The Scandal Behind the Wedding

by Bella Frances

  But when his eyes found her through the glare of lights and people he saw strength. She sat like a queen, utterly, resolutely, undeniably regal. She was smiling. Commanding. Inspiring.

  ‘Home is just a four-letter word. It’s not about geography. It’s about love.’

  She told the room. She told him.

  There was complete silence. And then the cameras started clattering and flashing. She spoke through the white noise.

  ‘My marriage—your marriage—any marriage—is worthless without love. Love is the most important thing for any of us. For these young people from London...for the children who’ve made new homes here in Dubai, joining their mothers and fathers working in this wonderful city. It doesn’t matter how much money flows, how many cars or jewels or houses you have. Home is love and love is where you make your home.’

  The room erupted into applause and questions and photographs. Whistles from his boys—a cheer from Tommy. Georgia and her team stood up. She was beaming, but he knew her. She was shaken too.

  He moved to her. Nothing on this earth could stop him.

  She was shepherding her teenagers through the double doors when he caught her. Placed his hand on her shoulder. The bone, the supple muscle, the soft skein of auburn hair brushed his hand. The sweet joy of touching her again... She spun round. Her beautiful face... Her understanding eyes...

  Her loving smile suddenly faltered. ‘Danny!’

  ‘Georgia.’

  ‘It’s lovely to see you.’

  ‘We need to talk.’

  ‘Oh, okay. I assumed you’d been briefed? I hope it was all explained well in advance? I got a bit worried when you hadn’t been in touch. Are you happy with it? Do you like what we’ve done?’

  ‘I... Yes, of course. It’s wonderful work. Georgia, you look... I’ve missed you.’

  She took a moment to follow. ‘Thanks. I tried to look my best. You know me and my market stall finds.’

  ‘I missed you. I still miss you.’

  Round about them was buzz and blur. People moving...the party starting. Chatter made louder by alcohol and brand-new gossip.

  He wanted to shield her and protect her, but she didn’t need him to do that. She had proved she was strong and true and moral. She had proved that she was kind and generous and caring. She wasn’t the type of woman who made a promise and walked away. She was utterly, completely, resolutely loyal.

  She was trust.

  ‘I missed you too.’

  But she looked askance—she was unsure of him. He had to prove himself to her. And that meant taking it slow, taking it at her pace—not his. He didn’t care that they were in the middle of a press frenzy in a country with strict laws about public displays of affection. As far as he was concerned he wanted to stake his claim on her right here, right now, and anyone who didn’t want to see could look away.

  But he’d come a long way since the last time he’d seen her. He didn’t growl at people when they didn’t do things his way. He’d learned patience and tolerance. And he had her to thank. Her to tell.

  ‘Are your kids all right without you for a while? Can we go somewhere to talk?’

  She still looked unsure.

  ‘Five minutes, Georgia. That’s all I ask.’

  She turned that face up to his and he had to hold his hands at his sides. With every fibre of his body he held himself in check.

  ‘Of course.’

  * * *

  She followed him through the forest of people. Followed his strong, broad back and felt herself slipping into a dream.

  He turned round every couple of seconds to make sure she was right behind him. And that image—the cast of his cheekbones, the arch of his brow, the question in his eyes—it was the same image she’d seen for twelve months whenever she closed her eyes.

  He led them out of the terraced space and down a flight of wide, pristine stairs. The wall of noise and chatter faded and then, as they exited onto another tier through more double doors, disappeared. She tried to keep up with him, but her shoes were not the best for tripping down flights of stairs.

  He stopped at the bottom of the next flight. Waited until she’d reached him. Held his hand out for her.

  A gesture of peace, she supposed. She slipped her fingers inside his. Warm and strong and tempting—but only a gesture. Whatever he had to say, she must remember how easily the world fell into place for him. She must be on her guard.

  Then the crush of noise bore down on them again as the doors were opened. People were coming downstairs behind them, their happy chatter echoing.

  ‘Let’s find somewhere quiet.’

  She went with him down another six flights. Heels clicking and heart pounding. Noise always above them. Finally they reached the ground. He checked each way, shook his head.

  ‘Nothing else for it.’

  His fingers still held hers tightly, purposefully.

  ‘Have you been out on the pitch?’

  Her eyes widened as she looked at where they were headed. To the football pitch itself. He led her out. Doors opened into a furnace of heat, a blaze of green grass. Vast tiers of empty seats in primary colours flanked the sides. A huge canopied glass roof, half open, shielded the ground. It was immense and humbling.

  He led her to the dugout. That was far enough.

  She halted. ‘Danny. I can’t be away from the kids for too long. What is it that you want to say?’

  He sat down, urged her to sit next to him. He shook his head. Swallowed. ‘I don’t know where to begin.’

  She looked at him—this man who’d rocked her world. The suit was as sharp, the hair slightly shorter, stubble slightly thicker, but everything else was exactly the same—the blindingly handsome features, the intense, demanding eyes. Memories sharpened within her, seducing her with their sweetness. How easy it would be to succumb.

  ‘I’ve run this through in my head so many times.’ He half laughed. ‘You’d think I’d be word-perfect.’

  She felt the flicker of something—recognition? Had he been suffering as she had? Even so... She crossed her arms and sat back. She would listen, but she wouldn’t cede. She couldn’t.

  ‘I wanted to get in touch.’

  ‘So what stopped you?’

  He looked past her for a moment. ‘I honestly don’t know. I suppose I thought I’d get back the equilibrium I had before I met you. I thought it was bound to return soon.’

  He stared at her. Took two strong hands and tugged her arms free from their wrap around her body. Held her hands. Rubbed his fingers over hers.

  ‘It hasn’t. It won’t.’

  She closed her eyes, battling the urge to melt into him, forgive him.

  ‘Georgia. I’ve been more miserable this past year than at any other point in my life—even after putting Mark in hospital. I’ve thought about you every day—every moment of every day to begin with. I couldn’t bear it that I couldn’t reach out and touch you, see your smile or hear your voice.’

  He lifted her hand closer, held it between them as if it was a chalice, put his mouth to her fingers, dusted them with kisses.

  ‘But if I’ve learned one thing it’s that it’s not always all about me. You taught me that. And I couldn’t be sure that getting in touch would be the right thing for you...or me.’

  She swallowed. He was so, so hard to resist. The universe would always fall into order for him. But she couldn’t go through the misery of the past year again.

  ‘Seeing you
today—everything suddenly makes sense. I have to have you in my life—I can’t let you leave me again. I’ll do whatever it takes.’

  Right into her eyes he trained his pure blue gaze. Right into the heart of her. And it felt as if the giant scars on her heart were beginning to heal just with that look. But the scars were deep. It would take more than hope to mend her fully.

  ‘I don’t know if you can do whatever it takes, Danny. I don’t know what that would be.’

  He tugged her hand to his chest, leaned into her. More of him stole over her—his scent, his energy, his absolute will to get whatever he wanted.

  ‘You. Me. Together. That’s all we need—we can work out the rest.’

  She shook her head. ‘I can’t just be another project for you to manage. And I absolutely won’t be an object for you to vent your emotions on.’

  ‘I know, Georgia. That’s why I’m sure that you’re the one for me. You inspire me—you challenge me. You see that the world is made up of people—not stuff. You make me a much, much better person. And I want—I need to prove that to you.’

  He stared at her with such intensity. Opened his mouth. Closed it again. He lifted his hands to cup the sides of her face. His eyes blazed. He swallowed.

  ‘I love you.’

  As if all the pain, the hurt, the agony had simply melted she felt her face break into a smile, and the words she’d held in her mouth since she’d met him poured out.

  ‘I love you too.’

  She reached for him where he sat rigidly, waiting for her pardon. She touched his face. His eyes begged her forgiveness. She smiled at him to grant it.

  ‘I’ll show you every day of my life. I want to make you as happy as you make me. Anything and everything I need to do for you—for us—I swear I’ll do it.’

  He grabbed her then. Stood her up. Used his hands to trace the memories of his love for her. Her hair, her face, her shoulders, her waist. He grabbed her close and rocked her. Tilted her back and claimed the mouth he’d spent twelve months imagining he could live without. He tasted her strength and goodness. He drank of her serenity and her grace. He would never, ever get enough.

  ‘Marry me.’

  She smiled and laughed against his mouth. ‘Again?’

  He lifted her off her heels and spun her in slow, loving circles.

  ‘Again. Properly. Call Babs—call her now—get her to fly over. My family are already here.’

  ‘They’re here?’ She slid down his body. ‘Seriously?’

  He took another kiss.

  ‘Seriously. Salim’s idea. It’s all good. I’ve been over to Ireland a few times and it was time to bring my mum here.’

  ‘Was she up there? When I was speaking?’

  He nodded. ‘Oh, yes. They all were.’

  ‘Even your brother?’

  He nodded his head. ‘Yes, all of them. It’s a long story...for another time.’ He traced her lips with his thumb, trailed it down her pale throat, laid it on her chest. Closed his eyes and savoured her. ‘Georgia, we need to get married. You need to be my bride properly. We need to make plans.’

  ‘You’re still planning?’

  ‘Definitely. One plan—that involves you. And me. And the rest of our lives. Wherever you want to spend it.’

  ‘Seriously? You’d live anywhere? But you’re in the middle of this with Salim. It’s your biggest deal ever. You could never walk away from this.’

  He shrugged slightly. ‘I would for you. If I’ve learned anything—and trust me when I say I’ve been a model pupil this past year—it’s that all this...’ he swung his arm round the vast arena, the immaculate grass, the row upon row of seats, including in them the restaurants and shops and other arenas which were about to make him richer than Croesus ‘...is worthless without you.’

  She smiled her larger-than-life smile and wrapped her sweeter-than-heaven body around him.

  ‘Somehow I can’t imagine you being a model pupil in anyone’s class. And there’s more here for me to do too—now that I know that Babs is settled I can get stuck into the charity work.’

  ‘And I’m not blasting you—forcing you into a box or in any way coercing you to do anything other than what you want to do?’

  She shook her head, smiled her largest smile. ‘No way. I wouldn’t let you. You know that.’

  ‘I do. Let’s tell the world, then.’

  ‘Another press call?’

  ‘I suppose we could thank them for forcing our first wedding. Let them know we’re going to have a second.’

  He walked her out onto the grass and there, in the centre circle, he dropped to his knee. He held out his arms and pulled her down. Kissed her hand, kissed her mouth.

  And above them a wall of catcalls and applause and blinding white flashes lit up their moment and honoured their love.

  * * * * *

  http://www.harlequin.com/harlequinexperience

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Presents title.

  You want alpha males, decadent glamour and jet-set lifestyles. Step into the sensational, sophisticated world of Harlequin Presents, where sinfully tempting heroes ignite a fierce and wickedly irresistible passion!

  Enjoy eight new stories from Harlequin Presents every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Other ways to keep in touch:

  Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  HarlequinBlog.com

  ISBN-13: 9781459256590

  The Scandal Behind the Wedding

  Copyright © 2015 Bella Frances

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com