Page 32 of Italian Baby Shock

Lark felt her mouth go dry. Marriage had never been something she’d wanted for herself, not after witnessing the aftermath of her mother’s experience. Her father had been abusive, Grace had told her, and yet there were some days when her mother refused to get out of bed and no amount of Lark’s smiles would help. Where Grace would sit there slowly turning the wedding ring she still wore around and around on her finger, and staring at it. Grace had always told her she’d been glad to leave, that she’d had to in order to protect Lark and herself, but those days Lark would wonder if Grace was really as glad as she made out. If there was a part of her mother who still loved her father and missed him, no matter what he’d done to her.

That thought had horrified Lark, and she’d decided then and there that she’d never get married. Never allow herself to be trapped by a man. Never fall in love.

Yet now, here she was, looking down the barrel of a marriage proposal and... Well. She wasn’t in love with Cesare Donati—a small mercy—but she was actually contemplating marrying him. He was by his own admission a selfish man, arrogant and proud, and there was no way she should even be thinking about tying herself to him, and yet....

He’d kept his word about not taking Maya from her when he easily could have and he clearly believed that his daughter needed her mother. He was also serious about protecting her and putting her needs before his own, despite confessing how he hadn’t wanted children.

The addition of a daughter wasn’t going to make his life simpler and if he truly hadn’t wanted her, he’d had plenty of opportunity to walk away. In fact, Lark had encouraged him to do so. But he hadn’t. And now not only had he not protested atthe idea of having another person come to live with him, he was also offering her his name. For Maya’s sake.

‘I...’ she began, her voice husky. ‘I...will need some assurances.’

One inky brow rose. ‘Another agreement perhaps?’

‘Um...yes.’ She folded her hands in her lap to stop them shaking.

‘You would have complete freedom,’ Cesare said, watching her in that intense way he had. ‘I understand what you’ll be giving up to come to Italy, so I can use my connections to help you find another job or assist you into study if that’s what you prefer. Or if you’d rather be a full-time mother to Maya then I will support you. You’ll want for nothing.’

Lark’s head spun. She’d never thought seriously about what she’d wanted for herself. Before Maya had come along, she’d had thoughts of going to university and had been looking into bridging courses since her constant moving around with her mother had meant patchy schooling. She’d never got university entrance. Then once she’d moved to London, and after a year or so of bouncing between temping jobs, she’d found out she was pregnant and all thoughts of university had been put on the back burner.

Taking up Cesare’s offer meant that she’d finally have the time to think about university and what she wanted for herself, because Maya would be taken care of.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. He’s a businessman through and through, and he’ll want something in return.

That was true. Hewouldwant something in return and she could well imagine what that might be.

Lark was conscious that her palms were damp and her heart was racing, but she forced herself to meet his gaze head-on. ‘But presumablyyou’llwant something,’ she said.

‘I will?’

‘Yes, in return for agreeing to marry you.’

The hot gleam in his eyes became even hotter. ‘Why? Is there something you want to give me?’

‘Don’t play games with me, Cesare,’ she said, nerves getting the better of her. ‘Not about this. You know what I’m talking about.’

He gave her a slow burning smile. ‘If it’s sex you mean, then no, I will not require sex from you. In fact, I won’t require anything of you.’

Something tightened in her gut and she couldn’t tell if it was relief or disappointment.

‘Unless you want to exercise your conjugal rights of course,’ Cesare went on. ‘In which case I’ll be happy to assist you. But failing that, since I have no intention of being celibate, I will be taking lovers. Discreetly of course, and I expect that you’ll want to do the same.’

She swallowed. It was definitely relief, wasn’t it? ‘You mean be discreet if I want a lover myself?’

‘Yes. You needn’t stay celibate on my account.’

Except the thought of having lovers herself left her cold.

You only want him.

She ignored that thought too. ‘And if it doesn’t work out? There’ll be an option for divorce?’

A shadow flickered through Cesare’s eyes. ‘You want an escape clause?’

‘Yes.’ There was no point pretending. ‘Don’t you? You might meet someone else, for example, and fall in love and want to marry them instead.’

‘Oh, that will never happen.’ There was an unexpected edge in his voice. ‘Love is for other people, little bird. Not for me.’

He said the wordlovewith a certain distaste, as if it was poison and it caught at her, waking a curiosity she hadn’t known she’d felt until now. He’d sounded so very emphatic and shefound herself wondering why. What was love to him? Had he been disappointed by it? Hurt by it?

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