Margaret Mayo - His Virgin Bride - The Fiorenza Forced Marriage / Bought - For His Convenience or Pleasure? / A Night With Consequences

‘This is a hands-off arrangement, correct?’

‘If that is what you want,’ he said. ‘But if you change your mind just let me know.’

She gave him a withering look. ‘I will not be changing my mind,’ she said. ‘As far as I am concerned this is a temporary businesslike arrangement. I hope I won’t have to keep reminding you of that.’

Oh, but she’s damned good at this , Rafaele thought, deliberately withholding her charms to make me feel the lure of the chase . He would bring her to heel, however, and a whole lot sooner than she realised. His body hardened at the thought of driving into her softness, claiming her as his until she forgot all about her affair with his father. She would be screaming his name in the throes of pleasure. She would be raking her nails down his back as he took her to paradise. ‘You will not have to remind me,’ he assured her. ‘I will take my cue from you.’

Her gaze narrowed slightly. ‘What do you mean?’

He gave another inward smile at her artifice. ‘I mean that if you make the first move I will respond to it as any full-blooded man would do in the same situation.’

She gave him a condescending look. ‘So any woman with a pulse will do for you—is that it?’

‘You do yourself a disservice, Emma,’ he said with a lazy smile. ‘You are a very attractive young woman. I would be more than happy to consummate our marriage if you should require my services.’

Her cheeks pooled with angry colour. ‘I am sure I will be able to survive the duration of our marriage without resorting to such a measure of desperation,’ she clipped back primly.

Rafaele felt his groin kicking with anticipation. He had never felt such wild desire before. No wonder his father had agreed to give her half of his estate. Rafaele felt like offering her double what he’d already offered just to have her on her back on the floor right here and now. He had to fight not to show how she was affecting him. He schooled his features into indifference and reached for his coffee again. ‘I will have some legal papers for you to sign later today,’ he said.

‘What do I need to sign?’ she asked with a guarded look.

‘A pre-nuptial agreement, for one thing,’ he said. ‘I am not going to be stripped of half of my assets when we terminate our marriage.’

‘How soon do I get the money you offered?’ she asked.

He held her grey-blue gaze. ‘How soon do you want it?’

She lowered her eyes. ‘I have some debts to see to…they’re rather urgent.’

‘If you give me your bank account details I will see to it the moment we get back from the church.’

Her eyes flew back to his. ‘ The church? You mean we’re getting married in a church?’

‘Do you have a problem with that?’

She sank her teeth into her lower lip for a moment. ‘No… it’s just I thought a register office would be more appropriate under the circumstances.’

‘I do not think our marriage would be considered authentic if we did not have it consecrated by the church,’ he said. ‘I will also arrange for a dress and veil for you.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘It is no bother,’ he said. ‘My mother’s wedding dress and veil have been well preserved and you are much the same size as she was.’

Her eyes were wide grey-blue pools. ‘I can’t wear your mother’s dress!’

‘Why not? People will think it a loving gesture on your part,’ he said. ‘Besides, this is probably going to be the only time I marry anyone so I might as well do it properly.’

Emma chewed at her bottom lip in agitation. This was going to be much harder than she had expected. Somehow she had thought a quick civil service would make her feel less married. That was vitally important to her. She didn’t want to feel married to him.

‘I will get my mother’s rings out of the safe for you,’ he said. ‘But of course they must be returned to me once our marriage ends.’

‘Yes, of course…’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t dream of keeping them.’

‘The wedding will take place tomorrow.’

Emma’s heart gave a sickening lurch. ‘T-tomorrow?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘The legalities will be seen to this afternoon. The ceremony will take place tomorrow at the Basilica of Saint Abbondio, the ancient cathedral in the town. Have you by any chance been there?’

‘I haven’t done a lot of sightseeing yet,’ she said. ‘I was too busy looking after your father.’

He paused for a moment, his eyes still holding hers before he continued. ‘We will have a small reception at a function centre afterwards, but there will of course be no honeymoon.’

‘I wasn’t expecting one, I can assure you,’ she said. ‘Besides, I need to contact the agency in regards to finding a local placement.’

‘You will not be returning to the agency while you are married to me,’ he said.

Emma blinked once or twice. ‘What did you say?’

His dark eyes challenged hers. ‘I said you will not be returning to work. I have already contacted the agency and terminated your contract.’

Emma gaped at him. ‘You did what ?’

‘You are now employed by me to act as my wife. I do not want people speculating on whether this marriage is the real deal or not. What if a client needed you to live in for weeks on end? No one would expect any wife of mine to be employed and certainly not as a carer.’

‘Well, no husband of mine would ever expect me to give up the job I love to pander to his needs,’ Emma tossed back.

‘I am not asking you to pander to my needs, but if you feel the need to do so I will not stop you.’

She gave him a blistering glare. ‘What am I supposed to do all day? Laze about the pool and paint my nails? I’ll go stark staring mad.’

‘Think of it as a holiday, Emma,’ he said. ‘You can explore a hobby or two. Most of the women I know would give anything for a year to indulge themselves at a rich man’s expense.’

‘You really need to widen your circle of women friends,’ Emma said in a crisp tone. ‘Most of the women I know value their self-respect and independence too much to be indulged like a spoilt child.’

‘I am sure you will adapt very quickly,’ he said. ‘After all, you have had plenty of practice while living with my father as your sugar daddy. Money is your motive and always has been, has it not? Why else would you be marrying me if it was not for the money?’

Emma ground her teeth. ‘I don’t want the money for myself,’ she said. ‘Otherwise I wouldn’t dream of agreeing to any of this. Do you think I want to be married to someone as loathsome as you?’

A muscle leapt in his jaw. ‘Careful, Emma,’ he warned. ‘I will not tolerate insults from you once we are married.’

Her chin came up at a defiant angle. ‘If you insult me I will insult you straight back.’

His eyes glinted. ‘I will enjoy taming you, Emma March,’ he said. ‘You are a little wildcat under that demure façade, are you not? I can see the passion in your eyes; they flash with it like twin flames of grey and blue.’

Emma felt her stomach go hollow at the sensual threat behind his statement. Her heart was suddenly racing, her skin prickling all over and her face hot with colour. If it weren’t for Simone and Chelsea, she would tell him right here and now where he could put his money and his villa. But then how many times had her sister stood in the line of fire for her? Simone had taken many a slap intended for Emma; she had even had her arm broken once when she had blocked their father from lashing out at her in a fit of rage. It was not going to be easy, but surely Emma owed her sister this chance. Rafaele might not be Emma’s choice of husband material, but at least it was only a temporary arrangement.