The Billionaire's Accidental Bride (5 page)

"You make it sound like that option's closed off to me now."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, I did want to get married. I guess I just always thought I had all the time in the world to meet ‘the one’ and settle down. The timeline's been thrown off a bit now, though. I hope you're not mad at me for keeping it."

"Of course not. It's your decision."

"Did you plan on having kids?"

"I don't know. One day, maybe. Like you, I thought I had all the time in the world to think of things like that. Right now, I guess I'd say I don't really consider myself father material."

"No? Why not?"

"It's a lot of responsibility taking care of a kid."

"You think you wouldn't be able to step up? Well, if it's any consolation, you've done alright stepping up so far and for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here."

No, being a father was not something that had ever really crossed Jack's mind. He'd been far too preoccupied with living the high life and trying to live up to his father's expectations. The thought of a little Jack Casali running around was one that made him worry – any kid of his would be a little hell raiser!

He looked over at Annaya and smiled with amusement. She was just the same, a little wild. Yes, they certainly had their work cut out for them. He slipped his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze and she shot him one of her grateful little glances and a relieved smile.

He couldn't believe that it was only eight weeks ago that they'd first met and that it had all begun with a drunken night gone too far. Now, the shape of his whole world had changed and whatever happened, he and Annaya were bound together now by the life that was growing inside of her. Yet, whenever he looked at that beautiful smile and her big, dark eyes, the thought didn't seem quite so bad.

*****

Jack and Annaya sat next to each other at the reception when they were dining and it meant that they were finally able to speak properly. It was strange that the awkwardness between them still prevailed after everything, but Annaya was desperate to get to know him and be done with the formality. She was having his baby. God knew she was going to know something about the father.

"Tell me about you, Jack. Even after everything, I feel like we're still strangers."

"What do you want to know?"

"Surprise me."

"Alright. Well, I was born and raised in Vegas, but I studied business at Harvard."

Annaya laughed out loud and then laid an apologetic hand on his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I just can't imagine you at Harvard.  You don't seem the type."

"I know, I know," Jack chuckled, "but I suppose I'm actually rather academic. I must have got that from my father. I didn't want to go to college, but he insisted. I did very well, got my degree and then went back to doing what I do best – enjoying life. What about you?"

"Did I study? Yes, I did. I studied Business, too."

"You're joking?"

"No, I really did. I wanted to start my own internet company, but I had to get a job to pay my way and then I just never really got around to making it happen."

"What kind of business would it have been?"

"Business consultancy."

"Wow. So you're smart."

"Just not as ditzy as I seem. Like you, I let my spontaneity take over sometimes."

They smiled at each other. It was something of a revelation to each learn that the other was educated. The way that they had met made each naturally assume that the other was too wild to have ever spent long nights in the library, but they were finding that they both had a lot to learn about each other and more in common than either had realized.

"It must have been strange growing up in such a wealthy family," Annaya commented. "I can't imagine having everything I ever wanted."

"It had its perks," Jack admitted, "but when you're born into a successful family there's a lot of expectations on you. And you? What is your family like?"

"Normal," Annaya laughed. "My mother is a nurse. My father is a car salesman. I have a younger sister. She's married with two kids."

"That must be tough."

"Why? Because all women are meant to be married with kids by twenty-five?"

"That's what all the women I've dated have made it seem like."

"Have you ever been tempted to propose to any of them?"

Jack pulled a face. "I can't imagine being with one woman for the rest of my life. All the women I've dated have changed over time into people I don't like or worse, stayed exactly the same and then I get bored."

"So you need a woman that surprises you?"

"That's right. A smart, sexy woman who's not afraid of a few surprises herself."

Annaya realized that she'd begun to lean in closer to him and that she was running her finger around the rim of her glass of water in a way that could be described as suggestive. She quickly drew back from him with an embarrassed smile. She couldn't explain the effect that Jack Casali had on her. Somehow he just made her into this little minx.

Granted, she was known as a bit of a flirt and when she saw a man she was attracted to, Annaya had never been afraid to make the first move, but with Jack it was more than that. He made her so very aware that she was a woman and he was a man and all she wanted to do every time she looked at him was sink into another one of his kisses. She wondered how damaging that magnetism would be when a kid was involved and they had more important things to think about than her place or his.

"There'll be far fewer surprises soon," she said quickly, getting what was on her mind out of her mouth and turning away from him to distract herself from the smooth gaze of his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, once there's a kid, life finds a routine, doesn't it? It'll start off with nap schedules and feeding times and then it'll turn into the school run and a homework timetable. It will be eighteen years of predictable."

Jack smiled at her in a way that was almost fond. "I can't imagine that you'll ever be predictable."

"I'll be a mom."

"I'll be a dad."

Annaya let out a light little laugh. "Well, I know that you'll never be predictable."

"There you go. Things will just be a little different."

"Do you think you'll be there in his or her life? Our son's or daughter's?"

"I hope to be. I hardly ever saw my dad growing up. I was always with a member of staff. He was always at work. I always told myself that if I ever had kids, I'd be involved in their life."

"The distance will make it difficult."

"We'll figure it out. You could come to Vegas."

"Vegas?" Annaya let out a little laugh. "I don't want to raise a kid in Vegas. He'll grow up to be a gambler who hangs out in strip clubs."

Jack laughed at her assumption and raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Now, I didn't turn out so bad, did I?"

Annaya realized her stereotypes covered him and she laughed herself. "No. I suppose not."

*****

The first dance was a magical moment between bride and groom. Natalie's eyes were shining with love for her new husband and Daniel was looking down at her with beg, tender eyes and his arms about her waist.

A love song came on and they began to sway in the middle of the dance floor as everyone let out little “awws.”  Annaya watched them with a little twinge of sadness and tried not to look too upset when all of the other couples began to get up and join them on the dance floor.

Suddenly, Jack stood up from his chair and held out his hand to her. "Will you dance with me?"

Annaya was left momentarily speechless by how sweet she found his gesture. After all, who was she to him except for some woman he'd slept with a couple of times and made his life more difficult? Yet, here he was, reaching out to her and making sure she didn't feel alone on a night meant for lovers. She took hold of his hand and followed him in a kind of trance to the dance floor.

Once there, he threaded his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Annaya felt that attraction to him coursing through her veins once again and she was left breathless by how amazing it felt to be in his arms, moving in little circles to the sound of a sweet melody.

She began by dancing with a little space between them, but as the music played on, she let her head rest against his chest and he didn't step back. Rather, he rested his chin against her head and they swayed together closely. It was a bittersweet moment.

It meant the world to Annaya that he'd stopped her being alone tonight and was having a moment of closeness with her like this, but it also broke her heart that in the morning he'd be flying back out to Vegas and all the reality of what was really happening would come crashing back down onto her shoulders. She had to tell herself that this wasn't romance. This was just the calm before the storm.

*****

Dancing with Annaya brought back all those calm and tender feelings that Jack had never felt before. Annaya had such grace and when she laid her head against his chest, it had made Jack feel such a surge of affection; something different from lust or sexual desire, something much sweeter. It made him slightly morose to think of what could have been in different circumstances, but unfortunately his status would not allow him to welcome a one-night stand into his life. His father would go berserk if he were to introduce her to him under these circumstances and  she lived in California and wanted to stay there for the baby.

Besides
, Jack had to tell himself, that
the way he felt around Annaya was not a growing love or anything special, it was just the way any man would feel to be close to someone carrying his child. It was an appreciation for a beautiful woman.

The wedding would have been a joyous affair if Jack and Annaya hadn't both had other things on their mind, but they had moments of laughter amongst the worry. It had been nice to talk to Annaya over dinner and learn a little more about her upbringing and family and the dance they'd shared had been a few minutes of solace that Jack was sure he'd never forget. Now the night was over and they were left with the same decision that they'd been left with before. Take it to the bedroom, or walk away.

"I'm staying in the hotel tonight," Jack informed her, as they stood in the lobby of the grand reception as the guests filed out. He looked meaningfully up towards the spiral staircase leading up towards the room. "Would you like to talk a little longer?"

"Alright."

Jack knew the second she agreed that they would doubtlessly find themselves in each other's arms again and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Annaya was beautiful, her body was incredible and that one night they'd made love when they hadn't both been drunk out of their minds had been unforgettable, but he was worrying that this would turn into a habit that would create problems down the line. Yet, even though he knew there were reasons to be cautious, he couldn't stop himself from taking hold of Annaya's hand and leading her into his room.

Once they were in the hotel suite, his jacket came off immediately and he pressed his lips down over hers. At first, Annaya returned his kiss eagerly, but then he felt her hands pressing against his chest to push him away and she stepped back with slightly tearful eyes and brushed back her hair from her face with a weary hand.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I shouldn't have come up here. This was a mistake."

"No, don't be sorry," Jack conceded, respectfully taking a step away from her and sitting slightly dejected on the edge of his bed. "You're right. This would be a mistake."

Tentatively, Annaya came to sit at his side on the bed and she bit down on her lip nervously, shooting him sideways glances and her fingers fiddled with the seams on the bedcovers. Eventually she sighed and tried to explain herself.

"We're going to be in each other's lives from now on and I don't know how that's going to turn out. I don't know if I'm going to see you once a month or once a year. I don't know if we'll end up really good friends or hardly more than we are now. The one thing I do know is that I'm not looking for someone to screw every time he's in town, only to be on my own again as soon as he takes off the next day. I need more security in my life than that."

Jack put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. You're right. There's chemistry between us, for sure, but we can't let it take over. There's too much at stake for that."

"Are you thinking of the press again?" Annaya asked, with a slightly judging tone to her voice.

Jack half-laughed at her cynicism and shook his head. "More than that, Annaya. We're going to have a kid."

He fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling as though the sudden realization had overwhelmed him. Annaya followed suit and also fell onto her back at his side to stare up at the white plaster and let reality sink in.

"We're going to have a kid," she repeated.

There was a moment's silence between them as all that chemistry which had been fizzing between them came to a standstill and they lay side by side as the future mother and father of their unborn child. Then Jack turned his head towards her and smiled. She smiled back and slipped her hand into his and they lay for while just like that, side by side and saying nothing, as if waiting for an easy answer, which never came.