Tempted by the Tycoon's Proposal

by Rachael Stewart

  ‘I have and we will, soon. I’d like to spend a little time with Elena’s family first, to see whether there is something worth saving there.’

  ‘Have you spoken to her mother?’

  His eyes turned distant. ‘Yes.’

  ‘And?’

  His lips curved up a little. ‘It was nice. She was nice. She also sounded beside herself that I’d called.’

  ‘Beside herself in a good way?’

  His eyes met with hers and she could see the lightness in them, the relief. ‘In a very good way. She wants to meet as soon as possible. She wanted to go all in—Lily, me, her husband and all three children, and though it was nice to hear her so excited, I’m not quite ready to expose Lily to that all at once.’

  ‘Baby steps?’

  ‘Yes, baby steps. I’ve decided to take Lily to meet her when we get back from Iceland. Then we can talk about meeting the rest of the family. I want to see how Lily takes to her first. I want her to drive this as much as me, if not more...’

  Sophia smiled as she looked back to the girl fast asleep in her lap, her soft snore reaching up to them, her thick lashes, so like her father’s, fanned out across her deep golden skin. Beautiful. Angelic. And Sophia felt her love for the little girl swell.

  If she was to have Elena’s family in her life then all the better, but Sophia wanted to be in that life too. She wanted to be in both of their lives.

  ‘What about you, Sophia?’

  ‘Hmm?’ She looked up at him, blinking her surprise; she’d been so caught up in her depth of feeling she’d lost track of their conversation.

  ‘Are you going to try and make amends with your family? To speak to them again?’

  She gave a gentle sigh. ‘I don’t know. It’s been so long since we talked properly, so long since...since we lost Amy. Maybe it’s too late for us.’

  ‘It’s never too late, not while your parents are still alive. I’ve told you before how much it would crush me to know Lily was somewhere in the world and scared of reaching out to me. To know that you and your parents have that separation because of something so tragic, something that none of you had any control over...’

  He reached for her hand that she hadn’t realised she’d clenched into a fist upon the table and slowly unravelled it to link his fingers through hers. ‘You should try.’

  She lowered her gaze to Lily, recalling her thoughts from seconds before, of her love for this child who wasn’t even hers by birth, and she realised how right he was. She also realised the part she’d played in the breakdown of their relationship, the guilt she’d put on herself and projected onto them. She’d labelled herself as guilty and convinced herself that they blamed her too. She’d never given them a chance to prove to her otherwise; she’d never given them a chance to get close again.

  She took a shaky breath and nodded. ‘You’re right.’

  ‘I know I am.’ He said it so sincerely that she couldn’t even laugh at his arrogant acceptance of her words. ‘And this trip is part of you facing up to your past with us by your side. If you can do this, you can do anything.’

  She turned to him seconds before his head lowered to hers, his lips soft, gentle, as he kissed her. It wasn’t heated or desperate or needy; it was giving, the passion coming from the fact he cared for her, nothing more, nothing less, and she melted inside, her heart skipping to the beat of his choosing. The knowledge that she loved him was as obvious as the feelings projected in his kiss. She didn’t just care for him, she wasn’t just falling... She had long since fallen and as she opened her eyes and looked up into his she was convinced it was there, being reflected right back at her.

  ‘Have faith in yourself,’ he murmured as he pulled back and she smiled, leaning into him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. It was comfortable, relaxed, and just where she belonged.

  ‘I’ll try.’

  * * *

  Jack turned and pressed his lips to Sophia’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo and realised just how much he’d missed this. Missed her.

  And seeing Lily so at home curled into her lap, to see the drawings spread out before him in all their hopeful glory... So much rested on this holiday, on him opening up to Sophia and being honest about how he felt, how, despite what he had said to the contrary, he had come to care for her...to love her.

  Sophia nuzzled into him further, her head gradually getting heavy as her breathing levelled out and he smiled; she was falling asleep too.

  He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close as he checked his watch. They would be landing soon but he could make the most of the next twenty minutes or so, before he’d have to wake them.

  He looked back to the drawings on the table, spreading out the pages with his fingers until one in particular caught his eye...and his heart.

  He lifted it out from beneath the pile and stilled, his chest both warm and tight. It was a church, in front of which stood a couple, and just like all the others, they were that couple. His dark skin, his dark hair, contrasted with Sophia’s fair complexion and auburn waves, their hands locked together, a little Lily standing behind, her smile too big for her face. It was a wedding. Their wedding.

  A conflicting sense of hope, fear and love swirled up within him, chased down by panic. Panic at Lily’s obvious attachment and the fact that he had let it happen. Panic at his daughter’s dream that this would be in their future and he couldn’t say for certain that it would be. She’d already lost a mother. If he failed, if this relationship ended, she would lose another parental figure too.

  Had he made a mistake?

  He’d had the good sense to be cautious with Elena’s mother, cautious about exposing Lily to that side of the family in case the relationship fell apart, in case she lost them. But his own connection to Sophia had made him rash.

  Yes, they’d tried to keep things platonic in front of Lily, tried to show their relationship was one of friendship and nothing more. But this one picture told them they’d failed. That, regardless of their best efforts, Lily wanted Sophia to be a part of their family...just as he did.

  He took a steadying breath and slid the picture back under the stack. He just had to make sure he didn’t ruin it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ‘PUT YOUR COATS ON,’ Jack said, shrugging on his own as the engine to the plane was cut. ‘It’s going to be cold out there.’

  Sophia helped Lily into hers before putting her own on, nerves fluttering up in her belly once more. This was it. Time to face her fears and move past them.

  The door opened and the cold night air breached the warmth of the cabin, not that Lily was perturbed. She was already racing ahead, up to the elegant stewardess who now waited by the door for them to leave.

  ‘Thank you for my pizza!’

  ‘You’re welcome, Miss McGregor.’ The stewardess smiled indulgently down at Lily. ‘Enjoy your holiday.’

  ‘I will,’ she said, stepping out onto the steps.

  ‘Happy holiday, Mr McGregor, Miss Lambert.’

  Sophia smiled her gratitude and stepped out behind Lily. The chilling wind, laced with snow, wrapped around her and she shivered, her hand reaching for Lily instinctively. ‘Careful.’

  ‘Isn’t it pretty, Sphea?’ the little girl said, her eyes wide with wonder as they travelled over the snow-banked airstrip. The darkness meant they couldn’t see much further than the airfield, but Lily could see what she cared about and that was the snow.

  Sophia swallowed past the wedge forming in her throat, pushing back the memories that threatened, barely noticing that Jack had come up alongside her until she felt the comforting warmth of his hand slipping around her own. She looked up at him, part fear, part gratitude, and the rest was all love shining in her gaze.

  And she wasn’t afraid to show it, not this time.

  ‘Thank you for this, Jack.’ She reached
up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. ‘It means so much.’

  ‘Thank you for coming.’

  Their gazes locked, the air whipped around them, cold and frigid, but all she felt was the warmth of his gaze, heating her from the inside out and the hope flourishing with it. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been happier or felt more invincible.

  It was strange when it all hinged on his feelings for her and they were entirely out of her control. Was it crazy? Or was it just a symptom of being in love?

  And if it was the latter she was ready to get used to it.

  What if he doesn’t love you back? What if all this is a temporary affliction and in a week or two you have to go back to living as you did before?

  She couldn’t imagine it. She didn’t want to.

  ‘You okay?’

  His question and the frown tugging at his brow halted her spiralling thoughts and she smiled. ‘Never better.’

  ‘Come on, Daddy, Sphea—can you save all the kissy-wissy stuff until later? I want to get to our bubble!’

  Their eyes widened at Lily’s astute observation and they each gave an awkward laugh.

  ‘Patience, monkey.’ Jack affectionately cuffed her chin, but Lily merely shook her head.

  ‘Nuh-uh, it’s my birthday trip!’

  ‘She has a point,’ Sophia said, feeling the guilt of it. Here she was, wrapped up in her own emotions, hers and Jack’s, when this trip was all about Lily and giving her the best birthday possible.

  She and Jack could wait—she looked back at him—they really could. She didn’t want anything to get in the way of Lily’s fun, least of all their romantic entanglement.

  It had taken twenty-four years for her to meet the right man; she could at least wait four days before risking it by exposing the truth in her heart.

  * * *

  ‘Do you think she finally got over the fact that we’re not sleeping in her bubble room tonight?’ Jack asked Sophia as he sipped from the glass of wine in his hand and tried his hardest not to pull her to him, even though the urge had been with him ever since they’d put Lily to bed.

  She smiled around her own glass, her eyes flickering with the flames of the roaring fire that bathed the suite’s living area in its ambient glow, a striking contrast to the view beyond the glass. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for a seamless view over the Icelandic landscape, atmospheric and beautiful in its own cold, almost brutal way. The snowstorm that had hit shortly after they’d arrived continued to whip the flakes up into a frenzy and gave the impression of a life-size snow globe at work, blanketing the rugged hillside and making him glad they’d arrived before the worst of it.

  ‘She was asleep before her head hit the pillow, and what a waste that would have been if we’d gone tonight. She’ll realise that tomorrow.’

  He nodded. ‘True.’

  ‘And it’s hardly the weather for it,’ she murmured, cupping her wine glass in her hands, the sleeves of her white high-neck jumper drawn into her palms and making her look far too sweet and vulnerable, and so utterly desirable. ‘The forecast looks good for tomorrow though.’

  ‘Hmm?’ He’d been so caught up in her he’d missed the last.

  ‘The forecast,’ she said, one brow lifting, her eyes dancing. ‘I said it looks better for tomorrow.’

  He swallowed. ‘Yes...yes, it does.’

  He was finding it harder and harder to keep both his desire and his love for her in check, but he didn’t feel ready to confess all. He had been, but that was before she’d accepted the offer of a separate hotel room.

  Now he was starting to doubt so much and being uncertain wasn’t an emotion he was accustomed to handling. In business and in his personal life, he depended on his steadfast control, his clear head, his ability to detach himself from the emotional and form decisions, take action based on facts.

  With her, it was becoming nigh on impossible to remain detached and to trust his instincts, which he knew were clouded by his own feelings for her.

  And the fact was she’d accepted the offer of another room.

  He’d booked it while they were apart and he’d done it out of courtesy, wishing her to have the option. But the hope that she would turn it down and admit that she wished to stay with them had been there. It was still there.

  ‘It’s not really a hardship staying here either,’ she said softly, her eyes sweeping the room, with its salvaged hardwood floors, sheepskin furs and glazed concrete walls. It was an eclectic mix of industrial chic and natural materials working together in harmony to give a sense of high-end luxury.

  ‘You approve?’

  ‘You asked me the same question on the plane...’ Her eyes came back to him, her smile teasing.

  ‘I know. Call me soft, but I care for your approval.’

  She studied him quietly and he would have paid his fortune to know what was going through her mind. She wet her lips and leaned forward to place her glass on the coffee table formed from lava rock and rich wood.

  ‘I should probably head back to my room.’

  ‘What if I said I’d like you to stay?’

  Even in the low light of the fire he could make out the flush of colour to her skin, the nervous flicker of her eyes as they came back to him. ‘If I stay much longer I won’t leave and then we’ll have some explaining to do to Lily.’

  Lily. Was that all she was worried about?

  All? You should be worrying too.

  But he didn’t want her to leave.

  ‘And you need to get some sleep too,’ she pushed. ‘When was the last time you slept?’

  Truth was, he didn’t know, not properly at any rate. ‘I dozed on the plane from Tokyo.’

  ‘That doesn’t count.’ Her eyes raked over his face and then he saw it. She was worried about Lily, but she was worried about him too.

  ‘Do I look that bad?’

  ‘Bad, no. Tired, yes.’

  He raked a hand through his hair and took a breath. What would she say if she knew the reason was more down to her than the jet lag and all the travel put together? She occupied his mind day and night, keeping him alert, keeping him on edge as he wrestled with what he felt for her.

  She surprised him by scooting over to him and cupping his cheek, her thumb grazing against his five o’clock shadow. ‘You should take a leaf out of your daughter’s book and admit defeat. Get some sleep. We have days ahead to enjoy and I don’t want us getting in the way of Lily’s birthday trip.’

  And then she kissed him, her lips soft and gentle and a complete contrast to the fire coming alive inside. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close as he sought to deepen the kiss, to take all that she would give.

  She was as breathless as he when she broke away, and in no way ready for sleep, but still she said, ‘Goodnight, Jack.’

  He reached for her hand as she rose. ‘Don’t go.’

  She smiled down at him, releasing his hand slowly. ‘I have to, and deep down you know that too.’

  Did he? He gazed up at her, his eyes stinging with the effort. He was too tired to analyse, too het up to worry about it; he just knew his instinct was to keep her close.

  ‘Go to bed, Jack. Tomorrow’s a new day.’

  She pressed a kiss to his forehead and made for the door, looking back over her shoulder to say, ‘Move before you fall asleep right there...’

  And then she was gone and his eyes were closing, his glass tipping in his hand and acting as the wake-up call he needed.

  Bed. She was right; he needed sleep. There would be time for them another night.

  And this holiday was about Lily’s birthday above all else, just as she’d reminded him, just as he should have remembered too.

  Maybe he was more jet-lagged than he’d first realised...jet-lagged and in too deep...

  He’d never felt more out of control in a
ll his adult life. Entirely off balance. It was scary, unsettling and enough to have him moving to bed in the hope that tomorrow, after a decent sleep, he would at least have a better handle on it all.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ‘COME ON, DADDY, the car is waiting.’

  Lily was hopping from one foot to the other, looking up at Jack imploringly and Sophia felt for her. This wasn’t exactly the morning she’d had planned either, especially when today was her birthday.

  The first full day of their trip and Lily’s birthday breakfast had already been interrupted by a call from London that Jack just had to take and now, over an hour later, he was back on the phone again, dealing with the same issue. Some difficulty with some takeover or other. Not that Sophia could piece it together from the one half of the conversation she could hear but it had Jack scowling down the phone as they stood in the hotel lobby waiting for him to finish.

  ‘Sorry, sweetheart...’ he covered the bottom half of his phone as he spoke to her ‘... I’ll be done soon.’

  Lily looked to Sophia. ‘Can we go outside and play in the snow?’

  Sophia felt Jack’s eyes shoot to her even as her skin prickled and her stomach twisted. She wet her lips and gave Lily a small smile. ‘Let’s just wait for Daddy; he won’t be long.’

  ‘Lily, just be patient,’ he said, and Sophia gave him a grateful look for understanding, even as she felt foolish for her overreaction. She had agreed to come here; moreover, she’d witnessed an entire snowstorm last night and survived it. But going outside in daylight, surrounded by it...it was different.

  Lily crossed her arms and gave a little huff.

  ‘Hey, come on, he really won’t be long.’

  Lily didn’t look convinced and if Sophia was honest she wasn’t so sure he’d be done soon either since he was pacing back and forth in the lobby now, deeply engrossed.