he’d finally brought a woman home to meet her. His gaze lingered a little too long on Emma’s glorious body, encased in a gown which caressed her figure in a way that evoked memories of kissing her all over before making her his—truly his.
‘I am so pleased to meet you.’ His mother’s words dragged his mind back from the erotic path they had taken, forcing him to concentrate on the present. ‘I never really believed I’d see this day; and such a gorgeous ring.’
‘A gorgeous ring for a very beautiful woman.’ Nikolai spoke his thoughts aloud before he had time to evaluate them, but when Emma blushed and his mother smiled he knew they had been exactly what was needed.
‘You must of course stay here tonight,’ his mother offered Emma, just as she had done with him earlier in the week, but he’d refused, claiming a need to work the next day.
‘Emma and I will be travelling back tonight,’ he said sternly and felt Emma’s gaze on him. Was she pleading with him to extricate them both from the invitation?
‘I won’t hear of it. How can you enjoy your engagement party if you have to travel back tonight? Besides, I’ve already had a room prepared, so there is no excuse.’
‘I need to be at the office first thing in the morning.’ Nikolai knew his voice sounded abrupt and, if the curious glance Emma cast his way was anything to go by, his mother would know he was making excuses.
‘Nonsense. You work far too hard, and besides, it’s the weekend and you should be spending it with your fiancée. Isn’t that right, Emma?’ His mother smiled at him, using her charm and tactics as she always did to get what she wanted, but he didn’t want Emma pushed into a situation that she clearly didn’t want. Also, staying here at his mother’s house in The Hamptons would almost certainly mean sharing not only a room with Emma, but a bed. The fact that his mother had made a room ready suggested she’d already planned it all out.
‘I don’t have anything with me, Mrs Cunningham.’ Emma’s soft voice caught him unawares, as did the way it sent a tingle of awareness down his spine. He looked at her, at the worried expression on her face, and something twisted inside him, as if his heart was being squeezed.
He couldn’t be falling for her. He didn’t want that kind of complication, especially when she was here to celebrate their engagement only because he’d made a deal which would secure not only her baby’s future but her sister’s. A deal she’d been more than happy to agree on once he’d made her see that refusal would leave her child without a father. Something he knew she was all too familiar with.
‘Well, if that’s the only reason, I can soon sort that out. My stepdaughter is here with her husband and between us both we can loan you anything you need.’
Nikolai’s control on the situation was slipping through his fingers and he was torn between saving Emma from being forced to spend a night in the same room as him and allowing his mother to continue with the illusion that he’d finally succumbed to love.
‘I couldn’t do that...’ Emma began, but before she could finish he spoke over her.
‘Then we shall stay.’ He pulled Emma against him, the fine fabric of her dress no barrier to the heat from her body as it seared through his suit, setting him alight with a desire he had no intention of acting on. Diversion was what he needed. ‘We should mingle.’
At the extravagantly laid tables all around them were friends and members of his family, or rather his step-family. Everyone was enjoying themselves and their laughter mixed with the music from the live performers. He and Emma were the centre of attention, and that was something he hadn’t thought of when he’d put the party planners in touch with his mother and let them loose together. A big mistake.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said as he took Emma’s hand and led her to a table where they could sit and try and keep out of the limelight, for a while at least.
‘For what?’ She sat elegantly beside him and again that strange sensation washed over him.
‘There isn’t anyone here you know.’
‘That’s okay,’ she answered as she looked around the marquee, hardly recognisable beneath its lavish decorations. ‘It’s not as if it’s a real engagement.’
‘It’s very real, Emma.’ Anger surfaced, smothering the simmering desire which brewed deep inside him. She turned in her seat to give him her full attention and all he could do was look at her lips, red with lipstick, and imagine kissing them until she sighed with pleasure. He couldn’t let her do this to him. He had to get back his control and fast. ‘We are engaged and will be married by the end of the month.’
‘But it’s not for real, Nikolai, despite what you want your mother to believe. None of it is real—and I can’t do this again.’ A look of fear flitted across her face and he frowned in confusion.
‘Do what?’ He took her hands from her lap, where she’d clutched them tightly together. She looked at him, directly into his eyes, and he saw the anguish in hers.
‘Be paraded around like this. When we get married, I want it to be with as little fuss as possible. I don’t want to be the subject of everyone’s scrutiny.’ Her green eyes pleaded with him and the slight waver in her voice unsettled him. Was she having second thoughts about their deal?
‘That suits me perfectly.’ He snapped the words out and let her hands go, angered by the thought that she was at this very moment looking for a way out of their planned marriage—and the deal.
* * *
Emma didn’t want the party to end. It was so lavish she could hardly have dreamed it up if she’d tried, and if she and Nikolai had truly been in love it would have been the perfect start to their life together. But they weren’t in love. Nikolai’s stern words as they’d sat talking at the beginning of the evening had been more than enough proof for her.
‘Emma, Nikolai.’ His mother came up to them, excitement all over her face. ‘It’s time for the finale, and I want you to be in the prime spot when it happens. Come with me.’
‘What have you done now?’ Nikolai’s deep voice demanded of his mother, but she wasn’t listening, and she headed off through the crowds, leaving them no choice but to follow her out and across the lawns. Emma could hear the water in the darkness which surrounded the extensive garden, now lit up with hundreds of lights, and it was a relief to be away from the many people who had attended the party, none of whom she knew.
‘I have no idea what this is about,’ Nikolai said sternly, his irritation at such a public display of them as a newly engaged couple all too obvious.
‘We should at least see,’ she said to Nikolai, unable to supress a smile. How nice it must be to have a mother who would arrange surprises for you; it was exactly the kind of mother she wanted to be herself.
Nikolai didn’t say anything, but took her hand and made his way to where his mother was talking to a group of people. His annoyance at the arrangement was very clear.
‘Stand here, with the party as a backdrop. I want an engagement photo of you both.’ The excitement in his mother’s voice was contagious and Emma couldn’t help but laugh softly. Nikolai didn’t share her appreciation and wasn’t in the least amused by it.
‘That’s not necessary.’ Nikolai’s brusque tone didn’t make a dent on his mother’s enthusiasm.
At that point Emma realised this wasn’t just a snapshot for a family album, as a party photographer joined them and set about making them stand just where he wanted them to. Instantly she was uncomfortable. She hated being on what she considered the wrong side of the lens.
‘Now, embrace each other,’ the photographer said as he stepped back and started clicking, his assistants altering lights to get the best result. ‘Kiss each other.’
Kiss.
Emma looked at Nikolai and wondered just what he was going to say about being forced to