“Sleep,” he said, and kissed the top of her head, then heard her breathing soften and deepen as she fell into a deep slumber.
He lay there for a long time, thinking about this woman in his arms and what it meant that she had given herself to him. If he hadn’t known she was a con artist, he would have said she wasn’t a woman who would give herself lightly. He would have said she’d have to care about him in some small way to be lying here like this with him. And he definitely would have said that for her it wouldn’t just be about sexual attraction.
Not the way it was for him.
He swallowed hard and knew he was lying to himself. He found Danielle deeply attractive, but he had also begun to care about her in spite of himself. Yet it was a feeling he didn’t appreciate or want, and with the same determination that had taken him from a pauper to a very rich man, he put his emotions aside to concentrate on what was important. And that was right here, right now.
During the night he reached for her and they made love again, and this time he was the one who fell heavily asleep as soon as it was over.
But he still knew when she slipped out of bed in the early hours of the morning. In the moonlight he watched her pad naked to the bathroom across the hall, his body stirring even before she’d closed the door behind her.
He waited for her return, the bed feeling big and empty.
Right at that moment the bathroom door opened and he caught a glimpse of her dressed in her bathrobe before she flicked the light off. Good heavens. Did she think a bit of material would stop him from wanting her? Stop him needing her in his arms?
But instead of coming back to bed, she quietly went and opened a drawer and took out some clothes. He knew then what she was up to. His mouth thinned. She was about to sneak out without waking him and go into another room to spend the rest of the night. Perhaps on the sofa.
And the next time he saw her she would have put up that wall of reserve again. He wouldn’t allow it.
“Come back to bed, Danielle.”
Startled, her gaze flew across to him. “Flynn! I thought you were asleep.”
He leaned up on his elbow, letting her know he was wide-awake and not about to let her run away. “You thought wrong.”
“I was just going to—”
“Take that robe off and come back to bed,” he murmured, lifting the sheet, aching to make love to her, but prepared to let her sleep if need be.
She hesitated.
“Danielle,” he said firmly, not prepared to wait any longer.
She placed her bundle of clothes on the dresser and quickly undid the robe, dropping it from her shoulders, exposing her glorious naked body to him, making him catch his breath.
Then she slid in next to him and he pulled her up close. His heart thumped when she curled her fingers through his chest hair in silent invitation, and soon she had him making love to her, until she begged him to take her again and he could no more deny her than deny himself. Afterward, they fell into a deep sleep in each other’s arms.
He awoke to find her still in his arms, the side of her face pressed against his chest. He decided he liked waking up next to a beautiful woman like Danielle. In fact, he rather liked the idea of having her in his bed all the time.
She began to stir. The sheet covered her shoulders but didn’t quite hide her bare br**sts, a sight he enjoyed as she stretched, her leg sliding along his own, thigh rubbing against thigh, her fingers flexing out over his stomach, fanning lower.
She froze and her eyes flew open. For a moment he saw the confusion, then a flush began to rise up her throat and into her cheeks. Her reaction was just a simple thing, but it told him she was no longer used to being in a man’s arms like this. The thought warmed him.
And then she pushed against him and tried to sit up. “Um…I think you’d better leave.”
He scowled and held her still, making her look at him. “We said no regrets, Danielle.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s Monica. If she comes by…If she sees you here…like this…” She winced.
All at once he realized Danielle was frightened of her mother-in-law. She may not admit it to herself, but it was there.
And after the little episode he’d had with Monica himself yesterday morning, he shouldn’t have been surprised. The older woman definitely had a way of disturbing people.
Hell, the woman was disturbed, herself. And if she thought Danielle had gotten involved with him—worse, was sleeping with him—she’d be more than disturbed. Seeing Danielle’s reaction now, it suddenly didn’t seem so far-fetched for Monica to hurt her and the baby. And he knew he could only protect them so much. He swallowed hard. God, if Monica hurt either one of them, he’d never forgive himself.
A though crystallized inside him.
“Marry me.”
Her head had gone back, her eyes wide in astonishment. “Wh-what!”
“I want you to marry me.” All at once he felt he was doing the right thing.
She pushed herself away from him. “I don’t believe I’m hearing this,” she whispered, disbelief ringing the irises of her blue eyes.
“Why not?” When she had time to think about it, he was sure she’d come around to the proposal.
“First you accuse me of trying to get you to marry me for the sake of my baby, now you want me to marry you?”
“Prerogative is not only the domain of the female.” The more he thought about it, the more the idea was growing on him. Surprisingly, he didn’t care that she wasn’t quite the woman he wanted her to be. Being a gold digger was one hell of a fault in her, but he would cope with that. He’d make sure he kept her under control. But he had to protect her from Monica.
“But you think I’m a liar and cheat. You’ve accused me of trying to get all I can out of you.” Her eyes held a sudden wary look. “What’s changed your mind?”
He didn’t miss a beat. “Nothing a prenuptial agreement couldn’t solve.” If she suspected it was because of Monica, she would refuse his offer. “Oh, and I’d want it in writing that you’ll remain faithful to me, of course.”
“Gee, thanks.”
He ignored that. He had the money to keep her in the lifestyle she obviously enjoyed. And if he made her sign the prenuptial and watched her like a hawk so that she couldn’t get herself into trouble, then they could have a good life together.