The Twelve-Month Marriage Deal

by Margaret Mayo

  He bent his head lower and touched his lips to hers. ‘I’ve been out of my mind with worry. You took a bad fall, Elena. You’re very lucky to have no serious injuries.’

  ‘I know. Thank you for finding me. I’m not sure I could have made it home.’ Thanking him was the least she could do.

  ‘I’m damn sure you couldn’t have done. You were out of it for most of the time.’ His voice rose, became gruff, and then softened again almost immediately. ‘The doctor wants to keep you in overnight, just to make sure there are no after-effects. And he wants you to rest now, so I must leave. I’ll be back in the morning.’

  He touched his lips to hers, looked at her long and hard, and then walked quietly away.

  When he had gone Elena closed her eyes again, breathing out, relaxing her limbs, unaware of how tense she had grown these last few minutes. The discovery that she was carrying Vidal’s baby was proving too much to take in.

  She felt drowsy again now and sleep claimed her. Perfect, dreamless sleep. When she awoke the first thing she thought about was her baby. She put a hand to her stomach again, finding it hard to believe that there was a new life growing. The very thought made her smile briefly.

  It was not how she’d planned her time with Vidal to end and, although she desperately wanted to say nothing, to disappear out of his life and bring the baby up herself, there were also her parents to consider. Without a doubt they would spread the news. Their first grandchild! He would find out one way or another.

  But it still didn’t mean that she had to stay with him.

  After breakfast the doctor came to see her and shortly after that Vidal arrived. His smile was warm and concerned, making Elena feel a little guilty at the thought of keeping her condition from him. Not that he deserved to know—he didn’t deserve anything. She would hate him to the end of her days for tricking her into this marriage.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘A little bruised, a little sore, but otherwise okay,’ she answered. ‘I’m free to go home so long as I rest.’

  Vidal’s smile widened. ‘I’ve brought you some clean clothes.’

  ‘Thank you.’ His thoughtfulness did not surprise her. But the fact that he had been going through her drawers to find clean undies made her skin go warm. The idea of this big man’s hands touching her delicate briefs, deciding which bra she should wear, did they need to match, did colour matter, caused all sorts of feelings to race through her body.

  Elena slid off the bed, took the case and disappeared into the bathroom. Vidal had chosen a pair of loosefitting cotton trousers and a T-shirt, both in shades of pale pink. She guessed that he had decided on something soft because of her bruising and she reluctantly appreciated it because she was most definitely very tender in places.

  She really had been foolish taking Jet out again. And even more foolish allowing the horse his head on such difficult terrain. It could have all ended so differently. She could have broken her leg; she could even have been killed.

  For one very brief moment she thought that even that might have been better than bringing Vidal’s baby into the world. But then she dismissed it. The baby hadn’t asked for any of this. He was the innocent pawn in the game they had played. He deserved the very best in life and she was determined to give it him. Without Vidal’s help!

  In the limousine on their way home he constantly asked whether she was all right until in the end Elena snapped, ‘For pity’s sake, Vidal, stop fussing. I had a fall, that’s all. I’m not made of glass. I didn’t break. Just leave me alone.’

  His mouth tightened and he threw her a pained glance that suggested she was hurting his feelings, but she didn’t care. He hadn’t thought of her feelings when he’d demanded that she marry him.

  Once they were home Vidal insisted on her sitting comfortably in the garden room, constantly asking whether there was anything she needed. Elena felt like screaming. She would have preferred his anger, it would have helped in her decision to leave. Instead she had to put up with his undivided attention.

  It unsettled her.

  ‘Shouldn’t you be at work?’ she enquired, when he asked for what seemed like the hundredth time whether she wanted anything.

  ‘And leave you in this condition?’ he promptly returned, his silver eyes gentle on her face.

  ‘What condition? I’m bruised, yes, and sore, my leg hurts, but I’m not ill. I fell, that’s all. There’s enough staff here to look after me.’ For pity’s sake, she wasn’t an invalid.

  ‘You’re also pregnant!’

  Elena stopped breathing. Everything inside her clenched. Her senses went on high alert. She chanced a look into Vidal’s face, seeing recrimination now, seeing a toughness that had been noticeably absent.

  ‘The doctor told you?’ It was a stupid question because how else could he have known? But what was she supposed to say when she hadn’t even known herself?

  ‘What I’m wondering is why you didn’t tell me?’

  She heard controlled anger and shuddered. She was still feeling a little delicate if the truth were known and could do without the third degree.

  ‘I’m wondering if you ever would have told me, or whether your decision to leave had something to do with it?’

  ‘There is a simple explanation.’ Elena heard the defence in her voice and wished she had been able to speak normally. She didn’t feel up to confrontation. Why couldn’t he have waited a few days until she was back to normal, strong enough to stick up for herself?

  ‘There is?’ Dark, masculine brows rose imperiously.

  ‘I didn’t know myself.’ She managed to say the words coolly and calmly, her eyes not moving from his. ‘Do you think I would have rode Jet the way I did if I’d known? Credit me with some sense, Vidal.’

  ‘You didn’t wonder?’

  The crisp sharpness in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. ‘I didn’t even think about it.’ Her eyes challenged his, gold against silver, heat against heat.

  ‘Do I take it that you actually mean that? That you really didn’t know?’

  ‘I’m not a liar.’

  Some of the wind went out of his sails. She saw his shoulders relax, the hard lines on his face soften. But his eyes were still narrowed. ‘What would you have done when the truth eventually hit you? Would you have told me then?’

  ‘As I was already planning to leave, no, I can’t answer that,’ she returned, keeping her voice silken smooth and her chin high.

  The scowl was back, anger darkening his eyes to a stormy grey, and Elena realised that she shouldn’t have said that. Forewarning him was dangerous.

  ‘And you really think I would have allowed you to leave?’

  ‘I guess you’d have tried to stop me.’

  ‘You’re damn well right,’ he snarled. ‘I would have stopped you. This baby’s not your sole responsibility. I am the baby’s father, for God’s sake,’ he added on a roar. ‘And no one, not even you, will deny me my parental rights.’

  ‘Parental rights be damned,’ she flung back, equally angry now. ‘You want this baby no more than I do. But what is done is done. I will be the best mother to him in the world. He won’t need a father.’

  ‘Dios!’ Vidal exploded. ‘I—’

  ‘And I don’t really think you should be upsetting me in the condition I am in,’ she tagged on for good measure.

  It stopped Vidal dead in his tracks. For a moment he simply stood and stared at her, then his voice softened, his eyes lost some of their hardness. ‘We need to talk about this.’

  ‘What is there to say?’ She did not want to commit to him for ever. When she had agreed to a temporary marriage she had done so in all good faith. Never dreaming that he was tricking her, never dreaming that this would happen. That her life would change irrevocably.

  All of a sudden her head began to spin. She saw Vidal start towards her, but she knew no more until she opened her eyes and found that she was lying on their bed—the bed she had shared with Vidal!
r />   He was looking down at her with a worried expression in his eyes. ‘What happened?’ she asked huskily.

  ‘You passed out. I think the doctor ought to see you again. Maybe they shouldn’t have let you out until—’

  ‘I’m fine,’ insisted Elena.

  ‘I shouldn’t have got cross with you.’ Vidal took her hand and held it firmly between both of his. ‘I should have let things pass until you were feeling stronger. We’ll say no more on the matter.’

  For now, she thought bitterly. But it wouldn’t be long before he started insisting again that her place was with him—permanently! The thought filled her with dread. This was a man who had had no compunction about making her his wife for his own personal reasons. What would happen when he tired of her?

  Would he tire of their child too? Her head ached. There was so much to think about. ‘I’d like to rest for a little while,’ she said quietly, thankful when Vidal took the hint and reluctantly left the room.

  At the door he turned and looked back at her, but he didn’t say anything. There was surprising sadness in his eyes, which mystified her slightly. What did he have to be sad about? Anger she could understand. Rage and frustration. But sadness?

  Vidal felt as though his heart were breaking. For the first time in his adult life he felt close to tears. Elena was the most amazing woman he had ever met and he didn’t want her to leave. Life would be unbearable without her. One way or another he needed to persuade her to stay.

  It was not going to be easy. He had treated her unfairly and had a lot of making up to do. But maybe the fact that she was carrying his baby in her womb would help. The main thing was to keep a hold on his temper, treat her with kid gloves; not give her any further reason to feel she had to leave.

  The thought that she was pregnant with his child caused odd sensations. He imagined himself for the very first time in his life as a father. Holding a tiny newborn baby in his arms, watching him grow—he hoped it was a boy. Playing with him, teaching him, advising him. Taking care of his education, seeing him into adulthood. Standing proud when he got married. And one day his son would become a father too. He would be given the same heart-stopping information that he himself had been given yesterday.

  And he wanted to be there for him. He didn’t believe in single mothers, and he most certainly didn’t want some other man bringing up his son as his own. Oh, no. He would use all of his persuasive powers to make Elena stay.

  What it would take he didn’t know. It would be a case of feeling his way. She naturally had her business to consider. Would she give it up? Would she sell it? Bringing up a child would take all of her time and energy. He didn’t want his wife working when there was no need.

  All of these thoughts went through his head as he waited for Elena to awake. He could have gone to work but he knew that he would be unable to concentrate. He wanted to sort things out with her once and for all. Only then would he settle back into his routine.

  Creeping upstairs, he sat on a chair and watched her. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her breathing even, and she looked incredibly beautiful. He wanted to burrow into the bed at her side, be there when she awoke, when those fantastic golden eyes looked into his.

  He didn’t dare, though. For once in his life he was afraid. Afraid of losing the one woman he had ever truly fallen in love with.

  Chapter Twelve

  WHEN Elena awoke the first thing she saw was Vidal sitting in a chair at the side of the bed, a faint frown creasing the space between his eyes as he looked at her. She had forgotten in that first instant about their argument, or even that she was pregnant with his child. She had felt relaxed and refreshed but now memories came tumbling back.

  It was the biggest wonder in the world that the baby had not been hurt when she fell. She stretched her limbs experimentally and groaned. Everything still ached and hurt. Was baby hurting too?

  ‘How long have I been asleep?’ she asked him quietly.

  Vidal’s smile was gentle. ‘A couple of hours, I guess.’

  ‘And you’ve sat here all that time?’ It disturbed her to discover that he had been watching her as she slept. It was an intrusion of privacy. She was still fully dressed, but that made no difference. It was the fact that Vidal had watched every breath she drew, every movement she made. It was the biggest wonder in the world that he hadn’t climbed onto the bed beside her and held her in his arms.

  He hadn’t wanted her to leave when she found out about his deception, but now that she was pregnant he would be even more possessive. It was going to be even harder to get away from him.

  ‘I feel responsible,’ he said softly. ‘It is my fault that you’re hurt.’

  Elena frowned. ‘How can it be your fault?’

  ‘I deceived you.’

  ‘I can’t argue with that.’ He had deceived her bigtime and it was no good him looking contrite now because it made no difference. She was still leaving as soon as she felt up to it. She would move in with her parents temporarily before going back to LA. Whether she stayed there or came back remained to be seen. Of only one thing was she sure: she didn’t want Vidal to be a part of her life any longer.

  It would be hard, as she knew he would insist on them staying together for their baby’s sake. It wouldn’t work, though. She would never be able to forget what he had done. She would need to be strong.

  ‘I want to make it up to you.’

  With a flash of her beautiful eyes Elena pushed herself up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed so that she sat facing him. ‘How long do you have—for ever? Because I shall never forgive you.’

  Vidal clamped his lips grimly together and looked at her long and hard. ‘Never is a long time, Elena.’

  There was a long moment’s silence during which Vidal got to his feet, his eyes not leaving hers. They had gone stone-cold by this time, solid sheets of silver that threatened to slice right through her. And his next words were delivered with cutting precision. ‘Do you really think I’d let you go? Our child needs both of his parents.’

  Elena clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, but she felt no pain. She foresaw a battle ahead and she really didn’t have the strength at this moment to fight Vidal. ‘Would you mind leaving, Vidal?’

  ‘Why? Because you don’t want to face the fact that I am the child’s father?’ Vidal’s powerful hands clenched her shoulders in a tight grip. ‘Listen to me, Elena, we have a lot going for us, and especially now with the baby. You can’t leave, Elena.’

  His hard voice shuddered through her bones, making her realise what a tough opponent he was. Vidal in this mood was daunting and made her realise how tempting it would be to give in to him, to be with him again as they were before. Maybe they could make things work. Nevertheless she looked at him coldly. ‘You won’t be able to stop me.’

  He stared at her long and hard, his eyes drilling through her, and she expected more harsh words, but instead he shocked her by abruptly turning on his heel and leaving the room.

  Elena guessed that he had deemed it wise to go before he did or said something he regretted. She had never seen him quite like this before. The way he had come after her in the first place was nothing compared to the power he was trying to wield over her now.

  She sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling shaky. She had meant every word. Vidal had used her; he had treated her with no respect. He had claimed her as his woman and she felt defiled, but still the shoots of her love for him lodged in her heart. It wasn’t going to be easy getting away, but harder still to forget about the man, especially now she carried his most precious child.

  Vidal stayed at home for the rest of the day, spending the afternoon in a video conference, but as soon as he was finished he devoted his time to her. Slowly and cleverly he wore down her defences with gentle attentiveness, pandering to her every need, almost foreguessing her wishes. He read to her and they talked about the news, never once touching upon the painful subject of the baby and Elena’s leaving.


  It was no surprise to Elena then that when Vidal gently kissed her goodnight it awoke the passion between them and somehow she ended up in his bed that night.

  From her initially wanting to shut him out of her life, from her wanting nothing more to do with him ever, he had subtly despatched all her harsh thoughts. She had melted in his arms as though nothing untoward had ever happened between them.

  She put it down to her condition. It had made her soft. Or was it that the love she had begun to feel for Vidal had never really gone away? It had been hidden beneath her anger and under his constant pressure, his alien gentleness, it had flowered again and taken her once more into a world where nothing mattered except fulfilment.

  He was on one elbow now looking into her face and if Elena hadn’t known better she would have sworn she could see love there. A glow shone in his eyes that was different from anything she had seen before. Something soft and warm, not normally associated with Vidal.

  There was usually a hard glitter when he wanted to make love, a deep hungry need that had to be fulfilled. And she had always been hungry enough to give him what he wanted, to let their bodies rise on a passionate storm of fearless sensations.

  This was a new Vidal. One who stirred previously unknown feelings, who sent a warmth trickling slowly through her body until it encompassed her. He made her feel hungry for him and yet languid at the same time.

  She closed her eyes and seconds later felt him trail kisses across the flat plane of her stomach, abrading her skin with his tongue, letting her know in so many different ways that he loved and worshipped her. Truly loved, not simply for the sake of the tiny baby they had created—who might even be aware of his father’s caress.

  And how did she know all this? she asked herself. How did she know it wasn’t a concerted effort on his part to make her stay with him?

  Because love recognised love.

  Vidal was different now—everything he did came from his heart. The fact that he was about to become a father had possibly jolted him into seeing the truth. Here was a man who had always denied himself the joy of falling in love. He had found pleasure in women but he had wanted no commitment. But now he had found it and was prepared to—to what?