Читать книгу Hired: A Bride for the Boss: The Playboy Boss's Chosen Bride / The Corporate Marriage Campaign / The Boss's Urgent Proposal - SUSAN MEIER, Emma Darcy - Страница 15

CHAPTER ELEVEN

BOXED in… Merlina was haunted by those words all night, tossing and turning in between snatches of sleep, which were broken by dreams of being helplessly trapped. This was the punishment for deception, she thought. Jake would never have thought of marriage except for her fake engagement to his grandfather. But what could she do about it?

Her father had been halfway to giving his approval of Jake as a son-in-law before they’d even left together, and no doubt he’d been charmed into proudly accepting him as family by the time they’d reached Uncle Georgio’s home in Glebe, probably asking him in for a celebratory drink to round off the evening and brag to his brother about Merlina’s fiancé.

The call she’d made to her mother had spilled into explanations for her absence—explanations that she knew her father would give, fed to him by Jake. They weren’t exactly lies, she’d told herself, though her mother’s happy relief that Merlina was finally off the shelf and getting married, and her delight over the family visit tomorrow, had been stomach-churning.

Expectations had been raised.

Expectations had to be met.

Boxed in.

The only person she could talk it over with was Byron—her partner in crime. He was an early riser in the morning so Merlina had time to discuss the situation with him well before Jake arrived at nine o’clock. She telephoned him at seven o’clock, feeling extremely tense and needing support.

Naturally the butler answered her call, immediately expressing concern. ‘Is everything all right, Ms Rossi? I did feel that Mr Jake was steamrolling you last night, taking matters into his own hands.’

‘He certainly did that, Harold,’ she replied with feeling. Amazing really, how comfortable she was with Byron’s household. She’d been treated so nicely there, everyone caring about her needs.

‘A very compelling young man,’ Harold remarked sympathetically.

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘And I have to talk to Byron about it, Harold. Is he available?’

‘I’m sure Mr Byron will be pleased to hear from you. Just a moment, Ms Rossi. I’ll transfer this call to him.’

‘Thank you.’

She took a few deep breaths as she waited, trying to reduce her stress level. It was instant balm to her jumpy nerves when she heard the rolling lilt of Byron’s charming voice. He would understand. He’d understood everything.

‘My dear Merlina, have we been successful in corralling the wild one?’

A hysterical little laugh bubbled out. ‘If you mean marriage, Jake corralled himself in front of my father last night.’

‘Your father?’ Said with fascinated interest.

Merlina needed no further prompting to pour out the whole sequence of events, which had led to her current position as Jake’s fiancée in her family’s eyes.

‘Ah, knight to the rescue,’ Byron remarked with relish. ‘Good boy! Shows he has inherited my gentlemanly instincts.’

‘I don’t want Jake to be a gentleman,’ she wailed. ‘I want him to mean it. Really mean it. And after he involved himself with my family, which believe me, won’t take this as a game, he mentioned divorce as a way out in the future. I know that’s fairly common in your family, Byron, but it isn’t in mine. They’re very Italian. Seriously Italian.’

‘Hmm…’ came the sound of serious pondering.

‘Take today, for instance,’ Merlina ran on, anxiety overflowing. ‘He’s going to land right in it at the family barbecue—all my married brothers and sisters and their children, not to mention uncles and aunts and grandparents and the new baby—the whole tribe hugging and kissing him in welcome, then cross-examining him about his life.’ She heaved a worried sigh.

‘None of them divorced, huh?’ Byron queried.

‘Nor ever likely to be,’ rolled emphatically off her tongue.

‘You know, Jake might like that. The sense of solid family. Never had it himself. It could rope him right in, Merlina.’

‘Or make him run a million miles.’

‘No…no…he won’t do that. He’ll view it as a challenge. Winning them over.’

‘A game,’ she said despairingly.

‘Not necessarily. You’re worrying too much, my dear. Jake would not have brought up marriage if it wasn’t on his mind.’

‘Because you—we—put it there, Byron.’

‘A seed doesn’t grow if it hasn’t been planted in ground that suits it. You and he suit each other very well. That is very, very obvious to me.’

We’re good together. We’re great together.

Her heart thumped with unquenchable hope as she remembered Jake’s words.

‘Give it a chance,’ Byron advised. ‘See how it goes.’

Precisely what Jake had said.

Was she worrying too much?

‘You want this, Merlina,’ Byron reminded her. ‘You wouldn’t have played the game with me if you hadn’t wanted to bring Jake to heel. He’s there now because he wants to be there. Let him be embraced by your family. Go with the flow. Be happy, my dear. A man likes his woman to be happy.’

Difficult to be happy when she felt so agitated, yet Byron was right. She had wanted this outcome, except it had happened upon her so fast, she couldn’t bring herself to trust it, especially when divorce had been mentioned in virtually the same breath as marriage.

‘Okay, I’ll go with the flow today and see how it pans out,’ she said, screwing herself to the sticking point.

‘Good girl! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Got to be in there playing the game,’ Byron cheerfully chanted.

Which brought home to her how very alike grandfather and grandson were. She was probably off her head to be asking advice from Byron. On the other hand, he had given her an insight into where Jake was coming from. People from broken homes didn’t believe in lasting promises. That didn’t mean they didn’t want a commitment to stay solid. Maybe—just maybe—she could work it so the game with Jake never ended.

‘Thank you, Byron,’ she said gratefully. ‘You’ve just bolstered me up for the next round.’

‘Bravo! And the best of luck to you, my dear.’

‘I’ll keep your diamond ring safe until I see you again,’ she promised.

‘Wear Jake’s with pride, Merlina. He’d like that.’

‘Will do. ‘Bye for now.’

‘Happy days!’

She was smiling as she put the telephone receiver down. Happy days…probably a fool’s paradise but why not enjoy what Jake gave her while she could, anyway? Her body clenched at the memory of last night’s sexual pleasure. He was such a great lover and it had felt like being loved—beautifully, wonderfully loved. If he wanted their relationship to last, she had to give it a chance!

There was a happy spring in her step as she raced off to her bedroom to decide on what to wear this morning. Definitely classy elegance for the kind of jewellery shop Jake would take her to if he was intent on putting just as flashy a ring as his grandfather’s on her finger.

She chose one of her new purchases; a form-fitting red dress, printed with abstract splashes of black and white, featuring a wide square neckline, little cap sleeves and a wide woven belt in white. It was simple but quite striking, especially teamed with high-heeled white sandals and a white clutch bag. Class, she had worked out, could be achieved by meticulous attention to detail.

On this principle, she applied a matching red varnish to her toenails and fingernails, took immense care with her make-up, and as a final touch, attached long dangly vintage gold earrings to her lobes. To her mind, these went with the vintage style gold watch—a twenty-first birthday gift from her grandmother—which was the only other jewellery she wore, having hidden Byron’s ring at the bottom of an open bag of peas in the freezer.

The doorbell rang at five minutes to nine. No nervous waiting around for Jake to come, for which she was intensely grateful. Her heart was fluttering wildly enough as it was. She opened the door to find him superbly dressed in a pin-striped grey suit, white shirt, gold silk tie, and looking more dashingly handsome than ever, especially when he smiled at her, his dark eyes dancing with pleasure in her appearance.

‘Wow! When you make up your mind to sock it to me, Merlina, you sure sock it to me. Red is definitely your colour.’

She was instantly reminded of the red rose bikini. Boldness had served her well as the blonde bimbo from the birthday cake, so she impulsively struck a flaunting pose, jutting out one hip and planting her hands on her tightly belted waist. ‘Thought I’d better wear it since you’re into rescuing scarlet women from damnation,’ she flipped at him, lowering her eyelashes for a sizzling veiled look.

He laughed, and with a bold move of his own, scooped her back into the hall, closed the door behind them and wrapped her in a very possessive embrace. ‘So, the real Merlina emerges in a full frontal assault,’ he purred like a big cat presented with a delicious dinner. He grinned from ear to ear as he teasingly added, ‘Am I man enough for her?’

She arched an eyebrow. ‘Depends on whether you got through last night unscathed by my father.’

‘Passed with flying colours,’ he declared with relish. ‘Bring on any challenge you like. I’m up for it.’

‘Mmm…’ In sheer giddy delight at feeling his erection against her stomach, knowing that seeing her had aroused it and madly wanting to stoke his desire for her even further, she brazenly rubbed her lower body against his, smiling as she said, ‘Up for something else, too.’

His answering smile was positively wicked. ‘The only question is…are you? Right this minute!’

He started walking her backwards, his thighs pushing hers, steering her across the living room towards the dining table, which was set beside the window. ‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, startled by the instant reaction she’d triggered and barely finding breath enough to speak. Her pulse was galloping. Excitement was rushing through her like a freight train.

‘I’d take you anywhere, Merlina Rossi,’ he answered, his eyes smouldering with sexual intent as he propped her against the edge of the table and started gathering up her skirt.

‘Not tonight in my parents’home, you won’t,’ she flashed at him, momentarily panicking at the thought. ‘We’ll be given separate bedrooms. And you have to respect that, Jake.’

‘Okay. How about now?’

His thumbs were already hooked on the waistband of her panties, ready to pull them down, but he paused teasingly, confident of her consent but also wanting to make her say it out loud.

‘Do we have time?’ she posed coquettishly.

He laughed. ‘For this we make time.’

‘Fine by me,’ she admitted, dying to have him inside her again and exhilarated that he wanted to be there.

She stepped out of the panties as he drew them down. No pantihose today. She’d left her legs bare, wanting her red toenails to show against the white sandals. Which he left on. With her skirt hitched up around her hips, he sat her on the table and moved between her legs, clearly intent on quick action. Only essential undressing this morning.

‘Maybe you’d better tell me our schedule for today,’ she said, watching him unzip, wanting to see what she’d already felt, her inner muscles already pulsing with the anticipation of being stroked and pleasured, wanting to squeeze her own possession of him, feel him fill her so deeply she couldn’t think of anything to worry about.

He shot her his devil-may-care grin. ‘You first.’ He extracted a condom from his wallet and proceeded to roll it on.

Won’t have to use that when we’re married, Merlina thought, which instantly reminded her… What about children? Her heart jiggled uncertainly. Would Jake want to be a father?

‘Then off we go to buy a ring,’ he said, shooting her another grin. ‘For a scarlet woman, I think we should choose a ruby. It can be set with diamonds but we should definitely have a red-blooded ruby at the centre.’

Laughter gurgled from her throat. Jake Devila was a terrible playboy but she loved him. Loved everything about him. ‘It won’t look like the other one,’ she pointed out.

‘Which I hope you’ve taken off.’ He whipped her hand down from around his neck to check. ‘Ah!’ he said with satisfaction.

‘I put it in a safe place,’ she rattled out.

‘This place is mine.’ He stunned her by drawing her ring finger into his mouth, sucking on it as his eyes glittered his own rampant desire to possess her.

It took a few moments to catch her breath enough to say, ‘My father will notice the difference.’

He released her finger and answered with his usual arrogant confidence. ‘Your father thinks I surprised you with that one. You didn’t really like it so today we chose one together. How’s that?’

He’d slid between her thighs, seeking entry, and was teasingly poised to push forward. ‘Fine!’ she approved, finding it extremely erotic to be carrying on a conversation while everything within her was thumping a wild welcome to the sexual connection with him. ‘What’s next?’ she asked, feeling wickedly provocative.

‘Right now I want to feel your flesh ringing mine,’ he said, forging the deeply intimate link, then lowering her back onto the table as she wound her legs around his hips, instinctively compelling the fulfilment of her need for him. ‘My scarlet woman,’ he murmured with relish as his hands glided over the curves of her breasts, still trapped inside the bodice of her dress.

She smiled, loving the possessive pleasure in his voice, revelling in the desire that couldn’t wait. He drove himself in hard, his body slamming against her and she arched up, squeezing him in blissful joy. A wild savagery leapt into his eyes. He leaned over and kissed her, his tongue driving into her mouth, plunging rhythmically to assert complete ownership, hunting for sexual domination which she readily conceded, revelling in the intense physical passion, the climactic urgency of it, moving together, reaching for the same ecstatic release, a fusing frenzy of explosive excitement that peaked exultantly and floated into sweet endearments as he cuddled her close, gruffly whispering, ‘My gorgeous girl…you are unbelievable…so beautiful… awesome…’

She ran her fingers through his hair, adoring every touch of him. ‘So are you,’ she whispered back.

He lifted his head, brushing his lips over hers. ‘What am I going to do with you?’ It sounded as though she was a puzzle to which he had no reference points for resolving.

‘You said you were going to marry me,’ she reminded him.

He laughed, his eyes twinkling at hers. ‘That’s a definite start.’

A start.

But would there be a finish line?

Merlina fiercely clamped down on this negative train of thought. Jake wanted to marry her. Maybe it would work out perfectly. Not to take the chance was unthinkable.

‘We go now and buy the ring,’ he ran on. ‘Then since I feel on top of the world, we’ll have a celebratory lunch at Level 21 and enjoy overlooking Sydney. After which we’ll catch our two-thirty flight to Griffith…’

‘You’ve booked it?’

‘Mmm…’ He flashed his wicked grin. ‘And since we’re doomed to separate bedrooms in your family home, maybe you can take me for a walk in the vineyard your father told me about. Before we retire for the night.’

The instant thrill at this suggestion told Merlina that sex with Jake was already highly addictive and she couldn’t possibly turn her back on it at this juncture. Whatever the future brought, she would never regret having known the best of Jake Devila.

‘There’s no such thing as privacy anywhere near my family, Jake,’ she warned ruefully. ‘You’ll be swamped by them this evening.’

‘I have you as my lifeboat.’

‘Uh-uh.’ She shook her head. ‘You’ll lose respect if you look to me for rescue. It’s sink or swim for you.’

‘I’m a natural born survivor,’ he claimed, not the slightest dint in his confidence.

But it was a different game, Merlina thought, and the rules would be foreign to him. ‘Just take it easy,’ she advised seriously. ‘Don’t try too hard.’ She wanted her family to like him, to accept him into their fold.

He gently stroked the worry lines from her forehead. ‘I’ve got your father onside,’ he reminded her. ‘I promise you, it won’t be a problem, Merlina. Don’t fret over it.’

She couldn’t help it. Jake was into winning but laying a solid foundation with her family required genuine responses that struck harmonious chords. If that didn’t happen…well, she did have the choice of going it alone with him. Though even contemplating that path brought a scary sense of loss. She might have chosen to live apart from her family most of the time but she wanted them there for her. As they’d always been.

‘Have you packed a bag ready to go?’ he asked.

‘Yes. It’s in my bedroom.’

‘Good. Mine’s in the car.’ He sat her up on the table and kissed her again, a very fresh reminder of what they’d just experienced together, ending in a sigh of resignation over the time factor. ‘Guess we’d better move, tidy up and head into the city.’

‘Guess we’d better,’ she agreed, echoing his sigh.

He smiled. ‘No argument from you this morning?’

She cocked her head considering, giving him a look that telegraphed he was flirting with danger as she replied, ‘Not until you do something I don’t like.’

He laughed and set her down on her feet, hugging her close for a few more moments of sweet togetherness. ‘I promise not to be a bad boy in front of your family. Okay?’

‘I live in hope that you can keep that promise,’ she said with dry irony, knowing that any challenge was meat and drink to Jake.

‘Watch me,’ he threw back at her, not the least bit intimidated by the prospect of being measured as an appropriate husband.

Maybe their relationship would thrive if she could just keep throwing out challenges, Merlina thought, as she was scooped along with him to get tidy.

But there was still the burning issue of parenthood.