Maisey Yates - Rising Stars

As he drove through the crowded streets, Laura stared out in amazement through the window. Rio de Janeiro always lost its mind and found its wildest heart during Carnaval, and this year that was more true than ever. Music wafted through the air, horns and drums to accompany people singing. Impromptu parades marched through the streets, and even those not on carnival floats from the prestigious samba schools often wore costumes that sparkled with sequins—and barely covered enough to be decent. Everyone became sexier, more daring versions of their regular selves. Laura took a deep breath. Even her.

“I’m taking you to Zeytuna,” Gabriel said as he drove. “From there we’ll go directly to Oliveira’s pool party.”

“Zeytuna?” She’d heard of the large, exclusive boutique, but had never shopped there. She licked her lips and tried to joke, “They sell magic bikinis, right?”

As he changed gears in the Ferrari, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Yes.”

Yes. Just yes. No encouragement. No reassurance. Laura tried not to think of her looming bikini face-off with Adriana da Costa and the sheer humiliation that was sure to follow. She bit her lip and changed the subject. “So what is our story?”

“Story?”

“When did we fall in love? So I’ll know when people ask.”

He considered. “We had an affair last year,” he said finally. “You quit your job and left me when I wouldn’t commit.”

“Believable.”

He glanced at her. “But I missed you. I’ve been secretly pursuing you for months—video chats, flowers, sending you jewelry and love letters and so forth.”

“Sounds nice,” she said, looking away.

“You invited me to your sister’s wedding, and we fell into each other’s arms. You surrendered to my charm and agreed to be mine at last.”

“A true Valentine’s Day fantasy.” Her lips twisted as she looked back at him. “And Robby?”

Gabriel blinked, then his hands tightened on the steering wheel as he stared at the road. “Ah, yes. Robby.”

“Everyone knows you would never date a woman with a child.”

“Yes.” He set his jaw. Then, relaxing, he shrugged. “It will only add to the credibility of the story. It makes you unique. I wanted you so desperately, I was even willing to overlook your baby.”

“Overlook Robby? Thank you,” she said, folding her arms as she glared out the window. “Thank you so much.”

“I do not appreciate your sarcasm.”

She looked at him. “I don’t appreciate you saying you’ll overlook my baby—like you’re doing me some big favor!”

He set his jaw. “And I do not appreciate the fact that there is a baby living in my house.”

“Because you must never be inconvenienced,” she said mockingly. “The great Gabriel Santos must never have even a hint of family domesticity in his selfish bachelor’s penthouse!”

Silence fell over the Ferrari.

“You love your son,” Gabriel said. It sounded like a question.

Pushing up her glasses, she glared at him. “Of course I love him. What kind of question it that?”

Gabriel’s black eyes burned through her. “So how could you allow yourself to get pregnant without also giving him a father? You always told me you wanted marriage, Laura. A home near your family. A career that would allow you time to raise your children. How could you toss all that aside for the sake of a one-night stand?”

She swallowed, blinking back tears. Yes, how could she?

His eyes turned back to the road. “You quit without notice last year,” he said coldly. “That was inconvenient.”

She stiffened. “Inconvenient to replace me in your office—or your bed?”

His lips tightened. “Both.”

“So difficult, and yet you didn’t bother to even try to talk me out of it.”

They stopped at a red light. He turned on her, his eyes glinting with fury. “I let you go, Laura. For your own good, so you could have the life you wanted. But instead of following your dreams, you threw it all away. You made my sacrifice worthless. How could you? How could you be so careless?”

“It was an accident!”

“I told you.” His eyes were hard. “There are no accidents. Only mistakes.”

“And I told you, my baby is not a mistake!” “Are you saying you got pregnant on purpose?” Her mouth went dry.

He waited, then the light turned green. His lip twisted as he turned back to the road. “Every child deserves to be born into a stable home with two parents. I’m disappointed in you, Laura. You should have been careful.”

Laura stiffened. “Careful like who? Like you?”

“Yes.”

She longed to have the satisfaction of wiping that scornful, judgmental look off his face. She wondered what he would say if she told him that he was the father.

But she knew the satisfaction would be short-lived. If he knew Robby was his child, he might feel duty-bound to take responsibility for a child he couldn’t love, and be pinned down to a domestic life he’d never wanted. And he would hate not just Laura for that, he’d hate Robby, as well.

She had to keep the secret. Had to. Leaning back against the black leather seat, she pressed her lips shut. Just a few more hours, she told herself desperately. Tomorrow she and Robby would be on the plane back home, a million dollars richer.

“I thought family meant everything to you.”

She opened her eyes, blinking back tears. “It does.”

“I thought you were better than that.”

“Don’t you think I want a father for Robby? Don’t you think I want to give him the same loving family I had?”

“So why didn’t you?” Gabriel took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Badly done, Laura.”

She started to deliver a sharp retort; then stopped when she saw the stark expression on his face.

“Why are you like this?” she said. “Why do you care so much?”

“I don’t,” he said coldly.

“You do. You’ve always acted like you despise the idea of matrimony and commitment and children—all of it. But you don’t,” she said softly. “You care.”

Gabriel pulled the Ferrari to an abrupt halt. He didn’t look at her. “We’re here.”

Blinking in surprise, she saw they’d arrived at the enormous, exclusive Zeytuna boutique in the Leblon district. Her door opened, and she saw a young, smiling valet in a red jacket. Gabriel handed him keys, then held out his hand to her.

“Come,” he said coldly. “We haven’t much time.”

Reluctantly, Laura placed her hand in his, and felt the same shock of sensation, the brush of his warm skin and strong grip of his fingers around hers.

“Are you cold?”

“No,” she said.

“You’re shivering.”

She ripped her hand away. “I’m just afraid we will fail. That I will fail.” “You won’t.”

She looked down at her tight black dress, seeing her big hips and oversize breasts and a belly that was far from flat. She thought again of competing against Adriana da Costa in a bikini, and shuddered. “I don’t see how.”

Gabriel’s sensual lips curved up into a smile. “Trust me.”

He folded her hand over his bare forearm as if she were a medieval French princess and he was her honored chevalier. He looked down at her with eyes of love, and even as she told herself that he was only practicing, this time the shiver was not in her body, but her heart.

Pretending to love him was too easy. She was playing with fire.

Just a few hours more, she told herself desperately. Then she’d never see him again. Her family would never need to worry about replacing parts on the tractor or losing their home after a bad harvest. They’d never need to panic when a glut on the market suddenly lowered prices of wheat to nothing. Her family would be safe. Her baby would be safe.