Harlequin Presents July 2017 Box Set : Sicilian's Baby of Shame / Salazar's One-night Heir / the Secret Kept from the Greek / Claiming His Convenient Fiance (9781460351802)

by Marinelli, Carol; Hayward, Jennifer; Stephens, Susan; Anderson, Natalie

  But he was the one who needed a lesson. The palm of her hand itched, but she’d never resorted to violence, not even in her worst attention-seeking teen tantrums and she wasn’t letting this devil get to her in a way no one else ever had.

  Nor was she letting him win. She had no idea what he thought he was going to achieve by forcing her to stay with him during his party, but she wasn’t letting him have it. She’d make the night as difficult as possible for him. Then she’d tell the truth and demand Margot’s diamonds back.

  ‘Don’t call the police,’ she finally responded, answering demurely. ‘I’ll be your date.’

  His eyes narrowed just the slightest, but his smile was ready and heart-stopping. He pocketed the phone again and then reached out and laced his fingers through hers. ‘I never thought for a second that you wouldn’t.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘YOU’RE VERY SURE of yourself,’ Kitty said, counting her breathing in an attempt to slow her speeding heart.

  ‘I’m sure of people,’ he answered. ‘They are predictable.’

  Well, he definitely wasn’t predictable. And she refused to be—at least to him. ‘What is it you want from me?’ She tried to extricate her hand from his, but he wouldn’t release her.

  ‘What do you think I want from you?’ That smile now lurked in his eyes.

  Her chin lifted. ‘If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.’

  His glance sharpened, but he spoke calmly. ‘Your time. Your undivided attention. And when every guest has gone tonight, we’ll have a reckoning.’

  Something flipped in her belly. Half horrified, half intrigued, she couldn’t resist asking more. ‘What kind of reckoning?’

  The smile he flashed was nothing short of wicked. ‘I think you’ve already guessed.’

  He couldn’t possibly mean that. She flushed. ‘Never. Happening.’

  He laughed then, releasing his grip on her to throw both his hands in the air, surprisingly animated. ‘See? Predictable.’ That foreign element underlying his American accent had deepened deliciously.

  He was teasing her? She shouldn’t feel even a hint of disappointment. Yet she did. Alejandro Martinez was too much the practised flirt and too sure of his own attractiveness.

  ‘I’m not in the least interested in you in that way,’ she said, determined to make the point as clear as possible.

  ‘Of course you’re not,’ he soothed, turning to lead the way to the door.

  ‘I mean it. You try anything—’

  He sighed theatrically. ‘Well, it will be difficult, but I’ll try to control my animal urges.’

  Okay, so now she felt a fool because of course he wasn’t really interested in her like that. He’d be back on the phone to his Saskia soon enough and sorting out the lovers’ tiff or he’d be off with another of the models downstairs…

  Laughter danced in his eyes as he turned and caught her glaring at his back.

  ‘You are very beautiful when cross,’ he said provocatively. ‘Does that fiery hair bring a temper with it?’

  She refused to answer him. Her hair didn’t bring rage so much as rashness. Fool that she was, she should have listened to Teddy and calmed down before deciding to come on this crazy mission. She should at least have eaten something, then she wouldn’t be feeling this light-headed.

  He paused and waited until she’d looked up into his face again before teasing her further. ‘If you are a good date, you might get a reward.’

  ‘All I want is the necklace,’ she replied stiffly. And maybe some dinner at some point. Hopefully, there’d be some decent canapés downstairs and not just the tiny, calorie-free stuff that models lived on.

  He took her hand firmly in his again and drew her towards the door. He was really serious about her mingling?

  ‘What are you planning on telling your guests about me?’ she asked.

  A mystified expression crossed his face. ‘Nothing.’

  Clearly the opinion of others didn’t bother him at all. Kitty tried very hard not to be bothered by what others thought, but there was still that soft part of her that ached to please someone. Anyone. Everyone.

  She worked hard to fight it and protect her stupidly vulnerable heart. For too long her self-esteem had been bound up in the opinion of men. First her father. Then her fiancé.

  She hesitated at the top of the stairs. Alejandro was already on the first step, but he turned. His eyes were almost at the same level as hers.

  ‘Come on, my reluctant date,’ he dared in that divine accent. ‘Come down and act the mute martyr.’

  Was that what he expected her to do?

  She went from famished to galvanised in less than a second. She’d act the ultimate party person—something she hardly ever was. With just that one look from him her appetite vanished. It was her twin, Teddy, who usually held centre stage, while she was the quiet foil—always his most appreciative audience. But now? Now she was energised. Now she had a game to win.

  ‘You’re obviously very bored with your life.’ She placed her hand on his upper arm, leaning close in a parody of an adoring, clinging lover—half hoping he’d pull away.

  He didn’t. His smile broadened. ‘Because I have to coerce a beautiful woman into standing alongside me for the night?’

  ‘Exactly. You must be very jaded,’ she murmured, trying not to dwell on the size and hardness of the muscles she could feel under the fabric of his oh-so-perfectly tailored suit. ‘Having to spice it up like this.’

  He chuckled. ‘I haven’t the time to deal with you the way I want to right now; I need to spend time with my guests. We’ll deal with each other properly later.’

  She wasn’t sure if that was a promise or a threat. Worse, she wasn’t sure what she wanted it to be.

  ‘You don’t think taking me down there with you is a risk?’ She sent him a sideways look. ‘Or do you truly think I’m predictable?’

  ‘I’m very good at taking risks,’ he said with no trace of humility. ‘And, in my experience, the higher the risk, the greater the reward.’

  ‘So I’m high risk?’

  He hesitated, checking his words ever so slightly. ‘You’re not afraid to put yourself on the line. That makes you interesting.’

  She didn’t want to be interesting. She didn’t want to feel the flush of pleasure that he’d complimented her.

  She refused his murmured offer of a drink as they descended the last stairs. As much as she yearned for the Dutch courage, she figured it would be more of a hindrance than a help. She needed all her wits about her to successfully spar with Alejandro Martinez and combat whatever ‘reckoning’ it was he had in mind.

  Maybe she should have confessed all about the diamond necklace when she had the chance upstairs in the library, but he’d been so irritatingly assured, she’d been unable to resist the urge to bait him right back.

  She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from him once downstairs, but it wasn’t the supremely polite courtesy he showed her. He introduced her to everyone as they walked through the atrium to the formal lounge. Many of them were American, like him, and out to enjoy themselves as much as possible. The first few people he introduced her to looked at her with benign disinterest—clearly used to Alejandro appearing every night with a new woman. No wonder he’d looked bemused when she’d asked what he’d say about her to his guests.

  ‘Meet Catriona,’ he said to the fourth group of people they stopped beside.

  ‘Kitty,’ she sweetly corrected, yet again, and extended her hand to the nearest of the three women. ‘I’m his special date for the night.’

  Three sets of eyebrows lifted in unison.

  ‘Special?’ one rapier-thin woman queried, her gaze equally dagger-like.

  ‘I had to promise her that, or break out the handcuffs,’ Alejandro answered smooth
ly.

  The sensuality of his reply rippled through her—and the rest of the group. Eyes widened, then narrowed. But only Kitty knew the truth of his words. Only she knew he didn’t mean fur-lined kinky toys, but tight, unbreakable restraints—yet somehow the thought of them wasn’t as repellent as it should be. Not when she envisaged Alejandro wielding the cuffs and the key.

  As Alejandro turned and led her further into the room, the look he sent her was slightly goading as if he knew he was thwarting her prediction of his behaviour. As if he knew the lurching direction of her thoughts. She refused to let the smile slip from her face. She’d ‘sparkle’ down here even if it killed her.

  Except it wasn’t that hard at all because he made her laugh too easily. He was extremely charming. In minutes she knew exactly why there were so many women present. He had that charisma, that X-factor, that way of looking at a woman as if she were the only person in the world who mattered to him in that moment. When she was the object of his focus, a woman felt good. It was a terrifyingly unfair talent. And he shared it around. He had his fingers laced through hers, but he talked with everyone equally.

  Then she noticed people were watching them more attentively. Their gazes rested on the way he remained close to her the entire time. At the way he constantly touched some part of her—a hand on her back, her arm, or clasping her hand. As time passed into the second hour, he placed his arm over her shoulder and drew her closer to his side.

  The guests began looking more assessingly at her. She heard the ripple of inquiry as they made their way from room to room. She heard the whisper of her name. Surreptitious glances became openly speculative.

  If Alejandro noticed he said nothing, but his attentiveness became even more apparent. Until he then led her to a corner and stepped in close to put himself as a wall between her and the rest of his guests.

  ‘You seem to be causing a stir,’ he said, his onyx gaze pinning her in place.

  ‘Not me.’

  He was the one doing all the touchy-feely stuff that was causing the stares.

  ‘Absolutely you.’ He laughed. That amusement danced in his eyes too and she couldn’t tear her attention from him.

  ‘You enjoy messing with people’s lives?’

  ‘In what way am I messing with your life?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Don’t overdramatize having to spend one night alongside me. It’s not going to change your world.’

  ‘It’s not?’ She furrowed her brow in mock-disappointment. ‘But I thought any woman who spent a night with the amazing Alejandro had her world rocked.’

  ‘Minx.’ He laughed again. ‘Come on, we’d better keep moving.’

  ‘Must we, darling?’ she murmured as she stepped alongside him.

  The look he shot her then promised absolute retribution.

  Kitty lifted her chin, feeling more game than ever. But, now she could look more freely about the house, she realised there was much gone from the rooms. Her family had had a ‘maximalist’ rather than a ‘minimalist’ style of decor but the mantelpieces were bare and shelves barren—the spaces punctuated by used champagne glasses and platters of stupidly tiny delicacies she’d yet to sample. With a pang she wondered what he’d done with all the smaller items of furniture and the trinkets and sculptures that she’d loved all her life—surely they weren’t all crammed into those boxes in the bedrooms upstairs.

  ‘Alejandro?’ a woman called from almost halfway across the room and walked over with quick, clipping steps. ‘I’ve just had a text from Saskia,’ she added, her eyes cold and wide as she locked her gaze on Kitty. ‘Bit of a bombshell, actually.’

  ‘Oh?’ Alejandro couldn’t have sounded less interested but his arm tightened infinitesimally, pressing Kitty closer to his side.

  She wished he wouldn’t do that; feeling his hard strength was appallingly distracting, but she had the feeling he did it without even realising—so used to having a woman with him.

  ‘She said you’ve met someone else.’

  There was a split-second of awkward silence and Alejandro was utterly still. The woman’s confident expression suddenly faltered.

  ‘Oh, that would be me,’ Kitty interjected sweetly before Alejandro had a chance to speak. ‘When I’ve had enough of him she’s welcome to have him back.’

  She heard Alejandro’s sharply drawn breath and braced herself. Was he finally going to tell her to go now?

  But he drew her closer still. It wasn’t an unconscious, almost undetectable gesture now. ‘But sweetheart,’ he breathed. ‘It’s my job to ensure you’ve never had enough.’ He turned to the woman. ‘If you’ll excuse us, I’d like to get Catriona a drink. I think she needs one.’

  ‘How many times do I have to tell you—it’s Kitty?’ she muttered as he held her hand tightly and drew her through the crowds with him.

  He smiled back at her and his hand tightened. ‘What will you have?’

  She was aware of everyone watching them as he led her through the room. ‘Got any cyanide in the champagne?’

  ‘I’ll save you some for later, when it’s time to face your—how do you say?—fate worse than death.’ He looked pleased with himself at that.

  ‘I already told you, that’s never happening.’

  He stopped in the centre of the room and faced her, apparently uncaring that everyone was staring, and positively hauled her right into his arms. ‘No? Not even a kiss to say sorry?’ Slowly and deliberately he brushed his thumb across her lower lip. ‘Methinks the lady doth protest too much.’

  ‘Methinks the asshole doth have an outsize ego.’

  He gazed at her, his expression delighted. He couldn’t have looked more proprietorial. Or more smitten. But his whispered words were so sarcastic and his awareness of her unbelievably smug. He was enjoying her discomfort hugely. She could tell by the unholy gleam in his eyes, but every touch made her acutely aware of him and his magnetism grew stronger.

  She pulled back and made him keep walking.

  So. Not. Happening.

  It was his reputation that made her so aware of him. All that history, the list of conquests—the world’s most beautiful, desired women. But it wasn’t only that. There was no denying his physical perfection and the supreme assuredness that went with it.

  It was impossible to look away from him for long. She’d never met anyone like him and she’d met plenty of wealthy, entitled people in the course of her life. But if you were to strip all those people bare of their designer dresses and jewels and outsize bank balances, many would fade into nothingness. Not Alejandro. Buck-naked in a bull ring he’d still conquer all. And she had the feeling he intended to conquer her. He thought he already had.

  He had another think coming.

  The awareness of the guests was even more apparent now. She felt the heat from a zillion hard gazes and fought to keep the polite smile on her face. She wasn’t going to lose her confidence. She was going to keep her head high and weather these last couple of hours. But she was quieter as she stood alongside Alejandro, her hand still firmly bound in his, as he talked work with a couple.

  That was when she recognised two of the women on the far side of the room. A small British contingent seemed to be standing together. Kitty’s heart sank—of course they’d be there. Those two were like pearl hat pins—ultra pretty but with a sharp point they liked to stick into someone given the chance. She hadn’t seen Sarah in months, but she didn’t imagine she’d had a personality transplant in that time. The woman was a childhood chum of James’s—one who’d never approved of his engagement to Kitty and she was with another couple who were also very much ‘team James’. And great, they’d spotted her too and were circling closer like a school of sharks honing in for a feeding frenzy.

  ‘Kitty Parkes-Wilson!’ the first exclaimed loudly.

  ‘Hi, Sarah.’ Kitty smiled, turning to angle h
erself slightly away from Alejandro. Given he was engrossed in discussing the prospects of another hedge fund, she crossed her fingers he wouldn’t hear this conversation—because if anyone here was going to be predictable, it would be this woman.

  ‘Fancy seeing you here this week of all weeks.’ Sure enough, Sarah launched her first salvo in a loud chime.

  ‘You mean in my former family home the week we lost possession?’ Kitty smiled through her teeth. ‘Funny how life works, isn’t it?’

  ‘Oh, it is,’ Sarah answered as she glanced at Alejandro’s hand curling around Kitty’s despite the fact he was facing the other couple. ‘I never thought you’d be another of Alejandro’s notches,’ she ‘whispered’ conspiratorially.

  ‘I’m not!’ Kitty flared at the thought and replied swiftly before thinking better of it. ‘I’m only here because he’s bullied me into staying.’

  Sarah’s eyebrows lifted and she laughed a little too loudly. ‘Bullied?’ Her pointed laugh chimed loudly again. ‘Yeah, it really looks like that.’

  Was it Kitty’s imagination or had Alejandro tensed?

  ‘We haven’t seen you in so long,’ Sarah added when Kitty didn’t elaborate. ‘You left London in such a hurry.’

  The woman was such a cow to bring that up. Of course she’d left in a hurry. She’d been hurt. She’d just found out James hadn’t wanted her at all. He’d only wanted the wealth he’d assumed came with her. And when he’d found out all the cold hard cash had gone, he hadn’t bothered to break up with her before searching the field for her replacement. He’d been trying them all out behind her back. Now, barely six months later, he was engaged to another woman. A beautiful, wealthy one who didn’t seem at all bothered about his cheating past.

  This time Kitty didn’t imagine the sensation. Alejandro’s fingers definitely tightened about hers again. But he didn’t break his conversation and turn towards her.

  ‘You’re finally over James then?’ Sarah queried.

  She knew it hadn’t been her fault, but it still hurt. She’d truly thought he loved her. That he’d got her, and found her attractive. But it was only the money he’d loved. And she’d been so starved for attention, so desperate to believe that a guy finally wanted her, she’d not seen through his fickle facade.