Billionaire's Marriage Bargain

by Leanne Banks

  Sliding out of bed, he went into the den and called room service for breakfast. The newspaper would be delivered in mere minutes, so he grabbed a quick shower and pulled on a pair of shorts. As expected, breakfast, along with three newspapers, arrived shortly. He directed the staff to set the breakfast on the large wraparound balcony.

  If Mallory didn’t awaken soon, then he would read the papers and reorder for her when she rose. He’d barely finished his first article from the Wall Street Journal when she appeared, wrapped in a fluffy robe with sexy, sleepy eyes, as she peeked from the bedroom sliding doors.

  “Good morning,” he said. “You’re just in time for breakfast.”

  “There’s some for me?” she asked, moving toward the table. “The smell of something heavenly woke me up.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Bacon,” she corrected, sitting down in the chair opposite him. “The most useless food on the planet.”

  “But too good to resist,” he said, lifting a slice and offering it to her.

  She took it and devoured it, closing her eyes as she ate it as if it were a sensual experience. He wondered how a woman could make eating bacon so arousing, but damn if she didn’t.

  “I’m starving. I didn’t eat dinner last night—”

  He frowned. “Why not? I told you to order anything you wanted from room service.”

  She met his gaze. “I was a little nervous,” she confessed.

  Something inside him tugged and twisted at her admission. “The prospect of Para-Sailing didn’t bother you, but I did?”

  “Oh, being with you is much more—” She broke off. “Much more everything than Para-Sailing. They told me Para-Sailing is over in five minutes.”

  “I hope I lasted longer than that.”

  She giggled, covering her eyes. “Oh, wow.”

  Her response was addictive. He tugged her hand and pulled. “Come here. Have some breakfast.”

  She sat on his lap with no protest. Surveying the plates he’d ordered, she made a little moan of approval. “I want a bite or two of everything,” she said and took a bite of the omelet. “Delicious. Have you ever noticed how everything tastes like gourmet food when you’re starving?”

  He nodded. “Even a stale sandwich from the deli because you don’t have time to get anything else.”

  “Exactly. But since you’re a big whoopty-doo VP, I would think your employees would always make sure you get perfectly fresh food.”

  “Contrary to rumor, I don’t force my employees to work the same hours I do. I sometimes work late nights and have been known to grab a package of crackers from the vending machine.”

  She made a tsking sound of false sympathy. “Poor big whoopty-doo VP.”

  “You’re heartless.”

  “That’s me, heartless Mallory.” She smiled then glanced at the food again. “Oh, don’t tell me that’s a chocolate croissant.”

  “It is,” he said, enjoying every minute of having this woman on his lap.

  She sighed. “I may have to eat more than two bites of that.”

  He snatched the croissant from the plate. “You may have to kiss me to get it.”

  She met his gaze with soft, but searching eyes. “I would have thought you’d gotten so many kisses last night that you wouldn’t want anymore.”

  “In that case, you would have been very wrong,” he said and took her mouth with his.

  Mallory was in beach and man heaven. She’d known Alex’s attention could be intoxicating, but she’d really had no idea how intoxicating. Doing snuba, a combination of snorkeling and scuba diving, with Alex, Mallory felt as if she were discovering a whole new wonderland. The vibrant colors of the reefs and fishes were spectacular and joining hands with Alex while twenty-five feet underwater upped the thrill exponentially.

  As promised, they Para-Sailed tandem. Surprisingly when they hovered above an inlet, it felt more peaceful than frightening. Alex took her mouth in a kiss that sent her heart soaring into the stratosphere. Every once in a while, she wondered how she could possibly return to her claustrophobic existence after experiencing so much freedom.

  After their busy morning and early afternoon, they enjoyed a gourmet picnic lunch on a private beach. Mallory guzzled an ice-cold bottle of water.

  “You’re turning pink,” Alex said, pressing his finger against her arm. “Get under the umbrella. Do you need more sunscreen?”

  She moved to the double chaise lounge underneath the umbrella. “I’ve applied it a gajillion times today.”

  He joined her on the lounge, his skin gleaming bronze from their time in the sun. “Not exaggerating, are you?”

  “No,” she said, admiring and resenting his tanned skin at the same time. “It isn’t fair that you don’t burn.”

  “My ancestry. I guess it’s one thing I can thank my father for,” he said with a dry laugh and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. He poured some cream into his palm then rubbed it onto her shoulders.

  “Do you miss him?” she asked after a long moment.

  “Who?”

  “Your father. I can’t imagine not being able to talk to my father whenever I want.” The idea actually hurt her heart.

  “I’ve gotten used to it,” he said with a shrug, rubbing the sunscreen onto her belly.

  “I think that’s a lie,” she said.

  He met her gaze and lifted a brow. “And who made you the expert on me?”

  Her heart twisted like a vise and it hit her that she wished she could be an expert on Alex. She wished she could know him in every possible way. “Am I right?” she asked.

  He laced his fingers through hers. “You keep surprising me,” he said. “One minute you’re wild, the next you’re deep and thoughtful.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” she said, willing him to meet her gaze. A long silence followed, and she resisted the urge to fill it.

  “I miss what could have been. Sometimes the death of dream is worse than a real death.” He met her gaze and the naked emotion in his green eyes took her breath and stole a piece of her heart. “Satisfied?”

  She wondered if she would ever be satisfied. If she could ever know enough of him and not want more. She rose and pressed her lips to his. It seemed the right thing to do.

  When she pulled back, he trailed his finger between her breasts. “You know this is a private beach. There’s no one else but you and me here.” He slid his finger around the edges of the cups of her bathing suit. “You could take this off….”

  Her pulse raced at the invitation in his voice. It was more an invite than a dare. “I’ve never gone topless on a beach before.”

  “Have you wanted to?” he asked.

  “Not before,” she said, but she liked the idea of taunting and tempting him. With his experience, he always seemed to have the upper hand.

  “And now?” he asked, sliding his finger beneath the edge of the top of her bathing suit, just a fingertip away from her nipple. She felt her nipple grow hard and fought against the urge to arch against him.

  “I could get burned even worse since that skin has never seen the sun,” she said, her voice husky to her own ears.

  “I would be happy to put sunscreen on you,” he said. “Every inch.”

  Mallory closed her eyes, wondering if she wanted to be this wild, wondering if she could. Still keeping her eyes closed, she lifted her hand and untied the strings at the back of her neck. She pushed the cups down and reached behind to unfasten the other strings at her back, then pulled the top of her bathing suit from her body.

  She finally opened her eyes.

  Alex gazed at her possessively, his nostrils flaring slightly in sudden arousal. She was surprised, but gratified by the speed of his response.

  He met her gaze. “You have no idea how you affect me.”

  An illicit thrill raced through her. “Maybe you should show me.”

  He slid his hands over her breasts. “My pleasure,” he said.

  He taunted her with his hands, then
replaced his hands with his mouth. He nibbled at the hard, sensitive tips of her breasts, making her want more and more. He took her mouth in a French kiss and rolled on top of her, pushing her thighs apart.

  In the afternoon sun, shielded only by the umbrella, he took her with a glorious, consuming intensity. She reveled in the sound of the waves as he thrust inside her. The scents of salt, sand, coconut oil and musk filled her head. She wanted him to take her. She wanted him to fill her completely and in his taking, she wanted him to feel completely full. It was the most carnal yet spiritual experience in her life, and she wondered how she would possibly survive being separated from him.

  The next day, they had to return to Las Vegas. Both she and Alex were quiet. He studied designs and reports. Mallory looked through the same magazine for the fifth time, not seeing a single image, not reading a single word. The weekend had been the most glorious of her life, but she was searching for a way to pull herself together. She’d been stretched sexually and emotionally. How was she supposed to go back to her parents’ home and be the Mallory she’d been before? How could she?

  Thirty minutes before they were scheduled to land, she sensed Alex looking at her. “I want you to move in with me,” he said.

  Her heart leaped in her chest. She couldn’t. Not for her peace of mind, not for her parents’ peace of mind. “I can’t do that. Right now,” she added.

  “Why not?” he asked.

  “My parents are old-fashioned. They would be horrified and hurt. Besides, you and I need to be sensible. I told you before I didn’t want a public affair.” She shook her head. “I need to get my own place. If you still want to see me—” She broke off, floundering.

  “Want,” Alex echoed, taking her hand in his. “You’ve given new meaning to the word. You can’t believe social conventions are bigger than what is going on between you and me.”

  Her heart twisted and she met his gaze. “This isn’t about conventions. I’ve got to recover from being with you. I don’t want to be one of those women who can’t get over you. I’m starting to feel more and more sympathy for them,” she said.

  “This is different,” he said, swearing. “It’s wrong for you to not be with me.”

  Every cell in her urged her to say yes. Her connection with Alex had been so powerful it had seemed almost otherworldly. Her brain stepped in like a sharp elbow-jab. Alex was a player. This could be over in a second and she would be picking up the pieces of her heart. By herself. “It’s too fast,” she said, meeting his green gaze, rocked by the emotion she saw there. “I need more time.”

  Seven

  “You’re glowing,” Lilli De Luca said, two days later, as she joined Mallory for lunch at an outdoor café shielded by umbrellas. “If it’s a new spa treatment, please tell me what it is. My sweet little David is wearing me out with his teething.”

  Mallory smiled, thinking of Alex. “I took a trip to the beach over the weekend. Maybe you should try to do the same soon.”

  The waiter refilled their glasses of mint iced tea. Mallory remembered how good the iced bottle of water had felt on her throat the afternoon she and Alex had spent on the beach.

  Lilli made a face. “Max and I were supposed to go to the beach this past weekend, but David got sick and I just couldn’t leave him.”

  “I know,” Mallory said then tried to take back the words. “I mean, I heard something about David being sick.”

  Lilli lifted her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? From who?”

  Mallory shifted in her wrought-iron chair. “Um, I think Alex Megalos may have mentioned it.”

  Lilli’s eyes widened farther. “Alex? When did you see him?”

  “Oh, he’s everywhere,” Mallory said, waving her hand. “You know, Mr. Social, in the spotlight.”

  “Hmm,” Lilli said, studying Mallory. “I remember how you used to have a crush on him.”

  “Most single women do,” Mallory said, her stomach tightening. “Probably some married women, too. He’s charming, good-looking and sexy,” she tried to say in a matter-of-fact voice.

  Lilli took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed it. “Is there something you’re not telling me that you want to tell me?”

  Mallory’s throat tightened. “I’m not sure. Off the record, just how much of a hound dog would you say Alex Megalos is?”

  Lilli furrowed her eyebrows. “Aside from my husband, he is one of the most charming men I’ve ever met. He actually hit on me when I was pregnant. Very flattering.”

  “But you were gorgeous when you were pregnant,” Mallory said, pushing aside a stupid twinge of jealousy. “And gorgeous when not pregnant, too.”

  Lilli smiled. “You’re such a good friend.” She paused. “Here’s the thing. Alex is a paradox. He’s a terrible flirt. But do you know what he gave David as a gift? A year of tuition at any college and a Tonka truck he can ride. And get this, Alex made me swear that I would support David if he decided to be a sous-chef instead of a tycoon for Megalos-De Luca. How can you not love him for that?”

  Mallory thought of Alex’s unrelationship with his own father and tears filled her eyes. “How can you?” she echoed.

  Lilli studied Mallory for a long moment. “You’re still not telling me something.”

  Mallory blinked her eyes against the tears. “I’ve kinda gotten involved with Alex,” she confided.

  Lilli’s eyes widened. “How involved?”

  Mallory bit her lip. “Pretty involved. Too involved. I’m scared.”

  “If he hurts you, I’ll kill him. I’ll make Max kill him, too.”

  Mallory shook her head. “No murder needed. He asked me to move in with him.”

  Lilli stared at her, speechless. It took her a full moment to find her voice. “Move in? As in his house?”

  “Or condo,” Mallory said. “I told him no. My parents would freak. I don’t want to make Dad’s blood pressure spike through the roof. And my mother is finally coming out of her bedroom since I spent the weekend with Alex. At the beach.”

  Lilli shook her head. “One surprise after the other. I always thought there was more to Alex than met the eye. He’s so good-looking and charming you’re tempted not to look any further.”

  “And once you do, you’re hooked,” Mallory said.

  “Oh,” Lilli said and gave a sympathetic smile. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say you’ll be my friend whatever happens,” Mallory said, unable to avoid an impending sense of doom about her relationship with Alex. She couldn’t imagine being able to hold his attention for long.

  Lilli covered Mallory’s hand. “Always,” she said. “I’m always your friend, just as you’ve been mine since the first time we met. Just remember, both Max and I will kill Alex if he hurts you.”

  Twenty-four hours later, Alex called her. “You and I need to meet. There’s been a development. Come to my office immediately.”

  Entrenched in research for her term paper, Mallory frowned into her cell phone. “Development?” she echoed. “That’s a little vague. I’m in the middle of this paper. Can’t you give me more information?”

  “Mallory,” he said and she could hear the stretched patience in his voice. “I won’t discuss this on the phone. I’ll send my driver to—”

  She sighed. “No, no. I can drive myself. Give me an hour.”

  “Thirty minutes,” he countered and hung up.

  Mallory stared at her cell phone and felt a frisson of fear. Alex had never sounded like this before. There was an eerie calm to his voice. A chill passed over her and she took a deep breath. Saving her file, she shut down her computer, changed her clothes, applied lipstick and mascara and headed for Megalos-De Luca Enterprises.

  A valet attendant greeted her and took her car. Mallory walked inside the skyscraper, and security took her name and immediately allowed her to pass. Alex had clearly prepared everyone for her arrival.

  With each passing second, she felt her tension increase. What could possibly be so important that he
couldn’t discuss it with her on the phone? As she took the elevator to the top floor, she tried to conjure the worst scenario. Her heart sank. If he wanted to banish her from his life, this was an odd way to do it.

  The steel elevator doors opened and she stepped outside. She spoke with a receptionist who pointed her toward a corner office. She approached a woman outside the corner office. “I’m looking for Alex Megalos’s office.”

  The young woman nodded. “And you are?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. Mallory James.”

  The woman smiled. “Miss James. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Alex’s assistant, Emma. Please go on in. He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thank you,” Mallory said and took a deep breath as she opened the door to Alex’s office.

  Alex looked up, then immediately stood. “Come in. Please close the door behind you.”

  Mallory did as he asked. “I can’t tell if I feel like I’ve got an appointment with the CIA or the principal from my elementary school.”

  He didn’t smile at her remark. That made her more nervous. “Have a seat,” he said.

  She gingerly sat in the chair across from his desk. “I’m already nervous and you’re not making it better.”

  “Unfortunately it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.

  Her heart sank further. “I can’t stand it, Alex. Just tell me.”

  “You remember that day we spent on the beach on the island,” he said.

  She nodded. “We ate and talked and…”

  “Made love,” he said for her.

  She nodded again. “Yes.”

  “We were supposed to be alone. It was supposed to be private.”

  She frowned in confusion. “There was no one around.”

  His eyes turned to chips of green ice. “No one we could see. Someone using a long-range lens took photos.”

  Shock coursed through. She lifted her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my God. You can’t mean…”