Modern Romance Collection: November 2017 Books 5 - 8

‘Why can’t I just sell the properties?’ Her eyes widened with disbelief and her hand came to her face, the tip of one finger dragging across her bottom lip in a very distracting way. He watched as the pink-painted nail dug into the plumpness of her lip, wishing he could sample that plumpness against his lips.

Again he urged his mind back to the situation. Perhaps he was more like his father than he’d ever imagined. The thought sickened him. ‘Although the properties are in your name, the terms of the transfer your father carried out means you cannot sell them, that they only remain yours until your marriage, at which point they will become your husband’s property.’

‘What?’ She pressed her fingertips against her mouth, as if to stem the shocked flow of words, and her neat brows furrowed into a frown. He wasn’t falling for that.

‘Hard to believe, but I’m afraid it’s true. It’s also a fact my father sought to exploit when he made his will, just months before he died. I am not happy to have inherited your father’s debt and with it you as my bride.’ He recalled his lawyer’s face, full of apology, and the words that had proved beyond doubt how much his father must have disliked him.

‘I tried to persuade him against it, but he was adamant.’

‘What century are we in?’ Her shock had turned to anger and she flung her hands out over the table, palms upwards in exasperation. ‘Just what did they think they were doing?’

‘It appears we have both been little more than pawns in their game and it’s time now to take control, to thwart whatever it was they each intended.’

‘At least now we are on the same page. I have no intention of marrying someone who wants me for what I have. I almost travelled that road and I’m not going there again.’ Her burst of irritation held a hint of passion, intriguing him in a way he was far from comfortable about.

‘Are you holding out for love, Lydia?’ It was the first time he’d used her name and it shocked him how he liked to say it as he looked into her beautiful face. If circumstances were different, he’d be tempted to reach out and push her hair back from her face, revealing her beauty. But he couldn’t go there. He didn’t seek the confines of marriage, so for now it was better to hide behind the mask of a hardened businessman.

* * *

Lydia’s pulse leapt as he said that word and looked into her eyes. The unyielding blackness of his sent skitters of awareness all over her. Every part of her body was tuned into his, every move he made only intensified it, but the mention of love halted all that, as if she’d just careered into a brick wall.

‘I have no intention of wasting my time holding out for love.’ She bristled at the memory of the man she’d thought she’d loved, the man she’d believed had loved her until she’d discovered he’d also been in the habit of loving as many other women as he could. By that point she and Daniel were engaged. This had rankled her father and, just to show him she’d make her own decisions in life, she’d accepted Daniel’s apology. Something she deeply regretted. It would have been almost preferable to have her father look at her with that I told you so expression than the humiliation after Daniel had left her because she no longer had anything to offer him, something her father had made very clear to him, although at that point she’d not understood exactly what he’d meant.

Now she did. It was the contract her father had signed with Raul Valdez’s father, using her as his leverage, his security.

‘So cynical, Lydia. Are you not in search of your Mr Right, the man to live happily ever after with?’ His accented voice sent a shiver of awareness over her and she knew a flush of colour had spread over her face.

Who was he to mock such dreams? He was a complete playboy.

‘Once bitten, twice shy, as they say.’ She couldn’t help the light and flirty tone of her voice and to hide her embarrassment she took a sip of her wine. ‘But that is not why we are here, to discuss such nonsense as love, Mr Valdez, is it?’

‘No, we are not.’ He snapped the words out, his accent sharp, and she sensed the impatience in him. Or was it irritation? ‘We are here because your father defaulted on his loan.’

Before he could say any more Lydia cut across him once more, not missing the frown of annoyance, which gave her a strange sense of satisfaction. ‘And because your father saw fit to use that default in the most devious and unethical way.’

‘I agree,’ he said and leant forward in the seat, his dark eyes penetrating hers, preventing her from doing anything other than looking into them, but they were cold and she shivered slightly. ‘That is why we are here. To extricate ourselves from a marriage I certainly don’t want and it would seem you share that view.’

‘I still don’t see why I can’t just sign some of the properties over to you, or sell them and clear the debt.’ She wished now she’d had a proper meeting with her solicitor instead of the rushed phone call. She hadn’t understood all he’d told her and in all honesty she couldn’t believe what her father had done.

‘You do not own them, Lydia. They are only yours until you marry, at which time they will pass into the legal possession of your husband.’

She recalled an argument with her father almost a year ago, one of those rare meetings of father and daughter. He’d been smugly pleased with his latest plot to manipulate her into marriage for the good of his company. He’d told her he had found her a husband and that this time she would have no choice but to do as she was told. She’d refused, telling him she and Daniel were engaged, but that had been no deterrent to the lows her father had stooped to in order to save himself from financial ruin. She’d had no idea his vast property portfolio had been put into her name until her marriage.

‘By that you mean you.’ She put down her wine glass and glared at him, everything clear at last. ‘Your father added the marriage clause in his will to trick my father.’

‘I consider it more of a shrewd tactic to safeguard the considerable amount of money he had loaned to your father’s business. He must have been sure your father wouldn’t obtain such levels of funding through the usual channels and added the extra condition in his will, should the debt remain unsettled in the event of his death.’

‘I hardly think forcing either of us into marriage is shrewd or businesslike. It’s medieval.’ She stumbled over the words as she realised how futile they were and when a smile tugged at the corners of his lips she wished she were bold enough to get up and walk away.

‘After our marriage, all the properties will become mine and therefore the debt will be repaid and the board of directors satisfied. The only issue is that we must remain married for two years—living together.’

‘Are you actually suggesting we get married, just to clear the debt? I thought you were against any such idea as much as I am.’ Lydia couldn’t take it in. Married. To this man. For two years.

‘That depends on how much you want to help your father.’

Lydia didn’t have to think very hard on that one. She didn’t want to help her father, but she did want to protect his mother, her grandmother. The woman who’d cared for her, loved her as a daughter. She was the only reason she was still here having this discussion.

‘Of course I want to help my father, but I will not marry anyone to do that.’ She wasn’t about to enlighten Raul Valdez to the fact that her father had tried several times to push her into a marriage that would financially benefit him. The fact that this man’s father could possibly succeed where hers had failed was not a pleasant prospect.

‘In that case you will be interested to hear of my solution.’ Her attention was caught not only by his words, but by the tone of his voice.

‘Which is?’

‘I suggest we make the marriage and clear the debts. We can lead separate lives whilst living in the same place. After two years, I will not contest a divorce.’ He sat back in his chair, the expression on his handsome face close to being smug.

‘Is that the best you can do?’ Irritation surged through her. Had he met her here to put forward a suggestion that was at the moment the only obvious conclusion? She was so angry with her father. He could have warned her of this, months ago. He must have known he couldn’t make the repayments. Now she understood why he’d made it so easy for her to keep up her annoyed silence. He’d gone to ground, hiding like a coward. ‘Why have you left it five months to contact me? You must have been made aware of the will conditions months ago.’

‘I had other, more pressing issues to deal with.’

‘Such as?’

He looked at her as if assessing her ability to be trusted and, just as when he’d first swept his gaze over her, the scrutiny did strange things to her. ‘I have been trying to contact a family member whose existence I only discovered upon the reading of the will. If found, that person would offer a very different option for both of us and there is a large financial reward which can be used to clear your debts, but I have as yet been unable to find that person.’

‘So, in the meantime, you thought you’d come and force me into a two-year marriage.’ Irritation rushed through her. They weren’t getting anywhere.

‘I am still intending to search for that person, but your father has not made any further payments and has managed to evade all attempts at a meeting. I now have no choice. The board is calling for settlement of the debt. They will not wait any longer. Our engagement must be announced.’

He sat back and sipped the last of his wine, the calm and unruffled exterior unsettling her more than she cared to admit. ‘There are agencies for such things.’ The confusion on his face as she derailed the topic was priceless and for a brief moment she wanted to laugh. ‘Finding missing family members, that is.’

‘If you wish to make it public, then yes, there are.’ He clenched his jaw as he finished speaking.

‘You want to find someone yet keep it secret?’ That made no sense whatsoever and at the same time intrigued her. Who did this power-hungry man wish to contact and why?

‘It is not something I want the press to get hold of.’ The annoyed growl of his voice gave her immense satisfaction but as she took a sip of wine an idea filtered through her mind. Genealogy was something she was very interested in and she’d spent long happy hours helping friends trace their family roots back many generations. Was it possible she could provide what this man wanted? Maybe there was a deal to be made here?

‘That sensitive, is it?’ She toyed with him, like a cat who had stumbled upon a mouse, enjoying the sensation, even if only briefly, of power.

‘Yes, as a matter of fact it is, but it bears no relevance to our discussion.’ The curt tone of his voice blended with his accent and she wondered what he would sound like if he were whispering words of love. Except a man like him didn’t indulge in love—only lust.

‘Supposing I was able to find this family member—discreetly, of course.’

‘You?’ The surprise in his deeply accented voice sent a smile of satisfaction spreading across her lips. He obviously thought she was nothing more than an empty-headed socialite, who did nothing but party and shop.

‘Yes, me. It could clear the debt and relieve us of the need to get married.’ It was also far more than that for her. She wanted to hold on to all she’d worked for in life and if this man could sweep in and demand the properties her father had put in her name, would he then want all she had? Her business?

‘Go on.’

‘I happen to have a passion for genealogy.’

‘A passion?’ His brows rose and a shiver of awareness spread all over her as he said the word, giving it a totally different connotation from the context she’d meant. ‘Now you have aroused my interest. But how can it help with this matter?’

Much to her disgust heat rushed to her cheeks and yet again she lifted her chin and fixed him with a piercing glare. She couldn’t let it show just how much he was affecting her, how he was making her stomach flip and her heart pound like a lovesick teenager. Not when she’d sworn she’d never indulge in such nonsense. Hadn’t her time with Daniel been enough to warn her off?

‘I’ll make a deal with you, Mr Valdez. If I find this person, all the debts will be cleared without the need for marriage.’

‘That’s a massive charge for such a service when I could hire an agency, as you say.’

‘But would you have the confidentiality you require?’ She waited, hardly able to breathe, the anticipation immense. Had she actually managed to dig her way out of the mess her father had landed her in?

‘It’s still a high price, Miss Carter-Wilson. Are you sure you can deliver?’ He leant forward, his forearms on the table, his long tanned fingers holding the stem of the wine glass.

‘Yes.’ She crossed her fingers beneath the table and smiled boldly at him.

‘How long?’

‘That depends on many things. Months at least.’

‘You don’t have months.’ The brittleness of his tone made her blink rapidly.

‘Weeks, then.’

‘Four at the most.’ He assessed her again and she wondered if he sensed her panic.

‘In that case you have yourself a deal—but be warned, if this is leaked before I am ready, or you are not successful, then I will want full and immediate payment of the debt, which would mean you as my wife.’

‘That threat won’t be necessary, Mr Valdez.’ She kept her voice firm as she put out her hand to shake on the deal. ‘I suggest we meet again as soon as possible, then you can give me any information you already have before you return to Spain.’

‘If you are investigating my family, I will be keeping a close watch on what you are doing. Which means, Miss Carter-Wilson, you will return to Madrid with me.’