Stormy Passion (26 page)

Coffee's attorney approached. “You're telling
me Miss K--Massimino, that you didn't use any of the material that
you developed at Coffee Advertising?”

“
That's right.”

“
Come now. Advertising must
be very easy if you can just whip up new drawings? So good, I might
add, that you can land a big account on the first try.”

“
I am good. What can I
say?” Dani realized she sounded flippant. “It isn't easy to plan an
advertising proposal, but I had plenty of time to think up
something new since I wasn't working at full capacity at
first.”

“
So why did you take the
original drawings?”

“
They were mine and
unfinished.”

“
No, Mrs. Massimino. They
were the property of your employer.” The lawyer stood a moment
rubbing his chin as he thought. “You mean to tell me that you
didn't purposely go after the account just to get even with Mr.
Coffee because his son jilted you?”

“
I'm the one who broke up
with Steven. Revenge wasn't on my mind.”

“
Well, Mrs. Massimino, I
find that hard to believe.” The lawyer turned and walked
away.

“
Truth is always harder to
believe than fiction,” Dani said, then watched the judge frown,
gavel in hand.

“
You may step down, Mrs.
Massimino. Recess for fifteen minutes.”

Dani walked out into the lobby to the first
restroom. She never knew a woman could pee so much. After she
washed her hands she realized she was trembling. Dani guessed she
had plenty of reason – it wasn’t everyday she was on trial and it
wasn’t everyday she found out her husband wasn’t who she
thought.

Dani walked back out into the lobby where
Adrian stood waiting for her.

“
Why didn't you tell
me?”

“
I have reasons, but this
isn't the place to discuss them.”

“
Well, I hope you've
enjoyed laughing at me behind my back!”

Adrian grabbed both arms. It wasn't like
that. I never laughed at you, Dani.”

“
I'm not sure I can believe
anything you tell me anymore.”

Kevin joined them. “It's good to see you
again.” Kevin shook Adrian's hand. “Keep your fingers crossed. It's
time to go back.”

Minutes ticked away before the judge finally
spoke. “This case is a little unusual. Kapur Associates went after
the same account as Coffee Advertising, but with a different set of
drawings. On the other hand, Coffee Advertising had plenty of time
to make new drawings and win the account. But Kapur Associates
first learned of the account while she was working for Coffee
Advertising. Therefore, I do think that Coffee Advertising is due
compensation. I fine, Kapur Associates one half of said income from
the Mass account.

“
Case closed!” The gavel
hit the desk.

Dani really didn't think it was fair, but she
thankfully kept her mouth shut.

“
Sorry, Dani,” Kevin said
while he stuffed the papers back in his briefcase. “Anything's
better than the half a million they wanted.”

“
I guess so.”

“
Why didn't you tell me you
were married to the head of the company?” Kevin asked.

“
Because I didn't know
until a few minutes ago.”

“
You're
kidding.”

She turned and saw Adrian say something to
Mr. Coffee, whose face then turned bright red. When she reached her
husband she couldn't help asking, “What did you say to him?”

“
I simply told him it
wouldn't be worth his time to seek any of my business in the
future.”

“
Thank you, Adrian, but I
can fight my own battles.”

“
I can help,
too.”

She stared at him for a long moment,
realizing she really didn't know the real Adrian Massimino, only
someone she had dreamed up in her mind. Or, maybe, she made him
into the person she wanted him to be. She sighed. “Let's go home,”
Dani said, then bent and grabbed her side.

“
What's wrong?” Adrian
reached out for her.

“
Nothing. The baby just
moved the wrong way.”

Adrian put his arm around her and they left
the courthouse. Drained of all emotion, Dani didn't have the energy
to protest.

She thought about Adrian all the way home. He
was rich. Not just rich, he was very rich. Steven had been rich,
and he turned out to be a very sorry person. Would Adrian be the
same way?

Yet, Adrian didn't act like Steven. Still, he
hadn't been truthful with her, either. And she was getting pretty
steamed about the subject. The more she thought about it, the
madder she got.

By the time they reached the apartment, her
temper had reached the boiling point, and she started in on him as
soon as the door shut.

“
Why did you let me make an
ass out of myself? Why didn't you tell me?”

“
Because I didn't want you
to look at me with dollar signs in your eyes.”

“
You sure have a lot of
faith in me,” Dani shot back, the bitterness evident. Now, I get
why you suggested the prenuptial agreement.” She turned and went
into the kitchen.

“
What a minute.” He
followed. “The prenuptial was your idea. I think you had your trust
fund in mind.”

“
How did you know about
that?” She cut her eyes at him while pouring herself a glass of
water.

“
Rest assured it wasn't
from you, sweetheart. You never bothered to mention that little
fact to me, either. Maybe, I'm the one that should feel
used.”

“
It wasn't like that.” She
slammed the plastic cup on the counter and some of the liquid
splashed out. “Getting married just solved that problem, but you're
changing the subject. The subject was you.”

“
Dani, if you knew how many
bad affairs I'd had--not to mention a bad marriage.” He ran a hand
through his hair. “All the problems, every one of them, seemed to
be because of my money. Money makes people do funny things. Some
people will do anything to get it.”

“
I don't want your money.
And I'm not like the other women.”

He leaned back against the counter and gazed
at her, trying to telegraph his longing to her. “I know that now.
But you did use me for money, didn't you?”

She wanted to deny what he said, but she
couldn't. “Well, yes, in a way. Why didn't you trust me
before?”

“
I guess my ex-wife left
scars that ran deeper than even I imagined.”

“
Yet, you married me.
Why?”

“
Because of the baby.”
Adrian regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth,
realizing how it sounded.

A look of hurt entered Dani's eyes, then she
softly said. “I'm tired, Adrian. I'm going to bed.”

Feeling the gap between them widening, he
watched her walk away from him. He knew he should do or say
something, but maybe if he just gave her a few days she'd come
around. Maybe.

Chapter
Sixteen

Adrian had been wrong not to talk everything
out that first night. now Dani had withdrawn from him and the gap
between them seemed to grow bigger every day.

An icy silence stood like a brick wall
between them. The only time Dani let the wall down was when they
slept. No matter how far across the bed she started out, by morning
she was in his arms, snuggled next to him.

They had polite conversations at dinner, but
Adrian could do nothing to get the dull look out of her eyes. And
she refused to talk about his business. It was as if she resented
his wealth. That, he had to admit, was a definite switch. Their
conversations now consisted entirely of the baby. It seemed to him,
Dani had convinced herself that the only reason he stayed was
because of the baby.

That might have been true once, but not now.
Thought over the last few years Adrian hadn’t been able to keep his
mind on one woman, but Dani had changed all that.

She had changed his entire way of thinking
about everything. In fact, she seemed to be the
only
thing
he did think about.

Finally, Adrian came upon an idea which he
thought would bring his wife out of her shell. He brought the
subject up at dinner.

“
I spoke with your doctor
today.”

“
Why?”

“
The finishing touches have
been made on the beach house, and I thought you might like to fly
with me to Sea Horse Island to see what they've done. I know Angus
and Nettie would like to see you. I called them
yesterday.”

Dani's face automatically brightened. “Yes, I
would.”

“
Good. The doctor said that
since we'll be flying on my private jet, he didn't think it would
hurt the baby. It will only be a short trip.”

Dani slid back from the table. “When do we
leave?”

“
First thing tomorrow
morning. You'd better pack a few things tonight.”

Dani wasted no time following up on his
suggestion. She couldn't have been happier getting away from the
apartment and the four walls that seemed to be closing in on her.
She had been so depressed these last few weeks all she wanted to do
was sit and cry. Pathetic.

She knew she wasn't being fair to Adrian, but
he hadn't exactly been fair with her either. She was at a loss to
fix what was wrong between them. Perhaps, she was just plan afraid.
She loved Adrian, but she didn't want to fall into the same trap
twice. With Steven, she'd been so short-sighted that she'd let the
man walk all over her. And, she never wanted that again.

She wanted to be an equal partner in her
marriage. How could she feel equal with a millionaire? She wasn't
really punishing him or at least she didn’t think she was--more
like she was protecting herself.

At night bad dreams would wake her. Terrible
dreams of Adrian walking out and leaving her with the baby to raise
all alone. Panic would overwhelm her so much that she'd have to sit
up and wait for her heart to stop racing. Then, despite how she
felt, she'd snuggle next to her husband, and that empty feeling
would go away. Until the next night when it would start all over
again.

Dani knew her lack of sleep and growing panic
was making her irritable, and she wouldn't blame Adrian if he ran
out the door and never looked back. She wanted to stop her roller
coaster of emotions but seemed helpless to do so. Her hormones
didn’t exactly help keep her on an even keel, either.

She pulled out a small overnight bag. Maybe a
change of scenery would help them both.

It certainly couldn't hurt.

As the cab drove them right up to a sleek
Boeing, business jet on the tarmac, Dani couldn’t help admiring the
gleaming white and silver aircraft that was large enough to seat
twenty. Adrian paid the cab driver, then escorted her up the short
flight of steps.

“
Watch your step,” he
cautioned.

“
This plane is
yours?”

“
Yes, it is. I've had to
travel so much in the past, the jet seemed practical.”

“
So this is how you managed
to get to my parents’ place so quickly?”

“
That's right.”

Dani sat down in the plush, royal blue seat
Adrian guided her to. Unlike the uncomfortable airline seats she
was accustomed to, these seats were roomy and soft. She and Adrian
faced each other much like they would in a cozy living room instead
of sitting side by side.

A hostess appeared with a bright smile. Would
you like the usual, Mr. Massimino?”

“
Yes. And bring my wife
some--.” He looked at Dani.

“
Ginger ale,” she supplied,
liking the way Adrian had referred to her as his wife. It was the
first time she’d actually heard him say it.

After the hostess had brought them their
drinks, she left them alone and the plane taxied down the
runway.

“
I think it's time we
talked, Dani,” Adrian said, and Dani's heart fluttered as her
stomach tightened. Just like in her dreams, panic set
in.

“
I'm sorry I didn’t tell
you the complete truth,” Adrian went on. “If you remember, you were
the one who jumped to conclusions. You thought from the start that
I was a beach bum. And I thought I’d never see you
again.”

Dani took a deep breath, preparing herself
for the worst. “You could have corrected me.”

“
As I recall, when I talked
about the house, you still didn't believe me.”

“
Well.” Dani tried to
swallow the lump in her throat. “I thought you were house sitting
or maybe a contractor or something.”

Adrian's eyes glinted with amusement. “I
think you enjoyed believing the worst of me.”

Dani felt her face grow pale as all the blood
rushed to her sinking stomach. Oh God, here it came. He was going
to leave her. She hadn't been very nice to him during that
time--that much she remembered. “You could have told me later.”

“
Yes, I could have. But
later, I felt there was something special between us, and I wanted
to find out if I was wrong. You see, my first wife seemed picture
perfect when I met her. Much like you, at first. I fell head over
heels for her. It wasn't until we were married that I began to
realize everything about the woman was an act.

“
One night I got drunk and
turned to the woman you met when we were in New York. I knew it was
a mistake the next morning, but that didn't stop me from going back
time and again.