Bought For The Marriage Bed

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.