Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Whirlwind Romance Series) (3 page)

“Here. Drink some more water.
Soon you’ll have a nice breakfast to soak up the remaining alcohol in your
body.” He grinned as he handed Kira another glass of water.

“You are kidding, aren’t you?”

“Not about having a nice
breakfast.”

Two hours later as they sat in
the boardroom after breakfast in front of the reporter, he could not take his
eyes off her slender legs. Before they entered the room where they were to be
interviewed he’d walked behind her and caught full view of her voluptuous
curves and delicious form. How could a woman like her be so inexperienced with
a body like that? She’d baffled him the moment he’d laid eyes on her. She had a
voluptuous cleavage to match that captured his imagination. And those hips! Her
tiny waist accentuated her child-bearing hips. She wasn’t pencil thin like some
of those super models he’d dated. She was shaped like a real woman in his
books. And she moved with grace.

“Well, first of all,
congratulations,” the reporter said as she held on to her notes as she faced
them. The cameraman had already begun filming. It would be for a documentary
that would be aired on a local channel and on the internet on his corporate
website. He was going out of his way but he needed to undo all the negative
press that had come upon his name in recent months.

“Thank you,” Alessandro answered.
He noticed Kira beginning to squirm in her seat. He hoped the reporter did not
take notice.

“Now let’s get down to business
about your new project. The Alessandro and Kira Romano Foundation.”

Kira looked gobsmacked. She had
an expression of surprise on her face. Alessandro wished she wouldn’t appear so
dumbstruck or star-struck. She was, after all, a reporter. A new one, but
nonetheless, she was his wife and she’d better act the part as per their
agreement. Okay, he should have told her that he would also use her name in the
project. But it would cost her nothing but immortalization.

What have I gotten myself into?

Kira could not believe she’d just
been interviewed for a video to appear on the Romano Enterprise official
website and now the Alessandro and Kira Romano Foundation. He was using her
name as a front. This man that she’d married would stop at nothing to get what
he wanted. This both terrified and intrigued her at the same time. Was that the
power of money and position in society? Power-hungry people like Alessandro
could buy other people and buy a public image all in a split moment? She shook
her head as they drove back in the limousine to the hotel where they were
staying.

“You’re quiet, my dear.”

“Oh, I’m just tired,” she lied,
quietly. She stared out at the city lights on the buildings down the Vegas
Strip on the way to the hotel. She could not believe it but she craved
Alessandro. Was she losing her mind? This whirlwind weekend was making her head
spin. But she enjoyed his company, his aura, his scent of power. She enjoyed
everything about Alessandro. But most of all, she could not believe that he’d
chosen her. She wished she’d remembered everything about last night and
yesterday. Only bits and pieces surfaced. They’d got to talking and they’d
taken in some sights on the town after the banquet..

“You did very well during the
interview. Thank you,” Alessandro’s voice sliced through her thoughts.

What could she say to that?
You’re welcome? It was my pleasure to be your actress for the interview? “Hey,
I’m glad you’ll be getting what you want.”

“You don’t sound too happy.”

Kira caught Alessandro’s eyes
sliding up and down her legs. He seemed quite pleased with what he saw. She
instinctively crossed her legs at the ankle.

“I…I don’t know what to say. I
mean, here I am supposed to be covering a story about you…and well, I’m in the
middle of it. I’m just in a bit of shock, I guess.”

Her lips remained parted after
she spoke and the next thing she knew, he leaned over to her, his arm around
her. “I told you not to keep your mouth open,” he said in a low voice.

His dark, sparkling gaze dropped
to Kira’s lips which made her self-consciously bite down on her lower lip. He
had the loveliest eyes she’d ever seen on a man. God, he was stunning to look
at.

Her nose caught the sweet scent
of his delicious cologne and she thought she was going to lose it. He was
appealing in every way. His dark eyes penetrating her. His form, his aura, his
sexual power. She felt overwhelmed by his presence—in a good way.

Before she knew it, he gently traced
the outline of her jaw with his fingers, stroking her chin, sending waves of
desire through her veins. Then he gently brought his lips to hers, sliding into
the moistness between her lips. The heat of expectancy filled her. God, she
wanted him. Right there in the limousine. She’d never felt this way about any
man in her life.

Brushing his lips against her
caused her pulse to race and butterflies to let loose in her stomach. The
hotness of his kiss sent tingles all over her body. He seemed to enjoy sucking
on her lips. The irresistible scent of his maleness drew her in. God, he was
delicious. His lips tasted like fine red wine.

Never in her life had she been
kissed that way.

The atmosphere in the limousine
was charged. She could not believe this. Stuff like that only happened in
romance novels. What did he see in her? Simple, play-it-safe, plain Kira. She
wasn’t a supermodel or a size zero. But he was attracted to her as much as she
was to him. What did she do to deserve this live fantasy of hers? Being swept
away by a charming, powerful billionaire and experiencing the finest treatment?

“Your lips are so beautiful,” he
murmured as he reclaimed her mouth again with his hot tongue.

God, what a kiss! She felt
moisture pool between her thighs and worried about it showing when she got up.

“I want you,” she moaned into his
mouth. She felt his lips curve into a smile. Was she going to make out in a
limousine?

Just then her thoughts were
distracted by her cell phone ringing. She noticed Alessandro glanced down her
legs again then to her purse as she pulled out her cell phone.

“Oh, God!”

“What is it, beautiful?”

“My boss! She probably wants to
know how the story is going?” Kira felt her stomach tumble to the floor of the
limousine. She answered the phone and tried to remain as calm as possible. She
told her boss that she was still on the story (which she was) and she’d get
back to her during the week. Kira wasn’t Alessandro. Thinking on the spot when
life threw you some surprises wasn’t her thing. Neither was avoiding telling
the whole truth.

4.

Two days later, Kira sat down in
the restaurant of the hotel waiting for Alessandro who got up to take an
important business call. By the way the call had sounded, it looked as if he
were talking to his investigators about who was trying to smear his name. He
looked distracted as he excused himself from the table.

It was as if she were living a
different life. A more exciting one. At times, Alessandro was distant and
seemed like he had a lot on his mind with thoughts no doubt on the upcoming
business meeting but she seemed to manage to help him through it.

He did not seem like the
womanizer he was painted to be. Not once had he turned his head to look at
another woman. For starters, he had revealed that he wasn’t even seeing anyone.
But what really caught her attention was the way he treated the hotel staff. He
was quite friendly with them, even the cleaners. In Kira’s books a true man of
class treats everyone with respect regardless of rank or position in society. 

Surprisingly, Kira was filled
with excitement going places with Alessandro. She was married to Alessandro
Romano. Even if it were for a brief time. At least she could say she did
something exciting in her life. She lived! She got married in one of the most
exciting cities in the world! This may be the closest she ever came to getting
married the way her life was going. It was so hard to find Mr. Right, these
days. Or more like, it was so hard to find and keep Mr. Right in your life.

Kira swallowed hard as she
glanced at the menu on the table perusing the entrees. She didn’t want this
whirlwind relationship to end. She couldn’t bare not having Alessandro in her
life. He made her feel special. Important. The way he looked at her, invited
her into his world. The way he treated her like a princess these past couple of
days. She loved the attention. How could something that felt so real and so
good, be over soon? She blinked emphatically as she placed the menu down and
reached over to his side of the table to pick up the print offs from the
internet and the headlines of the various articles.

           
Real Estate Tycoon
Alessandro Romano Ties the Knot in Vegas

            Romano and New Bride
Hope to Open Children’s Hospital

            Tycoon Recently
Slapped With Paternity Suit Marries In Vegas

Kira felt as if she were wide
awake in a dream. Her eyes scanned the beautiful restaurant in the luxury hotel
where they were staying. She was seated in a private candle-lit booth with a
window view of the stunning Vegas Strip lights below. The five-star restaurant
was on the sixty-seventh floor. She was getting a taste of the rich life for
however long it would last.

“Enjoying the view?” Alessandro
reached back to the booth and distracted her daydreaming.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous. But I guess
you’re pretty much used to views like this.”

“I don’t really take much
notice.”

Kira was stunned. “You don’t?”

“Why does that surprise you,
Kira?”

“I don’t know. I just think it’s
so important to stop and smell the roses once in a while.”

“Oh, really?” he mocked her.

“Yes, really.” She cocked a brow.

“Well, are you planning on
changing me during our marriage?”

“Maybe. I mean, we’re in Vegas. I
really want to go to more places and see more sites. I think it would be fun.
You can’t be all work and no play.”

“Too dull for you, is it?”

She grinned. Kira felt good that
she was able to give him something that money couldn’t buy. She wanted to live
it up a little and he really needed to relax for a while. Vegas was the perfect
place to do that.

“Very well. After we give our
proposal tomorrow at the board meeting, I’ll arrange for a few tours. How does
that sound?”

“Awesome!”

“You know a lot about me,” Alessandro
commented after the waiter came with their entrees. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Oh, well, there isn’t much more
than I’ve told you actually.”

“Now, I don’t believe that for a
second.”

“You’re the one with so many
stories. I mean, it’s no secret that you were adopted. Have you ever tried to
contact your…um biological mother?”

“No.”

“No?”

“She obviously didn’t want to be
contacted, so I didn’t bother. The mother who raised me did a great job of it.”

“Aren’t you the least bit
curious? I mean you could have biological brothers and sisters that you don’t
know about.”

“I’m sure they’re getting along
just fine if that’s the case.”

Kira felt a pang of
disappointment for him. Of course, she’d never known what it was like to be
given up for adoption. “I’m sure it was a difficult decision for your mother.
You’re a wonderful person and I’m sure she would be proud of you.”

Alessandro felt something he’d
never felt before speaking with Kira. She was all heart and she struck a chord
within him. She was priceless. He actually felt relaxed around her.

“You’re good for my ego, Kira. I
hope you continue to be the good person you are inside.” Alessandro took his
glass of wine and bought it to his lips before continuing with his dinner. He
couldn’t believe he was going to annul his marriage to her once the deal goes
through—if it did go through.

Most women he’d dated weren’t
really interested in him as a person. They were interested in him as a tycoon,
a wealthy businessman who money was no object at all. Kira seemed to care more
about living life to the fullest, being close with family and doing good things
in the world to help others. She really was something else.

“I think you’re a good man, too,
Alessandro.”

5.

The next day, Kira sat for two
intense hours in the boardroom while Alessandro presented his complete business
plan to the panel.

She felt a deep sense of pride
while she sat there watching him give his proposal of turning the Orlando
property into a world-renowned children’s hospital. It was an ambitious goal
but a solid plan. He’d put a lot of work into it.

He highlighted his plans to open
up the 342-bed facility which would come complete with a 220-seat state-of-the-art
movie theatre to provide an escape for children receiving treatment and their
families who would want to see the latest blockbuster movie without having to
go to a cinema. The theatre would screen the latest movie releases just like
any other cinema—only family-friendly movies.