over herself.
‘I’ve got some work to do,’ he said gruffly, needing to put some distance between himself and her beguiling presence. ‘I’ll likely be gone tomorrow before you wake, but Alberto will be on hand if you need anything.’ He left the room, trying not to dwell on the way her skin looked, so pale and inviting against the black sheets.
Why her ease in laying down boundaries should bother him, he didn’t know. He had done the same thing, hadn’t he? He should be grateful that she wasn’t blatantly pursuing him to try to gain more leverage in their situation...
* * *
An impromptu trip to New York had taken longer than anticipated, making it almost a week before Rigo stepped back on French soil. Having already changed into his evening suit on the jet, Rigo entered the apartment with barely ten minutes to spare before they were scheduled to leave for their engagement party.
The middle-aged nanny stood in the living room, holding Anna in her arms. The baby was smiling, clearly content in the older woman’s arms.
‘Monsieur Marchesi.’ With a smile she walked over to him, gesturing for him to take the child from her arms.
Rigo shook his head. ‘I’ve actually got a call to make.’ He made to move away, but the woman just smiled and placed the child gently in his arms before he could protest further.
‘I’ll be back in a moment.’ She looked down at the little girl. ‘Just look how happy she is to be in Papa’s arms.’
Rigo was frozen as the nanny disappeared into the kitchen. His arms felt awkward. The child barely weighed anything and yet he felt as though he held a solid boulder against his chest. What was he doing here? This was exactly why he’d been avoiding the apartment. He should have just collected Nicole at the door, as he’d planned.
Anna looked up at him with blue eyes just like his own, full of curiosity. She reached out to grab the shining satin of his tie, pulling it out of place and frowning. She was a serious child. Rigo felt an urge to laugh at her tenacity, but breathed out with relief as the nanny finally returned, holding a bottle of milk. He returned the curious blue-eyed bundle to the woman, murmuring something about his call, before stepping out to the peace and seclusion of the terrace.
He leaned forward on the balustrade, feeling the breath hiss out from between his clenched teeth. The evening light was fading and a handful of stars were emerging in the sky above the iconic Eiffel Tower in the distance. Normally this spectacular view would calm him after even the most hectic of days. But at that moment it did nothing to calm the quiet demons of his past threatening to escape from the corners of his subconscious.
He had thought his biggest problem was keeping his own inconvenient attraction to Nicole at bay, but it seemed he had entirely avoided coming up with a plan to deal with the fact that he was a father. His daughter was a Marchesi through and through—that much was now clear. Whether or not he had ignored the similarities at first, he wasn’t sure. But in the handful of times he had seen her since she’d arrived in his life he had become increasingly drawn to her.
He had meant it when he’d told Nicole that he planned to play a part in his child’s life. But as to how to begin playing that part, he had no idea. How did one apologise to an infant for missing the first six months of her life?
Rigo ran a hand across his jaw, feeling the tension in his muscles weighing down on him like lead in his bones. All he had to do was get through the next few weeks until their wedding was over. Then they could set about living separate lives. Perhaps that would be better for the child than having a virtual stranger unsettle her by trying to play daddy.
He shook his head, banishing all other thoughts from his brain. He had to be on the ball tonight. This engagement party was a chance for the company to publicly put the rumours to rest. Three hundred high-profile guests would be joining them to celebrate their union, and the Marchesi Group would be front and centre, taking the opportunity to capitalise on the exposure.
His plan had been a success from the moment the first picture of their kiss had hit the tabloids. Pictures of Nicole’s ring had gone viral and she had been immediately scrutinised, with full spreads about her past as a child star and her subsequent struggles as an actress being dug up. But for the most part the spin had been a positive one. The media was abuzz with this unexpected turn of events, and the company’s shareholders had immediately seen dollar signs.
For a fashion house there really was no better publicity than their figurehead’s very public no-expenses-spared wedding. His own team had taken full control of the event, with him only having to sign off on venues and entertainment without much of a second glance. The date had been booked and the paperwork prepared. Once tonight was through, the whole world would be on tenterhooks, waiting to follow Europe’s most talked-about couple down the aisle.
Having never previously allowed the press access to his personal life, he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t intrusive. But it was necessary. Once their wedding had passed they would revert back to making selective outings as a couple, keeping Anna under a complete protection order from the media.
‘I wasn’t sure you were going to arrive.’
Nicole’s voice drifted from behind him and Rigo turned, his eyes widening as he took in the beautiful woman standing in the open doorway. She was breathtaking.
The dark waves of her hair were swept back to one side in a fashion that reminded him of old Hollywood. Her eyes seemed sultry and more intense, and a luscious red colour enhanced her full mouth. His throat slowly dried as he appreciated the way her light blue dress seemed to showcase every single delicious curve of her body. He vaguely recognised it as one of the exclusive pieces from their upcoming haute couture autumn line—an exquisite concoction of powder-blue lace and shimmering crystals. The overall effect was mesmerising.
His pulse quickened as he noticed the provocatively sheer panel that ran from the middle of her thigh to just below her knee. He cleared his throat, realising she was looking at him expectantly and he hadn’t yet spoken.
‘I would never stand my fiancée up.’ He looked down at his watch. ‘When I said seven I didn’t mean it with military precision.’
‘It’s hard to be late with a team of make-up artists and hairdressers.’ She smiled. ‘Thank you for organising that, by the way.’
Rigo shrugged. ‘You need to make an impression tonight.’ He looked down at those endless legs once again, feeling his jaw tighten in response. ‘We need to leave now.’ He brushed past her, momentarily surrounded by the sweet scent of her perfume before powering across the living room to the doorway. Nicole took a moment to speak with the nanny before following him with a puzzled look in her eyes.
He didn’t care if she was upset at his lack of pandering compliments. This might be their engagement party, but it wasn’t a date. And the less comfortable they were around each other until their wedding was over, the better.
* * *
Nicole held her breath as the car pulled to a stop. Bright lights flashed rhythmically against the one-way windows. Rigo finally ended the call he had been on for the entire journey just as the chauffeur opened the door.
Plastering on her best smile, she stepped out behind her fiancé, accepting his arm as support as they headed into the fray.
Cameras flashed from all directions as they stopped on the bottom steps of the hotel to pose for the photographers. Questions were fired at them
