She paled, her eyes dark and haunted.
He ground his teeth. “What’s wrong?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I…I feel like you’re taking over my life. Like I’ve lost all control.”
His fists clenched instinctively, and he had to force himself to relax. “I understood there was some sense of urgency to the situation…that we needed to back up your lie quickly.”
“There is…and we do…but…”
“But what? Do you disagree with any of the arrangements I’ve made thus far?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then I don’t understand the problem.”
She jumped to her feet and paced. With her back to him, he could see the way the soft, worn jeans cupped her butt. It was a very nice butt. With an effort, he dragged his attention back to the current crisis.
She whirled to face him. “I’m used to taking care of myself.” The words were almost a shout.
Something inside him went still…crouched like a tiger in waiting. He feigned a disinterest he didn’t feel. “We don’t have to get married at all, Hattie. My team of lawyers loves going for the kill. Custody situations aren’t their usual fare, but with Eddie in self-destruct mode, it shouldn’t be too hard to convince a judge that you’re the obvious choice to raise Deedee.” He paused, risking everything on a gamble, a single toss of the dice. “Is that what you want?”
Hattie pressed two fingers to the center of the forehead, clearly in pain. Her entire body language projected misery. “I want my sister back,” she said…and as he watched, tears spilled down her wan cheeks.
He tried to leave her alone, he really did. But her heartbreak twisted something inside his chest. She didn’t protest when he took her in his arms, when he pulled the elastic band from her ponytail and stroked her hair, careful not to further hurt her injury.
She felt fragile in his embrace, but he knew better. Her backbone was steel, her moral compass a straight arrow.
The quiet sobs didn’t last long. He felt and sensed the moment she pulled herself together. She stiffened in his embrace. Though it went against his every inclination, he released her and returned to his seat on the sofa. He took a swig of sparkling water and waited her out.
She studied a painting on the wall. It was a Vermeer he’d picked up at an auction in New York last year. The obscure work immortalized a young woman in her tiny boudoir as she bent at the waist to fasten her small shoe. The play of light on the girl’s graceful frame fascinated Luc. He’d bought it on a whim, but it had quickly become one of his favorite pieces. Impulse drove him at times—witness the way he’d agreed so quickly to this sham marriage.
But in the end, his impulses usually served him well.
He grew impatient. “I asked you a question, Hattie. Do you want this marriage? Tell me.”
She turned at last, her fists clenched at her sides. “If I don’t go through with this, Eddie’s family will know I lied. And they’ll use it against me. I don’t have a choice.”
Her fatalistic attitude nicked his pride. His heart hardened, words tumbling out like cold stones. “Then we’ll do this my way. You can’t run out on me this time, Hattie. I love irony, don’t you?”
His sarcasm scraped her nerves. She was being so unfair. Luc had done everything she had asked of him and more. He didn’t deserve her angst and criticism. She owed him more than she could ever calculate.
The fact that her body still ached for his only complicated matters.
Swallowing her aversion to the feeling that she was being bought and paid for, she sat back down and summoned a faint smile. “Giving a woman that much plastic is dangerous. Should we discuss a budget?”
His expression was inscrutable. “I know you pretty well, Hattie Parker. I doubt seriously if you’ll bankrupt me.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, laying it on the cushion between them. “This is next on the agenda. I thought it was customary to make such things a surprise, but given your current mood, perhaps I should return it and let you choose your own.”
She picked up the box and flipped back the lid. This was a flawless diamond solitaire. Clearly he understood her style, because the setting was simple in the extreme. But the rectangular stone that flashed and sparkled was easily four carats.
She bit her lip. “It’s lovely,” she said, squeezing the words from a tight throat. He made no attempt to take her hand and do the honors. She told herself she was glad. When she slid the ring onto her left hand, the brilliant stone seemed to take on a life of its own.
“So you don’t want to exchange it? I wouldn’t want to be accused of controlling your life.”
His tone was bland, but she felt shame, nevertheless. “I love it, Luc. Thank you.”
It was his turn to get up and pace. “I’ve made some preliminary wedding inquiries. Do you need or want a church wedding?”
Disappointment made her stomach leaden. Like most girls she had dreamed of her wedding day. “No. That’s not necessary.”
“Our family owns a small private island off the coast, near Savannah. If you’re agreeable, we can have the ceremony there. The location precludes the possibility of Eddie or any of his relatives showing up to make a scene. Do you have someone you’d like to stand up with you?”
She picked at a stray thread on the knee of her jeans, her mind in a whirl of conflicting thoughts. “My best friend, Jodi, would have been my choice, but her husband is in the military, and they were transferred to Japan two months ago. With Angela gone, well, I…”
“I’m sure Ana would be honored to help us out.”
It was a good choice, and a logical one given the circumstances. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”
“A honeymoon will be important,” he said, bending to turn on the gas logs in the fireplace. The spring evening had turned cool and damp.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
He turned to face her, his expression blank. “We can’t risk any accusation that our marriage isn’t real. I know you’ll protest, but I really think we should go away for at least a week. Ana’s niece is a college student working on her early childhood certification. I’ve already spoken to her, and she’s willing to stay here at the house with Ana and Sherman while we’re gone, to help with the baby.”
Hattie gnawed her bottom lip. He’d neatly cut the ground from beneath her feet. Every argument anticipated and countered. It all made perfect sense. And it scared the heck out of her. “You seem to have thought of everything.”
He shrugged. “It’s what I do. As far as the wedding dress and the ceremony itself, I’ll leave that to you. I have a good friend who is a justice of the peace. He’s prepared to fly down with us and officiate.”
“Who’s going to be your best man?”
“Leo.”
“Does he know about me…about Deedee?”
“I told him I was marrying someone he knew, but I left it at that. Leo will be there. But as far as he is concerned right now, this is a normal marriage. You and I will be the only people who will know the truth.”
“You’d lie to your own brother?”
“I’ll tell him the situation later…when it’s a done deal.”
“And your grandfather?”
“He’s flying over for his big birthday party in the fall. I won’t encourage him to come this time.”
“I wonder if Leo will even remember me.”
Luc chuckled. “My brother never forgets a beautiful woman. We’ll get together with him for dinner when we come back from our honeymoon, and you can reminisce.”
Hattie winced inwardly. Leo probably thought she was the worst kind of tease. Leading Luc on back in college and then dumping him. Leo would side with his brother, of course. Just one more thing to look forward to in her new, surreal life.
She took a deep breath. “When are we going to do this?”
“May 14 works for my schedule. I’ve cleared the week following for our honeymoon. Is there anywhere in particular you’d
like to go? The company has a top-notch travel agent.”
She smiled faintly. “Since I’ve never really been anywhere, I’ll let you choose.”
“I thought Key West might be nice…a luxurious villa on a quiet street. A private pool.”
Her mouth dried. “Um, sure. Sounds lovely.” Why did she suddenly have a vision of the two of them naked and…cavorting in the moonlight? Dear heaven. May 14 was two and a half weeks away. This was happening. This was real.
She couldn’t wait any longer to address the elephant in the room. Or perhaps she was the only one who was worrying about it. Luc was a guy. Sex came as naturally to him as breathing. He probably thought nature would take its course.
But she needed to have things spelled out. “Luc?”
He rejoined her on the sofa, this time sitting so close to her that their hips nearly touched. Deliberately, he lifted her hand nearest him and linked their fingers. “What, Hattie? Permission to speak freely.”
His light humor did nothing to alleviate her nerves. She squeezed his hand briefly and stood up again, unable to bear being so close to him when she was on edge. “I had a feeling earlier this evening…at dinner…that one of the things you wanted to discuss in private was sex. It makes sense…to talk about it, I mean. You’re a virile man, and I assume you’ll be faithful to our wedding vows. So no one can question the validity of our marriage. For the baby’s sake.”
His face darkened. “For the baby’s sake…right. Because I assume that otherwise you could care less if I went to another woman for satisfaction.”
He was angry, and she wasn’t sure why. She picked up the elastic band he’d removed from her hair. With swift, jerky movements she put her ponytail back in place. She didn’t want to think about how it felt to have his fingers combing through her hair, his hard, warm palms caressing her back.
“I’m trying to explain, Luc, that I’m okay with it.”
“Okay with what?”
His black scowl terrified her. If she handled this wrong, he might back out entirely. “I understand that it makes sense for us to be intimate…while we’re together. A man and a woman living in the same house…married. I’m willing…. That’s all I wanted to say.”
His lip curled. His dark eyes were impenetrable. “Well, you were right about one thing.”
“I was?”
“I did want to talk about sex.”
“I thought so.”
“But while I am deeply touched by your desire to throw yourself on the sacrificial altar, I don’t need your penance.”
“I don’t understand.”
His legs were outstretched, propped on the coffee table. He feigned relaxation, but his entire body vibrated with intense emotion. “It’s simple, Hattie. All I wanted to say was that it seems somewhat degrading to both of us to exchange physical pleasure for money.”
The way he drawled the words physical pleasure made her belly tighten. “You’re confusing me.”
“Sex has nothing to do with this marriage agreement. Is that clear enough? If we end up in bed together, it will be because we both want it. I’m attracted to you, Hattie…just as I would be to any beautiful woman. And I have a normal man’s needs. I’ll welcome you to my bed anytime. But you’ll have to come to me. Your body is not on the bargaining table.”
He was being deliberately cruel. Perhaps she deserved it. But humiliation swept through her in burning waves. She had offered herself up in all sincerity, and he had reduced the possibility of marital intimacy to scratching an itch.
Dimly, apprehensively, she began to understand what Luc was going to get out of this marriage. He was going to make her dance to his tune. He was going to make her beg.
And what scared her even more than being totally at his mercy was the inescapable knowledge that she would be the one to crack. And she might not make it through the honeymoon.
Six
The days before the wedding flew by. Hattie was consumed with setting up the nursery and shopping for an appropriate dress in which to become Mrs. Luc Cavallo.
After the embarrassing scene with Luc in the den, Hattie saw little of him. He spent four days in Milan at a conference, and when he returned to Atlanta, he worked long days, ostensibly getting caught up so he could be away for a week’s vacation. No one at his office knew anything about a wedding.
Deedee was thriving. There had been no further word from Eddie, and on the surface, life seemed normal…. Or at least as normal as it could be given the current situation.
Sherman and Ana adored Deedee and spoiled her with toys and other gifts. Hattie relished being part of that circle. She had never known her own grandparents, and the new relationships she was building helped fill the emotional hole in her soul. Things might become awkward when the marriage ended, but she would worry about that when the time came.
The wedding was only four days away when trouble showed up. Not Eddie this time. A loud knock sounded at the front door midday, and Hattie answered it. Sherman was out back washing the cars, and Ana was making dinner preparations.
The man standing on the doorstep was familiar. “Leo,” she said, her heart sinking. “Please come in.”
“Well, isn’t this nice,” he sneered. “Playing lady of the manor, are we?”
She ignored his sarcasm. Clearly, he did remember her…and not fondly. “Luc’s not home.”
Leo folded his arms across his broad chest. “I came to see you.” He was a physically intimidating man, and his brains more than equaled his brawn. Back in college he had played at flirting with her. Not seriously, just to get his brother’s goat. But the look on his face at the moment said he’d just as soon toss her in the river as look at her.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. But I knew something was going on. My brother’s been acting damn strangely. And now I know why.”
Ana appeared, wiping her hands on a dish cloth. “Mr. Leo. How nice to see you.” She turned to Hattie. “If you would like to step out back to the patio, I’d be happy to bring you a snack.”
Leo smiled at the housekeeper, a warm, I’m-really-a-nice-guy smile. “Sounds wonderful, Ana. I’ve been running all day and missed lunch.” He eyed Hattie blandly. “What a treat.”
Hattie felt Leo’s eyes boring into her back as they made their way through the house. She hadn’t expected a warm welcome from Luc’s brother, but she also hadn’t anticipated this degree of antipathy from him. They sat down in wrought-iron chairs, and moments later Ana brought out a tray of oatmeal cookies and fresh coffee.
The older woman poured two cups and stepped back. “I’ll put the monitor in the kitchen, Hattie, so I’ll be able to hear the baby if she wakes up.”
Leo paled. As soon as the housekeeper was out of earshot, he swallowed half a cup of coffee and glared at Hattie over the rim of a bone china cup. His big hand dwarfed it. “Luc’s a daddy?”
“No, of course not. Or not in the way you’re thinking. Has he told you anything about my situation?” It was difficult to believe that Luc would cling to his intent of keeping Leo uninformed.
“Luc didn’t tell me diddly squat. All he mentioned was that I should show up on the fourteenth wearing my tux when and where he said.”
“Oh.”
“Perhaps you’d like to fill me in.” It wasn’t a request.
“I’m sorry he’s been keeping secrets from you. It’s my fault.” She quickly gave him the shortened version of the last two months. “I think that until the lawyers get a handle on this custody thing, Luc thinks the less said the better.”
Leo ate two more cookies, eyeing her with a laserlike stare as he chewed slowly. “That’s not why he didn’t tell me. Luc knows I can keep my mouth shut. But he knew I would try to talk him out of this ridiculous sham of a marriage.”
Hattie’s heart sank. The two brothers were close. Could Leo, even now, derail what Luc and Hattie had set in motion?
She set down her cup so he wouldn’t see her hand shaking. “Why wo
uld you do that? If you’re worried about the money, or the company…you needn’t be. I’ve already signed a prenup.”
Leo snorted. “You may be a lot of things, Hattie, but even I know you’re not a gold digger.”
“Then why is this any of your business?” She heard the snap in her own voice and didn’t care. What did Leo Cavallo have to gain by sticking his big Roman nose into her affairs?
He pulled his chair closer to the table, his knees almost touching hers beneath the glass. His accusatory mood made her want to run, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. He spoke softly, with menace. “Ten years ago, you almost destroyed my brother. You let him fall in love with you, encouraged it even. And then when he proposed, the first and only time he’s ever done that by the way, you shut him down. A man has his pride, Hattie. You let things go too far. If you weren’t going to love him back, why in the hell did you sleep with him? Why did you let him think you were his girl, his future?”
She bent her head, staring down at the crumbs on her plate. “That’s just it, Leo. I did love him. I was sick with loving him.”
“That’s bull.” He lifted her chin, his gaze boring into hers. “Women in love don’t do what you did to Luc.”
“That’s not true,” she cried. “We never would have worked out in the long term. I wasn’t the right person to be his wife. I did the right thing by breaking it off. You know I did.”
He let go of her and sat back, brooding, surly. “Then how do you explain this?” He waved a hand. “You damn sure appear to be enjoying the fancy house and the hired help.”
“Don’t be hateful.”
“Not hateful, honey. Just stating the facts.”
“This is all temporary.”
“Does Luc know that?”
“Of course he does. When enough time has passed to make our marriage appear to be the real thing, we’ll separate quietly. And I’ll raise Deedee on my own.”
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