The Demetrios Bridal Bargain (16 page)

‘Then why is that helicopter out there?'

His eyes slid from hers. ‘You may think I have delusions of grandeur, but even I can't control the weather.'

‘Or me,' she told him, registering for the first time the wetness that had his clothes clinging wetly to his body and his hair slicked back and drenched. ‘Helicopters don't stop flying because of a bit of rain.' She picked up her case and willed him to say something to stop her. But of course he didn't because basically he couldn't wait to see the back of her.

‘The ring is on the dressing table. Oh, and don't be surprised if your father looks smug when you see him.'

‘Oh?' he said, studying her expression with a frown.

‘We had a breakfast meeting. And I've made him really happy.'

‘He has clearly not done the same for you.' The clenched teeth and flashing eyes were the clue.

‘He offered me money to leave you. You don't look surprised that your father tried to buy me off,' she accused, studying his expression. ‘Does he do this often?'

‘It was not something I had anticipated, but I should have. If he is happy, I'm assuming that you said yes?'

‘Not immediately. I negotiated. After all, you are a very rich prize for a dedicated gold-digger like me.' Her teeth ached as she held the fixed white smile in place.

‘Would it be indelicate to ask how much I'm worth?'

‘I wouldn't give a brass farthing for you.'

‘No, you did make clear to me last night that your only interest in me was…' he swallowed, struggling to keep a lid on his anger ‘…scientific.'

‘I never was very good at chemistry.' But he was—her eyes dropped—very good. ‘Actually I can't remember how much we settled on. I was angry,' she admitted with admirable understatement. ‘Here,' she said, taking it out of her pocket with a shaking hand and shoving it at Mathieu.

Mathieu smoothed the scrunched paper. His brows lifted as he read the figure above his father's distinctive scrawl. ‘You are a good negotiator,' he said, handing it back to her.

‘You think I want that?' she said, looking from the cheque to him. ‘You're as bad as he is.'

‘You might as well keep it. The money means nothing to him and you have earned it.'

Rose felt strangely removed from what was happening as her hand began to move in an arc. It wasn't until it met his cheek with a resounding smack that sent his head sideways that she registered what she had done.

‘This time I'm not sorry,' she said. ‘And if you're ever in town be sure not to get in touch, because I promise you there is more where that came from.'

She swept out, the image of his grey furious eyes imprinted on her retina.

The helicopter was over the grey stormy Aegean before the first sobs were torn from her chest and she doubled over in pain.

‘T
HIS
is your first scan?'

Rose, feeling a light-headed mixture of trepidation and excitement, nodded as she lowered herself on the high bed. Maybe some of the former showed because the woman in the white coat explained in a soothing manner, ‘We've had a cancellation, the appointment following yours. I could wait for Dad to arrive if you like?'

Rose swallowed as weak tears rushed to her eyes. With a tight little smile she struggled to regain her composure. ‘No, he won't be coming. He's—'

‘Right here.'

Rose's head turned; her expression went totally blank. Shock froze her mental faculties as she stared in disbelief at the tall figure framed in the doorway.

Had she finally lost it totally? Was she hallucinating?

Her eyes locked on platinum-silver and the colour rushed back to her face the same moment her brain began to function. This was no hallucination; this was something much more dangerous—the real thing. A hundred questions swirling in her head, she chose the cautious option and asked suspiciously, ‘What are you doing here, Mathieu?'

Mathieu's brows lifted. ‘Where else would a man be when the mother of his child is having her first scan?'

‘America?'

Escorting long-stemmed American beauties who did not present him with the tedious burden of their virginity she tacked on silently.

She had read the story of his proposed trip in the financial pages. For a supposedly serious journalist, the woman who had written it had been almost gushing in her praise of the man she said would bear watching.

But then who was she to talk about lack of objectivity? she thought. She was the idiotic woman who had cut out the article and kept it.

She sucked in a deep sustaining breath, telling herself she could do this. Actually she could do little else but stare at him as though she was afraid if she blinked he might vanish.

‘America? No, as you see, no…I am here.'

At that moment the shrill sound of a bleeper broke the expectant silence in the room.

The radiologist reached into the pocket of her white coat and shared her apologetic smile equally between the two prospective parents. ‘I'm sorry. I'll have to take this…I won't be long.'

Rose, who had levered herself up into a sitting position, watched the woman go and barely restrained the impulse to beg her to stay.

She cleared her throat. ‘I really don't think you being here is such a good idea, Mathieu. Not really…appropriate.' She gave a weak smile and touched her stomach. ‘I'm pregnant, you know. It was quite a surprise.'

He gave a dry laugh and dragged a not quite steady hand through his dark hair. ‘For me too, Rose. You do know that you can't do this alone…?'

His woman giving birth alone, having his baby alone…His chest swelled as he fought to contain his emotions. This was just not going to happen, not while there was breath in his body. If she didn't love him he would make her…if necessary he would change.

‘God, no, I'm pretty clueless, but the staff here are absolutely terrific and I'll see the same midwife all the way through to the birth, build up a relationship…'

Listening to her, Mathieu bit back a frustrated groan. Spitting hostility, he reflected, would have been easier to deal with than being treated with this stilted politeness. ‘I think it's our relationship we should be concentrating on. Don't you, Rose?'

She still wasn't totally sure that he wasn't a figment of her imagination, but when he bent forward there was nothing imaginary about the lips that brushed her forehead before claiming her mouth, or the warm, clean scent of his male body.

The light kiss left her breathing hard and aching.

‘We don't have a relationship, Mathieu.'

He stood, his hands resting either side of her. ‘But we have a baby.' He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to him.

‘How do you know the baby is even yours?' It was a ridiculous thing to say, but she felt pushed into a corner.

‘Are you saying it is not?'

‘No, I'm not saying that,' she admitted reluctantly.

‘Good call. It is always good to keep deceit within shouting distance of the truth.' Something he had not been doing when he had told himself that he could function perfectly well without one Rose Hall.

‘Is it so impossible that I might have had sex with a man other than you?'

‘Frankly, yes.'

‘Well, you didn't find me so repulsive once,' she retorted, stung.

Amusement flared and died in his eyes to be replaced by a simmering heat. His eyes darkened with desire as they swept over her face. ‘You are the most desirable woman I have ever seen in my life, Rose.'

Her head spinning dizzily, Rose's eyes fell from the warmth in his. ‘If you had found me repulsive I suppose we wouldn't be here now,' she conceded shakily. ‘Not,' she added hastily, ‘that I'm blaming you.'

His mouth curled into a grimace of self-recrimination. ‘Who else would you blame?' he wanted to know.

‘Well, you hardly had to beat me into submission with a stick, did you? And we…you were careful.'

‘But accidents happen,' he added on quietly. ‘I'm not angry about this, Rose, if that's what you think.'

‘No, you're resigned,' she accused in a quivering voice. Resigned enough to ask her to marry him? And if he did would she have the strength to say no?

‘The reason, Rose, I know you haven't slept with another man, leaving aside the lack-of-opportunity factor, is firstly because it is not in your nature to have casual sex—it is not a mechanical act for you, you make
love
—and secondly you do not want another man…just me.'

This display of male arrogance drew a dry laugh from her aching throat. ‘Do you know how that sounds?'

‘It sounds true.'

Rose glared up at him. ‘I suppose you think you've spoilt me for any other man…that I'll spend my life comparing all other men to you…' Well, if he hadn't thought it before he was in no doubt now—way to go, Rose.

‘You won't have to. I'll be right here for you.' He ran a finger down her cheek and Rose, her skin tingling and her heart aching, jerked away.

‘Of course you will.'

And they both knew why, she thought dully. She had always known this was going to happen when Mathieu found out about the baby.

Which made her prepared…or
should
have, because he was reacting exactly as she had anticipated. He was doing everything in his power to prevent his child growing up without a father as he had.

And he was obviously willing to do whatever it took to bring that about.

He was even prepared to pretend to love her. A flicker of raw anguish crossed her face at the thought.

The awful part was she was tempted—tempted to take what he was saying at face value and not question it. It would be easy to rationalise, there were a lot of pluses, the baby would be secure and loved…Mathieu would be a great father. She would wear his ring, share his bed, and wait for the day he came home and admitted he had fallen in love for real.

She firmed her jaw and took a deep sustaining breath. Her baby deserved better. A lot better than a mother so pathetically desperate for the love of a man who didn't return her feelings that she was willing to live a lie.

‘I can't wait to see you grow even more lusciously lovely carrying our child.' He ran his hands down her bare arms and she shivered. ‘We will do this thing together,
ma belle
.'

He knows what you want to hear, she reminded herself, and he's saying it. She attempted a laugh. It wasn't her most convincing effort, but it did bring a flash of baffled frustration to his face.

‘How did you even know there was a baby?' Her brow furrowed. This ought to have been her first question.

‘You mean it was a secret?'

His brows lifted in mock incredulity, but behind the cynical mocking smile that curved his lips Rose saw anger lurking.

‘And here was I thinking I was the only one not in the loop.' Mathieu was unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

‘I haven't told anyone. I've barely got used to the idea myself.' Rose was annoyed to hear the note of apology in her voice.

‘You've known long enough, according to your sister, to decide that you don't want me in your life full stop. I think,' he mused, ‘that was roughly what she said, give or take the odd assorted insult concerning my birth.'

Rose's jaw dropped. ‘
Rebecca
came to see you…but she and Nick are living in New York.'

‘I've been in New York for the past couple of months, Rose.'

Rose buried her hands in her face and groaned. ‘Oh, my God, I'll kill her. She promised me.'

‘She did mention something along those lines, but she felt, and I have to say that under the circumstances she was right, that the situation warranted a little deceit. When exactly did you intend to let me in on your little secret…or did you not plan to?' His jaw clenched, he struggled to contain his anger. He wasn't the injured party here, he reminded himself grimly.

‘Look, I would have told you first, but Rebecca is my twin and…she just knew.' The twin thing was a bit hard to explain to someone who didn't have firsthand experience. ‘It must have been a bit of a shock.'

‘I didn't get the news directly from your sister. She was still crossing town when Andreos rang to tell me you were pregnant.'

The moment his words registered, the colour fled her face. ‘Your father?' Rose, her eyes wide with horror, lifted a hand to her mouth.

He nodded. ‘Rebecca had apparently turned up at his hotel looking for a Demetrios to castigate and got the wrong one…She arrived at the right hotel just as I was leaving to catch the flight here. It's possible that I might have upset her.'

Rose responded to this admission with a grim smile. ‘Good.' Why did her twin, who was barely five minutes older than her, think she had the right to interfere in her life as and when she deemed necessary? She slanted a curious look at him and wondered, ‘How did you upset her?'

‘I had a plane to catch and time was running along; your sister is quite fond of the sound of her own voice. So there came a point when I had to bring the conversation to a close.'

‘You're not saying you threw her out…
again
?' Despite everything, Rose's lips twitched at the mental image.

‘I showed her the door.' And it had barely closed when Andreos had banged on it. It had felt to him at the time that fate was conspiring to make him miss his flight, though thanks to the skill of a cab driver who gave a new meaning to fearless he had caught it. ‘I was polite…well,
fairly
polite,' he amended. ‘It was not easy.'

‘Why?'

‘Your sister kept telling me that I slept with you because I thought you were her…'

‘You did think I was her.'

A spasm of exasperation flickered across his lean face as he framed her face with his big hands and left her little choice but to look at him. ‘Well, that is one thing that you have in common: you are both stupid.' And the most stupid thing he had done in his life was letting Rose walk out of it. Well, that wasn't going to happen again.

Before Rose could object to this scathing observation he added, ‘I told your sister that if I had wanted to sleep with her I would have when she offered.'

A minute before Rose had been thinking some pretty unkind things about her sister, but it didn't stop the reflex to fly to Rebecca's defence kicking in at the first hint of criticism from someone else.

‘Don't run away with the idea that Rebecca was behaving normally when she—' She broke off, shifting uncomfortably in her chair under his sardonic scrutiny.

He arched a dark brow. ‘When she what?'

The flush on Rose's cheeks deepened as she glared at him resentfully.

‘Propositioned is, I think, the word you are searching for,' he inserted helpfully. ‘The polite one, anyway. But don't worry—Rebecca was anxious to put the record straight on the subject. Apparently she couldn't have been in her right mind at the time because I am not her type.'

Rose stopped short of calling her twin a liar, but she couldn't prevent the sceptical snort escaping her throat before her teeth clenched. In her opinion Mathieu was every woman's type.

‘I assured her that this was mutual and the reason I didn't take what she offered was because I
was
not and
am
not attracted to her.' His lips twitched slightly as he confided, ‘She was not inclined to believe me.'

Neither was Rose. She could not imagine why he would not be attracted to Rebecca. Despite his protests, she knew that Mathieu had been enchanted by Rebecca. All men were.