Baby for the Billionaire(81)

Jack forced himself to use her admission, hating himself even as he said the words. “I won’t have that guilt or those concerns, if you marry me.”

Her hands dropped to her sides and he could see tears welling into her eyes. “How long?” she whispered.

“Figure a couple of years, tops.”

Pain ripped through her gaze again. “And then you expect me to simply walk away?”

“You were going to walk away regardless, remember?” he reminded her softly. “You agreed to a two-year contract while you pursued your master’s, and then you were going to teach.”

Her gaze strayed in the direction of Isabella’s room and a hint of panic deepened the intense color of her irises, turning them to amber. “This job is just temporary.” She said it almost as though reminding herself of that fact. “I know that.”

“All I’m suggesting is that you spend those two years as my wife instead of Isabella’s nanny.”

For once her self-control deserted her, leaving her open and defenseless. “It won’t be easy for her when I leave. We’ll have grown attached.”

“I won’t cut you off. I lived that existence, remember? I wouldn’t do that to my niece any more than I’d do that to you. We’ll make the transition as slowly and gently as possible. I won’t prevent Isabella from seeing you whenever she wants.”

To his concern, her tears escaped, streaking down her cheeks. “I wasn’t supposed to become attached.”

“We’ll work it out. You have my word. But all this will be moot if CPS takes Isabella from me.”

For some reason, reminding her of that fact got through as nothing else had. She bowed her head and scrubbed the heels of her palms across her cheeks. “She belongs with you,” Annalise whispered. “She needs you. I want to do whatever I can to cement your relationship with her. That was the whole point in taking this job.”

“Then marry me. I swear you won’t regret it.”

“Yes, I will.” She looked at him. “I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life. But I don’t think I have any choice.”

The first time he’d seen her, he’d thought her eyes overflowed with ancient wisdom and intense vulnerability. Tonight they also reflected a gut-wrenching devastation. She’d suffered in the past, he sensed, even more than he had. He found he wanted to know her, to dig down through all that pain and uncover her most deeply guarded secrets. As though sensing the direction of his thoughts, shutters snapped closed over her expression and she took a step backward.

“Very well, Jack. I accept your proposal,” she said. “I’ll marry you and do whatever I can to convince CPS to give you full custody of your niece.”

He closed the distance between them, unwilling to allow her to shut him out. They may have chosen to enter their marriage in a cold-blooded fashion, but it wouldn’t continue that way. He slid his hands around her waist and tipped her into his arms. She fell against him, all feminine softness and delicious warmth.

“Don’t,” she pleaded. “It’s too much for me to handle.”

“Handle?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Or control?”

“Either. Both.”

“Then let go. I’ll take care of everything.”

He lowered his head and took her mouth. It was a simple kiss, yet one that created an intense explosion of pleasure. She struggled for a brief instant, more against herself than him. And then she wrapped her arms around his neck and sank into the heat.

He wished he could claim that he was kissing her for Isabella’s sake. But it would have been a lie. Selfishly, he wanted her for himself. Wanted it all. Wanted to right the world for his niece and try to give her some measure of happiness. And he wanted this woman in his bed, to wake beside her each morning. Endless Sundays filled with Family Bed stretched out before him, the mattress overflowing with child and dog, husband and wife. It was a life he’d never known.

It was a life he’d do whatever was necessary to create.





Seven




The wedding ceremony took place two short days later. It had been a struggle to convince Annalise that a formal wedding gown and tux was an absolute necessity. When he suggested as much, she’d stared at him in horrified disbelief.

“You must be joking.”

“Not even a little. Think it through logically, Annalise. This needs to be convincing. The unfortunate fact is, my name is going to generate news. Our marriage is going to generate news. I intend to use that to our advantage. I want every newspaper, rag and media outlet to splash lots of pictures of us in formal wedding gear. I want all the articles to rave about the whirlwind romance between the ruthless tycoon and the adorable nanny who won his heart.”