an excellent day job—an administrative position at Caversham Castle Hotel, part of Caversham Worldwide Holidays, and Ethan and Ruby Caversham were generous employers. So with her salary and all the extras one day she would be able to pay off the enormous debt that burdened her soul.

  Determination banded her chest—she knew that repaying her parents wouldn’t buy their love, or even their affection, but it would make Cora feel a whole lot better about how badly she had let her family down.

  Don’t go there, Cora.

  Flash’s sharp bark was a welcome relief from her thoughts and she squinted through the light spring mizzle at the tall, lean figure headed purposefully towards her.

  Relief made a rapid exit as her forehead scrunched into disbelief. That couldn’t possibly be Rafael Martinez. What would a billionaire Spanish-vineyard-owning playboy be doing in a park in the depths of Cornwall on a drizzly Saturday evening?

  For a stupid second her heart skipped the smallest of beats. Hardly surprising—Rafael Martinez no doubt had that effect on the entire female population. Though in her case it wasn’t attraction that caused the skitter effect—it was nerves. Logic told her that he wouldn’t remember her—he’d shown no glimmer of recognition in the handful of times he’d seen her at the Cavershams’. Hadn’t once indicated that he recognised Cora Brookes, Administrative Manager, as being Lady Cora Derwent, daughter of one of aristocracy’s premier families.

  And why should he? Cora had never been in the public eye. She had left t
hat to her charismatic siblings, with their good looks and charm. She had kept her carroty-red hair, non-descript features and gaucheness out of the spotlight. Her only claim to distinction was the turquoise-blue of her eyes, and that hardly made her memorable. Plus, she and Rafael hadn’t even been introduced at that one party years ago.

  And yet she hunched down on the bench, busied herself with Flash, and prayed he would walk on by.

  No such luck. Out of the corner of her eye she espied a pair of denim-clad muscular legs.

  ‘Cora.’

  The deep voice that always seemed laced with a tinge of amusement sent a shiver over her skin. Bracing herself, she straightened and looked up. Midnight-black hair. An aquiline face with eyes dark with a depth you could drown in. The jut of his nose spoke of determination and his jaw said the same thing. His lips charmed and allured, but his aura was one of danger.

  This was a man who knew what he wanted and would take it. Not by force, but that only made him all the more dangerous—because what came with beauty was charm and arrogance. Her family demonstrated that in spades—and in clubs, diamond and hearts—the belief that they could succeed at anything because it was their God-given right.

  ‘Rafael.’

  ‘Evelyn told me I would find you here.’

  Mentally Cora cursed Ethan’s PA, but she could hardly blame her. Rafael Martinez was Ethan Caversham’s business partner and friend, after all, plus Cora had little doubt that Rafael had charmed the information out of her. The question was why? Even if there was some admin work to be done on the Caversham-Martinez Venture surely it could wait until office hours.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ she asked. ‘I assume you know Ethan isn’t here?’

  ‘I do. I understand he has whisked Ruby off to Paris.’

  His deep tone was neutral, but the lines of baffled disdain on his face stoked her irritation further.

  ‘It’s very romantic.’

  A shrug denoted indifference and caused her eyes to glance off the breadth of his shoulders.

  ‘I’ll bow to your greater knowledge. I thought it a bit of a cliché myself. But I’d be the first to admit romance isn’t my forte.’

  No, but dalliance is. Cora bit back the words, though she couldn’t eradicate her frown—there was nothing clichéd about Ethan and Ruby’s palpable joy in each other.

  ‘Paris is the romantic capital of the world and I’m sure they’re having a fantastic time.’

  Heaven knew why she had turned into a romance cheerleader—her experience on that particular playing field was nil.

  ‘Anyway, romance is not what I came here to discuss.’

  Of course it wasn’t. The idea of a romance between them was laughable.

  ‘So what did you come here to discuss?’

  Irritation fluttered inside her; she was not on the Caversham clock right now. Annoyance escalated as she caught herself in the act of smoothing her hands down her jeans, aware of a desire to smooth down her frizzed-by-drizzle hair.

  ‘How can I help? I assume it must be urgent to bring you here in person?’

  Wariness made her neck prickle. This didn’t make any sort of sense.

  His lips twisted in a sudden wry moue as he lowered himself to the bench next to her. ‘You could say that.’

  To Cora’s surprise Flash sat up and put his chin on Rafael’s knee.

  ‘Flash—down.’

  ‘It’s fine.’ Rafael patted the black and white dog; his strong fingers kneaded the exact spot the dog liked best. ‘Is he yours?’

  ‘No.’

  The thought of her own beloved dogs rekindled the tug of missing them. But she’d had no choice but to leave Poppy and Prue behind on the Derwent estate—it wouldn’t have been fair to bring them with her.

  ‘I’m a dog-walker in my spare time. Flash is a rescue dog and he needs a lot of attention. His owner is working long hours on a freelance assignment so I’m walking him. He doesn’t usually like strangers.’ Her tone was snippy but she couldn’t help herself.

  ‘Dogs like me.’

  Of course they did. In a moment of silence, as Rafael focused his attention on the dog, Cora realised that she appeared to be mesmerised by the movements of his fingers. The small growls of pleasure Flash emitted pulled her attention away and she shifted apart from Rafael, suddenly all too aware of him—the strength of his body, the way he filled the space with an aura of...of...something she had no wish to analyse too closely.

  ‘So, as I said, how can I help?’

  ‘Ethan mentioned he is about to send you on secondment to another Caversham enterprise.’

  Cora nodded. ‘He and Ruby want to focus on Caversham Castle, so he thought I would be better deployed elsewhere.’

  ‘How about the Caversham-Martinez venture? Working directly for me?’

  ‘You?’ Her jaw dropped kneewards.

  ‘You sound surprised.’

  ‘I am. Or rather I’m confused.’ She was an excellent administrator—it might not be the job of her heart and dreams, but she was darn good at it—but... ‘Why not just email me and set up an interview? Turning up in person seems extreme.’

  ‘I think it’s eminently sensible. I like the element of surprise and this way what I see is what I get.’

  His dark eyes rested on her face and Cora resisted the urge to squirm in her seat. The prolonged scrutiny made her uncomfortable—too aware that compared to his usual eye candy she wasn’t anywhere near to measuring up. Especially kitted out in mud-spattered jeans, hiking boots and an oversized hoodie, with her red hair scraped back into a frizzy ponytail. But she forced herself to maintain eye contact, to keep her back straight and her gaze cooler than iced water.

  ‘Or don’t get,’ she pointed out.

  ‘So you wouldn’t be interested in working for me?’

  Cora tried to think, swallowed the instinctive no that had leapt to her vocal cords. Surely by now she had learned not to blurt out the first thing that came into her mind? How many times had her mother sighed and wrinkled her face in lines of distaste at her younger daughter’s lack of social grace?

  The constant refrain of her childhood had been, ‘Why can’t you be more like your sister?’ Why, indeed? Cora had always wondered. What cruel fate had decreed that her twin should be so beautiful, vibrant and perfect and that she, Cora, should be so different? So average, so invisible—Kaitlin’s pale shadow.

  As if in reminder, she tugged at a strand of her hair and looked at it. Carroty-red whereas Kaitlin’s hair was a beautiful red-gold that caught the light with magical hues. If Kaitlin were here she’d lean forward, enthral Rafael Martinez with her smile, her throaty voice and a hint of cleavage. She’d lead him on to tell her more, and then decline in a way that somehow robbed her refusal of all sting.

  Well, Kaitlin wasn’t here, and Cora didn’t want to work for Rafael. Every instinct told her that Rafael Martinez was every bit as lethal as her very own family. Well, she couldn’t choose her family—but she could choose who to work for.

  ‘I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that is the right move for me.’

  ‘Why not? I haven’t even told you about the role I have in mind for you.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter. Really, I don’t want to waste your valuable time.’

  Please don’t let her have put a sarcastic inflexion on ‘valuable’.

  ‘It’s my valuable time to waste.’

  His eyebrows rose, though his black eyes held more amusement than chagrin. And then he smiled—a smile that had no doubt brought more women than she could count to their knees. Heaven help her, she could see why—but she knew the exact value of such smiles. What she did wonder was why Rafael Martinez was wasting one on her.

  A flicker of curiosity ignited—one that she suppressed. No doubt Rafael expected he
r to roll over and beg to work for him. Tough.

  ‘I appreciate that, but it would also be a waste of my valuable time.’ A smile of saccharine-sweetness sugared her tone as she rose to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not interested.’

  The man simply sat there, made no move to stand. ‘Trust me, Cora. What I have in mind you will want to hear.’

  The easy assurance in his voice flicked her on the raw.

  ‘Hear me out. I accept that your time is valuable—I’ll pay you well for it.’

  Cora stared at him—heard the steel under the silk of his voice, saw the sculpted line of his jaw harden. Curiosity surged, despite all resolution, instinct and common sense. This was important to Rafael Martinez, but for the life of her she didn’t know why. Administrative staff were ten a penny. Yet Rafael Martinez was willing to pay for her time...

  Her brain emitted a reminder flare of her need for cash. ‘No strings. I hear you out and then if I don’t want the job I say no.’

  ‘Deal.’

  That worked for her—in truth there would be satisfaction in saying no. In pulling down his arrogance a notch or two.

  ‘Fine. Five hundred for an hour of my time.’ It was outrageous, but Cora didn’t care—she would almost be relieved if he got up and walked away. Almost.

  ‘I’ll give you five thousand for a day.’

  ‘A day?’ Once again drop-jaw-itis had arrived.

  ‘Yup. I’ll pick you up from Cavershams at nine tomorrow morning.’ In one lithe movement he rose to his feet—clearly her consent was a token he didn’t need. ‘See you then.’

  Part of her itched to tell him to forget it, but common sense yelled at her that five thousand pounds was a windfall she couldn’t afford to refuse. Suspicion whispered that he had orchestrated this entire encounter. And then there was a part of her that she didn’t want to acknowledge—the one that fizzed with a stupid sense of anticipation.