Robyn Grady - Unfinished Business - Bought - One Night, One Marriage / Always the Bridesmaid / Confessions of a Millionaire's Mistress

‘You expect me to believe that?’

She blinked. She’d never told anyone about her fertility issues. Not even her mother—she’d gone to the doctor in her late teens with bad period pain and Alicia had thought it had all been fixed with drugs. Not so. In her early twenties she’d had it investigated. Surgery was an option but by then Cally had been crushed by Luc and had remembered too much of her father’s pain. So she’d decided to put her job and her charity work and her business ahead of any dreams of a family. She knew how much the fantasy of ‘family’ could hurt. It was the raw wound she kept well protected most of the time. Cool anger began to bubble under the surface.

‘I thought I’d have to have surgery before I could get pregnant.’

He didn’t seem to be listening, too busy looking mad. If he’d just give her a second, she’d be able to reassure him he was free of all obligation.

Blake tried to marshal his thoughts. Focus. One thing at a time. ‘Tell me this. Is it mine?’ After Paola’s threats and deceit, he had to be certain.

There was a silence. He met her gaze. Hot, hard, angry. Her mouth opened. And then he saw her hesitate, could see the workings of her brain as she deliberated, contemplating the lie.

His eyes narrowed. You dare. The flare of his anger must have been apparent because he saw the second she discarded the idea—the second she looked closely back at him. She gave a jerky nod.

‘I had to be sure.’

Her colour was high and she took a deep breath. But he didn’t think the likelihood of her calming down any time soon was high.

‘You’re to see a specialist.’ God, he needed to get in control of this situation.

‘I already am under a specialist. Do you honestly think I wouldn’t be? I never thought I’d get pregnant.’

‘Right.’ He didn’t care how sarcastic and disbelieving he sounded. Of course she’d be under a specialist—she had a ton of money and she’d gone to some pretty interesting lengths to get pregnant. Why hadn’t she just had herself artificially inseminated? But, no, she’d wanted to pick the stud herself, from a line-up of the best in town. Blake hated to be used, and right now he felt utterly used.

‘You don’t need to worry, Blake. This isn’t your concern.’

‘The hell it isn’t.’

‘You know I’ll do anything and everything I can to ensure this baby has the best possible care.’

‘Anything and everything, huh?’ He clammed his jaw together and inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to stay on top of a barrage of emotions that was tearing through him. He was the one who’d do anything to ensure the safety of his child—he’d failed once. Now he had a second chance. ‘We’ll get married as soon as it can be arranged.’

‘What?’

‘Married.’

The look of shock on her face made him even madder. Did she really think she could get away with this?

‘I’m not marrying you.’

‘You should have thought about that before you used me to get pregnant.’

‘I did not use you.’

‘Sure you didn’t.’

‘I never thought I could get pregnant.’ She hurried to the table in the open-plan living area, looking panicky—as she should. ‘Look, I went to my lawyer this morning. Talked about options. He drew this up for me. If you sign it there’ll be no obligations on you. I have money, you know I’m not going to chase you for that. I do want to put your name on the birth certificate, but that’s it. You don’t have to have anything to do with us.’

Her voice faltered as she looked up from the document and saw the look on his face. If it reflected even half the thoughts he was having she was right to look nervous. He was feeling as close to murderous as he’d ever got in his life. He held out his hand for the papers.

It was a moment before she handed them over, sudden reluctance slowing her down as, wide-eyed, she stared at him.

He looked at the pages of type, flicked through a few while his brain processed and the rage part grew inside.

‘Did you honestly think I’d sign this?’ He tore it straight down the middle and threw it. The pages frustratingly fluttered soundlessly to the floor so he pounded his fists on the table. He swore viciously at her expression. She had thought he’d sign it.

‘What kind of an idiot do you take me for? How can you expect me to believe you didn’t plan this when you have some twenty page document from your lawyer conveniently stripping me of all my rights?’

Her mouth opened. Shut again.

‘We are getting married as soon as it can be arranged.’

‘I am not marrying you,’ she repeated, clearly alarmed but fighting him still—showing her inner strength. But he didn’t have room in him for admiration right now.

‘Yes, you are.’ He didn’t know how he was going to swing it, but no way in hell was he being shut out on this. Not again.

She looked stunned and visibly tried to pull herself together with deep breaths that, annoyingly, drew his attention to her full breasts. His already hard-wound body tightened a notch. Damn if he didn’t find her utterly desirable. Even now. Even when he knew how devious she really was.

‘We don’t need to do anything yet.’ She was trying to sound calm. Failing. ‘It’s so early on.’

‘We move on this right away.’

‘I don’t want people knowing about the baby.’ Vehemence flashed in her face.

‘Too late.’ He took malicious pleasure in informing her. ‘It’s obvious, Cally. How do you think I knew?’

She looked aghast. ‘You knew?’ Anger shrilled her voice. ‘You were tricking me with all the wine and the cheese and the damn mussels?’

‘Yeah. I admit it. It was a test.’ He stepped closer and put it plain. ‘Do you want this baby, Cally? What kind of mother will you be? Can you put someone else’s needs before your own or is your life only about you and what you want and when you want it?’

Her hand lifted, palm open, fast as a snake, and she very, very nearly hit him.

But his hand caught her wrist. Held it hard. Satisfaction ran through him. He’d finally succeeded in stopping her from carrying out one of her ill-conceived urges. He hadn’t had much luck up till now—she’d got everything she wanted from him. Well, now she was going to get a little bonus she hadn’t planned for.

‘What happened to your manners, Cally?’ he drawled, masking the molten mess of emotion inside.

‘Leave,’ she muttered.

‘No. You’re stuck with me now.’ His jaw clamped. ‘And I mean well and truly shackled.’ He felt her body tense to break point. Right now he wanted to break her. Docile and compliant—that would do.

‘You don’t trust me, do you?’ She changed tack.

‘Not a jot. And wasn’t I right not to? I’ve never met anyone so calculating in my life.’

‘You won’t believe that I didn’t plan this?’

‘Nope.’

Cally let the tension go out of her body, slackening her arm. He let it go immediately. Maybe she could pacify him. ‘I’m sorry, Blake.’

‘Sure.’ Granite incarnate.

‘Look, I’m grateful to you for wanting to be here for me. I am. But I don’t want or need anything from you.’

‘I’m not here for you, Cally. I’m here for my baby.’

She swallowed feeling stupidly hurt by the bald statement. ‘You were the one who said it was all a bit of fun. We weren’t talking marriage or babies, remember?’

‘We are now.’

She stared at him. Saw the hardness in his eyes. The same hardness that had been there when he’d said it that first night. A definite no-go area. There was definitely history behind him, some reason why he’d never intended to marry. Probably a past hurt. Although she couldn’t imagine him letting anyone get close enough to hurt him. He was all about surface fun and frivolity—naughty weekends that led to nothing.