Bought For The Marriage Bed

Melanie Milburne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

COMING NEXT MONTH

CHAPTER ONE

NINA stared at her twin sister in shock. ‘You surely don’t mean to go through with it?’

Nadia gave her a defiant look from beneath lashes heavy with thick black mascara. ‘I can’t cope with a baby. Besides, I never really wanted her in the first place.’

‘But Georgia is so young!’ Nina protested. ‘How can you possibly think of giving her away?’

‘It’s easy.’ Nadia pouted. ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I don’t take it with both hands it might never come again.’

‘But she’s only four months old!’ Nina cried. ‘Surely you owe it to Andre’s memory to raise her.’

‘I owe him nothing!’ Nadia spat. ‘You seem to be forgetting that he refused to acknowledge her as his child. He wouldn’t even agree to a paternity test, no doubt because he didn’t want to upset that cow of a fiancée of his.’ She paced the room angrily. ‘I should’ve known he wasn’t to be trusted. The Marcello males are known for their playboy lifestyle; you have only to look at yesterday’s paper to realise that.’

Nina was well aware of the photograph of Marc Marcello, Andre’s older brother, in the Sydney weekend broadsheet. It was rare for a week to go past without some reference to his billionaire fast-paced fast-women lifestyle. His dark good looks had been the first thing she’d noticed when she’d opened the paper.

‘Does Marc Marcello know about your intention to give his niece up for adoption?’ she asked her sister.

Nadia turned back to face her. ‘I wrote to his father in Italy a few weeks ago but he flatly refused to acknowledge Georgia as his granddaughter. So this time I sent a photo of her. That should set the cat among the pigeons, when he sees how like Andre she is. I felt the need to twist the knife since it’s his precious son’s fault my life has been stuffed up.’

‘But surely—’

Nadia gave her a bristling look. ‘As far as I’m concerned, I want nothing more to do with the Marcello family. I gave them a chance to claim Georgia but they brushed me off. That’s why I’m leaving now to get on with Plan B.’

‘Leaving?’ Nina stared at her in consternation. ‘Leaving to go where?’

‘America.’

‘But what about Georgia?’ she gasped, her heart tripping in alarm. ‘You’re surely not thinking of…’ She couldn’t even frame the rest of the words.

Nadia gave a dismissive shrug of one shoulder. ‘You can look after her for a month or two—you do most of the time anyway. Besides, it’s clear she loves you more than me, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t hand her over to you temporarily. You can take care of her until someone adopts her.’

Nina’s stomach rolled over painfully. It was hard for her to imagine her sister having so little regard for the tiny infant who lay sleeping in the pram near the window. How could she be so unfeeling as to walk away from her own baby?

‘Look—’ she tried to reason with her ‘—I know you’re upset; it’s only been a few months since Andre…went.’

Nadia turned on her furiously. ‘What’s with the euphemism? Andre didn’t go somewhere—he died.’

Nina swallowed. ‘I—I know.’

‘I’m just glad he took his stupid fiancée with him,’ Nadia added in a surly tone.

‘You surely don’t mean that?’

Nadia’s features twisted in bitterness. ‘Of course I mean it. I hate the Marcello family and anyone connected to them.’ She tossed her mane of blonde hair over one shoulder and looked back at her sister. ‘I have a chance at a new life with Bryce Falkirk in America. He loves me and has promised me a part in one of his films. This will be my chance at the big screen. I’d be a fool to let it slip out of my hands. And if I play my cards right he might even ask me to marry him.’

‘Have you told him about Georgia?’

Nadia rolled her eyes. ‘Are you nuts? Of course I didn’t tell him. He thinks Georgia is your child.’

Nina stared at her in alarm. ‘How can you even consider the possibility of marrying the man without telling him of your past?’

Nadia gave her sister a cutting look. ‘Bryce wouldn’t have considered being involved with me at all if I’d told him anything like that. He thinks the sun shines from my “childlike innocent” eyes, and I’m going to make sure he keeps thinking that way, even if I have to lie through my teeth every day to ensure he does.’

‘But surely if he really loves you—’

‘Look, Nina, I don’t want to have the sort of life our mother had, flitting from one bad man to another and shunting kids off into horrible foster homes whenever things got tough. I want to have money and stability and I can’t have that with a kid hanging off my hip.’

‘But surely you could—’

‘No!’ Nadia cut her off impatiently. ‘You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want that child; I never did.’ She dumped Georgia’s changing bag next to the pram, the soft thump as it hit the floor striking a chord of disquiet in Nina’s chest. ‘You were the one who talked me out of getting rid of the pregnancy, so I think it’s only fair you get to look after her now until I can find a private adoption candidate.’

‘Private adoption?’ Nina instantly stiffened.

Nadia gave her sister a streetwise look. ‘There are people out there who will pay big money for a cute little baby. I want to make sure I get the best deal I can. With my connections with Bryce I might even be able to find a Hollywood actor who will want Georgia. Think of the money they would be prepared to pay.’

Nina’s eyes flared in shock and her heart began to thump unevenly behind her ribcage. ‘How can you do this to your own child?’

‘It’s none of your business what I do,’ Nadia said. ‘She’s my child, not yours.’

‘Let me adopt her,’ Nina begged. ‘I can do it. I’m a blood relative, which would make it so much easier, surely?’

Nadia shook her head. ‘No. I’m going to use this opportunity to its fullest extent.’ Her eyes glinted with unmistakable avarice. ‘It’s like a lucky windfall when you think about it. It’s my chance to free myself of Andre’s child and make a whole heap of money in the process.’

‘You’re so mercenary.’

‘Not mercenary—realistic,’ Nadia insisted. ‘We might be identical twins but I’m not like you, Nina, and it’s high time you accepted it. I want to travel and I want the comfort of wealth and privilege around me. You can keep your long hours in a boring old library—I want a life.’

Nina straightened her shoulders, her chin lifting in pride. ‘I enjoy my work.’

‘Yeah, well, I enjoy shopping and dining out and partying. And I’m going to do a hell of a lot of it when I get to Bryce’s mansion in Los Angeles. I can’t wait.’

‘I can’t believe you’re simply going to walk away from your responsibilities. Georgia isn’t some sort of toy you can push to one side. She’s a baby, for God’s sake. Doesn’t that mean anything to you at all?’

‘No.’ Nadia’s cold grey eyes clashed with hers. ‘It means absolutely nothing to me. I told you—I don’t want her.’ She scooped up her bag and, rummaging in it, handed her sister a document folder. ‘Here is her birth certificate and passport; keep them safe for when it’s time to hand her over.’ She hoisted her handbag back on to her shoulder and turned for the door.

‘Nadia, wait!’ Nina cried, glancing at the pram in desperation. ‘Aren’t you even going to say goodbye to her?’

Nadia opened the door and, with one last determined look, closed it firmly behind her.

Nina knew it would be hopeless running after her to implore her to come back. For most of her twenty-four years she’d been pleading with Nadia to stop and think about her actions, but to no avail. Her wayward and wilful twin had gone from one disaster to another, causing immeasurable hurt in the process and showing little remorse. But this was surely the worst so far.

There was a soft whimper from inside the pram and, moving across the small room, she reached inside to pick up the tiny pink bundle.

‘Hey, precious,’ she said as she cradled the infant close to her chest, marvelling yet again at the minute perfection of her features. ‘Are you hungry, little one?’

The baby began to nuzzle against her and Nina felt a wave of overwhelming love wash through her. She couldn’t bear the thought of her niece being handed over to someone else to rear. What if things didn’t work out and Georgia’s childhood ended up like hers and Nadia’s? Nina remembered it all too well—the regular stints in foster care, some of the placements a whole lot less desirable than the neglect she and her twin had received at home. How could she stand by and watch the same thing happen to Georgia?

Nina knew how the legal adoption system worked but this private process made her feel very uneasy. What if someone totally unsuitable offered her sister a huge amount of money? What sort of screening process would the prospective parents go through, if any?

She became aware of the seeping wetness of Georgia’s clothing and, carrying her through to her room, laid her on the bed and gently undressed her as she’d done countless times before. She got down to the last layer, a tiny yellowed vest that was frayed at the edges. She peeled it over the tiny child’s head, cooing to her niece as she did so until the soft nonsense of her words dried up in her throat as she encountered what the vest had hidden from view. Her eyes widened in shock at the purple welt of bruises along Georgia’s ribcage, bruises that exactly matched the length and width of her own fingers as if she’d done the damage herself.

‘Oh, Nadia, how could you?’ she gulped, fighting back tears for how she hadn’t been able to prevent her niece from suffering what had been commonplace in her own childhood and that of her twin.

Nina determined then and there that she would do whatever she could to keep Georgia herself. Surely there was a way to convince Nadia to give the baby to her permanently.

She had to find one!

Other single mothers coped, so too would she—somehow.

She chewed the ragged edge of one nail as she considered her options. It wouldn’t be easy for her—she could hardly afford childcare on her present salary at the library.

She looked down at the sleeping infant, her chest squeezing painfully at the thought of never seeing her tiny niece again.

No. She would simply not allow her sister to go through with it.

She would be Georgia’s mother and if anyone thought differently, too bad.

No one was going to take her niece away from her.

No one.

Marc Marcello frowned as his secretary informed him via the office intercom that his father was on the phone from the Villa Marcello in Sorrento, Italy.

He picked up the receiver and, swivelling in his leather chair, looked out at the expansive view over Sydney Harbour as he pressed the talk button.

‘Marc! You have to do something about that woman and do it immediately,’ Vito Marcello burst out in rapid-fire Italian.

‘I take it you mean Andre’s little whore?’ Marc answered smoothly.

‘She might be a whore but she is also the mother of my only grandchild,’ Vito growled.

Marc stiffened in his chair. ‘What makes you so certain all of a sudden? Andre refused a paternity test; he said he had always used protection.’

‘He might have used protection but I now have reason to believe it failed.’

Marc frowned and turned his chair back to his desk, the sudden thump of his heart in his chest surprising him into a temporary silence.

‘I have a letter in front of me with a small photo of the child.’ Vito’s voice cracked slightly as he continued. ‘She looks exactly like Andre at that age. It is Andre’s child, I am sure of it.’

Marc pressed his lips together as he fought to get his own raw emotions under some semblance of control. The death of his younger brother had privately devastated him, but for the sake of his terminally ill father he’d carried on the family business without a single hiccup. The Sydney branch of the Marcello merchant bank was booming and he had every intention of maintaining the punishing hours he’d adopted to block out the pain of his brother’s death.

‘Papa.’ His voice was deep and rough around the edges. ‘This is all very hard to take in…’

‘We have to get that child,’ his father insisted. ‘She is all we have left of Andre.’

A tremor of unease passed through Marc at the determined edge to his father’s tone. ‘How do you intend to accomplish this?’

‘The usual way,’ his father answered with undisguised cynicism. ‘If you offer her enough money she will do whatever you ask.’

‘How much money are you expecting me to spend on this mission of yours?’ Marc asked.

Vito named a figure that sent Marc’s broad shoulders to the back of his chair.

‘That is a lot of money.’

‘I know,’ his father agreed. ‘But I cannot take the chance that she might not accept your offer. After the response I sent to her previous letter she might avenge my assessment of her character and deny us access to the child.’

Marc inwardly cringed, recalling the content of that letter. His father had emailed him a copy and it had certainly not been complimentary. He could well imagine the Selbourne woman reacting to it out of revenge, particularly if what she said was true—Andre had indeed fathered her child.

He was well aware of Nadia Selbourne’s reputation, even though he hadn’t met her personally. He’d seen one or two photos, however, which had shown a beautiful woman with thick long blonde hair, eyes that were an unusual smoky grey and the sort of figure that not only turned heads but turned on other parts of the male anatomy at an astonishingly rapid rate as well. His brother had been completely besotted with her until her true character had come out. He could still recall Andre’s scathing description of how she had responded when he’d informed her that their short but passionate affair was over. She had hounded him for months, following him and harassing him relentlessly.

But somehow the thought of his dead brother’s blood flowing through the tiny veins of her child stirred him both unexpectedly and deeply.

‘Marc.’ His father’s desperate voice cut across his reflections. ‘You have to do this. It is a matter of family honour. Andre would have done the same for you if things had been the other way around.’

It was hard for Marc to imagine ever allowing himself to get into the sort of disasters his younger brother had for most of his life, but he didn’t think it worthwhile pointing that out now. His father had already suffered enough; he’d lost his beloved son.

It had been no secret in the Marcello family that Andre had always been his father’s favourite. His sunny nature and charming boisterous personality had won everyone over virtually from the day he’d been born, leaving Marc with his more serious disposition on the outside.

He frowned as he considered his father’s plan. What would it take to convince this woman to hand over the child? Would she take the money and go, or would she insist on something more formal, such as…

His stomach tightened momentarily as he recalled how his brother had told him that Nadia Selbourne was relentless in her search for a rich husband.

But surely his father wouldn’t expect him to go that far!

So far Marc had managed to ignore the pressure to marry, although he had come very close a few years ago. But it had ended rather badly and he’d actively avoided heavy emotional entanglements since then. Besides, Andre had always made it clear he was going to marry young and father all the Marcello heirs so the family dynasty would be secure. Marc had decided women were not to be trusted where money was involved. And in the Marcello family a lot of money was involved.

His heart contracted at the thought of a small dark-haired infant with black-brown eyes—eyes that would one day soon dance with mischief, as her father’s had for his too short thirty years of life.

‘So will you do it?’ Vito pressed. ‘Will you do this one thing for me and your late mother?’

Marc pinched the bridge of his Roman nose, his eyes squeezing shut. The mention of his mother always tore at him deeply, the sharp guilt cutting into him until he felt as if he was bleeding. He still remembered that last day, the way she had smiled and waved at him from the other side of the busy street in Rome. She hadn’t seen the motor scooter until it had ripped the shopping bags out of her hands, spinning her into the pathway of an oncoming car.

He couldn’t help believing that if he had been honest with her about why he was going to be late, maybe she would not have been killed. His father had begged him, and he had honoured him by doing as he’d asked, but the guilt even now was like a deep dark current that dragged at his feet, weighing him down relentlessly.

When his brother had been killed so soon after the death of his mother, Marc hadn’t been able to rid himself of the feeling that his father would have grieved a whole lot less if it had been him instead of Andre in that mangled car.

He let out his breath and, releasing his fingers, answered resignedly. ‘I will see what I can do…’

‘Thank you.’ The relief in his father’s voice was unmistakable.

Marc knew his father’s days were numbered. How much more precious would they be if he could hold his only grandchild in his arms?

‘She might refuse to even see me, you know,’ Marc warned, thinking again of that vituperative letter his father had sent. ‘Have you considered that possibility?’

‘Do whatever you have to do to make her see reason,’ Vito instructed. ‘And I mean anything. This is simply a business arrangement. Women like Nadia Selbourne expect nothing more and nothing less.’

A business arrangement.

What sort of woman was this, Marc thought, who would bargain with the life of a small child?

He put the phone down a few minutes later and turned once more to the sweeping view outside. His dark eyes narrowed against the angle of the sun as he considered what he’d just agreed to do.

He was going to visit the one person he hated more than any other in the world—the woman he believed responsible for his brother’s untimely death.

CHAPTER TWO

NINA had not long fed and settled Georgia on Monday morning when the doorbell rang. Giving the small neat room a quick glance, she made her way across the threadbare carpet, wondering what it was that her elderly neighbour wanted now. Ellice Tippen had already borrowed a carton of milk and half a packet of plain biscuits and it wasn’t even lunch time.

She opened the door as she plastered a welcoming smile on her face but it instantly faded as her gaze shifted a long way upwards to meet a pair of dark, almost black, eyes.

‘Miss Selbourne?’

‘I…yes,’ she answered, unconsciously putting a hand up to her throat.

The tall figure standing before her was even more arresting in the flesh than the grainy newspaper photo had portrayed. He was taller than average, well over six feet, his shoulders broad and his overall stance nothing short of commanding. The hard angle of his lean clean-shaven jaw hinted at a streak of intractability in his personality, and his eyes held no trace of friendliness. His perfectly tailored business suit superbly highlighted his strong lean body, suggesting he was a man used to a great deal of punishing physical activity.

‘I am assuming you know who I am.’ His voice was deep and had a hard edge to it as if he wasn’t the type to block his punches.

‘I…er…yes.’

What else could she say? The weekend paper was still open at his photo on the coffee table behind her. Every time she’d walked past she’d told herself to screw it up and throw it out, but somehow she hadn’t. She wasn’t entirely sure why.

‘I understand you have my brother’s child,’ he said into the stiff silence.

‘I…yes, that’s correct.’ A vision of Georgia’s dark bruises flashed into Nina’s mind and her rising panic increased her heart rate to an almost intolerable level. She had to keep him away from her niece!

‘I would like to see her.’

‘I’m afraid she’s sleeping just now, so…’ She let the sentence trail away, hoping he’d take the hint.

He didn’t.

He held her gaze for a lengthy moment and just when she began to close the door he put his foot out to block it.

‘Perhaps you did not hear me, Miss Selbourne.’ His tone hardened even further as his diamond-hard eyes lasered hers. ‘I am here to see my brother’s child and I will not be leaving until I do so.’

Nina knew he meant every hard-bitten word and, stepping back from the door, sent him a chilling glance. ‘If you wake her I’ll be extremely angry.’ Please stay asleep, Georgia, she silently pleaded as he moved through the doorway, coming to stand right in front of her as the door clicked shut behind him.

He gave her a sweeping up and down look and when his eyes met hers they were full of contempt. ‘Andre told me all about you.’

Nina frowned in confusion. She’d never once met her sister’s lover. Nadia’s affair with him had been brief but explosive, just like all her others.

Surely he didn’t think…

‘He told me you were trouble, but little did I realise how much,’ he continued when she didn’t respond.

She stared at him for a moment, wondering if she should disabuse him of his error in thinking she was her sister, but in the end decided to let him go on, to see what his intentions were with regard to Georgia. After all, what harm could it do? All she needed to do was pretend to be Nadia for a few minutes to tell him that she had changed her mind about the letter that had been sent to his father. Once she had convinced him she had no intention of giving up ‘her’ daughter, hopefully he would go away.

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t done this type of thing before. So many times in the past Nina had stepped into Nadia’s place to take the brunt of whatever punishment their dysfunctional mother had dished out. Surely if she’d been able to hoodwink her own mother, Marc Marcello would be an absolute pushover.

‘Your brother’s criticism is ironic considering his own behaviour,’ she put in crisply.

A menacing glare came into his dark-as-night eyes. ‘You dare to malign my dead brother?’

She lifted her chin. ‘He was a cheat. While he was fathering Georgia, he was committed elsewhere.’

‘He was formally engaged to Daniela Verdacci,’ he said bitterly. ‘They had been together since they were teenagers. You set your sights on him, no doubt lured by the prospect of his money, but he only ever had eyes for Daniela. Did you really think he would stoop so low as to tie himself permanently to an unprincipled opportunistic little tramp who has slept her way around most of Sydney?’

Nina tensed in anger. She knew her sister had been a little promiscuous at times, but the way Marc Marcello phrased it made it sound as if she had been a call girl instead of the insecure and emotionally unstable person she really was.

‘How absolutely typical!’ she spat back. ‘Why is it men such as yourself and your brother can sow several continents with wild oats but women must not? Get in the real world, Mr Marcello. Women own their sexuality these days and have the same right to express it as you.’

His dark unreadable eyes raked her from head to foot again. ‘While we are speaking of rights, the little matter of Andre’s child needs to be addressed. As much as I lament and abhor the fact that the child is a Marcello, the fact remains that she is entitled to see her paternal relatives.’

‘Surely that decision is up to me?’

‘No, I am afraid not, Miss Selbourne.’ His voice lowered threateningly. ‘Perhaps you do not realise quite who you are dealing with here. The Marcello family will not stand back and watch a street whore raise a blood relative. Unless you do as I say I will do everything in my power to remove her from you so you cannot taint her with your lack of morality.’

Nina’s eyes widened in alarm. She was in no doubt of his ability to do as he threatened. There could be few people in Australia who weren’t aware of the monumental wealth of the Marcello family. Their influence and control stretched far and wide across the world. With the best legal defence and with a total lack of scruples, she knew it wouldn’t be long before Marc Marcello did exactly as he had promised.

Oh, what had Nadia done?

Nina did her best not to appear intimidated, but never had she been more terrified. If he were to find out that she wasn’t actually the child’s mother, he could remove Georgia right here and now and there would be nothing she could do to stop him.

But he was not going to find out. Not if she could help it.

Garnering what courage she could, she stood rigidly before him, her grey eyes issuing a challenge.

‘I might appear to be a woman of few morals, but let me assure you I love that child and will not stand back while some overrated playboy sweeps her away. She’s a baby and babies need their mothers.’

Marc’s gaze swept over her rigid form, noting the tightened line of her full mouth and the stubborn set of her chin. Her startling eyes flashed with venom and, for the first time, he realised just how severely tempted his brother must have been. That pint-sized frame was incredibly alluring, so too the lustrous blonde hair that perfectly offset the creamy quality of her skin. Her figure had snapped back into place rather quickly, he thought, considering she’d not long been delivered of a child. Her air of innocence, however, he knew was the façade of a money-hungry whore who had already demonstrated her intentions by trying to trap his brother with the oldest trick in the book—pregnancy.

‘Under normal circumstances I would agree with you,’ he said in an even tone. ‘Having had the benefit of a wonderful mother, I would be the last person to suggest a child should be raised by anyone else. However, your track record does not inspire the greatest confidence in me that you will be able to support and nurture Andre’s child. After all, who was it that sent a missive to my family in Italy stating your intentions to have the child adopted?’

‘I…It was a knee-jerk reaction. I was upset and not thinking straight,’ she said quickly. ‘I have no intention of giving her up. Georgia is mine and no one—and I mean no one—is going to remove her from my custody.’

Without warning he stepped towards her, his formidable height casting a dark shadow over her slim form. Nina fought with herself not to shrink away, but it took everything in her to hold herself steady under his threatening presence.

‘How remiss of me,’ he drawled as he reached inside his suit jacket pocket for his wallet. ‘I should have known you would want to twist the screws a bit. How much?’

She looked at him blankly.

One dark aristocratic brow lifted. ‘I assume this is what this holding pattern is all about?’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ she said, her throat suddenly bone-dry.

His mouth twisted into a cynical smile as he fanned open his wallet, ‘Come now, Nadia. I am a rich man; I think I can just about afford to pay you off. Name your price.’

Marc was surprised by how much he was enjoying playing with her, seeing her struggle to hold on to her temper, knowing that any minute now she’d cave in to the temptation he was dangling before her beautiful come-to-bed-eyes.

‘My real name is Nina and I don’t want your stupid money.’

This time both his eyebrows lifted. He paused strategically, wondering what game she was playing now.

‘I thought your name was Nadia? I am sure Andre told me it was—or was that a lie too?’

Nina schooled her features into exactly the sort of expression her twin sister was famous for. ‘Nina is my real name but I thought Nadia sounded a little more sophisticated. I’ve since changed my mind.’ She inspected her hands in another imitation of her sister before raising her eyes back to his. ‘How did you know where to find me?’

‘There is only one Miss N Selbourne listed in the phone book in this suburb.’

Since Nadia had moved in with her after the birth of Georgia, her sister’s erratic approach to paying bills meant that Nina had left the telephone in her name alone, which had obviously made it even easier for Marc to assume she was her twin.

She allowed one tiny inaudible breath of relief to escape the tight frame of her lips.

So far so good.

‘Well, then…Nina.’ He drew her name out suggestively. ‘If you are not after money, what do you want?’

‘Nothing.’

The cynical smile was back. ‘It has been my experience that women like you are always after money even when they insist to the contrary.’

‘Your experience must be terribly limited, for I can assure you I have no need of your money.’

‘Not mine, perhaps, but you must be aware that my dead brother has left a considerable estate. You have given birth to his child, which means she has a legal right to claim some, if not all, of that estate when she comes of age.’

Nina swallowed. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute.

‘I’m not interested in Andre’s estate.’

‘You expect me to believe that?’ he growled. ‘Behind those eyes of yours I can see the dollar signs already rolling in anticipation.’ His dark gaze left hers to sweep the room before coming back to glare down at her. ‘Look at this place! It reeks of poverty and neglect. Do you think I will allow my niece to live in such a hovel?’

Nina felt pride straighten her spine. ‘It’s all I can afford at present.’

He gave a harsh laugh. ‘At present is right. No doubt you have already got some other poor unsuspecting man in your sights for your next free ride.’ He gave her a look of undiluted disgust and continued. ‘You must be offering something pretty special underneath that “butter would not melt in your mouth” pose for anyone to take you on with another man’s baby in tow.’

Nina had never considered herself a volatile person; Nadia had been the firebrand, her unpredictable mood swings causing many an unpleasant scene. But somehow, hearing Marc’s disdain, even though it was directed at her twin, bit her deeply and on her sister’s behalf she fought back.

‘Are you offering to take up where Andre left off?’ she asked in a tone dripping with sultry provocation.

His dark eyes glittered with hatred so intense it secretly unnerved her.

‘I can see how you want to play this,’ he said after another nerve-tightening pause.

‘On the contrary, I want nothing other than for you to leave my home immediately. You’re not the least bit interested in my n…er…daughter.’ She took a quick breath to disguise her vocal stumble. ‘If you don’t leave then I will have no other choice than to call the police and have you thrown out.’

Black eyes clashed with grey for endless seconds but finally Nina was the first to lower her gaze.

‘Please leave, Mr Marcello. I have nothing else I wish to say to you.’

‘I want to see my niece.’ His adamant tone brought her eyes back to his. ‘I want to see the child my brother fathered.’

Nina pressed her lips together as she saw the struggle he made to keep his emotions under control. She heard it in his voice and saw it in his rigid stance as he faced her, his dark eyes shining with sudden moisture.

She hadn’t expected him to have such depth of human feeling and it shamed her to realise how seriously she’d misjudged him. After all, she reminded herself, he had not long buried his only sibling under tragic circumstances. Even with all Nadia’s distressing foibles, she knew that in the same situation she would be little less than devastated.

‘I’m sorry.’ Her voice came out unevenly.

His mouth twisted. ‘Are you?’

She didn’t answer but moved past him to the pram under the single window. She was conscious of his tall frame just behind her as she peeled back the covers so he could see Georgia’s face.

She felt him standing close beside her, his arm brushing hers as he looked down at his brother’s child for a long time without speaking. The silence was so intense she could hear the sound of his breathing, his chest moving in and out with the effort of controlling his reaction to seeing his niece for the first time.

‘Can I hold her?’

Nina felt as if her heart had done a complete somersault in her chest at his simple request. What if he held her the wrong way and she cried?

‘Um…I don’t think—’

‘Please.’ His raw tone brought her eyes back to his. ‘I would like to hold my brother’s child. She is all that I have left of him.’

Nina released an uneven breath and carefully lifted the sleeping baby from amongst the covers, cradling her gently before turning and handing her to him.

She watched as a thousand emotions flashed over his handsome features as he brought the tiny bundle close to his broad chest, his dark gaze thoughtful as he looked down at the perfection of Georgia’s peaceful face.

‘She is…beautiful.’ His tone was distinctly husky.

Nina had trouble keeping the emotion out of her own voice. ‘Yes, she is.’

His eyes met hers briefly. ‘What did you call her?’

She lowered her gaze a fraction. ‘Georgia.’

‘Georgia,’ he repeated as if tasting it. ‘It suits her.’

She chanced a look at him and was surprised to see how at ease he was holding the infant, one of his large hands cradling her securely while the other explored her miniature features as if in wonder.

‘Does she have a middle name?’ he asked into the heavy silence.

‘Grace,’ she answered, wondering if she should tell him it was her own middle name, but at the last minute deciding against it. She’d been so touched when Nadia had told her of her choice of names, and for a while had hoped her sister was going to finally settle down and face her responsibilities. But within a few short weeks of Georgia’s birth she had gone back to late-night partying and drinking, leaving the baby with Nina so often that Georgia had begun to cry whenever Nadia had made any approach at all, as if sensing her total inadequacy as a carer.

Nina was increasingly aware of the silence in the room as Marc Marcello held his niece, his dark gaze fixed on the child’s face.

She said the first thing that came into her head. ‘I think she looks like Andre, don’t you?’

Marc swung his gaze to where she was standing, his hard expression instantly clouding. She thought he was going to agree with her but instead he turned back to the child in his arms and asked, looking down at her, ‘Did he ever see her?’

‘No.’

She’d been furious when Nadia had told her that Andre hadn’t wanted to see his baby, and couldn’t help wondering if that was the reason her sister hadn’t bonded with the child in the first place. The whole way through the pregnancy Nadia had had all her hopes pinned on Andre falling in love with his child once he saw her, thus ensuring a secure future for Nadia as his wife. When he had flatly refused to take a paternity test to establish whether or not the baby was his, Nadia had gone into a deep depression, closely followed by a spate of reckless partying.

‘No,’ she repeated, her tone holding a distinct note of bitterness. ‘I expect he was too busy preparing for his wedding.’

Marc didn’t answer but Nina could see the sudden tightening of his jaw as if her words had annoyed him.

She watched as he laid the baby down once more, his touch sure but gentle as he tucked the light bunny rug back into place.

When he turned to face her she found it difficult to hold his piercing gaze as she thought of how she was deceiving him. It suddenly occurred to her what a dangerous game she was playing. Wasn’t there some sort of law against impersonating another person? Marc Marcello was nobody’s fool and if he were to ever find out how he’d been duped there would be hell to pay, she was sure.

‘Miss Selbourne.’ His deep voice brought her troubled gaze back to his.

‘Y-yes?’ She moistened her lips, somehow sensing he was going to state his intentions, all her instincts telling her she wasn’t going to like them one little bit.

‘I want to see my niece on a regular basis and, while I understand your aversion to such an arrangement, I think you know I will pursue this legally if you refuse.’

‘I’m her mother,’ she bit out. ‘No court in Australia would remove her from my custody.’

‘You think not?’ His lip curled. ‘What if I told them about your little affair with a certain prominent politician just a few weeks after giving birth to my brother’s child?’

What affair? Nina thought in panic. What politician? What the hell had Nadia been up to?

He must have seen the flicker of alarm cross her features as he added in a cool deliberate tone, ‘You see, Miss Selbourne, I have all the dirt on you and I intend to use it in order to bring about what I want. I have heard how you tried to extort money from the poor fool when he called a halt to the relationship. You have been lucky that little affair did not get the press’s attention, but one word from me and, well…’ He paused for effect. ‘You know the rest.’

She sucked in a ragged breath, even her fingertips growing icy cold with dread as it spread through her body like the flow of mercury in her veins.

‘What exactly do you want?’ Her words came out like hard pellets.

Marc waited for a few moments before he answered. Until he had seen Andre’s child—and one look told him she was indeed his—he had not really thought much further than waving a truckload of money under the mother’s nose and walking away with the baby as his father had planned. But somehow seeing Nina with the baby, the way she looked at Georgia so lovingly and cradled her so gently, he wasn’t convinced that he would be acting in the best interests of his niece by removing her from her mother, unless he was absolutely sure she was not up to the task of caring for her. If indeed he could, considering that ill-judged letter of his father’s, and its vicious rejection of the baby. The woman had a powerful weapon there, if she chose to use it.

Which left him with only one other course of action.

His obsidian gaze held hers determinedly. ‘I want to claim my brother’s child as my own.’

‘You can’t do that! She doesn’t belong to you! She belongs t-to…t-to me.’

‘I can, you know.’

‘How?’

She shouldn’t have asked, Nina thought later. She just should never have asked.

His dark eyes locked with hers and a persistent tickling feather of fear began to tease its way up the entire length of her spine.

‘I want that baby and I will do anything to have her, even if it means I have to tie myself to you to do so.’

She blinked at him, wondering if she’d misinterpreted his chilling statement. ‘Tie yourself? What do you mean tie yourself?’

His mouth twisted into a smile that didn’t quite reach his dark-as-sin eyes. ‘My brother refused to marry you, but I have no such scruples. You will be my wife within a fortnight or I will make sure you never see your daughter again.’ He kept his features still, knowing his bluff was convincing. But would it work?

It took Nina a moment or two to find her voice, her head pounding with a combination of shock and outrage.

‘Do you seriously think I will be coerced in such a way?’ she finally spat indignantly.

‘I am more or less counting on it. Andre told me your main goal in life was to land a rich husband, so here I am, ready to step into the role.’

She opened her mouth to speak again but her throat closed over at the steely determination in his dark gaze as it clashed with hers.

She considered coming clean, telling him she was really Nadia’s twin, hoping he would understand her need to protect her niece, but his air of icy hauteur changed her mind at the last minute. She’d be damned if she would give up her niece without a furious fight, even if it cost her everything she had, including her freedom.

She flashed him a look of pure loathing at the way he’d cleverly herded her into a corner from which she could increasingly see there might be little chance of escape. She saw the glint of anticipated victory in his dark gaze and her blood ebbed and flowed through her veins in a tide of anger and growing fear.

‘I suppose it’s to be expected a spoilt playboy like you would assume he can always get whatever he wants,’ she said.

‘I will, of course, pay you generously,’ he said, his dark eyes watching her steadily. ‘How much do you want?’

Nina was very conscious that in her place Nadia would have asked for some outrageous sum, but something stopped her from taking the charade that far. The ice she’d inadvertently skated on to was suddenly very thin in places, but taking money in what was little more than a bribe was surely going to lead to more trouble than she could cope with at present.

Besides, little Georgia was lying asleep less than a metre away from him, her tiny body badly bruised. She’d been lucky this time but if he took even one look beneath that vest…

Forcing her chin upwards, she tilted her head at him, her arms folded in front of her chest, and informed him with unintentional irony, ‘If you think you can bribe me then you’ve got the wrong person.’

His eyes flicked to her where her breasts were pushed up by her folded arms, taking his time before returning to her face.

Nina stood silently fuming under his mocking appraisal, wondering how in the world her sister’s behaviour had brought her to this. She knew her anger should be directed at Nadia and not the man before her, but everything about him goaded her beyond bearing.

‘I told you before, I don’t want your money. I’d feel tainted by taking anything from you.’

‘Nice try, Miss Selbourne,’ he drawled back. ‘I can see what you are doing. You are pretending to be nothing like the avaricious young woman who seduced my brother, but I can see through your little act. Do not think that you can deceive me so easily; I have made up my mind, and you will do as I say, whether you accept payment from me or not.’

Nina did her best to hide how his statement affected her while her mind raced on, wondering how in the world she was going to get out of this farcical situation. God, she was going to kill Nadia for this! Surely she couldn’t be forced to marry the man just to keep her niece? But what else was she to do? Nadia was an unfit mother and—like her—Marc apparently had enough evidence to prove it.

‘I want some time to think about this.’ She was a little unnerved by how like Nadia she sounded, but carried on regardless. ‘I like to look at all the angles on things before I commit myself.’

‘I am not here to negotiate, Miss Selbourne,’ he said intractably. ‘I am here to step into the role of Georgia’s father and I want to do it as soon as possible.’

She looked up at him in growing alarm. There was an intransigent edge to his tone that suggested he was well used to getting his own way and would go to any lengths at his disposal to do so.

Tell him the truth, she mentally chanted. Tell him who you really are. But the words were stuck somewhere in the middle of her chest where her heart was already squeezing at the thought of never seeing Georgia again.

She tried to think rationally and clearly but it was hard with him standing there watching every tiny flicker of emotion on her face.

What if she went along with his demands for now? He’d said two weeks. Surely she’d be able to wriggle out of it by then. Hopefully Nadia would be in contact soon and she’d be able to sort something out. She had to sort something out. She couldn’t possibly marry a perfect stranger!

Marc took her continued silence as acquiescence. ‘I will have the necessary papers drawn up immediately.’

‘But…’ She stopped, her heart giving another funny skip in her chest. Oh, God! What had she done? Surely he wasn’t serious?

She tried again. ‘H-how soon do you want me to…’ She found it hard to finish the sentence as his hard eyes cut to hers with a look of total disdain.

‘Perhaps I should make something very clear at this point. I do not want you, Miss Selbourne. This will not be a proper marriage in the true sense of the word.’

‘Not legal, do you mean?’ She frowned, trying to make sense of his meaning.

‘It will be legal, I would not settle for less, but it will be a paper marriage only.’

‘A paper marriage?’ Her finely arched brows met above her eyes.

‘We will not be consummating the relationship,’ he stated implacably.

Nina knew she should be feeling overwhelming relief at his curt statement but for some inexplicable reason she felt annoyed instead. She knew she wasn’t looking as glamorous right now as Nadia customarily did, but her figure was good and her features classically appealing. It didn’t sit that well with her to have him dismiss her desirability so readily, as if she held no physical appeal at all.

‘You expect me to trust you on that?’ she asked with just the right amount of cynicism in her tone.

He lifted a long-fingered tanned hand and made a sign of a cross over his chest as his eyes pinned hers.

‘Cross my heart and hope to die.’

Something about his air of supreme confidence tempted Nina into giving him the sort of seductive look she’d seen her sister casting men’s way for years. She placed her hand on her hip as she tilted her pelvis provocatively, the corners of her mouth tipping upwards in a taunting little salacious smile as she drawled breathily, ‘Then I would say you’re as good as a dead man, Mr Marcello.’

CHAPTER THREE

MARC gave an inward smile at her overblown confidence. She was just as Andre had described, all pouting little girl one minute, raging sex siren the next. It was a heady combination, he had to admit, but while Andre hadn’t been able to contain his desire for her, temporary as it had been, Marc felt confident he was in no danger of being tested beyond his control. Nina Selbourne was the total opposite of what he most wanted in a partner.

He loathed shallow money-hungry women who had nothing better to do than preen themselves in the hope of attracting a rich husband. He’d been surrounded by them for most of his life, with the exception of his French-born mother, who had had both style and grace without affectation.

No, Miss Nina/Nadia Selbourne was fooling herself if she thought he would fall for her physical charms.

‘I am not like my brother, Miss Selbourne,’ he informed her coldly. ‘My tastes are a little more upmarket.’

Nina wished she could slap that imperious smirk off his handsome face but knew there would probably be distasteful consequences if she did. She clenched her hands into fists and glared back at him.

‘I could make you eat those words and we both know it. I saw the way you ran your eyes all over me the moment I opened the door.’

‘I admit I was a little intrigued as to what made my brother act so incautiously.’ His lazy look took in her heaving chest and feisty gaze. ‘But I can assure you I have no appetite for vacuous women such as yourself.’

Nina schooled her features back under control with difficulty. ‘I take it this marriage arrangement you’re proposing leaves you free to liaise with whomever you want whenever you want?’

‘I will do my best to be discreet if the need should arise.’

‘What about me?’ she asked. ‘Am I allowed to indulge myself similarly?’

He didn’t answer immediately but she could almost hear the cogs of his brain ticking over as he considered her question.

‘Well?’ she prodded with an arch look.

‘No.’

‘No?’

He shook his head in slow motion, ‘Absolutely not.’

‘You can’t possibly be serious.’ She snapped her brows together again.

‘Deadly serious,’ he said and folded his arms across the broad expanse of his chest.

‘You surely don’t expect me to agree to such a double standard?’ she asked. ‘What am I supposed to get out of this arrangement?’

‘You get to keep your child, with a rich husband thrown in as a bonus.’

She let out her breath in a whoosh of feminist outrage. ‘I thought men like you died along with the dinosaurs. Seems I was wrong. So, how are things on Planet Chauvinism these days?’

‘I am not by nature a chauvinist but I am sure it will do you good to be celibate for a while to concentrate on your responsibilities as a mother.’

Ironic laughter bubbled to her lips before she could stop it. Unlike her sister, who had lost her virginity at the age of fourteen, Nina was technically still a virgin. Technically because she firmly believed every modern woman had the right to explore her own body and find out how things worked, although she still wondered what all the fuss was about. The earth hadn’t exactly moved and she’d more or less given up on herself, deciding she was one of those women with unusually low sex-drives. But on principle she wasn’t going to let him have things all his way. He already thought her the biggest tart outside of the red-light district and a perverse little part of her was enjoying every dangerous minute of encouraging him to maintain that view.

‘You find the prospect of being responsible amusing?’ His tone dripped with contempt.

She coiled a strand of her long hair around one finger, hoping he wouldn’t notice her chewed nail as she affected another seductive pose.

‘You’re a laugh a minute, Mr Marcello,’ she said. ‘All this talk of being celibate is hilarious. I haven’t been celibate for ten years and I’m not about to start for you or anyone.’

Anger briefly flashed across his features as he looked down at her. Nina saw his hands tighten into fists as if he didn’t trust himself not to reach out and touch her.

A flicker of sensation unexpectedly erupted between her thighs at the mere thought of any part of his tall hard body touching her. She began to imagine what that firm disapproving mouth would feel like crushed to hers, his tongue searching arrogantly to duel with hers. She felt her breasts start to tingle and, almost without realising she was doing it, her tongue came out just a fraction to sweep over the surface of her lips.

Marc felt the sharp tug of sudden errant desire hit him in the belly like a closed fist punch. He struggled to control it, annoyed with himself for being tempted when he’d been so assured that he would be able to resist her, but something about her struck at him deeply. She positively oozed with sexual confidence, the smoky grey of her eyes and full-lipped mouth making his skin lift in anticipation of feeling her touch.

He decided to strike a deal with her even though he had cause to wonder if he was shooting himself in the foot in the process.

‘Since you seem unwilling to agree to my terms, I am willing to make a small compromise,’ he announced. ‘For the period of one month following our marriage we will both remain celibate; how about that?’

She pursed her lips as if considering it. ‘One month? Hmm…I think I could just about manage that.’

His jaw tightened and she gave him another sexy smile. ‘But no longer or I’ll go out of my mind. But then, from what I hear of you—’ she ran her eyes over him from head to foot as if undressing him thread by thread ‘—maybe you will too.’

‘I think I will manage to contain myself,’ he responded coolly.

‘I take it you don’t have a current mistress?’ She sent him a lash-fluttering glance.

‘I am not currently close to anyone.’

Nina couldn’t help wondering how good he might be when he was close. He was the whole knee-trembling spine-loosening package, even though it irked her to admit it. He was handsome beyond belief, his dark mesmerizing eyes promising explosive passion from within their glittering depths. His mouth was currently stretched into a hardened line of derision but she was in no doubt of its power to persuade if he allowed himself a moment of weakness and brought his head down to hers.

The pram near the window suddenly gave a squeak of protest as Georgia shifted in her sleep.

Marc swung his gaze to the pram before turning back to face Nina, his voice low and deep with concern. ‘Is she all right?’

Sending him a now-see-what-you’ve-done look, Nina went over to soothe her. The mewing cries stopped as soon as her hand stroked Georgia’s tiny legs, the gentle rhythmic movements sending the infant back to sleep within a couple of minutes.

Nina was intensely aware of the watchful gaze of Marc Marcello a short distance away. She could almost sense his cool assessment of her, no doubt weighing up her skills as a mother.

Once she was sure the baby was soundly asleep she turned and faced him, her grey eyes meeting his with as much equanimity as she could.

‘You said earlier you intended to marry within two weeks. Why the hurry?’

‘My father is terminally ill. He wishes to see his only grandchild before he dies. There is not much time.’

‘A fortnight isn’t very long.’ She gave her bottom lip a surreptitious nibble.

‘I will see to all the details. You do not have to do anything but turn up at the registry office.’

Nina knew it was pathetic of her to be feeling disappointed, but if by some quirk of fate she had to go through with this, her lifelong dream of a beautiful white wedding in a city cathedral was going to have to be shelved indefinitely.

‘But what about a dress?’ she asked, trying not to think of Marc Marcello’s motives for marrying her.

‘I have no real interest in what sort of outfit you wear,’ he said. ‘However, I do think it would be highly inappropriate of you to wear white.’ His eyes flicked to the pram and back again. ‘Don’t you?’

She held his gaze for as long as she dared. ‘I happen to like wearing white. It suits my colouring.’

Marc was certain she’d still look stunning even if she was covered from head to foot in a nun’s habit. Her come-to-bed eyes had tugged far too many men into their seductive orbit and he had to make sure he didn’t join their number.

‘Wear what you like; the ceremony will be over within minutes anyway. I will make an appointment with my lawyer to draw up the necessary paperwork.’ He made a move towards the door, slanting a warning look her way. ‘I should remind you at this point that if you wish to pull out of the deal I will have no choice but to activate proceedings to remove Georgia permanently from your custody. And do not think I cannot do it, for I assure you I can and will if I need to.’

Nina wished she could throw his threat back at him but the thought of losing her niece was just too wrenching. She knew he only had to see those fading but still present bruises on Georgia’s tiny chest for the fight to be over right here and now.

She only hoped that maybe in time Marc would see how much she too loved the baby and wanted the best for her. But what would he do if or when he found out the truth?

‘I won’t pull out of the deal,’ she said, wishing her voice hadn’t sounded quite so hollow.

‘No, I imagine not.’ His eyes held hers with a caution reflected in their glittering depths ‘I will, of course, be providing you with an allowance for the duration of our marriage.’

Nina instantly stiffened, but for some reason couldn’t find her voice.

‘What will you do with all that money to spend, I wonder?’ he mused insultingly.

She gave him one of her sister’s casual shrugs. ‘Shop and shop and shop, probably.’

Marc’s lip curled distastefully. ‘You are a complete and utter sybarite. Have you ever done a decent day’s work in your life?’

‘Work?’ She wrinkled her nose in repugnance. ‘Why work when you can have fun instead?’

‘I must be out of my mind,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘You sicken me. I can hardly believe you lured my brother away from Daniela. She postponed the wedding because of you. If you hadn’t come along when you did, Andre—’

‘How typical to blame the woman in the middle,’ she shot back furiously on her sister’s behalf. ‘He didn’t have to sleep with me; he could always have said no.’

‘You hounded him for months,’ he tossed back. ‘He told me how determined you were, how it became impossible to keep you at arm’s length.’

‘I think I can safely say he enjoyed it while it lasted. And I bet you would too. I can guarantee it.’

‘Sorry to disappoint you, but that will not be happening. You know the score and if you put one foot out of place I will use all the weapons at my disposal.’

Nina could well believe it. He quite possibly had cards up his sleeve that could prove to be a little too tactical for her liking. She had two weeks to think of a way out and she was going to do her best to find one, for it was becoming increasingly clear she was seriously outmatched in her opponent.

‘Will any of your relatives be attending the ceremony?’ she asked in an effort to hide her disquiet.

‘No, my father is unable to travel and my mother is…’He hesitated slightly before continuing. ‘She died a couple of years ago.’

Nina couldn’t help feeling a wave of sympathy for his father, who had been dealt a double blow of grief in losing his son so close to the death of his wife. She imagined Marc was dealing with overwhelming grief too and it made her anger towards his treatment of her soften around the edges.

‘It must be a very difficult time for you all,’ she said gently.

Marc threw her a look of disgust. ‘How dare you offer sympathy when if it had not been for you, my brother would still be alive?’

Nina stared at him in shock. This was getting even worse than a nightmare. What did he mean?

‘That’s a heavy accusation,’ she managed to get out. ‘Exactly what evidence do you have to substantiate it?’

‘You were the last person to see Andre before he went to pick up Daniela from the airport.’

Nina hadn’t known that little detail and wondered why her sister hadn’t mentioned it.

‘So?’ She made her voice sound as unconcerned as possible even though her stomach was rolling in consternation.

‘Daniela was understandably upset at what had gone on whilst she had been in Milan visiting her family the first time,’ he said. ‘She was threatening to call off the wedding altogether but Andre was adamant that his involvement with you had ceased. She knew about the baby and it caused a great deal of trouble between them, as she was concerned about him having further contact with you. She lived long enough after the accident to tell me that Andre had been on edge when he arrived to pick her up, as you had visited him the night before making your usual outrageous demands. He had not slept well after you left and his concentration was all over the place. A truck ran a red light and he did not have the necessary reaction time to avoid the collision.’

‘And you think that’s my fault?’ Nina asked tightly. ‘I wasn’t driving the truck!’

‘You might as well have been, as far as I am concerned. Andre was deeply ashamed of himself for getting involved with you. It almost destroyed his relationship with Daniela.’

‘He should have thought about the consequences before he gave me the come-on,’ she threw back.

‘Have you not got that the wrong way around?’ he asked with a flash of black eyes. ‘It was not Andre who was lying naked in the hotel bed that first night—it was you.’

Nina did her best to hide her shock at his statement. There was so much she didn’t know and the further she became embroiled in this farce the harder it was to maintain her cover. Nadia had told her virtually nothing, which meant she now had to lie her way through this emotional minefield.

Lie after lie after lie.

She’d read somewhere that if a person were to tell one lie they then had to go on and tell thousands to keep that single one in place. Now she could well believe it.

‘So?’ She tried the casual tone again. ‘He could have said no.’

‘There are very few men who could say no when such temptation is dangled in front of them,’ he said, raking his gaze over her once more.

Nina tilted her head at him provocatively. ‘So you admit to being a little tempted yourself?’

His hand left the doorknob as he strode back across the room to stand in front of her, his expression so full of hatred she had to force herself not to step backwards to escape the heat of it coming off him in scorching waves.

His eyes burned down into hers forcefully, the inky depths glittering as if he was only just managing to keep his temper under control.

‘You might have the body of a goddess and the face of an angel but I would not touch you even if you held the key to life itself,’ he ground out heavily.

Injured feminine pride made Nina hitch up her chin another fraction, her eyes issuing him a challenge she knew deep inside she should not be issuing but she just couldn’t help it. How dare he dismiss her so confidently?

‘Want to lay a bet on that, big boy? Put your money where your mouth is—so to speak.’

The line of his mouth grew even tighter until his lips appeared almost white. Nina could tell she had taken things a little too far but it was too late to back out now.

‘All right.’ He finally released his breath. ‘I will lay a bet on it. If I touch you other than in the most casual way during our marriage, you win the bet. I will double your allowance on the spot.’

She suddenly realised that Nadia would have asked how much he intended giving her by now but it simply hadn’t occurred to Nina to do so.

‘Um…how much are you intending to pay me?’

‘Much more than you are worth, I can assure you.’

Her eyes burned with seething hatred at his denigration, everything inside her quaking with anger until she could barely stand still. She felt it rumbling in her stomach, flash-flooding her veins as it was carried to every single cell of her body.

‘That remains to be seen,’ she said in Nadia’s confident flirty tone even though her teeth were being ground to powder behind her seductive smile.

His midnight eyes gleamed with confidence as he looked down at her, the small smile that was playing on his lips a combination of both mockery and challenge.

‘Go ahead, Miss Selbourne, go ahead and make me pay.’

She opened her mouth to respond but before she could get the words out the door opened under his hand and he stepped through and closed it behind him with an ominous click of the lock as it fell back into place.

She stared at the door for a moment or two, her stomach in tight knots of panic, her head throbbing with tension and her legs trembling at the thought of what she’d just done.

She turned and leaned heavily on the arm of the old sofa, her frazzled brain trying to find a satisfactory way out of her predicament.

If she told him who she really was he would have even more reason to claim Georgia, for she could hardly provide for her the way he obviously could and, with Nadia already abandoning her daughter, what hope would there be of fighting back?

But marrying him?

Her heart gave another heavy thump of panic at the thought of being formally tied to him in marriage, all the time having to keep her true identity a secret. But unless Nadia reappeared and claimed her daughter, Nina knew she was going to have to continue with the charade for as long as necessary. What other choice was there? Georgia needed her. She couldn’t let her down.

Two weeks…that was all she had and it wasn’t anywhere near long enough.

She gave a tiny shiver as she thought of him towering over her the way he had, his eyes aflame with dislike. He was ruthlessness and power personified; he was used to simply paying for any obstacles in his path to be removed and she would be the first to be crushed beneath his well-heeled foot.

She gave a little jump when the telephone rang on the small table beside her and, reaching out a still shaking hand, picked up the receiver and held it to her ear.

‘Nina?’ Nadia’s voice rang out airily. ‘I thought I’d call you en route. I’m in Singapore for a couple of hours while the plane refuels.’

‘Do you have any idea of what you’ve done?’ Nina choked, clutching at the receiver with both hands.

‘I know you don’t approve of me leaving Georgia,’ Nadia said. ‘But quite frankly I don’t care. I want—’

‘Will you shut up and listen to me?’ Nina bit out. ‘How could you do that to your own daughter? Not only did you abandon her but you hurt her!’

‘Look.’ Nadia’s tone hardened. ‘She was crying for ages while you were out. It drove me nuts.’

Nina’s stomach churned at the thought of the abuse happening under her very own roof.

‘She’s a defenceless child. You were one once; don’t you remember what it feels like to be so vulnerable?’

‘I don’t remember a thing, so drop it, OK?’

Nina sighed with frustration. Her twin was an expert at burying her head when things got tough. There was nothing she could say or do to change the habits of a lifetime. Her sister was damaged and all she could do now was accept it and do what she could to protect Georgia from repeating the pattern in her own life.

‘Any news from Andre’s people?’ Nadia asked as casually as if asking what the afternoon’s weather had been like in her absence.

‘He came here,’ Nina said through clenched teeth.

‘Who?’

‘You damn well know who!’ She felt close to screaming. ‘Marc in-your-face Marcello.’

‘I thought he might.’

‘How can you be so casual about this?’ Nina cried. ‘He thinks I’m you, for God’s sake!’

Nadia hooted with laughter. ‘Does he really? How amusing.’

‘Well, guess what—I’m not laughing,’ Nina ground out. ‘And you’d better get back here as soon as you can and sort it out.’

‘I’m not coming back,’ Nadia said determinedly. ‘Bryce is expecting me in LA tomorrow. Why don’t you just tell him who you are and be done with it?’

Nina whooshed out a breath. ‘Because he wants Georgia, that’s why.’

‘Does he now?’ Nadia’s sugar-sweet voice grated along Nina’s shredded nerves. ‘So the photograph did the trick then.’

‘What do you mean?’

Nina heard the sound of her sister’s long artificial nails tapping a nearby surface as if she was mentally planning something.

‘He’ll have to pay, of course, but it’s where she belongs anyway. Think of how rich she’ll be when she comes of age, an entire family of billionaire merchant bankers to call on for a loan or two.’

‘I can’t believe you can be so unfeeling about this,’ Nina said reproachfully. ‘Do you know what he means to do?’

‘What?’ Nadia’s tone sounded bored.

‘He’s forcing me—I mean you—to marry him, which is really me because you’ve flown the coop and he doesn’t realise it, and I’m up to my neck in lies and I don’t know if I can face it because I have no idea how to handle men like Marc Marcello and I have work commitments and no childcare and—’

‘Whoa!’ Nadia interjected. ‘Slow down; you lost me at the marriage bit. What do you mean he wants to marry you?’

‘Not me—you!’ Nina shrilled. ‘He thinks he’s forcing you into a paper marriage.’

‘A paper marriage?’

‘He wants to adopt Georgia and is prepared to marry me—I mean you—to do it.’

‘And you agreed?’ Nadia sounded surprised.

‘He didn’t really leave me with much choice,’ Nina answered resentfully. ‘He threatened to expose you as an incompetent mother and you gave him all the evidence he needed by hurting Georgia the way you did. It was just pure luck that he didn’t notice—’

‘What’s he paying you?’ Nadia asked.

Nina gritted her teeth at her sister’s total lack of remorse. How could Nadia be more concerned about money than her own baby?

‘Even if I have to starve I am not taking his money,’ she bit out. ‘He thinks he can buy me but no way is some overindulged playboy going to—’

‘Tell him you’ve changed your mind,’ Nadia said, interrupting her again. ‘Tell him you want ten million.’

‘Ten million?’ Nina shrieked. ‘I will do no such—’

‘Then you’re a fool,’ Nadia said. ‘He’s a billionaire, Nina. You can name your price. He’ll pay it.’

‘No, absolutely not. This marriage thing is bad enough.’ She let out a ragged breath and added, ‘Besides, I feel sick at the thought of what he’s going to do when he finds out he’s got the wrong person.’

‘Don’t tell him.’

‘What?’ Nina squeaked. ‘You expect me to go through with it?’

‘You want Georgia, don’t you?’ Nadia said. ‘Here’s your chance to keep her with a whole trailer load of money thrown in. In fact, if you play your cards right we could both really scoop up big time on this.’

Nina didn’t care too much for her twin’s mercenary tone. ‘What do you mean?’

Nadia gave a soft little chuckle that sent a river of unease up her spine. ‘You are about to marry a billionaire. You will have access to cash, lots and lots of cash. I’ve been doing some checking up on Bryce and he’s not quite in the same league as your Marc. But we can make up for that with some clever accounting on your part once you are married.’

Nina cleared the blockage in her tight throat. ‘Nadia, I can’t marry Marc Marcello! It wouldn’t be legal!’

‘Who’s going to know?’ Nadia asked airily. ‘As far as I recall, I didn’t tell Andre I had a twin, so his brother is unlikely to ever find out unless you tell him or he sees us together, which is hardly likely as I’m going to be on the other side of the globe. No, the more I think about this the better it sounds. We both stand to benefit. You get to keep Georgia and I get compensated by a regular income provided by your very rich husband.’

Nina felt her stomach drop in panic. ‘Nadia, please don’t do this to me. I can’t marry a man who hates the very air I breathe!’

‘He doesn’t hate you, he hates me,’ Nadia pointed out. ‘Anyway, once he gets to know you he might even fancy you, or at least he might if you’d whack on a bit of make-up and something other than a shapeless tracksuit from time to time.’

‘I can’t afford the sort of scraps of fabric you usually pipe yourself into,’ Nina said sourly.

‘Come on, Nina. Think about it. This is a chance in a lifetime. You’ve always wanted to get married and have kids. What are you complaining about?’

‘I would have liked to choose the groom for myself, that’s what I’m complaining about!’ Nina shot back. ‘And I wanted a church wedding, not some hole and corner affair at the local registry office.’

‘You’re such a hopeless romantic. Do you think a marriage has any more hope of survival if it’s performed in a church? Come on—get in the real world, Nina. Marrying a billionaire should more than make up for the absence of a dress and veil and the blessing of a priest.’

‘Yeah, well, somehow it just doesn’t,’ she answered. ‘I wanted more out of life than a rich husband.’

‘You could spend your whole life looking for love like our mother did and, just like her, never find it,’ Nadia said. ‘If I were you I’d grasp at this with both hands and make the most of it.’

‘But I’m not you, am I?’ Nina reminded her coolly.

‘No.’ A hint of amusement entered Nadia’s voice again. ‘But Marc Marcello doesn’t know that, does he?’

CHAPTER FOUR

NINA called in sick at the library the next day in order to sort out childcare arrangements but her efforts were not encouraging. As she didn’t have a car, she was limited to using a private centre whose fees were extortionate. She had no choice but to make the booking, hoping that her niece would cope with the change without too much fuss.

The next two days passed without any further contact from Marc. At times Nina wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing, so unreal it seemed, but on the third day a letter arrived, the first page of the thick document informing her that the marriage ceremony would be on July the fifteenth.

She felt her spine buckle in trepidation. It seemed there was no way out. She would have to marry Marc in order to keep Georgia. She would have to continue to deceive him, even though in doing so she was going to be fuelling his hatred even more.

The thought of pretending to be her sister for months, maybe even years on end, terrified her but she couldn’t see any alternative. It was incredible to think that a few simple words stood between her and her freedom. If she told him: ‘I am not Georgia’s mother’, the marriage would be called off.

Five words and she would be free.

Five simple words that would grant her instant freedom, but take away her niece—permanently.

As she had more or less expected, there had been no further contact from Nadia. Nina had tried her mobile repeatedly, but each time the message service informed her the phone was out of service, and the numerous text messages she’d sent went unanswered. As her sister hadn’t given her a forwarding address it made it even more impossible for Nina to escape the tight net that was surrounding her minute by minute.

She tossed the letter from Marc aside to respond to Georgia’s cries for attention, doing her best to keep her mind away from the thought of being married to a man who hated her so much.

As she came back out to the small sitting room with Georgia tucked close to her, the phone rang and she reached to answer it.

‘Nina.’ Marc’s deep voice sounded in her ear. ‘It’s Marc.’

‘Marc who?’ She was back in Nadia’s personality as if by simply hearing his smooth as melted chocolate voice an internal switch had flicked back on inside her.

She heard his indrawn breath and mentally congratulated herself for winning this small battle even though she knew he was more than likely to win the war in the end.

‘I am quite sure with the reputation you have worked on so assiduously you have doubled up on some names by now,’ he drawled insolently.

‘Wouldn’t you like to know,’ she threw back.

‘Did you get my letter?’

‘Let me see…’ She rustled the small collection of bills that had gathered on the table beside her just to irritate him. ‘Ah, yes, here it is. It’s a pre-nup, isn’t it?’

‘You surely did not think I would marry you without protecting myself?’

‘That depends on what sort of protection you’re talking about.’

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