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‘No.’ She moved to perch on her desk. Emilio’s unhappy gaze followed her.
‘What do you meanno? You already agreed to be my wife. I have urgent business in Italy that I need to attend to.’
‘Then attend to it. I have a business to run. Nothing will change in the time that you’re gone.’ What was the need to marry so urgently? The baby wouldn’t be here for nearly another seven months.
‘With every day that we delay, we risk word getting out. We need to come out ahead of it, control how it gets out. You have a start-up with investors, Jasmine; you can’t risk your judgement being called into question any more than I can. We bear a lot of responsibility.’
‘Yes, I understand that, Emilio,’ she said irritably, ‘But I am not showing yet and will likely still not be by the time you get back from Italy.’
‘No,’ he refused stubbornly.
Jasmine had to take a deep breath. ‘How about a compromise?’
‘Continue.’
‘While we make the arrangements to marry, we can take our time, appear as a couple, be spotted strategically. Then it won’t matter if I start showing before the wedding.’
‘That timeline isn’t acceptable to me,’ Emilio said firmly. ‘But there is value in your suggestion. Here is my counter: we can have two weeks, during which we will be seen publicly. Then we marry. That’s all the time I’m willing to allow.’
Jasmine could sense the urgency from him, but she still had no idea why.
‘Fine.’
What was the use in arguing about timings? It wasn’t as if she was in any danger of falling in love with the man, be it now or later. She just had to adjust her goals somewhat: falling pregnant then marrying and then having a child. Just because her wedding with Richard had fallen through didn’t mean the plan was lost altogether, as she had thought that night at the club when she’d been determined there would never be marriage or family. With Emilio she would still have the stability and the family without any of the unnecessary emotional vulnerabilities that came with a traditional relationship.
It would be all her goals finally realised, just in a way she’d never imagined. With a man who made her pulse race, who held secrets and who she could never fully trust.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Emilio stood onthe pavement, leaning against the door of his Maybach. He checked the time on his watch. Any minute now Jasmine would leave her brownstone and find him waiting. When her driver had arrived in her black SUV, Emilio had instructed him to leave. Jasmine had raised a valid point: they needed to be seen strategically before their marriage. After all, a short courtship would look better than none.
So here he was. The doting fiancé, just waiting to take his beloved to work.
Soon the door opened and out stepped Jasmine, just as prim and proper as she had been the day before. Today she wore camel trousers, a white blouse and a heavy coat—not a crease in sight, not a hair out of place.
And, the instant Emilio saw her, all blood rushed south. He fully intended to obey her ground rules—he had the restraint—but he couldn’t pretend to be unaffected by this attraction. It was as if his body craved hers.
‘Emilio? What are you doing here?’
‘Taking you to work, of course.’ He grinned. He pushed off the car so he could open the door and stand aside.
‘Where’s my driver?’ Jasmine asked with a hint of irritation.
‘I sent him away. I thought your fiancé should have the honour of escorting you to work.’ Despite knowing that he shouldn’t, Emilio found riling her up highly entertaining.
He suppressed a laugh as he watched her internally debate the merits of ignoring him completely. But he knew thatsheknew that appearing together in public had been her idea, and that making a scene in the street would be completely counterproductive. Who knew who could be watching?
With a huff of annoyance, she walked towards him, heels click-clacking on the pavement and, with a long, unimpressed look, climbed into the car. He followed her in. The moment they pulled out into the road, Jasmine fished her phone out of her bag and ignored him.
‘Are you going to be annoyed by everything I do?’ Emilio teased.
‘When you’re being high-handed, yes,’ she answered, not looking away from her phone screen. ‘I prefer to go to work alone. I like the quiet, and it gives me a chance to catch up on my emails.’ Her fingers flew over the screen, rapidly tapping away.
‘You can have quiet, but you are going to have to get used to this. We have a certain appearance to uphold.’
She didn’t respond but Emilio didn’t need her to. Yes, he was doing everything he could to save his family name and the company any scandal, but it was more than that. This woman was carrying his child. If taking care of both of them meant ferrying her from home to work every day, then that was what he would do—even though it annoyed her. He wouldn’t be denied.
Making their way through the rush hour traffic took a while. Neither said a word to the other, opting instead to work in peace. Still, Emilio felt her presence so acutely that it was a struggle to concentrate. She was right there. All it would take was the smallest of movements to brush against her arm, reach over and pull her to him. Kiss her like he had months ago. And he was certain she was feeling it too. He caught her sneaking a few peeks at him.