The Billionaire's Accidental Bride (4 page)

Ignoring her more logical instincts and giving into her more carnal ones, Annaya leaned forward and pulled Jack towards her. She pressed her lips down over his in an urgent, passionate kiss. Immediately, he responded to her advances and he pushed her down on the sofa, kissing her deeply and hungrily.

Annaya's heart began to beat faster and a flush rose up her face from sexual excitement and her attraction to him. She eagerly pulled his face down to hers to kiss him even more deeply. Her hands ran over the broad length of his strong shoulders and she could feel every firm muscle  beneath his shirt.

She was wearing a light pink buttoned blouse and Jack began to pull those buttons open, one at a time, exposing her white lacy bra and the smooth curve of her breasts. One of his hands cupped the lace while his other sunk into her hair and his lips continued to press down over hers, his tongue parting her lips and tasting her.

Her head spun with arousal and the scent of Jack's musky aftershave as he kissed her again. She ripped off his shirt. Beneath the thin material, his body was even more incredible than she'd remembered. He was lean and sculpted and she ran a finger down his washboard stomach. Jack reached around to unhook her bra and let the white lace fall to the ground.

His eyes lit up at the sight of her round breasts freed and he brought his mouth down to suck on one of her dark nipples. Annaya buried her fingers in his smooth hair and bit down on her lip as his tongue flicked over her nipple and made her body tingle and begin to ache with desire. She wanted him desperately.

Jack reached down to unbutton her denim jeans and pulled them from her body, followed by her lacy white panties. When she was completely naked on the sofa, he took a moment to hover above her and drink in the sight.

Her frothy hair fell over her shoulders, her pert breasts heaved as her aroused breaths came fast and heavy and her perfect hourglass figure seemed even more perfect when she reached up to pull him back down to kiss her again.

Jack's hands ran down over her slim navel and then his fingers crept down between her legs. He pushed her thighs apart and his thumb sought out her clitoris. He began to expertly tease her until the pleasure began to make her gasp and grip at the armrest behind her head. He brought her to a powerful orgasm and she cried out loudly. Then Jack pulled off his pants and underpants and while she was still trembling from the orgasm he'd just given her, he thrust deeply into her and made a new wave of pleasure rush over her.

Annaya grasped at his shoulders and moved her hips into his powerful thrusts, gasping and growing breathless as wave after wave of bliss made her grow weak. Finally, Jack gave one final thrust and came inside her. Then he fell down on top of her and kissed her inner neck. Annaya buried her fingers in the hair at the back of his head as the tremors died down and then she felt that sadness return. She wished that Jack didn't have to go.

*****

Jack slept in the guest room that night and Annaya in her own bed. It felt strange to know that he was so close but that they were in separate beds. She wished that they had more of a connection that would make sleeping in the same bed feel more natural, but they both knew that even with a surprise pregnancy, their relationship had still been just about the sex.

Annaya foresaw a lot of heartbreak ahead of her; just because she and Jack had an undeniable and irrepressible chemistry between them that she predicted would see them always blurring the lines between just friends and something more.

Not that she expected a relationship to arise from their bedroom antics, but she could no more imagine them sitting side by side on the sofa as they had done that night and not end up sleeping together.

Of course, the chemistry was there now, but Annaya wondered how she'd feel when her stomach began to swell from the pregnancy and she was waddling around and Jack would undoubtedly gravitate towards the company of other women.

Would she be jealous? Would she be lonely? She didn't want to think about it, so she pulled the covers up over her head, curled up into a ball and thought about the next awkward conversation that they'd undoubtedly be having the next day.

When the morning came, Annaya set about making another coffee and didn't mention the sex they'd had last night, which, like the first night of lovemaking between them, quickly became an event they didn't speak about.

She was relieved when Jack greeted her with a smile and he accepted his coffee without saying anything himself. A silent agreement not to mention the raging sexual attraction between them or what it meant for the future, was made and they both moved onto speaking about other things.

"Will you call me if there's anything you need?" Jack urged her, as he got ready to leave for the airport that day. "You don't have to hesitate to ask."

"I'm fine, Jack. It'll be a while before I need anything. Thank God. I'd have hated to have been huge at Natalie's wedding. The bridesmaid's dress will still fit."

"I'm sure you'll look beautiful."

Annaya gave him a grateful smile, but sighed. "I was looking forward to it, but now I just can't wait to get through it."

"Why?"

"Because weddings are full of people who've got their lives sorted," Annaya told him. "I could have coped with being on my own, but I'm not sure I can face being single and knocked up. I'm just a disaster."

Jack frowned and caught her by the hand. He caught her eye and said firmly, "You're not a disaster, Annaya. In fact, I think you're being very strong in the face of a difficult situation."

"You're kind, Jack, but wrong. Nothing's gone to plan."

"Would it help if I came with you to the wedding?"

Annaya shot him a look of surprise. "What if someone took a photo? Wouldn't that blow your cover?"

"I think I'd be safe over here. I'll come with you, if you like."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes. Didn't I say that if I ever saw you again I'd take you on a real date? This will be it. It's the least I can do, considering."

"That would mean a lot. Thank you."

Annaya felt her heart lift at the prospect of having a date to Natalie's wedding. It was bad enough having to ward off questions about why she was nearly thirty and still single without the secret knowledge that she was also pregnant with an unplanned child.

Plus, it meant that Jack was serious about supporting her. It wasn't a marriage proposal, but it was an offer of more than money. It was a promise to give her moral support and Annaya knew that she'd be in need of that far more than money as the months rolled by.

She was disappointed when it was time for Jack to go. The meeting had been strange, swinging between not knowing what to say to one another and not being able to keep their hands off one another, but with Jack's promise to come with her to Natalie's wedding, Annaya was hopeful that a relationship of more substance could form. Even if she and Jack weren't destined for a great romance, it would be nice to know that they could be friends.

She didn't expect her one-night stand to drop everything to start a relationship with her just because she'd gotten pregnant. But it meant a lot to her to know that she could rely on the father of her child for support when it was needed.

At last, Jack left and Annaya stood at the window for a while after he'd gone, just staring at the spot where his expensive car had been parked. She still wasn't sure how she felt about the man. There was still so much about him that she didn't know. She felt that he was a man that had his priorities all wrong.

She didn't like how he was so concerned with what the public would make of his actions and she wished that the worry of the press wasn't hanging over them. Annaya would much prefer that her unplanned pregnancy was a private scandal and not at risk of becoming a national one. She also wished that Jack's first concern would be her and not his reputation, but she knew that whatever kind of relationship she ended up having with Jack, that it wouldn't be conventional.

He was a billionaire, after all, which was easy to forget when they were eating Chinese out of foil tins in her cramped apartment, but it was true, all the same. There were eyes on him and he had responsibilities that she could never understand.

His values were different from hers and Annaya could tell that it would be a battle to bring him down from his pedestal and make him see her for who she was – not a PR disaster waiting to happen.  She was not an obstacle to his father's fortune, but a human woman, with thoughts and feelings and a baby growing inside her. Annaya finally tore herself away from the window, not sure if she felt any better for having seen Jack. There were still too many things that were uncertain.

Annaya took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. He'd come, hadn't he? He  promised he'd take care of her. Annaya knew that Jack would not leave her wanting for the material things, not when there was the risk that one day the world would ask him to answer for his actions. But she worried that would be all he'd offer her. She thought ahead to Natalie's wedding and it cheered her up a little. It wasn't much, but it was a start: a real date with Jack Casali.

Chapter5

The morning of Natalie's wedding, Annaya was a nervous wreck. She honestly hadn't expected Jack to keep his word and be her date, but she'd just received a call to say that he was on his way to the venue. That made it very hard for Annaya to concentrate on her role as maid of honor.

Her thoughts kept wandering back to her night with Jack at her apartment and the way that they'd ripped each other's clothes off, despite the drama that was unfolding and she wondered what would happen to them on a night where romance was naturally in the air.

Annaya fluffed up the many layers of the skirts on Natalie's wedding dress with an absent smile, but her thoughts came fully back to the present when she stood back at last and looked at Natalie fully dressed for her wedding day.

She was a beautiful bride. The petite woman was wearing a classic fairy-tale wedding dress, pure white, with a skirt that reached halfway across the room and a veil that fell to the floor. Her black hair had been curled into sweet ringlets and her make-up had given her a fresh-faced bridal look. She looked gorgeous and Annaya felt her eyes fill up with tears.

It felt like the end of an era. She and Natalie had been best friends forever. They'd gotten into mischief together at school and helped each get ready for prom. They'd gone to colleges nearby each other and spent those years out on the town, living life to the fullest. They'd travelled together and been there for one another through thick and thin. Annaya had even been there the night that Natalie met the man that she was marrying that day.  Annaya was so happy for Natalie and pleased for her that she'd found somebody who loved her so much, but, at the same time, Annaya felt grieved to be giving away her best friend and left to face the fact that she would be on her own and with a baby on the way.

"Oh Natalie!" she gushed proudly. "You look beautiful."

Natalie was tearful too and swirled in front of the full-length mirror with a happy smile. "I can't believe I'm getting married today."

"He's a lucky man."

Annaya had never been the sort of girl to spend long hours fantasizing over her wedding day and over finding the perfect man. She'd never kept little lists in her notebook of the house she wanted to own and the names of her future children. Natalie had always been the one desperate to settle down and be a wife and mother, while Annaya had always been much more inclined to let her youth last as long as possible and to get the most out of every single moment of being young.

Looking at Natalie now, however, it hit her just how much she
did
want all of those things; marriage, a sweet little house with a picket fence and kids. It also hit her just how royally she'd already screwed up that vision.

It was much  more likely that she'd end up in some budget  apartment on her office assistant's wage, juggling part-time work and a baby, as a single mom, desperately putting up profiles on an online dating site, in the hope that she wouldn't be alone forever. She shook her head to shake herself out of her moroseness. This was Natalie's day and not the time for Annaya to feel sorry for herself and regret her own silly decisions.

She and the other bridesmaids finished helping Natalie get ready and then Annaya left the room while the photographer came to take photos of the bride with her parents. Annaya took a moment to creep away behind the church and let a couple of tears fall as she thought about her own future. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and was shocked when she looked up to see Jack Casali standing there. She quickly wiped her eyes, forced a smile and lifted her gaze to look at him.

He looked incredible in his wedding suit. His dark hair was combed neatly back and he was clean-shaven for the occasion. Looking around at all the other men in their suits and ties, Annaya could honestly say that he was hands-down the most attractive man there and every time she looked at him, she got butterflies.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just... weddings, you know? Natalie looks beautiful."

"So do you."

The bridesmaids were wearing floor-length pink gowns and Annaya's body, in particular, was flattered by the cut. The light material draped over her slim waist and emphasized the curves of her chest in a way that made her look like a Greek goddess. Her frothy hair had been pinned back in places to frame her face and her big, dark eyes had been left natural, apart from a quick lick of mascara that gave her lashes an alluring appearance. She blinked back the last of her tears and lifted herself on her tiptoes to greet Jack with a kiss on the cheek.

"I didn't think you'd come."

"I said I would."

"We should join the others."

Annaya was surprised when Jack held out his hand to her to lead her back towards the crowd. She slipped her hand into his and immediately felt stronger. Jack had such a presence about him, an authority, a
power
, that it made her feel more able to face the world just by being close to him. He'd made her feel like a mistake several times since their night together in Vegas, but him being here meant a lot to her.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked her. "Is everything going OK with the... you know?"

"The pregnancy? It's still early days yet, Jack. I'm only eight weeks along. The first scan will be at twelve weeks."

"Do you want me to be there?"

Annaya gave him a grateful smile, but shook her head. "You don't have to do that, Jack."

"Do what?"

"Pretend."

"I know all of this has been a surprise, but I'm not a monster, Annaya. I don't expect you to do all those big things on your own. I said I'd support you, and I will."

"Won't people get suspicious if you keep jetting off to California every other week?"

"I'm doing what I can to cover my tracks. I've begun talks to buy some land in California to build a casino. That will explain my presence here."

Annaya felt disappointed again. She didn't like the way he was treating her, like some dirty secret. What did he think would happen when she'd had the baby? Would he hide her behind a big pair of sunglasses and dress her in some oversized poncho to keep her identity hidden?

"What will you tell people when the baby is born?"

"People won't know."

"What about your parents?"

Jack let out a tense sigh. "I'll handle that hurdle when it comes to it."

"I'm sure they'll want to meet their grandchild."

"I suppose you're right. It's just, the way things are... the timing will have to be right before I tell them anything."

"I know the night in Vegas was a mistake, but all of this secrecy seems a bit extreme, Jack. People make mistakes."

They began to file into church with the others and milled around the edges of the pews for a while as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Annaya noticed how the eyes of the other bridesmaids kept drifting over to Jack with interest. His evident wealth and incredible good-looks had become a talking point for the guests and even from their spot slightly removed from the crowds, Annaya could make out snippets of conversation from people trying to guess who he was.

"And you?" Jack said suddenly. "Have you told anyone?"

"My parents know I'm pregnant, but they don't know who the father is."

"I'm sorry for that."

"I hope you change your mind at some point. I imagine they think I'm not telling them who the father is because I don't know myself. It's not nice to have your parents think you've been sleeping around."

"You're right. I'm sorry, Annaya, but I appreciate what you're doing for me. A story like this getting out could ruin me and be bad news for my father, too."

"I think you're blowing it out of proportion. I mean, would anyone really care?"

"The public loves a scandal."

Annaya decided not to press the issue any further. It seemed to make Jack uncomfortable and it made her angry, so she decided to focus instead on the day ahead of them and trying to enjoy it as much as possible despite everything that was happening.

The vicar entered the church and Annaya had to leave Jack to take a seat while she headed to the front of the church to stand in place as Natalie's maid of honor. Thoughts of Jack and the pregnancy faded away as the music began to play and Natalie appeared through the doorways at the end of the aisle. She looked stunning in her dress and seemed to glide down the aisle with her father on her arm. She was absolutely beaming and Annaya was smiling, too. There wasn't a dry eye in the church as she exchanged her vows with John and when the vicar finally announced, "You may now kiss the bride,” the crowd erupted into applause.

Everyone was focusing on the bride and groom, yet, when Annaya lifted her eyes to the spectators, she saw that Jack's eyes were focused only on her. She smiled at him and he smiled back and in that short instance, she let herself believe that everything would be alright.

*****

The second Jack had seen her in her pink dress, he'd been hit all over again with that crazy attraction to her. There was just something about Annaya, something he couldn't quite place, which drove him mad. It must have been what the romantics out there called “chemistry” and it seemed a good way to describe it, as Jack felt like he had no control over the way his heart fluttered every time he looked at her.

Jack was not a romantic and he certainly wasn't the soppy, overly-emotional type, but around Annaya, a different side of him seemed to emerge, a side that was protective and tender and it made him do crazy things, like take a flight out to California to be a wedding date for a one-night stand.

He thought back to all the women he'd known in his time. There had been Tracy when he'd been in his early twenties. She'd probably been the closest thing he'd ever had to a childhood sweetheart. They'd known each other since their school years, when their parents had bonded over their rare car collections. They found themselves thrown together at various upscale events and then ended up in the same high school in their teens.

They'd bumped into each other again when Jack had been twenty-one and they'd dated for a few years. It had been fun at the time, but Jack had soon came  to feel bored in the relationship, like he was dating his sister instead of someone that he had a romantic interest in, and it had ended.

Then there had been Hannah when he'd been twenty-five. She'd been a wild card. He'd met her at around that time when Jack had been taking the fullest advantage of his father's credit card and was at his most rebellious. That had ended because their whole relationship had revolved around alcohol and being seen by the press. She'd been trouble and he'd been dating her because he'd like projecting the image of a “bad boy.”

After he'd matured a little, he dated a woman named Susan for a while, but their routine soon became too predictable and he was bored again. There was a certain cycle to Jack's relationships. He'd always date a woman for the wrong reasons and then grow bored.

Things felt different with Annaya. He couldn't believe that he'd ever grow bored with her. She was enchanting. Watching the way the future mother of his child's eyes brimmed with tears at the sight of her friend in a wedding dress, made Jack feel guilty that their own relationship had been less than the fairytale romance.

He was aware that his insistence on secrecy was probably not particularly appealing to her, but Jack's experience with women had left him wary of introducing them to the public eye. Hannah, whom he'd dated when he was drinking too much and getting into trouble, had relished the limelight and it had turned her into a clingy, demanding monster and Jack remembered how difficult it had been to break away from her when she'd had the press as her weapon.

It was bad enough breaking up with her when the world was watching, so Jack could only imagine what kind of a difficult position he'd end up in if a pregnant woman began to manipulate the press.

Jack knew all too well that journalists loved nothing more than to vilify a big name and he didn't want to expose himself to their stories. That was why he wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret and protect himself from a journalistic backlash, but he did feel guilty at how his decision was affecting Annaya.

He respected the woman. He wasn't ready for kids himself and a surprise baby certainly hadn't been something he'd anticipated, but he admired how Annaya had stepped up to the mark without a fuss and without any demand for a payout.

That already put her head and shoulders above most of the other women he'd ever been with and that was before he'd even taken into account her beauty and all the other qualities he was sure he had left to discover.

When the ceremony finished, Jack stood at a distance as Annaya was pulled away to take photographs as part of the bridal party. She was easily the most beautiful woman in the group and he could hardly tear his eyes away from her and her dazzling smile. She was simply stunning.

Finally, the photos had all been taken and Annaya returned to him. He held out his arm to her and they began to walk to the waiting cars to head to the reception, which was being held at a luxurious hotel.

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Jack said.

"It was, wasn't it?"

"Did you ever want to get married?"