But he had called this one all wrong. She gave an incredulous laugh. ‘I bet you don’t even believe in marriage?’
He rolled his shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck hard, his expression growing darker before he answered, ‘It’s the responsible thing to do when a child becomes part of the equation.’
This was crazy. She lifted her hands to her face in shock and exasperation, her hot cheeks burning against the skin of her palms. ‘Have you really thought about what it takes to be a father? A child needs consistency, routine, to know that they are the centre of the parent’s life. Have you considered the sacrifices needed? Your work life, the constant travel, all of the partying—everything about the way you live now will be affected. Are you prepared to give up all of that?’
Standing in the centre of the room, he folded his arms on his wide imposing chest, his eyes firing with impatient resolve. ‘I don’t have a choice. This child is my responsibility and duty. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that it has a safe and happy childhood.’
‘I can give my baby all of that.’
‘You admitted this morning that you have limited support.’
‘I have my friends.’
‘Are they going to be there in the middle of the night when the baby is crying? Are they going to be there when you’re exhausted, when you’re sick, when you have work demands, when you need to be with your elderly parents?’
She flinched and lowered her head. Needing time to think.
Bitterly she accepted that he was right... She loved her two best friends, Tameka and Jill, both ex-colleagues from a previous employer, but she knew only too well the fragility of friendship.
When she’d had depression she had lost friends. Not wanting to be seen as being weak she had isolated herself, especially after Dan and Angie’s betrayal, but also their reaction when she had told them about feeling down and unable to cope. At first they had been understanding and supportive but as the weeks had passed she’d felt their impatience, their nervousness. Their eyes had said, Can’t you pull yourself together?
She stared down at the floorboards she had lovingly painted a pale pink last year, emotions sweeping through her.
Anger at those memories, anger at him for hitting so many raw nerves.
Frustration and guilt at being so daunted at the prospect of being the sole carer for a newborn, at the years that stretched out before her, knowing she was the only person protecting this precious life.
Fear about what would happen if her depression returned.
Anxiety about her parents’ slowly declining health.
Perplexity at how stupidly attracted she was to this heartbreaker.
Overloaded with all of those emotions, she rounded on him. ‘And are you going to be there in the middle of the night, when I’m exhausted, or are you going to be away travelling or out on a date?’
His expression tightened and he tilted his head back defiantly. ‘I will take my marriage vows seriously, including to be always faithful.’
The absolute resolution in his voice, the deceitful, guilt-inducing thrill in her heart at his words, blew her usual coolness even further out of the water. ‘Oh, please! You? Celibate? Are you kidding me?’
Heat entered his eyes, pinning her to the seat. ‘Who said anything about being celibate?’
She leapt up. ‘No way are we sleeping together again.’
He walked across the room and right up to her, inches separating them. He stared down at her, his eyes dangerously challenging her, daring her to lie about the attraction whistling through the air in the room. ‘Why?’
He spoke in a low whisper.
She swallowed hard, a shiver running through her. ‘Because you’re not my type.’
‘Which is?’
‘A serial dater who probably gets a kick out of breaking women’s hearts.’
A dangerous spark lit up in the corner of his eye. He moved even closer. She willed herself not to lean towards his heat, his gorgeous faint-inducing scent of leather and soap, his invisible pull that yanked on every cell in her body.
‘Afraid I might do the same to you?’
She stepped back. Away from his power. ‘No! Let me set you straight...my career and now my baby are all that matters to me. I don’t have time or interest in relationships.’
‘Good, so a working marriage will suit you perfectly.’
‘A working marriage?’
‘Think of it as a business relationship. We’ll both be clear that the only reason we’re married is for the welfare of our baby. Our mission will be to nurture and protect our child by working closely together and supporting each other in parenting him or her. It will be a team effort.’
He made it all sound so simple and logical. She shook her head and walked away, towards the kitchen counter, muttering, ‘I think I’m in a nightmare.’
‘This is the best solution. Our baby will have both parents in its life, you get to stay in London, stay working in the job you obviously love.’
Why was he doing this? There had to be more reasons than just because he felt responsible. Why would a player, a man known to live for his work, be willing to change his life so much when he didn’t have to? A horrible thought took hold. Was this proposal nothing more than appeasing his board and protecting his reputation? It wouldn’t look too good for a CEO to have got an employee pregnant. Even if he was the majority shareholder in the company. With a bitter taste in her mouth, she asked, ‘Do you want to marry so as not to damage your reputation?’
He considered her with amusement, a faint smile on his lips. ‘My reputation! Je m’en fiche complètement! I couldn’t care less. I’ll happily tell people that it was an accidental pregnancy and we decided to marry in order to raise our baby together. There is no shame in either. We’re simply being responsible and mature parents.’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘You’ll do no such thing.’
‘Why?’
‘My parents are elderly and conservative...they believe in the sanctity of marriage. They would be deeply upset if they knew I didn’t marry for love.’
Lucien threw his eyes upwards.
She eyed him angrily. ‘My parents have the most wonderful, loving marriage imaginable. Just because you’re totally lacking in any romance doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist for other people.’
‘Don’t tell me that you were waiting to be swept off your feet.’
She fixed him with her iciest stare. ‘Hardly.’
He looked at her warily. ‘Do you want romance, love...all of that fairy-tale stuff?’
She folded her arms and threw him an unimpressed look. ‘And here
