Baby Mine
Tressie Lockwood
An affair with a billionaire brought more than she bargained for...
A passionate six-week affair in Italy leaves Jada Thompson pregnant, and the man she thought was just a local nobody turns out to be one of the richest men in America. Billionaire Renzo Mariani owns one of the top five wine and spirits corporations in the country. Telling herself he has a right to know about the baby and that's the only reason she seeks him out, Jada arrives at Renzo's mansion and finds out just how rich he is. She's in over her head, and the only thing left to do is walk away.
What she didn't realize was that Renzo wants more and Jada arriving on his doorstep gives him the opportunity to reignite the fire they shared in his motherland. Even if she runs scared from him, Renzo plans to have Jada on a permanent basis—body and soul—and nothing he's ever gone after has escaped him for long.
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.
BABY MINE
Shades of Naughty Collection
Copyright © 2013 TRESSIE LOCKWOOD
Cover art by Amanda Kelsey
Edited by Trinity Scott
ISBN: 978-1-936387-64-9
All Romance eBooks, LLC Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 www.allromanceebooks.com
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with out written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First All Romance eBooks publication: May 2013
Chapter One
Jada stepped out of the taxi, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. Behind her the driver pulled her luggage from the trunk of his vehicle. Of all times, the rain fell, ruining the hard work she’d done on her hair. Now that she had arrived at Renzo’s house, she second-guessed herself. Correction. Mansion. The man she’d had a brief six-week affair with on her once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy was not the everyday Joe, citizen of Venice she’d thought he was. No, the dude was in fact a member of one of the most well known families for producing wine, and the drive where she now stood lay smack in the middle of Renzo’s vineyard in Napa Valley, California. What the heck had she been thinking coming here?
She swiped away the slick hair on her forehead and turned to speak to the driver. “I think I changed my mi—”
He’d already gotten back into his car and was pulling down the drive toward the street. A moment of panic settled in the pit of Jada’s stomach. She’d paid him before she stepped out of the car, but she’d thought he would at least wait until she was sure someone was at home and they didn’t run her off their property.
She spun back to face the imposing two-story home with cathedral windows everywhere and a roof that stretched toward the heavens with myriad spiky peaks. Nothing could have complemented the circular driveway that surrounded an incredible oasis of a fountain at the front. Even during twilight as it was now, the manicured lawns impressed her, and all of it screamed money. Who would believe her that the fact that she was pregnant with Renzo’s baby wasn’t some kind of plot to get a share of their wealth?
“Hello.”
Jada’s limbs trembled, and her stomach threatened to give up the half sandwich she’d eaten just a half hour ago. The voice was at once familiar and yet different. She forced her head to turn, although the movements were jerky at best. The man who met her gaze was so like Renzo she had to stop herself from calling out his name. No, this man was younger, maybe a good ten years. He didn’t have Renzo’s height or his overwhelming presence. The twinkling eyes and easy smile were the same despite that.
He strolled up to her with the same gait as her former lover. “Have you lost your way? We get a lot of tourists looking for Ledson, but they stumble onto us instead.”
Jada opened her mouth to answer but couldn’t push the words out. He has a right to know. That’s the only reason I’m here. Once I tell him, I’m gone. “I—”
Grey eyes narrowed with concern. “You’re soaked. Come inside out of the rain, and I can redirect you from there. I can even call for a car to take you where you’re going.”
Jada didn’t get a chance to explain. Before she knew it, the stranger had her by the arm and propelled her toward the front entrance of the house. Over his shoulder, he called someone’s name, which she didn’t catch. A teenaged boy appeared from nowhere.
“Get her luggage,” the man ordered in a kind but authoritative tone. The boy scrambled to obey.
Jada found herself in an entryway that must be as big as the tiny house she’d just bought three years ago in Charlotte. Okay, she exaggerated, but the opulence took her breath away. Boy had she made a huge mistake coming here. She should have sent a letter, phoned, anything. The problem was Renzo hadn’t given her more than his name in Florence. She’d had to have someone look into finding him. Never in a million years had she expected this.
Stairs straight across from the main entrance led up and then curved to the left and right on the second floor. She stared in awe at the high ceiling and the two chandeliers above the staircase’s center. While she took it all in, a woman moved to the top of the stairs and smiled down at her. “Welcome. Who are you?”
Once again, Jada started to speak, but the man at her side cut her off. “Where are my manners, beautiful lady? Forgive me.” He took her hand as if he would kiss it. She raised an eyebrow, and he hesitated, but his smile didn’t falter. “I am Ettore Mariani, and this little flower is my sister, Zita.”
The grand gestures and over familiarity didn’t shock Jada. She’d seen plenty of it in Italy. These people, while they spoke clear enough, still held what she called that sing-songy way of speaking, which she’d fallen in love with while in their native country. What did threaten to steal her resolve was knowing they were related to Renzo. His last name was Mariani. She’d known this was his house, but to come face-to-face with confirmation made her nervous.
“I’m Jada. Nice to meet you.” She paused, waiting for them to recognize her name, but no expressions of shock met her gaze. She should have known better. While she searched her mind for a way to escape in favor of the letter or phone call idea, another family member appeared on the scene. Rapid-fire Italian fell from the lips of an older, diminutive woman.
“Yes, of course, Mamma. We’re coming,” Ettore told her.
Zita finished descending the stairs, and the old woman turned to Jada. “Welcome,” she said in heavily accented English. “You must join us for dinner.”
Jada’s mouth fell open. She was a stranger, and the woman didn’t know why she was there. “Um, I just need to call a taxi, if you don’t mind. I can use my cell phone, but if I can wait out of the rain for a little bit, that would be great. Thank you so much.”
The little woman took her arm and all but dragged her toward a hallway off the stairs. She spoke half in English, half in Italian. Jada picked up only a few words, and neither Ettore nor his sister bothered to explain. As they neared what she assumed would be the dining room, the scent of food stirred her hunger. That was one of the drawbacks of her condition, constantly wanting to eat. Then again, it could be psychological. She hadn’t bothered to examine the desire up until now.
Before she knew it, she sat at a dinner table with a family of strangers. No one stirred to either pray over the food or eat. Jada studied each person in silence, formulating a plan. Just when she noticed the two empty place settings, one at the head of the table, the presence in the doorway drew her attention.
“Jada?”
With that one word, uttered with the
Italian lilt and his deep tone, chills raced over her spine, and goose bumps rose on her arms. She turned her gaze from the table to lock with his. In that moment, he spirited away all the air in the room. Her heart beat a tattoo against her ribcage, her mouth went from dry to moist and back again, and her head spun with memories of herself locked in this man’s embrace while he did things to her body no other man had ever done. How the hell had she walked away from him two weeks ago?
Jade cleared her throat and smiled. “Hello, Renzo. How are you?”
His dark brows rose over silver eyes that had made her turn to liquid from day one. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
All conversation around them stopped, and gazes swung back and forth from her to Renzo. Jada shifted in her seat. She noted the curious glances, the speculation about why a black woman Renzo obviously knew sat at their table like she was no more than a lost tourist. That was their mistake, not mine.
Even as she processed these thoughts, she recalled a previous one. There’d been two leftover place settings. Heels clicked in the hallway behind Renzo, and a petite hand circled around his bicep before one of the most beautiful women Jada had ever seen appeared. Fiery red hair as glorious as a lion’s mane accentuated her fragile figure. The way the little beauty clung to Renzo’s side, there was no way she was another sister. Jada clenched her teeth. She’d messed up. Not once had she considered whether Renzo was married. She’d wanted to see him again.
She scraped her chair back and stood. Her cloth napkin fluttered to the floor, and Ettore bent to pick it up. She snatched at the square of material with muttered thanks, not wanting any of them to see how her hands shook. “Um, I think I need to go. Thank you for your hospitality.” She smiled at the family, not pausing to focus on any of them.
Halfway to the door, she stumbled when Renzo’s deep voice rang out. “Everyone, please don’t hold dinner for me. Jada and I will be in my office.”
“But, Renzo,” the redhead whined. “Who is she?”
Renzo reached Jada’s side and took her arm much like his brother had done earlier. He led her from the room and didn’t bother answering the woman who must be his wife or girlfriend. Jada wondered just what the heck she’d landed in and plotted the best way to get out unscathed.
Chapter Two
Renzo leaned on the edge of his desk, arms folded across a powerful chest. The tightening of his arm muscles and the way his slacks stretched over chiseled thighs made Jada wet, but she forced herself to look no lower than his face. Of course, that proved just as bad since his lips reminded her of long nights kissing and sucking on them. She ran a hand over her face, trying to pull herself together. Quite by accident she spotted the tent in his pants and felt so much better. Renzo never hid what he felt when it came to sexual desire. He had no problem with her knowing he wanted her, which drove her need through the roof.
“I didn’t mean to come here,” she began.
A single brow rose into his hairline.
“I mean…damn it, I didn’t mean to disrupt your household. I guess I didn’t think everything through. You had a right to know, so I’m here. Simple as that. We made a mistake.”
Renzo stirred from his post and approached her. She stiffened her back, refusing to be intimidated by his size and her physical reaction to him. He drew up in front of her, not touching, but with his nearness he might as well be. “Slow down. I’m not following, cara mia.”
The second his large hands settled on her arms, she wiggled from his hold. “Listen, what you do behind your wife’s back is your business. If I had known, I damn sure wouldn’t have gotten involved with you, but that’s over now. It’s up to you whether you tell her the truth, but you have a right to know. I’m pregnant. I don’t expect anything from you or any involvement in my baby’s life. Good-bye.”
Jada spun on her heel and started away, but Renzo caught her and drug her into his embrace. She crashed into his chest hard enough to knock the wind from her lungs and parted her lips. The bastard took advantage of her disorientation, slanting his mouth over hers. She raised her hands to ward him off, but instead her stupid fingers curled into the material of his shirt to hang onto him. Renzo’s tongue burrowed between her lips and swept the moist interior. Her knees buckled, but he drew her closer. The world and every person in it ceased to exist from the first taste of him, with his deep, sexy moans as he kissed her, and the strength in his arms.
Her nipples pebbled, making it seem like she didn’t wear a bra. All she could think about was pleading for him to rip them off and take her on his desk. Get a grip, Jada. He doesn’t even respect the woman he’s with not to maul you in his office with her a couple rooms away.
When sanity returned, she wrenched free of his hold and stepped back. Her palm stung from the smack across his cheek. Renzo didn’t flinch, although red stained his handsome face.
“You don’t get to touch me anymore. What we had in Venice is over. Now, I’ve told you about the baby. I’m leaving.”
Again he folded his arms and settled on his desk. The man seemed quite satisfied that he’d rattled her. Peering closely at him, she wondered if he even heard her about the pregnancy.
Renzo lowered his gaze as if deep in thought and then looked at her again. “No. You can’t drop a bomb like that and walk out.”
“Excuse me?” She put a hand on her hip. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. Truth be told, she’d never thought it through. She’d considered ways he might react, but this wasn’t one. “I don’t expect anything from you.”
“Jada, do you know what kind of family I am from?”
She frowned. “I don’t follow.”
He moved from the edge of the desk, walked around it and dropped into his chair. “We are all about family. Nothing is more important—not business, not anyone else. You’ve just told me you’re having my son or daughter, and then you say I don’t need to be involved. Do you understand the insult that is? It’s impossible for me not to be in my child’s life. In fact, I have every intention of being involved one hundred percent. That means I will be forever connected to you. What we need to discuss now is your moving here.”
“Whoa. What?” She shook her head. “I’m not moving here, Renzo. I realize you have a lot going on…” She glanced around to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and the expensive furniture that occupied his office. “But I have a life back in Charlotte. I’m not going to up and leave it just because you want involvement in my baby’s life, and like I said, you should worry more about how you’ll tell your wife!”
His slow grin made her grit her teeth. “I do not have a wife, Jada.”
“Well—”
“Nicoletta is a family friend, nothing more.”
Jada didn’t bother informing him Nicoletta had designs on him, since she’d thought she was his wife when she first saw the woman. If she had her way, she would be more than a family friend by tomorrow. Jada tried not to care one way or the other. She chose another tactic. “Listen, for a while it got hot and heavy in Venice. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, and that one night we didn’t use protection. I’ve decided I can handle things. I don’t want you to feel obligated. With my job, I even have great health benefits.”
“So in other words, you will suffer the consequences of our actions, but I get off free.”
She glared at him. “I don’t consider it suffering. I’m happy about the baby.”
“Then so am I. Stay. We have much to discuss.”
“Renzo—”
A knock sounded on the door, and then it opened. An older man with deep wrinkles around his eyes, furrows in his forehead and salt and pepper hair stepped into the room. Jada recognized only a slight resemblance to Renzo, but it could be just that he was dark with an olive skin tone.
“Uncle Gianni, I didn’t know you were back.” Renzo stood, and the two men hugged, patting each other’s backs.
“Yes, I just got in. With my flight so late, I thought it might disturb dinner if I cal
led for a pickup. I know how your mother hates disruptions to mealtime.”
“Then I could have arranged for a car,” Renzo insisted.
“Never mind.” His uncle waved a large hand. “I heard we have an unexpected visitor. Ettore said you were particularly excited about seeing this young woman.” Dark eyes swung in her direction, and Jada caught the open assessment. Something told her Gianni had already jumped to conclusions about why she’d shown up. Apparently, the way he waited for an explanation, he expected he had a right to get into Renzo’s affairs. She resisted the urge to tell him to mind his business.
“Forgive me.” Renzo reached out a hand and grasped Jada’s wrist in a light but firm touch to draw her closer to his side. “This is Jada Thompson, and she is having my baby.”
Jada didn’t have to run through a range of possible reactions from Gianni. She had his number from the second he walked through the door. Red tinged his face, and his eyebrows crashed low over his eyes. The sneer he directed at her would have cowed a lesser woman. She had never allowed any man to bully her, and she didn’t intend to start with this one.
“How do you know it’s yours?” he demanded of Renzo. “For that matter, how do you know she’s really pregnant? We’ve been through this scenario a hundred times. Women find out your net worth and see their ticket out of poverty.”
“Uncle, you’re insulting! You owe Jada an apology.”
Jada held up a finger. “No, don’t worry about it, Renzo. He’s a pompous asshole who thinks the world is like him. If you need to see the doctor report that shows my positive results, I’ll be happy to show you. In fact, if you want to hold the stick I peed on at home, you can have that too!”
She faced off with Gianni and almost laughed when his color rose from his neckline to his forehead. Something told her he wasn’t used to women getting in his face, and she was happy to be the first one.
“It’s not necessary to be so—”
“Get out of my business,” she snapped and turned on her heel to stomp from the room. As she pulled the door closed behind her, she caught Renzo’s words as he laid into his uncle. She had to give him credit. At least he believed her. A few steps from the office door, she stopped. Did he believe her? Renzo had stood up for her, but was it to save face or because he trusted she wasn’t the kind of person to try and swindle him out of money? Renzo had been right there with her all hungry for sex, ripping clothes off to get into her panties. Neither of them had thought about a condom that one night until much later, after a marathon of sex. Just thinking about it had her pussy clenching, and she hurried down the hall.
Baby Mine Page 1
