To her surprise, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a finely made gold ring with tiny shards of diamond embedded in the beautiful scrollwork. Despite its simplicity, she knew it was no ordinary ring.
Her hand trembled as he slid it onto her ring finger, under the rain-drenched sunlight falling through the skylight.
"Jackson, this is so lovely." Her voice was barely a whisper as, sittingup, she stared at the ancient gold.
His smile was slow. "The ring was my paternal grandmother's. Her name wasGia and she was married to my grandfather Josef for over fifty years."
Her eyes smarted with tears. No one had ever given her something so precious, so from the heart.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not." She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand.
" Piccola." He reached out and pulled her from the blankets and onto his lap, pressing her cheek against his chest. Instead of fear at the intimacy, she felt a fierce sense of belonging. "Why do you cry like this?"
The sudden change in the cadence of his voice startled her. "You sound so Italian."
"I am Italian." He stroked her hair in that way of his. She'd never imagined that such a big man could be so incredibly tender. "Have you stopped crying?"
"Yes." She kept her head against his chest. "Thank you for the ring." She wanted to ask if Bonnie had ever worn it but couldn't find the courage. After all, despite the hurt that his first wife had caused him, he'd loved her when they'd married. It hadn't been just a bargain.
"The ring has been sitting in a vault for ten years. You will bring it to the light once more."
The words made her heart swell. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted a part of him that Bonnie hadn't seen and hurt. She didn't know the details of what they'd done to each other, but she knew that the results had devastated the man holding her so very carefully. The feel of his hard body made her want to luxuriate in him, but the slight tension in his muscles reminded her that this wasn't fair.
She moved off his lap. "I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast - I'll cook."
"I'll look forward to it." He rose at once, and with a pang in her heart, she knew that he'd been waiting for the moment when she'd set him free.
Twenty minutes later, she watchedJacksonpick up a fork and use the edge to cut the corner off a pancake. She watched his lips as he forked in the bite, and somewhere along the way her desire to know if he enjoyed her cooking was overcome by the urge to taste his lips. To try and see if she could come out of sexual deep freeze.
"Good."
The short accolade snapped her out of her sudden, sensual need to explore the man she was going to marry. Quickly, she choked down some of her own breakfast.
"We'll marry within the week,"Jacksonsaid after she'd taken a few bites, his tone matter-of-fact.
Her mouth felt fuzzy with nervous tension, but she managed to ask, "Won't a sudden marriage look odd?"
He raised a brow. "We've been secretly seeing each other for months, not wishing to be dogged by paparazzi."
"Clever."
He acknowledged the compliment with a wry smile. "Valetta did something like that when she decided she was ready for marriage. That lasted about six months - a record even in my family."
"How is your sister anyway?"
"I don't know. Haven't seen her for months."
"Don't you care?" She couldn't hide her disapproval.
"My family is not close like you and Nick." His clipped response didn't encourage further conversation on that topic. Strung taut as she was, she didn't have the inclination to pursue it today. "I believe we can be married by Tuesday."
"Tuesday." She put down her fork. "Registry?" A twinge of pain arrowed through her heart. Despite the nature of their bargain, she didn't want this marriage to start out so very practically, devoid of any hint of hope.
"Only if that is what you wish."
"What do you mean?" She looked up, wondering at the change inJackson's speech rhythms. As usual, it had happened without warning. At first, she'd thought it was caused by strong emotion, but that couldn't be true, because he was very calm. Whatever it was, the more Italian he sounded, the worse her self-control became.
"There is an isolated farmstead about an hour out by helicopter. It is often used as a wedding venue. I've checked and we can have it for Tuesday if we want."
"But it's Sunday today! We couldn't organize everything by then ... could we?" Hope blossomed.
His beautifully shaped lips gentled into a smile. "If we could, do you want the farmhouse?"
"Of course. I'd like to invite some friends."
In the next few hours,Taylorlearned about the power of money and charisma. Shops opened just for them, caterers called in relief staff, florists ordered shipments of flowers in special air packages and a couturier flew in from a weekend retreat to show her his wedding collection.
"Come in, come in."The little artiste waved them through to his upstairs showroom.
Flustered, she looked up at the darkly beautiful man who was her companion. "Jackson?"
"Hmm." He bent his head a little, hand on her lower back. She'd always guessed that he was a possessive man and he'd let her see that side of him today. No one who met her was in any doubt that she was nowSantorini's woman.
Taylorfelt ambivalent about the claiming. Part of her was delighted. But, another part of her, the lost, lonely, abandoned girl, was terrified. Yes, he was claiming her now but there was a time limit on their relationship. If she didn't give him what he wanted, he'd abandon her, just like everyone else. The brutal truth was that this was nothing more than a business deal.
Faced with the couturier, she was lost. "What am I supposed to do?" she askedJackson, her voice a whisper. She had never been a rich girl, in spite of Lance's wealth. He'd never treated them to any luxury, and had begrudged them every penny he did spare.
Jackson's hand curved over her hip, blatantly proprietary. "You're a very valued customer. Take only what appeals." The caress in his voice touched her deep within, even though she tried to remain unmoved. How could she hope to resist the one man who'd never let her down?
"But he came all this way for us."
"He knows I'll remember that when we need a wedding dress for one of the new movies in the works.
Don't worry, cara , he will get his payment."
Bolstered by his confidence, she started to look through the many beautiful creations brought out for her inspection.Jacksonspent a lot of time on his mobile phone, checking on security details for their wedding.
It was while he was standing by the window, phone to his ear, that she found the dress she wanted.
"How very lovely." She picked up the smooth satin-silk fabric, which looked like it had been embedded with pearls crushed to the consistency of the finest white sand. The dress had a cowl neck which would drape softly over her breasts, before the sleek material swept gracefully down her body. The bias cut ensured it would hug her curves and swish gently around her ankles.
"I'd like to try this on." She glanced over her shoulder to ensureJacksonwasn't looking her way. "I don't want him to see it before the wedding."
The little man was delighted to help in her conspiracy. "Use the back fitting room and if you like it, I'll box it up out of his sight."
It was a perfect fit, as if it had been made with her in mind. The couturier gave her a shimmering gossamer veil to go with the dress, and even found a pair of shoes.Jacksonsimply raised a brow at her secretiveness but paid for the purchase with a gold card.
"It's costing you a lot," she said, in the car.
"It's my choice,Taylor. It's my wedding, too."
That didn't make her feel much better. "I don't understand," she burst out, raw from the evidence of his wealth and her lack of it. "What do you get out of this? There are so many women out there who wouldn't hesitate to bear you a child." Women who weren't flawed, she thought. Women he wouldn't have to rid himself of after a year.
"I get you and I get Nick, two people whose loyalty will be mine without question. In this business, loyalty like that is priceless." His tone was forceful. "And, I may get to father a baby, who I know will have a good mother - there aren't many women whom I'd trust with that responsibility."
Jacksoncould see thatTaylorwasn't convinced, but he knew that she wouldn't protest. Not when Nick's future was at stake. He barely understood his own need, need which had been hidden for so long that it was starving for a taste of her. He just knew that he had a chance to makeTaylorhis and he was taking it.
She saw herself as without passion, damaged. He saw in her the promise of a magnificent woman. He wasn't a saint and he wanted her. But neither was he a brutal man who would force compliance. That didn't mean he wouldn't try to find the sensual woman in Taylor, the one who made him feel things he hadn't felt for so long he'd thought them dead.
It had pained him to admit that the ache to father a child was so great he would give her up if she couldn't bring herself to bear his touch. Yet, it was the truth. He'd never wanted much in his life, but he wanted to hold his child in his arms. How could someone as innocent asTaylorunderstand his need to find redemption by creating a life where Bonnie had destroyed it?
Taylorspent that night at home. She rose at seven the next day and was ready an hour later to go and pick up Nick, who would be dropped off at the school with the other children.Jacksonwas on her doorstep just after eight.
The sight of him rattled her. She'd just spent hours dreaming of him and none of the dreams had been comfortable. It was as if her own mind was taunting her with what could be. "I don't know if you should come," she finally said. "I know I invited you but it might be too sudden." Her worry was genuine but she also needed time alone to sort out her tumultuous feelings.