Carole Mortimer - Fascination

‘Is it?’ she scorned, with that same recklessness.

Cesare’s mouth tightened. ‘As long as it is within the next few weeks, yes.’

‘The next few weeks?’ Charles Ingram was the one to exclaim as he turned to look at his daughter incredulously.

Cesare gave an abrupt inclination of his head.

That was news to Robin. But why should it be? Cesare had told her this morning that he was tired of the delay.

She was filled with conflicting emotions at the thought of them being married so soon. Positive feelings because it seemed she was to become Marco’s mother in a matter of days. And uncertainty because it also meant she would become Cesare’s wife at the same time—a wife he had nothing but contempt for.

Well … that wasn’t quite true. Cesare obviously felt desire for her too.

As she desired him.

But at the moment she was angry with him for what she perceived as his manipulation of her physical response to him just now—timed so that her father had walked in on the two of them obviously in a passionate clinch. She didn’t at all like the way Cesare had used her response to him against her.

‘This is preposterous,’ her father exclaimed. ‘The two of you have known each other only a matter of days—’

‘Sometimes that is all it takes,’ Cesare answered him quietly.

‘Robin …?’ Her father appealed to her agitatedly.

Her heart ached at the bewilderment she could see in his face. She knew that he was concerned for her, but at the same time was aware there was little she could say that would alleviate his concern. Not without telling him the truth. And she had no intention of doing that.

‘Sometimes that’s all it takes, Daddy.’ She sadly repeated Cesare’s words.

‘But—’

‘I understand your concerns, Charles,’ Cesare told the older man smoothly. ‘But Robin is a grown woman—certainly old enough to make her own decisions about her future.’

‘And her own mistakes,’ her father came back impatiently.

Robin’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the way Cesare stiffened and looked down his arrogant nose at her father. It instantly brought her back to an awareness that Cesare was only playing this role for her sake—that he actually cared nothing at all for either her own or her father’s feelings.

‘My marrying Cesare won’t be a mistake, Daddy,’ she assured her parent as she removed her arm from linking with his and moved to stand at Cesare’s side. But not quite touching him … ‘We love each other. We want to get married as soon as possible. And we—I would like your blessing.’ She looked at her father with the same appeal he had used on her seconds ago.

‘But whether you give us your blessing or not, we still intend to be married,’ Cesare stated implacably.

Robin gave him a quick glance, knowing by the pulse she could see beating in his tightly clenched jaw that Cesare was very close to losing the temper he usually kept under such rigid control.

And that she had probably helped push him there with her slightly reckless behaviour a few minutes ago.

But she resented being manipulated like this!

Which was slightly ridiculous of her when Cesare had done nothing but manipulate her, from the moment he’d come here two days ago and told her of his demands!

‘Then it seems I have little choice, doesn’t it?’ Her father sighed wearily. ‘If this is really what Robin wants, then of course I wish you every happiness together.’

Robin’s sadness for her father grew at the same time as she acknowledged there was nothing she could say or do that would alleviate his anxiety. The truth—that Simon had gambled away his shares in Ingram Publishing—would hurt her father so much more than this apparently impetuous marriage of hers could ever do.

‘It’s what I want, Daddy,’ she assured him quietly.

Cesare found himself brooding as he listened to the conversation between father and daughter.

Although why he should be in the least disturbed, he had no idea. Hadn’t he already used the deep love that existed between father and daughter in order to force Robin into marrying him?

Yes, of course he had. He just hadn’t expected to feel quite so … discomforted at being the cause of this obvious tension between Robin and her father …

‘I’ll ring for Cameron and have him bring some champagne—’

‘I am afraid Robin and I have a previous engagement.’ Cesare cut abruptly across the other man’s suggestion, feeling Robin’s surprised gaze on him as he kept his attention firmly fixed on Charles Ingram. ‘As I am sure you appreciate, we still have much to discuss,’ he added, with a slightest softening of his tone.

‘Of course,’ Charles acknowledged heavily. ‘I—Will you be back tonight, Robin?’ he asked politely.

‘I—’

‘No, she will not,’ Cesare replied firmly.

‘I see.’ Charles’s face only sagged further at this news. ‘In that case I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Robin,’ he told her gently.

It did not take two guesses on Cesare’s part to know exactly what the other man wished to talk to Robin about.

‘Did you have to be so … so bloody-minded?’ Robin attacked as soon as the two of them were seated in Cesare’s car—a sleek black sports car of a make Robin had only previously seen in exclusive showrooms.

Cesare shrugged unconcernedly. ‘I saw little point in giving your father the impression there was any room for uncertainty about the timing of our forthcoming marriage.’

No, he wouldn’t, Robin realised resentfully. Her poor father, on the other hand, had still looked totally bewildered when they’d left, obviously completely dazed by the speed with which they had decided to spend the rest of their lives together.

Oh, God …

Her heart sank, and the palms of her hands were suddenly damp just at the thought of marrying Cesare, let alone spending the rest of her life with him. He was so completely unlike Giles, whose manners and consideration for others had been impeccable—to the point that he had even asked her permission before they made love. Quite an annoying trait, actually, but a little less arrogance on Cesare’s part might be nice.

Nice?

What a ridiculous word to even think of in connection with Cesare!

She sighed heavily, relaxing back in her seat, knowing there was no point in even pursuing the subject of his behaviour towards her father. ‘Exactly what is this previous engagement you mentioned to my father?’ she prompted irritably.

Cesare didn’t answer, merely gave her a glance from eyes that gleamed black in the semi-darkness of the lamp-lit street. But it was the sort of glance that brought warm colour to Robin’s cheeks and set her pulse racing erratically.

She swallowed hard. The intent in his dark eyes was unmistakable. ‘I thought you considered it inappropriate for us to share a bedroom while we’re unmarried and Marco’s nursemaid is still in residence?’ she reminded him, slightly breathless.

Cesare seemed unperturbed. ‘I have decided that I no longer care about Catriona’s sensibilities,’ he responded levelly, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.

‘And if I do?’

‘You will have to overcome them!’ Cesare rasped. His time of self-denial was at an end. He wanted Robin—wanted her with a need that made his body scream.

She gave him a scathing glance. ‘And what if I’m not in the mood to play the acquiescent woman?’

She was deliberately trying to bring about an argument between them again, Cesare knew. Unfortunately, she had chosen completely the wrong way in which to do it.

He gave a humourless smile. ‘Acquiescence is the last thing I want from you, Robin. In fact, I would much rather that you kicked and yelled—the latter in ecstasy, of course,’ he added dryly.