The Bridal Candidate 1 (Heart Connections)

by Linda Verji

  His smile faded into wistfulness as he etched her figure in his mind. Damián liked his women with a little meat to their bones and Aiko had fit that criterion perfectly… and that ass. If they'd met somewhere else other than at her office, he had no doubt that he would've made a very different proposal. Something involving silk sheets, wine and naked tangling limbs.

  What he wouldn't have done for one night of her in his bed; to have her naked in his arms and to turn her out. He could already imagine her poised elegance morphing into screaming, moaning mindlessness. He could hear her whimpering his name over and over again as he touched her. Damián itched to smooth his palms over all those curves and silky-soft skin and wrap her legs around his flanks as he sunk his c-

  "Are you listening to me?" His father yanked him out of his errant thoughts.

  Damián refocused to find both Archie and Josiah staring at him. Sitting up on his seat, he sighed then said, "Yes. I'm listening to you."

  "So what'd you think?" Archie said.

  "About what?"

  "You're hopeless." Archie shook his head in disgust. "I wish you'd give as much attention to our legacy as you do to your toys. If you-"

  The door burst open just then interrupting his words.

  "Daddy." Zoe flounced into the room, her harassed nanny at her heels. Propping her hand on her hip, she ordered, "Tell Mrs. Tilford I'm going to Shelley's house."

  She'd taken Damián's height and stood well above her nanny. Her waist length and recently dyed ice-blonde hair was a harsh contrast to her olive skin. Dark kohl lined her eyes, making her blue contacts seem even more vivid, while her lips were painted a startling shade of pink to match her nails. But it was the glittering, tight, black thigh-length dress and four-inch stilettos she was wearing that drew his attention.

  Damián had since stopped having mini-heart attacks at Zoe's wardrobe choice but that didn't mean that his muscles didn't tense in protest. That was his little girl, and she looked like she was twenty-five going on fifty instead of twelve.

  She needed a mother.

  Careful not to spark one of her temper tantrums, Damián asked, "I don't think Shelley's parents will want you disrupting their home at this time."

  "They won't care." Zoe shrugged and flipped her hair. "Her dad is in Europe and her mom has a headache."

  Uncomfortably, aware that Josiah, Archie and Mrs. Tilford were watching their exchange, Damián asked, "Have you finished your homework?"

  "No," Zoe returned, rolling her neck like the question was beyond ridiculous. "Can I go now?"

  Damián was stumped. From firsthand experience, he knew exactly what was going to happen if he said no. Zoe was the queen of dramatica and he was her stage. An audience like this would just feed her antics. It was just easier to surrender. Turning his gaze to the nanny he said, "Tell Kevin to drop her off."

  Zoe smirked at the nanny triumphantly. "I told you."

  She then pranced out the room without even a by-your-leave to her father or his guests.

  Damián ignored his father and friend's knowing gazes as he tilted his drink against his lips and took a long, bitter gulp.

  AIKO COULDN'T BELIEVE she was actually considering this.

  "Am I really doing this?"

  She sat in her car in the parking lot. Her manicured fingers tapped against the steering wheel in rapid panicked taps as she bolstered her courage. Through the rearview mirror, she stared at the tall building behind her. The sun's rays bounced off its windows turning the structure a cold silver-blue. Was she really going in there?

  She'd spent a sleepless night mulling over how she was going to keep her father in his house. She'd tried to go through her options – and discovered that she only had two. Either prostitute herself or let her father go to a home.

  Yes, it was prostitution. Even cloaked in marriage, there was no denying that that was what she was considering doing - selling herself for money. Her conscience and upbringing had wrestled for control of her actions. A good woman didn't do this sort of thing. Marriage was supposed to be for love not for money. She couldn't do this.

  Logic asked her to take a look around their home. It told her to look at her father. What was the use of being a 'good' woman if she couldn't keep her family together? Being good wasn't going to keep her father out of a nursing home and it certainly wasn't going to pay the mortgage.

  "I have to do this." To reinforce her words, her mind sent her an image of her father at the piano this morning. Playing the piano seemed to be her father's way of connecting with the world despite his sickness. They'd all gotten so used to his playing the piano, they barely acknowledged it anymore. But today it had drawn tears from Aiko. She couldn't imagine not having those soothing sounds to accompany their morning bustle.

  "I'm doing this."

  Resolutely, she grabbed her purse from the passenger seat, slung it over her shoulder and exited the car. The summer heat smacked her right in the face, heating her body despite the light chiffon blouse she was wearing. She breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped through the entrance and into the cool building. She made a beeline for the security desk.

  "Good morning," she greeted the two guards behind it. "Coltech Consult."

  "Fourth floor," the guard guided after searching her bag, taking her driver's license and handing her a guest ID.

  At the elevator another stiff-faced guard waited. With a curt nod, he checked the floor number on her badge then he pressed the elevator button for her before accompanying her to the floor. She was half-afraid he was going to stalk her to her destination. Fortunately when the elevator doors slid open at the fourth floor, he stayed put in the metal cage. But she'd breathed a sigh of relief too early. Another guard waited at the entrance to Coltech Consult.

  What was this? The White House?

  "Aiko Vaughn to see Damián Colter," she said in response to the burly uniformed man's question.

  "Appointment?" he asked.

  "No." Aiko smiled confidently. "But he'll see me."

  Or at least she hoped he would. Her face was a blank canvass as she watched the guard dial the reception but underneath the calm exterior, she was a bunch of nerves. After how she'd treated Damián the previous day, she wouldn't be surprised if he turned her away at the door. But she was counting on his curiosity about what she was doing here overriding his anger.

  She was right. When the guard replaced the receiver in the holder it was say, "Take a right to the reception."

  At the reception, a smartly dressed older lady met her with a smile. "This way, please." She led the way past glass double-doors and into Coltech Consult.

  If offices were still offices, then Coltech was playing in a league of its own. Far from having typical cubicles or offices barred by stone walls and doors, for the most part Coltech was a large open space arranged like a massive cybercafé. Round tables and multicolored couches were artfully arranged around the space giving it a feeling of organized chaos. The only enclosed section was the glass cubicle at the far end of the room.

  In it, Damián Colter sat.

  His attention was on the computer screen in front of him but as if sensing her approach, he turned his gaze upwards and met hers. Despite the glass and distance between them, the man's striking good-looks were undeniable. She didn't know too many men who could pull off tousled hair, a powder blue shirt and jeans, and still look like they deserved their own page on GQ.

  If she wasn't so nervous perhaps she would've appreciated those good looks more. But what she was about to do kept playing in her mind and the lump at the back of her throat grew larger as she trailed behind the receptionist. Her anxiety grew when a dilemma she hadn't even considered occurred to her. What if he didn't want her?

  She wasn't exactly Halle Berry in the looks department. She wasn't embarrassed by her scar but she wasn't oblivious to its presence either. What if Damián was turned off by it? No, she'd seen how he'd looked at her yesterday. There'd been no disgust in his expression, only interest. Or maybe he
was just faking it?

  Whatever. She quashed her anxieties as the distance between her and the office shortened. She was going to try anyway. If he rejected her… well, at least she tried. The receptionist turned the doorknob and let Aiko into Damián's office.

  "Thank you, Marie," Damián dismissed the receptionist as his eyes met Aiko. The door closed softly behind Aiko but she barely heard it; her attention was on the supremely masculine male currently observing her. His gaze slid away from hers, danced down her body lingering on her breasts and hips, before coming back to her face. His lips curved in a smile as he drawled lazily, "Well, isn't this a surprise?"

  CHAPTER 4

  To say he was surprised to see Aiko was an understatement. After yesterday's encounter, she was the last person he'd expected in his office and had in fact already spent the morning at another matchmaking service. They'd been all too willing to take his money. He was right; money could buy anything. For some reason that'd left him feeling distaste instead of victory.

  He was disappointed to see Aiko here. There was no doubt why she was here. After leaving that other service, he'd had grudging respect for her for not being so easily bought. Her presence here, however, was indication that once again he was right.

  There was a price for everything – even Aiko Vaughn.

  Twirling a pen between his fingers, he asked, "How can I help you, Aiko?"

  "Aren't you going to offer me a seat?" she arched one perfectly curved eyebrow. He didn't answer for a moment, taking the time to let his gaze journey over her body. It skimmed the hair pulled back in a loose chignon that left a few curls hanging loosely by her face and slightly concealing her scar. If she was wearing makeup, he couldn't tell because her skin glowed a healthy coffee-brown while the light sheen on her lips drew attention to their plumpness.

  His senses gorged on her beauty, taking in the long column of her neck and the bountiful breasts hidden from his gaze by the chiffon blouse. His cock stirred as his eyes touched the broad width of her thighs emphasized by her green pencil skirt.

  "Are you done?" She interrupted his perusal. If his examination had discomfited her, she didn't show it in her expression.

  Damián relaxed his features letting his lips curve into a lazy smile as he gestured to the seat adjacent to his desk. "Please." While she set her purse on the carpeted floor and took a seat, he pressed on the remote control to fog up the glass walls of his office and buffer them from curious eyes. He turned to her. "If you're here to help me with my search, I'm afraid you're too late. I've already hired another agency."

  "Then you should drop them," Aiko said, "because I've already found you a wife."

  Damián sat up in his chair. "You have?"

  "Yes." She paused. "Me."

  For a moment he was suspended in shock and his "You?" was tentative at best.

  "Me." She smiled, seemingly undisturbed by his surprise. "I fit every one of your requirements. Twenty-eight, single, I've got a child and a flexible schedule."

  This is not where he'd seen this going. Not in a million years would Aiko's offering herself even have crossed his mind. It took him a couple of quiet seconds to rally his thoughts. She watched him silent expectation. He finally said, "You don't even like me."

  She didn't bother refuting it. "Was liking you one of the requirements?"

  She had him there. Damián smirked. "Couldn't resist the money, huh?"

  "It's ten thousand dollars. Who wouldn't?" She shrugged. Her gaze met his with steely determination as she asked, "Well?"

  Considering that she was the one who was begging for his money, she was irritatingly confident that she had the upper hand. Eager to knock her down a peg, he said, "Stand up."

  She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

  "I want to see what I'm getting offered."

  "I'm not a cow at an auction." Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You'll just have to be satisfied with what you've already seen."

  Damián should've been irritated instead he found himself oddly stirred. He liked that she had backbone. She'd need it dealing with Zoe. The moment the thought occurred, he realized that he'd already accepted her offer. He didn't know why he hadn't even thought of her in the first place. If he'd analyzed his research into her more carefully he would've realized that she was exactly what he needed.

  She was uniquely different from the women he regularly interacted with. The ones in his social circle were too tame to handle Zoe, and the aero-technology field wasn't exactly brimming with women – let alone those interested in raising someone else's child. With Aiko's military background and management savvy, she was the perfect candidate for this position. But he wasn't about to let her know that.

  Tapping his chin and staring at her pensively, he said, "I'm not sure I want a bride who can't obey simple orders."

  "Then you should've stuck to nannies and escorts," she retorted, her voice dripping of fake sweetness.

  His brow hiked up a notch. "I could say no."

  "But you won't."

  She really thought she had all the cards, didn't she? Driven by the need to wipe out some of that bravado, Damián rose from his seat. She watched him as he made his way to her side of the desk. Reaching for the hand she'd rested on the tabletop, he tagged her upwards. Resistance flirted briefly in her expressions, but she stood anyway.

  Even in her heels, she only barely touched the tip of his nose but she didn't seem intimidated by the height difference. She tilted her head and met his eyes with resolute challenge in the brown depths of hers. "What?"

  He didn't answer. Being this close to Aiko was intoxicating to say the least. Her soft flowery scent tickled at his senses and he was supremely aware of her warm curves only a few inches from his. He took a step forward closing the distance between them. Her soft breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest and her mouth parted in a startled exhale drawing his attention there.

  He expected her to take a step back. She didn't but her voice was a little shaky when she repeated, "What?"

  "This."He bent his head and slanted his mouth over hers.

  A KISS WAS the last thing Aiko expected, and she wasn't prepared for it. Her mind went on temporary recess the moment Damián's lips met hers. For a moment she stood in shocked suspension as his mouth firmed over hers. He didn't move his lips, almost as if he was waiting for her reaction and giving her enough time to come to her senses. When she did her first thought was 'What the hell'. She raised the arm he wasn't holding with the intention of pushing him away but that was when he chose to begin his assault.

  His tongue soothed over the crease of her mouth before he tugged on her lower lip. Aiko opened her mouth in a shocked gasp and he took the opportunity invade her mouth and lay claim. She'd enjoyed parrying words with him and wrestling control of their conversation. Even though she was desperate for the money she was offering she'd determinedly kept herself from showing it. But right now there was no doubt that Damián was in command.

  His tongue teased hers and his lips played hers expertly trading his desire for her own. She caroused on his taste; a sweet mingling of mint and male. Good God, the man could kiss. Each graze of his tongue was like teasing a ready to-be-lit fire by striking a match. Each nibble of his lips was like feeding a hungry woman a crumb of cake. She wanted the full buffet, not just a taste.

  She melted into him, pressed her body to his and fisted her fingers over the soft fabric of his shirt as her lips moved under his accepting his kiss. Electric shards of pleasure zipped and zapped along her veins, lighting up at the feel of him. Her breasts swelled in need, her body heated and her pussy moistened in readiness.

  Dropping her wrist, Damián lifted her easily by the waist and sat her on the edge of his desk. His lips never left hers as he stepped between her parted thighs. Her skirt was too tight for him to press himself completely to her but she could feel the heat radiating from him as he bracketed her between his arms. Tightening her knees around his outer thighs, she snaked her arms around his neck, playi
ng with the tousled strands of his hair as they kissed.

  She barely realized that he'd moved his hand until she felt his palm dancing at the side of her body. She stiffened and her lips paused beneath hers, her body poised in awareness as she waited for him to move. He did. He slid his hands to the front of her body and cupped her breast sending her senses scattering in immediate awareness. She tore her lips away from his on a low whimper.

  Their breathing was a harsh sound in the room as they stared at his hand over her flesh. Despite the layers of fabric separating her flesh from his touch, its heat still licked at her. Her flesh swelled under his palm begging for more of what he was offering and in response he firmed his grip deliberately. He raised his gaze then and his eyes met hers. Fiery desire loomed untamed in their depths so intensely that Aiko felt a spark of anxiety.

  She'd thought she knew what she was walking into.

  She wasn't so sure now.

  "You'll do." His voice came out as a satisfied growl. And just like that he detached himself from her arms leaving her seated atop the desk as he crossed back to his seat. "But we'll have three months of probation just to make sure you can handle this – with full pay of course."

  "Of course." Aiko was surprised her voice sounded so controlled considering how the flames of desire were still dancing around in her blood. She eased off the table to her feet and then settled back on her seat.

  "You'll also need to get tested for the usual diseases and get on birth control."

  She blinked. "I'm sorry what?"

  "I'm not using a condom with my wife."His tone was as businesslike as his expression. "I'll email you my own tests by tonight. I assume that you're okay with being monogamous sexual partners for the duration of our contract."

  The man was methodical as he was cold-blooded. While hatching his plan, he'd considered aspects of the relationship that she hadn't even thought of. Schooling her expression to mimic his blank one, she nodded. "I'm okay with it. Are you?"