‘It was the truth, querida,’ he cut in.
Shock washed across Nell’s face. ‘But you loved Rosa—you had a perfect marriage…?’
He released a sardonic crack of laughter. ‘Perfect as in paradise?’
The reminder of her harsh words brought a regretful flush to Nell’s cheeks.
‘The fact is we had problems.’
Nell’s eyes widened. ‘You did…?’
He nodded and looked amused by her amazement. ‘My memory has been very selective. I chose not to remember them. Who knows—if she had not died our marriage might have been good, it might indeed have been perfect, we might have grown together, but it is equally possible that we might have grown apart. The signs were there.’
The forthright admission shocked and, if she was honest, reassured Nell, who felt relieved to have the pressure to conform to some saintly standard of perfect wife removed.
‘Rosa was a free spirit and my success financially was something she thought staid and boringly conventional. And in my turn I was not overly enamoured by her crystals, alternative therapies and arty friends in kaftans. We were both very young and not very tolerant. She was ready for a family and I was not.
‘I think,’ he admitted, ‘I was doing Rosa a disservice by remembering her as some insipid saint. She was more than that. But Rosa is the past, a memory.’ His voice thickened as his finger straightened over hers. ‘You, mi querida, are the future. My future.’
Love shone in Nell’s luminous eyes as she raised the hand she held to her face and curved the long brown fingers around her cheek. ‘Our future, Luiz, together,’ she corrected, a smile like the sun breaking out on her face as she added huskily, ‘I like the way that sounds.’
With a laugh he gathered her to him, raining kisses on her upturned features. ‘I too like it. I feel as if I have been alone for such a long time, and now I have a family.’ He laid a hand on her stomach and smiled. ‘I will be afraid to close my eyes tonight in case I wake up and discover this was all a marvellous dream.’
Nell drew herself up on tiptoe and took his beloved face between her hands. ‘Oh, that won’t be a problem. I hadn’t actually planned on you getting much sleep tonight.’
Luiz, his spine tingling at her wicked little laugh, could find no fault with her plan. ‘We could start not sleeping right now.’
‘In case you forgot, Luiz, I’m at work.’
‘When I look at you, mi querida, I forget everything but my love for you.’
Enchanted by the declaration, Nell took him by the hand. ‘I think that under the circumstances they might let me leave early today… Luiz…have you ever seen that film where Richard Gere—?’
Before she had finished he had scooped her into his arms. As he kicked open the door he looked down at her with love that took her breath away glowing in his marvellous eyes. ‘Our future, querida, starts now.’
Nell gave a contented sigh. Her future suddenly looked as though it might be very interesting indeed.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5503-0
MISTRESS: PREGNANT BY THE SPANISH BILLIONAIRE
First North American Publication 2010.
Copyright © 2009 by Kim Lawrence.
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ISBN: 978-14603-1759-4
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The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
The Billionaire’s Contract Bride
Copyright © 2003 by Carol Marinelli
The Mediterranean Billionaire’s Blackmail Bargain
Copyright © 2008 by Abby Green
The Greek Billionaire’s Baby Revenge
Copyright © 2007 by Jennie Lucas
Mistress: Pregnant by the Spanish Billionaire
Copyright © 2009 by Kim Lawrence
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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Sexy Billionaires eBook Box Set
The Billionaire’s Contract Bride
The Mediterranean Billionaire’s Blackmail Bargain
The Greek Billionaire’s Baby Revenge
Mistress: Pregnant by the Spanish Billionaire
Sexy Billionaires
They’re rich, ruthless and sinfully sexy! Be seduced by this collection of four passionate stories!
The Billionaire’s Contract Bride by Carol Marinelli
Zavier Chambers is one of Australia’s most powerful playboys, and to him, Tabitha Reece is just a golddigger—so why can’t he get her out of his mind? Discovering Tabitha needs to marry for money he seizes his chance to get her exactly where he wants her—in his bed! And with the stakes so high, Tabitha is willing to play the game….
The Mediterranean Billionaire’s Blackmail Bargain by Abby Green
Cynical, ruthless and dangerously seductive, Dante D’Aquanni has a reputation to uphold. When Alicia Parker turns up at his Lake Como villa with the press in tow, claiming he’s responsible for her sister’s pregnancy, he’s furious. He knows her kind—and he’ll make her pay, in any way he sees fit…!
The Greek Billionaire’s Baby Revenge by Jennie Lucas
Anna made one mistake when working for Nikos Stavrakis: sharing his bed! Believing Nikos to be unfaithful, Anna left
him, but nine months later, she is left nursing a tiny baby… Nikos is furious when he discovers Anna has his sonso he will make Anna his bride, and teach her who’s boss!
Mistress: Pregnant by the Spanish Billionaire by Kim Lawrence
Library assistant Nell Frost is on a mission to confront the man who is nothing but a heartless seducer of women! But Nell has underestimated the power of Luiz Santoro… One look at this young virgin, dressed in shapeless clothes and this Spaniard makes a plan with two conditions: no marriage, no children. But rules are made to be broken…
CONTENTS
The Billionaire’s Contract Bride
By Carol Marinelli
The Mediterranean Billionaire’s Blackmail Bargain
By Abby Green
The Greek Billionaire’s Baby Revenge
By Jennie Lucas
Mistress: Pregnant by the Spanish Billionaire
By Kim Lawrence
Sexy Billionaires Page 64
