The Billionaire's Forbidden Desire (34 page)

Ceinlys almost fell. Her vision dimmed for a moment, and she fought for air, unable to understand what he was saying. Two hundred million dollars? That was more than she ever wanted from him.

“That will ensure you’ll never have to do anything for money again. Life is short, Ceinlys. Especially for us at this point. Go do the things you really want to do.”

“I don’t understand.”

He looked away. “I know you married me for money, while I married you for love. I just wish I’d had the courage to leave as soon as I found out. Then we could’ve saved each other a lot of misery. And I would’ve never said those horrible things to Dane.” His mouth twisted. “Poor impulse control. Always has been a problem.”

“But what made you think that I married you for money?” She took a step forward. “Your money was never a consideration. I would’ve married you even if you had nothing.”

His jaw tightened. “Let’s not. You and I both know what happened.”

“I most certainly do not. I’ve never done anything to make you think that I married you for money. I want to know why you thought that. I deserve that much!”

Salazar’s cheeks turned dull red. “I heard you talking to Olivia. You were telling her you married me for money. I believe the exact quote was ‘Money, of course, why else.’”

She shook. She remembered that moment. Her friend Olivia Fairchild had been nagging at her, mocking her for her sentimentality. And finally Ceinlys had gotten fed up and said that she’d married for money just to shut Olivia up. She’d always flaunted her old southern roots and made Ceinlys feel inferior about everything. But she’d had no idea Salazar had been listening to the phone conversation. “We wasted our lives over that?”

“What did you expect me to do? I wasn’t going to confront you. I had my pride.”

Of course. Salazar was a proud man. He would’ve never questioned her about what he’d heard because it would’ve made him appear weak and needy.

You should never have lied
,
not over something as pointless as Olivia’s taunts
.

“I hope you’re happy with whatever you decide to do in the future,” Salazar said. “We both deserve to be happy.”

He pushed himself away from the bed. Ceinlys raised a hand, but it was shaking so hard she dropped her purse. He picked it up and handed it to her. When she didn’t take it, he put it on the bed and started to walk away. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to, and she couldn’t speak even if she wanted to, not through the big lump lodged in her throat. Tears blurred her vision.

And she couldn’t see Salazar anymore.

Vanessa delivered a healthy baby boy after six hours of labor. Dane knew his sister was tough, but this was beyond his expectations. And he wasn’t alone in his admiration. All the siblings, their significant others, several of the cousins and both sets of parents looked at her with pride and happiness. Then there was Barron, who puffed out his chest like he was single-handedly responsible for the baby.

Her sweaty hair stuck to her face, and her gown was wet as well. But he’d never seen her more beautiful or radiant. She held the infant boy carefully to her chest. Then, finally, she let Justin hold their baby as well.

In Dane’s peripheral vision was Sophia. Tears glistened in her eyes, her hands over her mouth.

He put an arm around her waist. “What is it?” he murmured.

“The baby. He’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen anything so perfect before.”

“I take it you’ve never looked in a mirror. But yes, he’s pretty close.”

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, and he knew he’d said the right thing.

What would it be like for him and Sophia to have a child together?

He blinked at the thought, almost gasping at how suddenly it hit him. He’d never wanted a child. Experience had shown him that children were simply pawns in their parents’ games, and beyond that, he’d just never understood the point.

Still, the idea wouldn’t leave his mind. It drew a picture of Sophia with their baby. It would be red. All newborns were red, and they wailed in their thin reedy voices. But even in that state, the baby would look just like Sophia. Dane wanted it to inherit all her sweet temperament. He was too much of a bastard to give anything worthwhile to their child.

A fiery need surged through him, and he shifted slightly, making sure his sudden tumescence was hidden. Damn it, he felt like a perv. What the hell was he doing, thinking about impregnating Sophia and getting a hard-on while surrounded by the family to celebrate the birth of his nephew?

And there was always the monstrous, overhanging shadow of their relationship: Sophia didn’t know the whole truth. She’d undoubtedly hate him if she learned what he’d done to her.

A baby could strengthen the bond between the two of you
, an insidious voice whispered.

The more likely scenario—Sophia would leave him, ripping out his heart in the process, and take the baby too. It was that fear which had paralyzed him every time he thought about the future.

“You live too far away,” Barron said, shifting another vase of flowers. Somehow the news had gotten out, and congratulatory gifts had been arriving steadily for the past few hours. “I’d like to spend at least a month with you, but Kerri’s probably going to have her baby soon.” Kerri was his granddaughter.

“You can come back anytime you want. It’s not like you can’t fly back and forth.” Justin’s tone was anything but sympathetic.

Vanessa licked her lips. “I’m thirsty. Is there any more water?”

“Hmm… Looks like we’re out,” Mark said.

“I’ll get some,” Sophia said. “Be right back.”

“I’ll go with you,” Dane offered.

“I can carry a couple bottles of water. You stay here with Vanessa.” She squeezed his hand and slipped out quietly.

It was all Dane could do to not go after her. He didn’t want her out of his sight. He couldn’t help but think that if she did, he would lose her forever. Guilt and foreboding gnawed at him, from a place deep in his gut.

He’d always thought lies hurt the people who were lied to. He’d never realized until now how they could hurt the ones who’d lied themselves.

* * *

Sophia walked toward the vending machines at the end of the hall, her step light. Maybe this was why people called it the miracle of birth. The baby was so gorgeous. And the way Dane had looked at his nephew… Her heart pounded. She’d seen the sudden longing on his face, and she knew he wanted one too.

As the vending machine dropped the bottles of water, she fantasized briefly about the kind of child she and Dane could have together. Maybe the child would have Dane’s determination, and his big generous heart, and maybe her artistic expressiveness…

She grabbed the water and headed back toward Vanessa’s room, shaking her head at her own silliness. They might be living together at the moment, but they hadn’t discussed anything concrete about their future. Talk about putting the cart before the hor—

She bumped into someone as she turned the corner. “Sorry.” She glanced at the man’s face and felt a surge of horror run up her spine.

George
.

He seemed to have recovered from getting his head bashed with a lamp. His gaze was sharp, his complexion healthy. He wore a dark suit; a burgundy tie with golden diamond accents looked like a streak of old blood on his white shirt. There was a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums in his hand.

She’d gone over a lot of scenarios involving what she’d do if she ever ran into him, but having it happen in a hospital after Vanessa had just delivered a baby boy wasn’t one. Her brain seemed to turn into thick slush; everything went into slow motion.

“Hello, Sophia.” His whisper crawled over her skin like a spider. He glanced around, then gripped her wrist hard enough to grind the bones together.

She dropped the bottles as her fingers went slack from the pain. She scratched his hand, but it only pissed him off. “Bitch!” he hissed and shook her.

Before she could draw in a breath to scream, he yanked her into a dark, empty patient room. He threw the flowers on the bed and shoved her toward it. She stumbled and crashed against the frame, her hip hurting from the impact.

Immediately he was upon her. He twisted her around so she was jack-knifed over the edge of the bed, face pressed down in the yellow blossoms. He pulled her arms behind her, his big hand crushed her small wrists together. His body trapped hers, and the smell of the flowers was suddenly overwhelming.

He dug his free hand into her hair, pulling at it painfully. “If you make a sound, I’ll shove your face into the mattress until you suffocate,” he spat. “I’m not making the same mistake twice.”

A shudder ran through her, and she bit her lower lip, determined to master herself. Showing weakness would only embolden someone like him.

“Let me go,” she said in a low voice. “You know I’m not going to say anything.”

“I do?”

“For Libby’s sake.”

He leaned until his chest was flat against her back. “I’m doing this for her sake too,” he whispered.

Nausea swept through Sophia as his breath brushed against her ear. The smell of old coffee and doughnuts mingled with the chrysanthemums.

He rocked against her butt, and she quailed. She could feel the swollen hardness against…

God. He was going to rape her right here in the hospital. And if he pushed her face into the mattress like he’d threatened, nobody would hear anything.

Distract him
.
Make him talk
.

“How is this for Libby?” Sophia said.

“She would’ve wanted me to take care of you. Just like I took care of her.”

“You…had sex with Libby?”

“Of course not, you sick fuck. She’s my
sister
.” The disgust in his voice was palpable. “But you’re not my sister, now are you?”

“At least be honest. There’s no ‘taking care’ of anyone here. You just want sex. No, you want to rape me.”

“You want honesty? Okay.
Honestly
, I’m helping you out. I know who you really are—what you really are—and I’m still willing to take you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You think anybody’s going to want you if they know how fucked up you are? How damaged?”

“My injuries aren’t a secret.”

“Oh, right, your mangled hip.” He chuckled, running a hand over her in a horrifying caress, flank and the back of her upper thigh. “But I wonder if they know you’re more fundamentally flawed.”

“George, seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Get off m—”

“Didn’t you ever wonder why your daddy started to act erratic? Appearing drunk in public, all that stuff?”

What the hell?
“He was drinking.” Or so she’d been told by everyone, including her mother.

“He had Huntington’s disease.”

“Hunting—what disease?”

“Huntington’s. It’s a genetic condition. Makes you unable to control your own body. That’s why he always appeared drunk. Sadly, Huntington’s disease is neither curable nor treatable. You degenerate over the years. You think your hip injuries are bad? Wait until Huntington’s hits you.”

“There’s no guarantee I’m going to have it too.” Biology hadn’t been her best subject, but she knew hereditary traits weren’t always passed on.

“You have a fifty percent chance of getting it. If you have the marker for the condition, you
will
get it.” His voice dropped half an octave. “That’s why
I
was going to step up and do the right thing. Do you honestly think anybody would want you if they knew? You can’t even have kids—not unless you want them to get it, too.”

She clenched her hands. There was no way she had any disease. George was making stuff up to justify what he’d done. “You’re lying.”

“Sorry, I’m not. Call Rick’s doctor. He’ll confirm everything.”

“You’re lying! Doctors make mistakes all the time!”

“Not with stuff like this.” He leaned down, his lips next to her ear, creating a sickening intimacy. “But I would’ve taken care of you. After all, I’m not just your best friend’s brother.” The chrysanthemum petals crushed under her face as he pressed her head down. “I’m
your greatest fan
.”

Oh god. He was the stalker!

She could feel the cool hospital air hit her thighs as he started working her skirt up. A fiery fury swept through her, giving her a burst of strength. She bucked, twisting. A wrist slipped out of his grip. She reached up behind her head and dug her nails into the flesh that she found there.

“Aagh!” He let go, putting a hand to his face. It came away smeared with blood. “Bitch! You’re gonna pay for that.”

She flipped over on her back, just as he raised a clenched fist. She held her hands out and screamed, her gaze darting around for anything she could use against him. She wasn’t going down without—

The door crashed open; George spun around. There was a looming shadow for a quarter-second and then Dane’s fist connected with George’s nose with a loud crunch.

Blood dripped from his nostrils and stained his clothes as George reeled back. Dane wasn’t done. He grabbed George by his suit lapels and hurled him into a wall, then followed up with a knee to the gut and another punch.

George collapsed, groaning.

Chad came into the room. Sophia thought,
Chad?
but then he was at her side, looking at her and cursing under his breath. “You all right?”

“Yeah.” Her voice shook. She hugged herself. “He didn’t really get to do anything. But how…why are you…?”

Chad jerked his chin at Dane. “He hired me.”

Then it dawned on her. The “priceless” surprise Dane had mentioned…

Dane took a quick look at her messy hair and snarled, “Do you know this piece of shit?” He kicked George again.

She nodded.

“Is he the one who…?”

Dane didn’t have to finish. She knew what he was asking. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded again. He’d find out sooner or later anyway.

“You son of a
bitch
.” Dane was on George again, his fists brutal. George had gone fetal and was pleading for mercy.

“Dane, stop,
stop!
He’s not worth it,” she said. She looked desperately at Chad. “
Please
.”