Page 33 of Italian Baby Shock

Again, she was reminded that he knew things about her yet she didn’t know about him. Personal things. She’d told him about her mother, about her past, but had he told her about his? Had he mentioned anything about himself that night?

You’ll have time to find out now, won’t you?

Deep inside her, the anticipation that had gathered before turned slowly into a hot, tense excitement. Marrying Cesare Donati could prove to be interesting, very interesting, and she couldn’t deny that it affected her in a way she hadn’t expected.

‘Well, little bird?’ The look on his face was intense, as if her answer mattered to him. ‘What do you say? Will you accept my proposal?’

The inexplicable, mysterious excitement pulled tight, making her breathless. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to say yes, to marry him. Perhaps it didn’t need to be just for Maya’s sake either. After all, how long had it been since she’d done anything for herself? How long since she’d had a place to call her own? A place to stay and put down roots. A home. She had her flat, it was true, and her job, but the flat wasn’t hers and while she’d liked working for Mr Ravenswood and he’d been training her, it wasn’t exactly a career.

She’d never have the money to buy her own place, not on her own, and having to provide for Maya meant study was out of the question too.

But all that would change if she married Cesare.

Was it even a choice?

‘Is that really how you’re going to propose to me?’ she said, unable to resist the urge to poke at him just a little, to get revenge for him surprising her like this. ‘Standing up like that with your arms folded?’

Blue flames leapt in his eyes, the heat intensifying. ‘How else would you like me to propose to you?’

His voice was deep with a sensual edge she found unbelievably sexy.

Lark held his gaze. ‘Surely on one knee.’

Cesare’s beautiful mouth curved and for a second she wasn’t sure if he’d do it. Then abruptly he pushed himself away from the desk, standing in front of her. Then he leaned down and put both hands on the arms of her chair. He didn’t let go as he lowered himself fluidly to the floor, on one knee as she’d instructed.

‘Lark Edwards,’ he said formally. ‘Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

Lark’s pretty face was flushed, her green eyes glowing with a mixture of challenge and heat, and although he’d never taken kindly to being told what to do, he’d found himself going down on one knee all the same.

He could never resist a challenge and he could resist one from her even less.

Especially when he had an ulterior motive.

She’d surprised him, he couldn’t deny it. He’d been all ready to launch into a detailed explanation about how she needed to marry him and why, expecting her to argue with him. Vociferously. However, then she’d taken the wind out of his sails by telling him she was coming to Italy with Maya whether he liked it or not.

It hadn’t been what he’d anticipated at all, which had delighted him.

In fact, as she’d sat there primly in the chair, her hands folded, resplendent in a pretty green dress and telling him in nouncertain terms what she wanted now she knew he was Maya’s father, he’d been delighted with her full stop.

She was beautiful for a start, and then she’d been very clear she didn’t want to argue with him because of Maya, which had earned his fierce agreement. She wouldn’t put her issues before those of her child’s and he agreed fiercely with that too.

It wasn’t a small thing she was giving up for Maya’s sake. Her job and her life here in London, and any plans she’d made for the future. But she hadn’t argued and she hadn’t protested. She’d agreed it was in Maya’s best interests and was prepared to back that up with action.

Really, his child couldn’t have had a better mother.

But it hadn’t been until he’d actually asked her to be his wife that he’d realised how much he wanted her to say yes. And badly. In fact, it had been quite disturbing how much he wanted it. Disturbing too to realise that though he could force her to say yes, he didn’t want to. He wanted it to be her choice, the way it had been her choice that night two years ago.

Yet the real issue with wanting it to be her choice was that he had no control over her answer. As a man used to having control in all things, he did not like that at all, not one bit. However, he was also a man who knew how to turn things to his advantage so he was definitely going to do what he could to weight her choice in his favour.

She looked at him where he knelt on the floor in front her, and he was pleased to see surprise in her sea-green eyes. Clearly she hadn’t expected him to kneel. But surprise wasn’t the only thing in her gaze. He could see the flickers of sensual awareness there too, the embers of desire starting to glow.

He was still holding on to the arms of her chair, his body leaning lightly against her knees, making it impossible for her to ignore him physically. She was so small they were at eye level.

Pretty, pretty woman. She smelled so good. It was an aphrodisiac all on its own, and he could feel himself getting hard. He’d told her she’d look pretty on her knees, yet he was the one kneeling. Begging too, and not even for sex but for her name on a piece of paper.

He wanted her to say yes and not just for Maya’s sake, but for his too.

His gaze held hers, the tension between them deepening the longer she stayed silent, the air around them becoming charged and crackling with static.

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