A Deal Before the Altar
‘Do we really need to take it this far?’ The words left her in a rush, before she’d had time to consider them.
He stopped outside the white double doors to his apartment, his arm still around her, keeping her close. She looked up at him, desperate to keep calm. He mustn’t know just how unnerved he made her feel.
‘Yes—if you want authenticity you need to be seen leaving here tomorrow morning.’ Amusement lightened his eyes before he turned to open the doors.
‘We could have just stayed at the hotel...’ She clutched at the idea, not daring to cross the threshold, not wanting to be alone with him—especially on his territory.
‘On the contrary.’ He smiled that heart-stopping smile that could very easily make her think she was the only woman he saw, the only woman he wanted. ‘To bring you here gives a clear message to everyone who knows me—including my brother.’
With his arm firmly around her, he walked into the apartment. She had no choice but to go too. Her heels clicked on a marble floor and the low lighting hinted at a very sparse and masculine living space.
‘I don’t understand...’ The words rushed out on an unsteady breath as he finally moved away from her. At least she could breathe properly, now he wasn’t so close.
Dropping his keys onto a table, he took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a large black leather sofa. Unable to keep her eyes off him, she watched as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Dark tanned skin drew her eyes and she had to force herself to look away.
‘I never bring a woman back to my apartment.’
The implication of his words sank in. He was giving a very clear message—not just to Carlo, but to her. He wanted the business so badly he was prepared not only to accept her proposal of marriage, but to do everything to make it look real. Even appear to cast aside his womanising reputation and ways and take her as his wife.
‘I should be honoured, then,’ she replied flippantly, in an attempt to hide her thoughts.
He might be able to discard the way he lived for the sake of his business, but she couldn’t quite let slip the distant demeanour she hid behind. After all, it wasn’t a business she was doing it for, but the love of her sister.
‘The first woman to spend a night here with you?’
* * *
Santos flicked on a light, wanting to see Georgina’s face better. In fact he wanted to see more than just her face. All evening her soft skin had teased his senses—so much so that he’d done the one thing he never did with any woman. He’d kissed her publicly. Not just a light brush of lips on lips either, but a desire-laden kiss that held a promise of passion and satisfaction.
‘More champagne?’
He should just be showing her to her room, as he’d intended when he’d formed this bizarre back-up plan yesterday. But even then, as she’d stood so proudly in his office, he’d found the cocktail of icy control laced with underlying passion tempting. Too tempting. And challenging. What man could refuse such a challenge?
‘No, thanks.’
Her frosty tone made it clear the ice maiden was back. He watched as she walked across the room to look down on the Thames, at the city’s lights reflected in the dark water.
Ordinarily, if he’d taken a woman back to a hotel suite, he wouldn’t be thinking of any kind of drink. He would be enjoying holding her, kissing her, and thinking only of satisfying their sexual needs. But this was different.
It unnerved him, but he quickly pushed the notion to the back of his mind. It was different simply because of the deal they’d struck. Never before had he spent time with a woman for any other reason than that he wanted to.
‘Coffee?’
‘No, thanks.’ She turned to face him. ‘We both know this isn’t for real, and there isn’t anyone here to witness anything more, so can we just say goodnight and go to bed—separately?’
He raised his brows at that last word and was rewarded with a light flush to her cheeks, giving her an air of innocence. Their eyes met and for a moment it was as if everything hung in the balance. Boldly she held his gaze. Did she have any idea how magnificent she looked? A glacial beauty with barely concealed simmering passion.
‘I’ll show you to your room.’
He turned and broke the contact, but could feel her gaze following him. A sizzle of desire zipped through him and he gripped his hands into fists. If she could be so coldly in control, then so could he.
Her heels tapped rhythmically as she walked behind him, out of the vast open space of the living area and into a long corridor. He stopped outside a door, opened it, and reached in to flick on the light. ‘I trust this will be comfortable for you?’
Then he looked at her face, saw a moment of hesitancy in eyes which now sparkled like rich mahogany.
‘If you need anything I’ll be in here.’
He pushed open the door to the master bedroom, where the lights of the city were visible for miles through large windows.
‘I won’t need anything,’ she said, lifting her chin defiantly, and he fought hard the urge to lower his head and capture those full lips beneath his. He wanted to taste her again, to feel her mould to his body as if she were meant to be there.
‘I’ll see you in the morning, then,’ he said, and stepped away from her—away from the temptation of her body, away from the sweet seductive scent that wrapped itself around him.
In that moment he realised he was no better than his father if he couldn’t allow this woman to sleep alone. But she fired something deep within him. Something so powerful he didn’t want to ignore it.
‘Goodnight,’ she whispered. and moved into the room, using the door to shield her glorious body from his view, apprehension clear in her eyes.
Anger simmered in his blood, mixing with unquenched desire. He was worse than his father, moving from one woman to the next. Memories from childhood, of watching an endless stream of woman enter his home, surfaced like a tidal wave. Was he now just as bad, if he couldn’t walk away from Georgina?
‘Goodnight.’ His voice was harsh as he battled with emotions long since packed away.
Damn it all—this was a business arrangement, a means to an end. If he couldn’t get out of that clause in the will legally, then he would damn well take her up on her proposition. Keeping the business was his priority. Nothing else mattered. And if Georgina had offered herself as a sacrificial lamb, so be it. Soon she would be his wife, and he had no intention of saying goodnight then.
CHAPTER THREE
GEORGINA WOKE WITH a start. Her heart thumped in her chest like a hammer as she tried to blink away the images that had haunted her sleep. Images of Santos kissing her, wanting her. Images that had heated her body as surely as if he had spent the night next to her.
She dragged in a sharp breath and looked around the room, different now the calm light of dawn was casting its glow. Her jade dress was draped over a chair, just where she’d left it, and she pulled the sheet tighter against her, feeling suddenly naked in her underwear.
Waking up in a man’s bed, even if it was only the guest bed, was something she wasn’t used to. She groaned at the thought of the field-day the press would have if they ever found out.
She hadn’t given a thought to the morning as she’d left the party last night. Her mind had been elsewhere, thanks to Santos’s charm attack.
In that moment she knew she couldn’t face him. There was only one option. She had to leave now.
Could she make a quick getaway? The thought raced into her head and quickly she flung back the sheet and grabbed her dress. The silk was cool against her skin as she stepped into it and embarrassment washed over her as she thought of all those who’d know about this walk of shame.
She would be able to slip away without seeing Santos, she reassured herself, especially at this early hour.
She washed her face in the en-suite bathroom, trying hard to remove the traces of last night’s make-up before applying fresh mascara and lipstick—all she’d been able to fit into her evening bag.
At the bedroom door she paused, took a deep breath, forcing her racing heart to calm before slowly opening it. Silence greeted her and she smiled, sure she was going to be able to slip away. With her bag in her hand and sandals dangling from her fingers she closed the door and padded softly along the wooden floor of the hallway, but as she entered the vast open living space the smell of strong coffee greeted her.
Her heart sank.
Someone was up.
Did Santos have a housekeeper who prepared breakfast for him? Yes, that must be it. Could she slip out without whoever it was in the kitchen noticing her? Quietly she walked across the huge room, feeling more like an intruder with every step.
‘Going somewhere?’
The deep, seductive tones of Santos’s voice halted her in her tracks. She turned to look at him and tried not to react to the sexy image he created in denims and a shirt. Casual suited him. But she didn’t want to dwell on that now.
‘Home, of course.’ She kept her voice bright, as if this scenario was one she was familiar with, and met his gaze. Lifting her chin, she made every effort to appear totally indifferent to him—which was hard when he stood before her, cool and powerful, just like the man who had haunted her through her dreams last night.
‘This early?’ He pushed back the cuff of his shirt and looked at his watch, a small smile lingering on his lips. ‘I think you have time for a coffee first. Even the most hardened shoppers aren’t about this early on a Saturday.’
‘It’s not the shoppers I’m worried about,’ she said with a huff of exasperation. ‘Emma will be wondering where I am.’
‘Precisely.’
The curt word made her blink, and despite her need to get away she walked towards him. As she did so Santos turned and headed back into the kitchen, its sleek design as contemporary as the rest of the apartment.
‘How do you take your coffee?’
‘This is a game to you, isn’t it?’ She really wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. ‘We were seen leaving the party together and your housekeeper will know I’ve spent the night. I think that is enough, don’t you?’
Santos didn’t answer, and she found herself mesmerised as he poured the coffee. In her chest her heart was pounding, and a whole stream of butterflies had taken flight in her stomach.
It’s not him, she told herself firmly. It’s just that you haven’t been in this situation for years. It was exactly this kind of awkward morning-after she had witnessed her mother and her lovers enduring, and exactly what she’d then gone and done herself as a naive young woman. But she’d changed, and repeating her past wasn’t something she wanted to do.
‘Try this.’ He took her sandals and bag from her and replaced them with a steaming mug of black coffee. ‘And even if my housekeeper had seen you—assuming she was working, that is—I would expect nothing other than her discretion.’
He smiled at her, and the butterflies in her stomach fluttered ever more wildly, but before she could respond he continued, ‘At least no one will know you didn’t sleep in my bed. That would really upset our plans.’
Georgina’s fingers burned, and she was sure it wasn’t just the mug of hot liquid in her hands. His touch, brief as it was, had jolted her with a voltage more powerful than any coffee. She took a sip—anything other than stand and look at him, fearing that if she did he would see just what an effect he was having on her.
‘We left the party together. It will have to be enough.’ She instilled as much courage into her voice as she could muster, which was difficult given the way her body now tingled.
Purposefully he moved past her, to place her shoes beneath a small ornamental table and drop her bag onto its glossy surface. His expression when he turned back to her was one of guarded control.
‘I’m not a man to do things by half, Georgina. If I do something, I do it properly.’ He stepped closer to her, the fresh scent of pine and his dark hair still slightly damp evidence that he’d recently showered.
She thought of his kiss last night at the party. The feel of his lips on hers, the way she hadn’t been able to do anything other than sway towards him, and knew he was right. He didn’t do anything by halves.
‘I’m sure you don’t, Mr Ramirez—’
‘Santos,’ he interrupted, his voice firm as he moved towards her.
He was coming so near she had to brace herself against the urge to move closer to him. The desire to experience his kiss just once more was almost overwhelming. She clung to her cup of coffee as if it were a lifeline.
Distance was what she needed. Distance was the safest option. She stepped back, out of the shadow of his power. She didn’t know what was the matter with her—she’d never experienced this before. It was insane. Of all the men to find herself attracted to, why did it have to be this man? She furrowed her brow.
‘If you don’t use my name, who is going to believe this charade of yours?’
He raised his brow in question at her. Did he really think he could get the better of her so easily?
‘You appear to be taking this far more seriously than me,’ she goaded, and took another sip of her coffee before placing it on the table. Then, turning to look directly at him, she added for good measure, ‘Santos.’
‘You can be assured of that, querida.’
His lips—the ones that had set light to a trail of heady need as he’d kissed her last night—spread into a smile of the kind that made his dark eyes sparkle, full of triumph.
‘I have as much to gain from this deal as you do.’
‘More, if your commitment to it is anything to go by.’ The words flew from her before she’d had time to think. She had to remember her goal—the sole reason she’d even approached this man in the first place. Antagonising him could put it all in jeopardy.
He didn’t respond with words, but she saw his expression change. The smile still lingered, but granite hardness blazed from his eyes and he folded his arms across his chest, highlighting the breadth of his shoulders.
‘Which is why I have made plans for us to go to Spain.’
Shock coursed through her body, leaving her almost gasping for air, as if she’d been plunged into a cold sea. ‘Why Spain? We can stay in London. Spend the weekend here together quite easily.’ She almost spluttered the last words. ‘Why do we need to go to Spain?’
Santos watched as her brown eyes widened in shock and decided he preferred her with less make-up. Her soft skin looked fresh, and he fought hard against that unfamiliar urge to reach out and brush his finger against it, feel its softness.
Mentally he shook himself. The morning after was always a time to be brief—a quick goodbye had never failed him before. So why did he want to keep her here? Was it because this morning wasn’t a normal morning-after? His body still fizzed with need, despite the cold shower he’d forced himself to stand under after he’d woken alone, knowing she was there, in his apartment, as untouchable as if she was the other side of the world.
‘My home is in Spain, and if we are to be married I can cut through the red tape far more easily there.’
He heard her sharp intake of breath, saw her shoulders stiffen. His gaze was drawn to the way the jade silk clung to her body. She was as desirable in the morning light as she’d looked in the subdued lights of the party last night.
He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman. She wasn’t simpering and needy, looking for something that he couldn’t give. She was strong and as in control as he was. But underneath all that he sensed a passion that would engulf him, rendering him helpless, and that was a position he would never put himself in.
He would never be as weak as his father had been.
‘I still have to go home.’
She reached past him to grab her bag and sandals, her shoulder brushing his arm. He braced himself against the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her as he had done at the party.
‘A girl can’t flit off for a weekend with nothing more than her Friday evening outfit.’
Her voice was light, almost lyrical. She was obviously used to loving and leaving. She also appeared used to coping in situations like this, and he’d do well to remember that. He watched as she placed her hand on the table, leaning against it as she lifted one shapely leg and slipped on a sandal. Mesmerised, he watched her fiddle with the straps, her brunette hair cascading over her shoulder, shielding her face from his view.
She straightened, taller now. His gaze locked with hers and a sizzle of something undefinable zipped between them. She blinked, long lashes breaking the connection, and bent to put on her other sandal.
‘Okay,’ she said softly. ‘What do I need for this wedding in Spain?’
He smiled. He hadn’t ever thought he would be getting married, and never in his wildest dreams had he imagined such a reluctant bride. Women usually fell over themselves to please him, and he knew if he’d asked the magic question to any one of the glamorous models he’d recently dated they would have been dragging him away.
‘Your passport and birth certificate is all you need to bring. I have everything else sorted.’
‘To perfection, by the sound of it. I suppose you have organised a pre-nuptial agreement?’ She pushed her thick hair behind her ear and looked straight at him, her eyebrows raised in question.
Of course he’d arranged a pre-nuptial agreement. Any man in his position would. He’d had his legal team on it since she’d left his office on Thursday—just as they’d been finding out if it would be quicker and easier for them to marry in Spain. Her track record showed an ability to marry for financial gain and, no matter how passionately she declared sisterly love as the reason behind her proposition, he’d decided to safeguard everything.
‘It would be foolish not to, querida.’
Her eyes sparked with burnished gold and he knew he’d hit a raw nerve. It was well known that she’d become a wealthy woman after her husband died.
‘Fine.’
The word crackled between them, and her lips were firmly pressed together, as if she was holding back what she really wanted to say.
He looked at her lovely face, her lips set in a firm line of discontent, and he couldn’t help himself. He reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek. She didn’t move, didn’t pull away from him, just looked at him with such wide-eyed innocence he wondered if it was the same woman he’d met a few days ago.
‘It will protect us both.’ Her skin was so soft he wanted more. He stepped closer, the urge to kiss her stronger than anything he’d known.
‘I have packing to do.’
* * *
Georgina’s heart was pounding in her chest so hard she was sure he would be able to hear it. She couldn’t do this. Why ever had she thought it was a good idea? Had it really been her only option? Offering herself to a man renowned for his ruthless business tactics.
For a moment his gaze locked with hers, the dark depths of his eyes seeming to search hers as if looking into her soul. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it any more he dropped his hand and moved away from her. As he’d done a few days ago in his office he walked to the windows and stood looking out over London.
She needed to go home and think. Once she was away from him she could think of other options, but she couldn’t do any of that if he was around. Just one smouldering look from his eyes made her pulse leap. She wasn’t supposed to feel anything for him, but the attraction that simmered like an undercurrent waiting to snare the unsuspecting unnerved her more than anything else.
‘My car will take you to your apartment and wait while you pack.’
‘Wait while I pack?’ She laughed. ‘Have you any idea how long it takes a woman to pack for a trip abroad?’ Not that she would count herself among one of those women, but she needed time alone.
‘Yes.’ He turned to face her. ‘As a matter of fact I do—which is why you will find just about anything you need waiting for you in Spain.’
‘You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?’ She couldn’t believe the calculated way he’d planned all this. From the party where they would first be seen together to the trip away to get married.
‘As I said, I do things properly. I cover every eventuality. Which is why my car will wait for you.’
‘I made a deal with you, Santos.’ Did he actually think she was going to run away? She was made of stronger stuff than that. ‘I have no intention of going back on that deal, despite the fact that you have manipulated the situation to your advantage.’
‘The “situation”, as you call it, will be to the advantage of both of us.’
He smiled and his eyes darkened with the promise of something she didn’t want to think of.
‘Of that you can be sure.’
CHAPTER FOUR
GEORGINA HAD THOUGHT the private jet was luxurious, but the villa, with its stunning sea view, was beyond anything she could have imagined. White curtains stirred in the breeze, making the sunlight dance across the marble floor. The fashionable furnishings offered every comfort possible, giving the villa the feel of a home.
She stood and looked out of the open doors, which led onto the terrace. The heat of the afternoon sun must be having an effect on her. She’d been here for several hours and still she couldn’t get over the world of opulence she’d entered. But, determined that Santos shouldn’t know how out of her depth she felt, she kept her awe of her new surroundings hidden.
‘We’ll eat out tonight.’
Santos’s voice brought her thoughts back to the present as he came to stand next to her. Each time he was near, her skin sizzled and anticipation zinged down her spine, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t go there. This was a business deal and nothing more. She could never allow it to be more.
She dragged her gaze from the sparkling sea and turned to face him. He too had changed. He’d washed away the hours spent travelling and stood before her looking more relaxed then she’d seen him before. She couldn’t help herself and allowed her gaze to linger, to take in the latent strength of his body as he walked across the room to the doors of the terrace. The commanding strength he exuded excited her and terrified her at the same time.
‘Would that be to keep up the pretence of an affair?’ The words slipped from her mouth with practised ease, the facetious tone one she regularly used. ‘It’s obvious now why we are here.’
‘Is it?’
Damn him, he appeared to be laughing at her. His new, relaxed mood made him smile at her prickly demeanour. It was as if he was genuinely flirting with her, teasing her as he might one of his lovers.
‘Of course it is. This area is a playground for the rich and famous, and with them come photographers and journalists, all waiting to catch the next big story. I saw them taking photos as we arrived.’
She took a deep breath and forced herself to stop talking. Allowing Santos to see how he unnerved her wasn’t going to do any good at all. If he wanted to parade her around as part of the pretence then so be it.
‘For a woman who dreamt up this whole idea you’re very touchy about it.’
He walked out onto the terrace, where he leant his strong arms on the balustrade. Briefly she remembered how it had felt to be held in their strength, but immediately she dragged her wandering mind back. She had to keep focused. It was almost as if he knew he was distracting her. She was convinced he was using it to his advantage.
‘I didn’t dream this up.’ She flung her hands wide, gesturing around them, and pushed to the back of her mind the terms he’d agreed on, hoping it would never have to go that far. ‘It’s you who took the idea from marriage in name only to this—this pretend love affair.’
He turned back to face her and folded his arms across his chest, the sun behind him making it difficult to read his expression. ‘This is the best way.’