by Anna Antonia
“Take me there.”
“Pardon?”
He bit off the words. “The store where you got the paper. We’re going there so I can get her a gift as well.”
Victoria nodded, brow furrowed as if trying to make sense of his demand. “Oh, okay. Sure.”
Adrian turned on his heel and opened the door. As much as he would’ve loved letting it slam in Victoria’s face, he found he couldn’t completely abandon his manners. Even for her.
Adrian held the door open and waited impatiently for Victoria to walk past him. Her gaze met his before darting away. The expression was so much like the one that charmed him at the beginning. Except back then, Adrian’s kitten had never been afraid of him and what he could do.
Adrian could practically scent her fear. It made him clench in disgust. It truly wasn’t supposed to be like this.
He shut the door with far more force than it needed. He ignored her slight jump. Adrian walked by her, taking the carryon out of her hand without a word, and headed for the elevators.
The ride down was tense but thankfully brief. Adrian almost snarled her name when she left his side and walked over to the front desk to settle her bill. His steps weren’t far behind. He reached into his coat and pulled out his wallet. Sliding the card across the counter, Adrian immediately silenced Victoria’s soft protests with an icy glare. Color instantly washed her face at his highhandedness, but Adrian couldn’t have cared less.
He was done with being a nice guy. Adrian was going to be taking care of her and Adriana from this moment on and she better damned well get used to it!
Once settled in his limo, Adrian engaged the tinted glass divider. Although he kept his voice soft and with the illusion of calmness, he couldn’t control the razor edge dangerously scoring each of his words.
“I refuse to be a weekend parent, Victoria. I want my daughter living here in the city with me.”
Adrian was primed and willing for her to argue with him. He needed to take his aggression out and the only target he wanted was her.
She deserves this.
Victoria clasped her hands in her lap. “I understand. I hope you understand that it’s going to take time. I’ll need to find a job first and then I’ll need to give my current employer notice. I then need to find a place to live, which might take…well, you know, some time.”
Adrian smiled cruelly. He slashed his hand through the air. “You’re failing to understand me. Let me make this clear. I want my daughter living with me. As in my place. You both will be living with me starting today.”
Victoria’s face paled to a sickly hue. She looked like she was about to cry. “Adrian, we can’t live together. Not yet. Maybe not at all. We just saw each other again last night…”
Her voice trailed off, undoubtedly due to the same memories he had of burying his shaft deep inside her, over and over again. Adrian experienced a potent mix of lust and wrath. He hardened immediately and hated her for it.
“So? We moved in together the first time after one night. We have more cause to do it now.”
“But you hate me.”
He smirked. “Yes, I do. What difference does that make? Do you honestly think we’ll be the first or the last couple come together for the sake of their child? Welcome to the story of my childhood.”
“You never spoke about your childhood.”
“Precisely. And I really should thank you for giving me yet another reason to avoid seeing my parents. I’m sure my mother is going to simply love knowing her first grandchild was born out of wedlock and that neither of us even knew about her existence.”
She brushed away a tear. Adrian had the frustrating urge to kiss them away for her.
“I’m sorry for making things harder for you and your parents. I didn’t want to force you into marriage, Adrian, because I knew how much it didn’t fit into your plans.”
“Don’t try to turn it around on me, Victoria. I would’ve married you regardless.”
“I know! I didn’t want Adriana growing up in a house where her parents were forced to be married because of her.”
“Yes, you’d much rather her grow up illegitimate and shut out of an inheritance that rightfully belongs to her instead.”
“Money can’t be the answer to this,” she argued. Her words warbled out pitifully. “Money isn’t everything.”
“I agree. If it was I would’ve never even looked at you, much less tried to give you the world.”
Victoria flinched as if he’d slapped her. “That’s incredibly cruel, Adrian.”
“Is it? Too bad. Kindness got me robbed of my daughter for all three years of her life. You took my kindness for weakness, Victoria. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
“How do you think it will make her feel to see her father treat her mother like this?”
She couldn’t have played into his plans better than this. Adrian reached for her small hand. He raised it to his mouth and kissed the back of it with a gentle smile. Desire sparked in her eyes even as she gazed at him hopefully.
“I’ll never show Adriana how much I despise her mother. I’ll treat you with affection and respect during the day, especially in front of her. And just in case you mistake it for something else, it’s called acting, Victoria.”
She tried to pull her hand away. Adrian tightened his fingers until she stopped. Victoria’s mouth trembled. Her voice came out in a raw, hoarse whisper. “I understand why you’re so angry, but I can’t take it if you’re this cruel.”
“Angry? We’re long past angry, Victoria. What I feel right now is something entirely foreign to me. There’s simply no word for it.”
“Then how can you expect us to live together if you feel this way towards me?”
Bitter poison pumped into his brain. He took immense pleasure in saying his next words.
“We’re not just going to live together, Victoria. We’re going to get married.”
***
Victoria’s stomach knotted. “You’re joking!”
His mouth thinned. “What part of me do you think is in a humorous mood?”
She’d never seen this biting side of Adrian and hated it, but not nearly as much as she hated knowing he despised her. The worst part of it was Victoria knew she deserved it.
If penance was needed then Victoria would pay it. She’d pay it without complaint but this was something she just couldn’t see herself being able to survive.
Married to a man who hated her? How could he even imagine this was a possibility?
Be calm. Don’t let your emotions spin out of control. No matter how much this is killing you, you know Adrian isn’t this kind of man. He’s just hurting badly right now. You have to remember this for Adriana and for Adrian.
Victoria had to have faith that the ugliness of today would fade. They couldn’t make any permanent decisions that might end up prolonging their suffering.
She tried again. “Adrian, let’s be reasonable. You can’t expect me to agree to this.”
“I can and I will.” He looked away from her as if dismissing her from his thoughts completely.
Tears filled her eyes again. She stared out the window while desperately trying to control herself. Victoria knew Adrian’s reaction would be bad, and that he’d probably hate her, but never did she imagine it to be like this. Naively, she hadn’t even been able to begin to imagine what Adrian’s hate would really feel like.
“I’m going to want get this done as quickly as possible. I’ll have my lawyers draw up the papers and have them ready to sign by tomorrow. The license won’t be much longer than that. We’ll be married by the close of business tomorrow.”
“Papers?”
“Papers, Victoria. The prenuptial agreement in particular.”
“I’m not going to sign anything without representation, Adrian.”
He raised a brow. “So be it. As long as you realize that by the end of the business day you will either sign those papers or you will be saying goodbye to Adriana.”
“I said I’d prefer not to do it, but if you force my hand, Victoria, I will. I will make sure that not a court in the land will give you visitation rights much less custody.”
An inarticulate cry of despair erupted from her throat. Victoria lunged at him, fingers curled into talons, as she screamed, “I won’t let you take her away from me, Adrian! I’ll kill you first!”
He simply grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back. Adrian then had the audacity to laugh in her face. “Ah, kitten. I always wondered if there was a temper lurking in there behind all that sweetness. Too bad I didn’t see the truth about you earlier.”
Victoria bucked against him until she realized he wasn’t letting her go. Glaring at him, she swore, “I’m serious, Adrian. You’re not going to take my daughter away from me.”
The mocking smile died from his beautiful face. “Then sign the damned papers, Victoria. Sign them and be prepared to marry me.”
“Why marriage? We don’t need to be married to raise our daughter together!”
“You’ve dictated the terms of our lives the last four years. Now it’s my turn.” Adrian’s gaze darkened as he stared at her mouth. “Just be glad I still want to keep you after what you’ve done.”
Victoria’s rage transformed into something else. Her breathing grew choppy as she fixated on his mouth as well. “You still want me?”
“Do I still want you? Does this answer it for you?” Adrian kissed her hard. His tongue clashed with hers and Victoria sank against him, feeling boneless and weaker with each pull of his lips. He let go of her wrists and sank his fingers into her hair. Victoria’s rage seeped away and soon she slid her arms around his neck.
When they parted for air, Victoria desperately whispered against his lips, “Adrian, we can fix this. Please let me fix this.”
He blinked as if he’d forgotten exactly why he was so furious with her. Memory apparently came back because he pushed her away violently and bit out, “Can you undo the last four years?” When she remained silent, Adrian snarled, “What’s wrong, kitten? Cat got your tongue?”
Wounded and wanting to lash out, Victoria deliberately wiped the back of her hand against her bruised lips. Adrian’s gaze narrowed. He yanked the same hand and pushed it crudely against his cock.
“What? You don’t like my kisses anymore, Victoria? Is this better, kitten?”
Victoria squeezed him once, unable to keep herself from responding sexually. “You’re better than this, Adrian.” She waited, stretched thin as he considered her.
Adrian abruptly let go of Victoria. He busied himself with straightening out his tie and coat, shutting her out completely.
Still, Victoria trusted that somehow, someway her words had reached him this time and maybe, just maybe, he would continue to hear her.
TWENTY-ONE
They spent the ride in his private jet in complete silence. Adrian focused on his work, effectively cutting Victoria out. If only his mind was as easy to appease. His gaze flicked to her, seeing her pale face and wondering at the thoughts surely slithering about her devious mind.
Even though it had been hours since she delivered her bombshell, Adrian still couldn’t believe that Victoria had kept their child a secret from him. No matter how he many times he replayed her words, and ran them front, back, and sideways, Adrian still couldn’t wrap his mind around her betrayal.
Just remembering her words of love from just this morning made him sick with fury.
How can someone say those words while knowing she’s keeping this kind of secret?
No matter what Victoria said then, it still couldn’t justify her lying to him by omission.
Adrian looked out the small window, seeing the clouds and blue skies. It was such a beautiful day. No one could think that there was a world of suffering below when so high in the sky. It just went to show the ugliness hiding behind beautiful illusions.
Beautiful like Victoria.
He clenched his jaw and forced the spiteful words to remain behind his teeth. They were going to be landing soon and now wasn’t the time to allow his blood to remain high. If Adrian was going to start things off on the right foot with his little girl, he needed to get control of his volatile emotions.
Adrian remembered the picture of Adriana and was struck anew by how much she looked like him and her mother. Bitterness seeped in as he was once again reminded of all that he missed. Never would he have the opportunity to hold her as a newborn or witness her milestones. He’d lost so much time with his daughter and it was all because of Victoria Montford.
God, it wasn’t right what she’d done! Her silence was unacceptable to him and Adrian wouldn’t stand for it a second longer.
“I want a copy of all the pictures you have of Adriana.”
Victoria startled at his abrupt demand. Her dark liquid gaze met his before jumping away. “Sure.”
Hardly satisfied with her one word answer, Adrian prodded, “I’m surprised you’re so accommodating.”
She shifted in her seat. He watched as her hands tightened around the armrests. “Have I shown you otherwise since this morning?”
Mulishly, Adrian didn’t like her seeming calm. He wanted her to feel as disturbed as he did. “I assume guilt has that power.”
She bit her lip. “Your assumption is right. I’ve felt guilty about it since the night I last saw you on the sidewalk. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop feeling guilty.”
“Good.”
Victoria opened her mouth, closed it, and then dragged in a ragged breath. “I wish you could see it from my point of view, Adrian.”
“I tried. Your point of view was unbelievably flawed.”
“Hindsight is 20/20.”
“Maybe so, but I challenge you to do the same thing for me, Victoria. See it from my point of view and tell me you’d be kind and gentle.”
She finally looked at him. “I am. Why else do you think I’m letting you talk to me like this?”
Adrian closed his laptop. He had nothing further to say.
***
Victoria’s stomach seemed to jump in her throat the closer they got to her childhood home. She had called Kathy after they landed, but with Adrian hovering close, Victoria had only felt comfortable enough to sketch out the bare details. She didn’t doubt, however, that Kathy was probably a ball of nerves as well.
The entire ride there was a cold kind of hell. A sleek foreign sedan was waiting for them at the tarmac. Adrian chose to drive them himself. After settling Victoria in the car, he simply asked for her address and then set it into the navigation system, ensuring their communication would be kept at a minimum.
Every mile seemed like a lost opportunity to say something that could possibly repair their situation. Courage failed her each time she looked at his closed, set expression.
When they pulled up into the driveway Victoria finally turned to him and said, “I need you to let me handle this, Adrian. My daughter…our daughter…has no idea about you.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“I realize that!” Victoria drew in a deep breath, fighting to calm herself and modulate her voice. “Adrian, you can’t just barge your way in and force your way into her life.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. His brows dropped into a glower. “Are you suggesting that we lie about who I am until a time that you suffice is right to tell the truth?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Victoria’s hand hovered in indecision before she dared to touch his. She more than half expected for him to snatch it away. When he didn’t, Victoria took heart in the gesture. “I’m going to tell her. Today. I’m just asking that you let me do it my way.”
Adrian looked away and focused his attention on the house. He sat there for several lengthy moments before finally agreeing.
“All right. We’ll do it your way.” The stare he turned in her direction was void of warmth a
nd caring. “If you’re lying to me or trying to trick me, Victoria, then I promise you this will be the last time I give your thoughts and feelings any consideration. Do you understand?”
Although the threat wounded, Victoria was grateful that Adrian was still willing to take a chance on her. Especially one as big as this. “Yes. I understand.” She then unbuckled her seatbelt. “Are you ready?”
Adrian stared at her wordlessly. Victoria imagined he was trying to see if she was telling the truth.
I better get used to this if I ever plan on earning back his trust.
Adrian finally said, “Let’s go.” They both got out of the car and walked up the short sidewalk and onto the covered porch. Victoria always thought the pale blue Victorian farmhouse-style home was adorable. Now she wondered what it looked like from Adrian’s point of view.
It must seem incredibly tiny to a billionaire used to living in some of the most expensive real estate in the world.
Victoria knew if she gave herself more than a second to think about what was going to happen next, she’d probably chicken out. So she opened up the front door and called out for her stepmother.
“Kathy! We’re here!”
The older woman immediately came around the corner while wiping her hands on a towel. Her thin smile and wary gaze echoed Victoria’s.
“Hello, Adrian. I hope your flight was smooth.”
Victoria worried if Adrian’s animosity would extend to her family. If he felt any he was able to mask it immaculately. He was all grace and civility when he answered, “It was smooth. Thank you so much for asking. I hope you and your girls have been doing well since I last saw you.”
Kathy’s smile became more genuine. She must’ve taken Adrian’s politeness as an indication of his current state of mind. “Yes. They’ve been growing like weeds.”
“I’m glad to hear of it.”
Although Adrian seemed relaxed, Victoria sensed his impatience. His gaze traveled around the living room, foyer, and staircase, obviously searching for their daughter. Adriana would’ve run to her already if she was awake and in the den.
Victoria asked for his sake, “Is she napping?”
