by Abby Green
Lia felt breathless, as if a huge fist was squeezing around her heart. The pressure was enormous. ‘Even if I believed what you say about handing everything over to my father...even if I was to agree to marry you...ultimately you’d have everything anyway—you’d still have achieved what you wanted.’
His eyes were so blue it almost hurt to look at them. He was willing her to believe him—she could see that. But something was holding her back. Fear.
All she could see in her mind’s eye was how her father had slowly diminished more and more as the years had passed and it had become less and less likely that Lia’s mother would ever return. And now someone was standing in front of her, asking for her heart...and she was filled with terror.
She backed away, panic galvanising her. Emotion constricted her voice. ‘I can’t...do this.’
She whirled around, away from that too penetrating gaze, and made it to the door. She opened it just as her vision started to blur, but then it was slammed shut again and Ben was behind her, his hands above her head. Capturing her.
She turned around and looked up. He was too close. ‘Let me go.’
He shook his head, looking fierce. ‘Never.’
‘I don’t trust you—how can I?’ Her heart was pumping nearly out of her chest.
Ben shook his head, caging her in. ‘It’s not me you don’t trust—it’s yourself. Because you’re too afraid to reach out and grab what you’ve always denied yourself: the chance of the happiness you deserve. Just because your father denied it to himself his whole life, it doesn’t mean you have to.’
His words struck deep into the very heart of her and Lia lashed out defensively. ‘Since when did you become a psychologist?’
Ben’s mouth quirked. ‘Since a beautiful, bright, brave woman stalked away from our first date and turned my world upside down and inside out, showing me that everything I thought was important wasn’t.’
Lia felt tears threaten. ‘You turned my world upside down and inside out.’
Ben’s expression changed. Became serious. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Because from the moment I saw you I wanted you more than anything I’ve ever wanted before. Yes, I knew who you were, and, yes, I had an agenda. But in all honesty they were the last things on my mind. I had to keep reminding myself of my objective; that’s why I let you go. I realised how far off course I’d come. I’d lost track of everything that I’d believed was important.’
His mouth tightened.
‘When you walked away I told myself the last thing I needed was a wife who actually made me feel anything. I told you the truth when I told you I wanted you from first sight...as soon as I saw your photo I was done for. The fact that you were who you were...that made it justifiable for me to go after you. I will do whatever it takes to make you believe me, Lia. I will sign over Carter Construction to you, to your favourite charity, to Santa Claus...whoever you want. Trust me on this. My solicitor is just down the hall. Say the word and I’ll have contracts drawn up. And I will never ask you to marry me if you’re afraid that’s still my endgame. If you can tell me that you truly don’t want this, that you don’t feel anything for me, then I’ll let you go and you’ll never hear from me again.’
Lia looked up into those blue eyes that had sent shockwaves through her as soon as she’d seen them. And all she could see was blazing determination, truth and...her heart hitched...love. This man was ready to destroy everything he’d built up—for her. And he hadn’t lied about wanting her from the moment he’d seen her photo.
But there was still something holding her back.
Her voice was little more than a whisper. ‘But how can I trust that you won’t leave eventually? Or that you won’t hurt me?’
Lia had literally nowhere to hide. She was laid bare, exposing her deepest fears.
Ben looked so fierce for a second that she sucked in a breath.
‘I would never leave you. Ever. You have just as much power to hurt me—more.’
Lia felt something fierce rush through her at the thought of this man being hurt...of leaving him behind. ‘I could never hurt you.’
Some expression crossed Ben’s face, something almost like satisfaction, and then he said, ‘Not everyone is like our parents, Lia. Some people do find happiness. Security. Do you love me?’
Without an atom left in her body capable of keeping up her high walls of defence, Lia just nodded.
‘Well, then,’ Ben said softly, his eyes turning suspiciously shiny, ‘we’re already different to them. Because I love you too, and I pledge here and now to do everything in my power to make you happy for as long as we live.’
Lia absorbed that.
And then Ben said, ‘They didn’t love each other, Lia, not really. Not your parents, nor my parents. And that’s where they failed.’
She looked at him and her chest expanded. Was he right? Could things really be different for them because they loved each other? Could it really be that simple?
But she already knew the answer, deep in her core, because it was spreading outwards and infusing her whole body with a lightness she’d never felt before. It could be that simple...and that hard...because loving Benjamin Carter was the scariest thing she’d ever done in her life. And the easiest.
And so she did the only thing she could. She reached up and pulled Ben’s face down to hers and kissed him, until all the doubts and fears had fled and there was only love left behind.
* * *
Much later, in a hotel room around the corner from Ben’s offices, Lia lay sated and blissfully drowsy after reuniting with Ben in a very comprehensive and convincing manner. She was tucked close in to his side, his arm around her. He was not letting her escape—not that she had any intention of doing that.
She trailed her finger up and down his chest, lazily, and after a while lifted her head to look at him. He looked back at her with slumberous blue eyes, a sexy smile making his mouth quirk.
‘You know how you said you’d never ask me to marry you...?’
Now he looked wary. ‘Yes...and I meant it. If that’s what it takes to prove to you that—’
Lia put a finger over his lips, stopping him. She felt suddenly unsure, but forged on. ‘The thing is... I appreciate that...but I’m just...that is, I’m just wondering...if you didn’t feel you had to do that would you want to marry me?’
A look that Lia couldn’t decipher came into Ben’s eyes and then he was putting his hands on her arms and pushing her away from him so he could slip out of the bed. Lia sat up, feeling cold, not liking the insecurity she felt. Maybe it was too soon...
Gloriously naked, Ben was rummaging around in his pockets for something, and then he came back to the bed. He knelt in front of her and she pulled the sheet up over her chest.
He held a black box in his hands. Velvet. She looked from it to him, her throat going dry.
He said carefully, ‘I didn’t show this to you because I didn’t want to push you.’
He opened the box then, and Lia looked down, eyes widening. Nestled against black silk was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. A rectangular-shaped sapphire flanked by rows of diamonds.
‘The thing is,’ Ben said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous, ‘if you don’t like it we can change it. But I’d like to ask if you’d accept this ring and consent to be my fiancée—for as long as you like. And if you ever decide you’d like to get married, then I’ll be waiting.’
Lia felt emotion rise up to squeeze her throat. Happiness fizzed through her veins. And something else. A sense of freedom from the weight of the past.
She looked at Ben but he was blurry through her tears. She said, half-crying, half-laughing, ‘I love it—and, yes. I accept. Now. I’ll marry you, Ben Carter, if you’ll have me.’
He looked at her for a long moment, stunned, and then Lia threw her arms around him, tumbling their two naked bodies back onto the bed, limbs entwining.
She was soon sprawled over his chest and Ben took her left hand. He looked at her as he pushed the ring
down onto her finger, saying huskily, ‘I love you, Julianna Ford.’
The ring nestled on her finger, fitting like a glove, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, love cracking her wide open. ‘I love you too, Benjamin Carter...now, where were we?’
EPILOGUE
‘THE TEAM ARE on the ground in India now, Lia. We can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. You and Ben. Your charity has been invaluable in restoring order to the chaos.’
Lia looked out of the window of her office. ‘I’m just sorry I can’t be with you all at the moment.’
The man on the other end of the phone huffed a chuckle. ‘Don’t worry—your expertise is invaluable even from there, and I don’t think that husband of yours will be letting you out of his sight any time soon.’
Lia’s hand automatically went to her distended belly, and she glanced through the glass wall separating her office from her husband’s in his London building, where they were now based.
Ben had agreed to relocate to the UK so that they could be near her father, who appeared to be undergoing a renaissance since Ben and he had merged companies, turning them into a formidable transatlantic company called CarterFord Construction. Her father had taken a long-overdue step back and was currently on a cruise with his new love—his long-serving secretary. For years Lia had suspected her of being in love with her father. They were very sweet together.
She frowned when she couldn’t see her husband in his office and sat up straight, saying distractedly, ‘Okay, Philip, please keep us updated on the development anyway.’
Lia put down the phone and stood up—and then smiled when she realised why she hadn’t been able to see her husband. She went out of her office and into his, leaning on the doorframe, her hand on her eight months pregnant belly.
Ben looked up at her from his vantage point sprawled on the floor, shirtsleeves rolled up and hair mussed. His eyes gleamed and he put a finger to his mouth.
Their three-year-old daughter, Lucy, hadn’t seen Lia yet, and she was saying in a very familiar authoritative voice, ‘No, Daddy—see? We have to build a room for the fire truck ’n all the animals.’
Fierce love and joy bloomed inside Lia—so much so it nearly took her breath away. She blinked away sudden tears, cursing her pregnancy hormones.
Ben sat up and reached a hand up to her, and then Lucy turned around and squealed excitedly, ‘Mummy! Come see what we’re making!’
Lia came in and knelt on the ground carefully, mindful of her extra cargo, and Ben pulled her into his embrace, his arms wrapping possessively around her belly.
Lucy, a dark-haired, blue-eyed imp who kept them very busy, jumped up. ‘Can I listen to my little brother?’
Ben and Lia opened their arms and Lucy nestled in close to Lia’s belly, face turned to one side, brow etched with fierce concentration, her little arms spread out to encompass Lia’s expanded waist.
Lia leaned back into Ben’s broad chest and felt him pull her hair to one side so he could kiss her neck. She shivered deliciously, and just then the baby kicked. Lucy giggled.
Lia felt Ben’s smile against her skin and smiled in response.
He spoke against her neck. ‘I love you...’
And she turned her head and whispered back. ‘I love you too...’
* * * * *
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
Dante Di Sione can’t believe the beautiful blonde who ‘accidentally’ stole his family’s tiara is blackmailing him – for a date to her sister’s wedding! If Willow wants to be his fake fiancée, she’ll have to play the part to the full. Only Willow’s confidence is fake…and she’s a virgin!
Read on for a sneak preview of
DI SIONE’S VIRGIN MISTRESS
the fifth in the unmissable new eight book Modern series
THE BILLIONAIRE’S LEGACY
“I’m sorry. I’m out of here.”
“Dante…”
“No. Listen to me, Willow.” There was a pause while he seemed to be composing himself, and when he started speaking, his words sounded very controlled. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re lovely. Very lovely. A beautiful butterfly of a woman. But I’m not going to have sex with you.”
She swallowed. “Because you don’t want me?”
His voice grew rough. “You know damned well I want you.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “Then why?”
He seemed to hesitate and Willow got the distinct feeling that he was going to say something dismissive, or tell her that he didn’t owe her any kind of explanation. But to her surprise, he didn’t. His expression took on that almost gentle look again and she found herself wanting to hurl something at him…preferably herself. To tell him not to wrap her up in cotton wool the way everyone else did. To treat her like she was made of flesh and blood instead of something fragile and breakable. To make her feel like that passionate woman he’d brought to life in his arms.
“Because I’m the kind of man who brings women pain, and you’ve probably had enough of that in your life. Don’t make yourself the willing recipient of anymore.” He met the question in her eyes. “I’m incapable of giving women what they want and I’m not talking about sex. I don’t do emotion, or love, or commitment, because I don’t really know how those things work. When people tell me that I’m cold and unfeeling, I don’t get offended—because I know it’s true. There’s nothing deep about me, Willow—and there never will be.”
DI SIONE’S VIRGIN MISTRESS by Sharon Kendrick
Available November 2016
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY
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Copyright ©2016 Mills & Boon
ISBN: 978-1-474-04430-1
MARRIED FOR THE TYCOON’S EMPIRE
© 2016 Abby Green
Published in Great Britain 2016
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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