You’ve thought of almost everything.” She blinked at him, her eyes huge in her face, her lips parted on a sigh, every inch of her covered in the over-sized flannelette pyjamas she wore. Hardly designed to tempt and seduce and yet he found he could think of little else than her body beneath them.He focussed instead on the glass of water she’d poured him when he’d arrived, watching the light bubbles fizz against the glass’s sides.“I appreciate your hesitation to trust me,” he growled the words... moreYou’ve thought of almost everything.” She blinked at him, her eyes huge in her face, her lips parted on a sigh, every inch of her covered in the over-sized flannelette pyjamas she wore. Hardly designed to tempt and seduce and yet he found he could think of little else than her body beneath them.He focussed instead on the glass of water she’d poured him when he’d arrived, watching the light bubbles fizz against the glass’s sides.“I appreciate your hesitation to trust me,” he growled the words. “I think it is something we have in common, in fact.”Her eyes startled to his.“I find the idea of a traditional marriage to be – strange. So much emotion and uncertainty,” he shook his head. “Ours will be a true partnership.”“As I can see from this impressive legal document.” She spoke seriously enough but he couldn’t shake the feeling Alessia was laughing at him.“I wanted to show you that we could have a contract which serves us both. It covers where we’ll live, what our recourse is if we’re not happy there, what your marital trust fund will be, the hours I’ll expect to spend at home –,”“As I said, you’ve thought of everything.” A little line formed between her brows as she frowned, her eyes knitting closer together.“Not everything,” he shrugged confidently then reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “Naturally there are things I cannot predict, things that will change without our knowledge, but this is a good start. I want you to feel confident that this is safe and right.”She shook her head a little, but with uncertainty. It wasn’t a ‘no’. “Why are you fighting so hard for this?” Her blue eyes pinned him to the spot.“I think you know the answer to that.”“Because of what your parents did?”He bristled, his past not something he generally discussed. “Because of what I never had,” he admitted stiffly. “And because of what you lost.” The words were gravelled, gentle, but she startled, her expression shifting painfully. He squeezed her hand. “We can give this baby something so special, Alessia. Marry me.”One night of passion will bind them for a lifetime…Their first marriage was a disaster. Cold-hearted billionaire Massimo Montebello needed Alessia as his bride to complete a valuable merger, but that was never enough for love-struck Alessia. She had no choice but to leave him. Five years later, an unexpected turn of events sees her propositioning the man she'd sworn she'd always hate: one night together - no strings and definitely no promises.But even the best-laid plans can go awry and six weeks later Alessia discovers there’s a life-long consequence to their one night of uninhibited passion! Massimo's new ultimatum is impossible to escape from: marry him for the sake of their baby. But what about Alessia's heart? less
#2
