Bound As His Business-Deal Bride (Mills & Boon Modern) Read online

‘Thank you,’ she murmured, and didn’t think too hard about how she’d left it down on purpose. Gage looked magnificent himself, standing there in a blue striped shirt, open at the neck and showing a tantalising slice of chest. The narrow taper of his waist. The way the trousers framed his strong thighs. Thighs she’d wrapped her legs round only hours ago. Heat rose to her face. An ache bloomed deep inside her.

  ‘I like the look of my ring on your finger.’

  That doused her heat like falling into a pond in winter. The problem was she liked the feel of it on her finger. She loved the sensation that it was his claim of ownership over her. Something about that thought slid way too much warmth and pleasure through her blood, like a good shot of spirits. She’d never wanted to believe anyone owned her, but Gage had. He’d claimed her heart and she hadn’t been able to entrust it to anyone else. Damn him. She looked down at the exquisite gems with as much disdain as she could muster, which was hard when the ring was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  ‘Your ring might be on my finger, but you don’t own me. You never did and you never will.’

  ‘I owned you this afternoon for a little while.’ He held up two fingers and his smile was all devil. ‘Twice, if I recall.’

  ‘You’re not being a gentleman about this.’

  ‘I learned my lesson well. You taught me there was little point.’

  ‘I’d rather forget about this afternoon.’ If she didn’t, she’d just throw herself into his arms and beg him to tear the clothes from her body. They might never make dinner.

  ‘Whereas I’d like to do it again. Many, many times.’

  She stopped breathing. No air would come. The atmosphere was too syrupy and thick. She wanted it again too. Craved it. Would do almost anything to be in his arms again. All she had to do was to walk forward. Kiss him... But no. That would end in disaster.

  ‘You’re deluded.’ Her voice sounded more like a breathy whisper of desire than a denial.

  ‘I’m a realist. Sex was never the problem between us. We’re adults. Why not enjoy ourselves?’

  Because he’d move on and she’d be wrecked for ever. Except the temptation of it rang loudly. To forget everything but the feel of his lips and hands on her body. Him inside her. To be lost and found all rolled into one. She tugged at the tie around her waist, loosening it a fraction. Everything seemed too tight. Her skin was fit to burst with wanting.

  ‘I promise we’d enjoy ourselves. It would only be better the next time. And the next.’ Heat radiated from his body. The smell of him, all bespoke cologne and something else. The essence of the man himself. Earthy, raw. She wanted to lean in, rest her head on his hard chest. Give in to this thing between them. It was all she could do not to slide into his arms again and tuck herself in where she felt safe, one of the only places she did. But he wasn’t safe. He was her greatest danger and she’d be a fool to ever forget it.

  Still she looked up at him, into his fathomless blue eyes. She couldn’t tell what was ticking away in that clever brain of his. They were so close now and in her heels she could tilt her head up and kiss him. Allow herself to forget for a little while...

  But forgetting was dangerous. She’d tried over the past seven years and hadn’t been able to. The contents of her small yellow suitcase were testament to her obsession and her grief. Then the sound of an alert interrupted the moment and Gage broke his gaze from hers. He checked his phone and she stepped away from him, taking a deep breath to regain her equilibrium.

  ‘The car’s here,’ he said, and began walking to the door as if their conversation about sex had never happened. And perhaps for him it didn’t matter. She was a means to an end. A vehicle for his revenge against her father. To her, it was like her world had tilted on its axis. She was sure people could be grown up about this. That adults could sleep together and not care. Just have fun. Scratch an itch. She wasn’t one of them. She’d never be casual about Gage Caron.

  Letting him touch her in the first place had been a mistake.

  The night air was warm as they slid into the back of the car, a driver holding the door open for them. She steeled herself for the journey to the restaurant. Tonight was important, playing her part even more so. Success here meant her freedom sooner. Once Gage’s business with Greta Bonitz was confirmed, their engagement would end and she could melt into obscurity. Retire to her flower farm, grow roses and forget Gage Caron existed. But the thought of handing back the engagement ring and trying to pretend she and Gage had never touched, never kissed filled her with torment. Better to remind herself that this was a business arrangement.

  ‘How close are you to finalising something with the Bonitz companies?’

  ‘We’ve stalled.’ His voice was tight with the sound of repressed anger as the car began the journey to Nice. ‘Greta is an extremely family-minded woman. Her own marriage lasted forty-seven years before her husband passed away and left her at the helm of the Bonitz group. It’s important for her to work with like-minded people. I caused her some...concern.’

  She didn’t ask why and he didn’t seem keen to offer more, simply staring out the window and shutting her down. She did the same for the rest of the drive. Tried to forget that Gage was so close, that she could simply reach out, touch him if she wanted. Take his hand.

  None of that was clever or wise, yet she didn’t feel either of those things right now.

  The car slid to a halt outside a restaurant. Her heart began to race with a sickening rhythm. Her mouth dried. She wasn’t sure she could do this. There’d been no need to pretend when they’d been alone. Here it was another thing entirely. Her mother and sister’s futures hinged on the success of tonight. In many ways, hers did too.

  ‘Don’t you think she’ll wonder about the convenience of you suddenly producing me?’

  ‘No.’

  Gage didn’t wait for the driver but opened the car door himself and hopped out. Eve followed. He held out his hand to her and she looked at it for a few seconds.

  ‘Hold my hand, Eve.’

  She slid hers into his. The warmth of him engulfed her, but she was rooted to the spot. Rather than drag her into the restaurant behind him, Gage drew her close. Took his free hand and cupped her cheek.

  ‘Do you want to know why she’s not going to question a thing?’

  Eve couldn’t speak. She shook her head, wanting to melt into the warmth of his touch. Absorb the strength he exuded.

  ‘This,’ he murmured.

  Gage dropped his head to hers. Their lips brushed. And her mind blanked.

  Kissing Eve was like heaven and hell. Something he craved. Something he’d give almost anything to do again and again. When his lips touched hers the shock of it jolted through him. He forgot that they were standing in a street in front of a restaurant. He forgot everything but the feel of her soft lips on his own. How she opened underneath him and gave to the kiss as much as he took. This might be one of the most important nights of his career, but he didn’t care. He wanted to call the car back and take her home. Peel off the soft dress that clung to her curves. Take her to bed. Bury himself inside her for hours. Hell, they mightn’t even make it home the way he felt. Even the back of the limo sounded good right now. Dark. Private. Anything to be alone.

  A click. The burst of a flash. Gage came to his senses and broke the kiss. He turned and there stood a man with a camera.

  ‘The cameras,’ she said, her voice husky and low. Her cheeks flushed a glorious pink. Eyes glazed, pupils blown wide. A tendril of satisfaction curled through him that he could make her look like this. Drugged with desire. ‘Are they—’

  ‘Here for us. Yes. The news of our “engagement” dropped today. Our romance will be all over the gossip sites in no time and that kiss is why Greta won’t doubt a thing.’

  Eve seemed to come back to herself, the blush on her cheeks intensifying.

  ‘If that�
�s all it takes, I could have been anyone.’

  He gritted his teeth. She still wasn’t taking responsibility for how she’d got here. For the rumours that he’d plucked her from the loving bosom of her family, and she’d been afraid of him. Morphing their past into something twisted and dirty.

  ‘You know why it had to be you.’

  A slight frown marred her brow. A look of confusion if he hadn’t known better, but those rumours had to have come from somewhere and she’d never tried to scotch them.

  ‘I don’t—’

  ‘We should go inside.’ He refused to hear excuses, how she was not completely aware of what she’d done, how she’d not been party to the rumours that had surfaced time and again. Whenever he’d felt like he was getting some purchase, another ugly whisper had started. That he was a man not to be trusted. ‘We don’t want to keep Greta waiting.’

  He led Eve into the restaurant, and was ushered to the table he’d booked in a softly lit and private corner. Greta was already there, waiting. An elegant older woman and a powerhouse of the European business landscape. She stood as they came to the table. No smile, which didn’t bode well, but at least she’d agreed to meet him. It wasn’t something she accorded many people. He smiled instead, held out his hand and they shook.

  ‘Frau Bonitz.’

  She waved him away. ‘Please. You make me sound ancient. It’s Greta.’

  ‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘And this is—’

  ‘Eve Chevalier.’ Greta cocked her head, her brown eyes intelligent and intent. ‘I know all about you. I’ve been watching your activities in France with interest. Your efforts at building the European side of Knight Enterprises are impressive.’

  Gage glanced at Eve. She smiled, and this one was wide and genuine. ‘That’s an accolade, coming from you.’

  ‘I’m always alert to young women on the rise in business, because their efforts are missed by most.’ Greta turned to Gage. ‘But not you, it seems.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’ve had my eyes on her for years.’

  Eve’s hand jumped in his. He squeezed it gently. She seemed to relax as they sat at the table and he ordered champagne. Discussed choices with the sommelier, all the while listening to Greta and Eve talk.

  ‘Knight’s portfolio is an interesting one.’

  ‘Yet we’re looking to reorganise and sell a few companies that don’t quite fit into our current strategy. Gage and I are in France, trying to decide which ones. Our vineyard is likely to be the first to go.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Greta took a sip of water as the waiter poured their champagne. ‘We may need to talk some more about that.’

  Eve cleverly guided the discussion, but she clearly already had Greta on the hook for the vineyard. Her skills in drawing out the conversation about a possible sale were subtle and impressive. So subtly done that it didn’t affect the mood of the evening at all. He might be wrong, but it seemed Greta had warmed to him by a few degrees, and that was all Eve’s doing.

  Greta picked up her glass of champagne. ‘I understand congratulations are owed to you both.’

  Eve smiled and looked down at her ring, which sparkled under the low lights. Something about her seemed wistful and a little sad. ‘Thank you. They are.’

  They toasted, glasses clinking round the table. ‘And yet your families’ rivalry is renowned. I hope for your sakes they took it well.’

  ‘Mine were circumspect,’ Gage said. The lie niggled uncomfortably. He’d travelled to see his parents to give them the news, not wanting to tell them in a phone call or, worse, for them to find out through the media. While he’d told Eve they just wanted him to be happy, his mom and dad had not reacted well.

  ‘Still, Gage? Didn’t you learn last time? We told you a Chevalier can never be trusted. Ever.’

  His mom and dad wanted a wedding, grandchildren, but that would never happen with Eve. Right now he couldn’t see it happening at all. Would his parents be happy when he ended things? Likely. Gage took another a swig of his champagne, a waste of a magnificent vintage because he was unable to savour it. None of this felt like triumph to him. It all seemed hollow and pointless.

  Eve toyed with a napkin on the table-top. She huffed out a laugh. ‘Mine will take a lot of convincing.’

  The honesty and pain of the answer surprised him. Without thinking, he reached out his hand, placed it on hers and squeezed. Eve’s skin lay soft and cool under his own. She gave him a watery smile and a moment passed between them, something he couldn’t explain but which felt a lot like understanding.

  ‘I’m sorry. Family is important and my life’s greatest reward,’ Greta said. ‘To work with my children, I can think of nothing more fulfilling, and I hope that for you. Although usually the gossip magazines have tales of burgeoning romances like yours, there’s been no hint of anything between you, which is a surprise given your reported history.’

  Gage stiffened. Pictures of him in his twenties being hauled out of a police car with a bruised and bloodied face had been excellent fodder for the gutter press. Gage’s greatest shame was the suspicion he’d brought on his family in those times. He had said nothing to reporters, maintaining a dignified silence. But those pictures were easy for anyone to find, if they looked. Even though he employed people to ensure his online reputation was clean, there were some things you couldn’t hide, no matter how much money you paid.

  Gage let Eve’s hand go and was about to reach for his glass when a discreet waiter leaned in to refill it. If Greta had any suspicions about the truth of their engagement, a check of the internet tomorrow would have photographs of their kiss and that would quell any uneasiness.

  ‘You don’t look like a person who’d read gossip magazines.’

  ‘Usually I don’t, but I’m interested since I’m a romantic at heart. Given the past, what started your reconciliation?’ She turned to Eve. ‘Since you’ve spent the past seven years in France, it would have been difficult for you both to cross paths.’

  Eve leaned forward like she was going to tell a secret.

  ‘Few people know this but Knight’s having some liquidity trouble in the States. Gage offered to invest,’ she said smoothly, placing her hand on his arm. Gazing at him with her head to one side, her pupils big and dark. ‘He rode in like a knight in shining armour to save the day.’

  Gage laughed, that recollection absurd but sounding so real. ‘I think, cher, that description owes more to fantasy than reality. I seem to remember I was more corporate raider than white knight.’

  She laughed too, something in her eyes flaring as she did. ‘Maybe you were a bit piratical. Somewhat of a marauder.’ Her lips curved into a sultry smile. ‘I obviously like that about you. That’s the power of our love. It’s never changed.’

  The words tore through him like an electric current. A waiter handed them their menus, but for him the words blurred on the page. They’d said they’d loved each other so many times in the past. He’d believed they had but had come to learn love wasn’t for him, it hadn’t been for years. He’d lived first-hand through the pain of betrayal and couldn’t do it again, although on some nights, late, the thoughts crept in. What if they’d stayed together all those year ago? Could they have had a relationship as long as Greta’s?

  He’d never know. Gage quashed the thoughts, ignored the ache inside. Of overwhelming loss, of missed opportunities. He was made of harder stuff than this. And he didn’t care anymore. This was all a means to an end.

  They ordered their meals. Ate the exquisite food, which he barely tasted as he watched Greta and Eve talk because any involvement by him proved unnecessary.

  Eve was perfection—warm, engaging, genuine. There was no flighty socialite at this table, no precious society princess. She and Greta connected as if they were old friends. He was mere garnish on the side.

  And even though it was all going to plan, his anger began to simmer
and boil. He breathed through it. Sipped more wine. Sat back and laughed on cue, commented where necessary, but couldn’t completely hold back the burn. This could have been them for real. Yet Eve had thrown it all away, and for what? Daddy, Mommy, a trust fund? A damned flower farm in the South of France? He would have bought her the world if she’d asked for it. They could have done it all together, not spent these years apart.

  But Eve couldn’t have loved him. Love wasn’t cruel, like she’d been. Love was about protecting the person you adored. No matter how good the sex still was between them, no matter that there appeared more to their story than he’d assumed over the years, she’d still strung him along and dumped him when convenient. Once this was done he’d do the same and walk away without a backward glance. He had to.

  The twisting in his guts only hinted at the lies he told himself.

  ‘This has been a most engaging evening,’ Greta said, bringing him back into the conversation.

  Gage smiled. ‘I hope there can be more.’

  ‘I’m holding a soirée in Munich in a few months’ time. I’ll send an invitation to you and your lovely fiancée.’

  Gage glanced at Eve but didn’t wait for her affirmation. ‘It would be our pleasure.’

  Or a descent into hell if they couldn’t burn through this consuming attraction between them. But none of that mattered right now. He’d do almost anything to get this deal across the line. Eve didn’t look happy with Greta’s suggestion. The too-wide smile that didn’t reach her tight eyes was a giveaway, to him at least. Good, this wasn’t about her entertainment but about paying him back for the years he’d spent trying to undo his youthful foolishness.

  Though why did it feel all so petty?

  ‘Your approach to me was interesting,’ Greta went on. ‘I don’t work with just anybody and I am gratified to see the rumours aren’t true.’

  ‘What rumours?’ Eve asked. Gage tensed, all of him on high alert. She might not have spread them herself, but she would sure as hell have known what her daddy was whispering about him.