style="font-size:15px;"> Robin’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the way Cesare stiffened and looked down his arrogant nose at her father. It instantly brought her back to an awareness that Cesare was only playing this role for her sake—that he actually cared nothing at all for either her own or her father’s feelings.
‘My marrying Cesare won’t be a mistake, Daddy,’ she assured her parent as she removed her arm from linking with his and moved to stand at Cesare’s side. But not quite touching him … ‘We love each other. We want to get married as soon as possible. And we—I would like your blessing.’ She looked at her father with the same appeal he had used on her seconds ago.
‘But whether you give us your blessing or not, we still intend to be married,’ Cesare stated implacably.
Robin gave him a quick glance, knowing by the pulse she could see beating in his tightly clenched jaw that Cesare was very close to losing the temper he usually kept under such rigid control.
And that she had probably helped push him there with her slightly reckless behaviour a few minutes ago.
But she resented being manipulated like this!
Which was slightly ridiculous of her when Cesare had done nothing but manipulate her, from the moment he’d come here two days ago and told her of his demands!
‘Then it seems I have little choice, doesn’t it?’ Her father sighed wearily. ‘If this is really what Robin wants, then of course I wish you every happiness together.’
Robin’s sadness for her father grew at the same time as she acknowledged there was nothing she could say or do that would alleviate his anxiety. The truth—that Simon had gambled away his shares in Ingram Publishing—would hurt her father so much more than this apparently impetuous marriage of hers could ever do.
‘It’s what I want, Daddy,’ she assured him quietly.
Cesare found himself brooding as he listened to the conversation between father and daughter.
Although why he should be in the least disturbed, he had no idea. Hadn’t he already used the deep love that existed between father and daughter in order to force Robin into marrying him?
Yes, of course he had. He just hadn’t expected to feel quite so … discomforted at being the cause of this obvious tension between Robin and her father …
‘I’ll ring for Cameron and have him bring some champagne—’
‘I am afraid Robin and I have a previous engagement.’ Cesare cut abruptly across the other man’s suggestion, feeling Robin’s surprised gaze on him as he kept his attention firmly fixed on Charles Ingram. ‘As I am sure you appreciate, we still have much to discuss,’ he added, with a slightest softening of his tone.
‘Of course,’ Charles acknowledged heavily. ‘I—Will you be back tonight, Robin?’ he asked politely.
‘I—’
‘No, she will not,’ Cesare replied firmly.
‘I see.’ Charles’s face only sagged further at this news. ‘In that case I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Robin,’ he told her gently.
It did not take two guesses on Cesare’s part to know exactly what the other man wished to talk to Robin about.
‘Did you have to be so … so bloody-minded?’ Robin attacked as soon as the two of them were seated in Cesare’s car—a sleek black sports car of a make Robin had only previously seen in exclusive showrooms.
Cesare shrugged unconcernedly. ‘I saw little point in giving your father the impression there was any room for uncertainty about the timing of our forthcoming marriage.’
No, he wouldn’t, Robin realised resentfully. Her poor father, on the other hand, had still looked totally bewildered when they’d left, obviously completely dazed by the speed with which they had decided to spend the rest of their lives together.
Oh, God …
Her heart sank, and the palms of her hands were suddenly damp just at the thought of marrying Cesare, let alone spending the rest of her life with him. He was so completely unlike Giles, whose manners and consideration for others had been impeccable—to the point that he had even asked her permission before they made love. Quite an annoying trait, actually, but a little less arrogance on Cesare’s part might be nice.
Nice?
What a ridiculous word to even think of in connection with Cesare!
She sighed heavily, relaxing back in her seat, knowing there was no point in even pursuing the subject of his behaviour towards her father. ‘Exactly what is this previous engagement you mentioned to my father?’ she prompted irritably.
Cesare didn’t answer, merely gave her a glance from eyes that gleamed black in the semi-darkness of the lamp-lit street. But it was the sort of glance that brought warm colour to Robin’s cheeks and set her pulse racing erratically.
She swallowed hard. The intent in his dark eyes was unmistakable. ‘I thought you considered it inappropriate for us to share a bedroom while we’re unmarried and Marco’s nursemaid is still in residence?’ she reminded him, slightly breathless.
Cesare seemed unperturbed. ‘I have decided that I no longer care about Catriona’s sensibilities,’ he responded levelly, his hands tightly gripping the steering wheel.
‘And if I do?’
‘You will have to overcome them!’ Cesare rasped. His time of self-denial was at an end. He wanted Robin—wanted her with a need that made his body scream.
She gave him a scathing glance. ‘And what if I’m not in the mood to play the acquiescent woman?’
She was deliberately trying to bring about an argument between them again, Cesare knew. Unfortunately, she had chosen completely the wrong way in which to do it.
He gave a humourless smile. ‘Acquiescence is the last thing I want from you, Robin. In fact, I would much rather that you kicked and yelled—the latter in ecstasy, of course,’ he added dryly.
‘Surely that depends on where I decide to kick you?’ she came back, undaunted.
Cesare’s smile deepened into appreciation. Acquiescent woman, hah! That was one thing Robin would never be—and the last thing that he wanted her to be.
‘There are many ways for a man and woman to find pleasure together, Robin,’ he reminded her, knowing he had made his point when, after a resentful glare in his direction, she turned her face to look firmly out of the passenger window.
Her efforts to ignore him were spoilt slightly, however, by the rapid rise and fall of those pert breasts, and the less than steady sound of her breathing.
Cesare continued to smile as he put his foot down on the accelerator, his anticipation growing by the second, and increasing rapidly once he had parked his car in the underground car park beneath the Gambrelli Hotel. The sexual tension between them was so intense by the time he moved round the car to open Robin’s door for her that Cesare knew he could wait no longer—that he had to at least taste her now.
His
