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The musical clink of crystal and the whisper of muted conversations were flavored with soft jazz piping from the three piece band. Completing the atmosphere, each round table boasted a single votive candle and the effect of dozens of flickering flames was nearly magical.
All in all, it had been a perfect evening. Adam was considerate, charming and never even hinted at the deal her father had broached to him. And while Gina was enjoying herself, she’d been dealing with a twist of nerves in her stomach since the hostess had first seated them. Now that dinner was over and they were sipping a last cup of coffee before leaving, time was up.
She either faced Adam with her own deal—or came to her senses and forgot the whole thing. Gina stared out the glass wall beside their table and watched as waves rolled ceaselessly into shore, slamming into the rocks, sending white spray into the air.
“What’re you thinking?”
“What?” She turned her head to find Adam watching her with a bemused smile on his face. “I’m sorry. Mind wandering.”
“To where, exactly?”
Here it was, she told herself, fingers curling around the fragile handle of her coffee cup. Speak now or forever hold your peace. Funny that was the phrase that sprang to mind.
“Adam,” she said before she could talk herself out of it, “I know what my father said to you.”
His features tightened. “Excuse me?”
Now it was her turn to give him a small smile. Shaking her head, she said, “Forget it. Papa confessed all.”
He shifted on his chair, scowled a little and picked up his coffee cup. “Did he also mention that I turned him down?”
“Yeah, he did.” Gina swiveled in her seat, turning her back on the wide vista of ocean and cliffs to face him. “And by the way, thanks.”
“No problem.” Sitting back in his chair, Adam watched her. Waiting.
“But,” she said, “I had to wonder about you asking me out to dinner. I mean, if you weren’t interested in buying a bride, why the invitation?”
His mouth flattened into a thin line. “One has nothing to do with the other.”
“I don’t know,” Gina said softly, running the tip of her index finger around the outside rim of the cup. “See, I’ve had some time to think about all of this…”
“Gina.”
“I think that when Papa first—” she paused as if looking for the right word before continuing “—proposed, if you’ll pardon the pun, his little deal, your first reaction was no. Of course not.”
“Exactly,” Adam agreed.
“And then…” She smiled when he frowned. “You started thinking. You came outside. You saw Mom and I and you told yourself that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”
Adam straightened in his chair, then leaned over the table, peering directly into her eyes with a hard stare. “I did not bring you here so that I could propose to you.”
Gina actually laughed at that. “Oh, you wouldn’t have done that. Not right away, anyway. You brought me here on a date.” She stopped and grinned, looking around the restaurant in approval. “And it’s been lovely, by the way. Anyway, after tonight, there would have been other dates. And after a couple of months, you would have proposed.”
He stared at her for a long, silent minute and Gina knew that she was right. For whatever reason, Adam had reconsidered her father’s offer. Which was good. In a way. Of course, she didn’t like the idea that he’d been seriously willing to marry her for his own gain. Actually it made her heart hurt to think about that too long. After all, she’d been in love with Adam King since she was fourteen years old. But at least it made her own plan seem more reasonable.
“Okay, that’s enough.” He lifted one hand in a silent signal to their server, requesting their check. “I’m sorry you feel this way, but since you do, there’s no point in continuing this. I’ll take you home.”
“Not ready to leave yet,” she said, leaning back into her own chair to watch him. “I know you, Adam. And right now, you’re a little embarrassed and a lot on the defensive.”
“Gina, what I am is sorry that you misunderstood.”
“But I didn’t,” she said. “In fact, I completely understand.”
“Understand what?” His tone was clipped, impatient.
“Look, I know how much getting the King holdings back together means to you,” Gina said and felt a tug of satisfaction when his eyes flashed at the thought. “I know that you would do just about anything to ensure that happens.”
“Believe what you will,” Adam said, then paused as the waiter delivered their bill in a sleek, black leather folder. Once the waiter was gone, he continued, “But there are limits to what I’m willing to do. Lines I won’t cross.”
“Well, if that’s true, it’s a shame.”
He blinked at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“Adam, I know you want the land. I know you don’t want to be married. And I know you don’t like being manipulated any more than I do.”
He nodded. “Go on.”
“See, I’ve had a little time to think about this and I’m pretty sure I’ve come up with a solution that’ll work for both of us.”
Still scowling, he folded his arms across his chest. “Now, this I’ve got to hear.”
She smiled and realized that the flutter of nerves that had been irritating her all night were suddenly gone. Because she’d finally brought everything into the light? Because she knew that what she was doing was the right thing? Or was it the wine they’d had with dinner?
Didn’t matter now, she thought. She was in way too deep to quit at this point.
“Well,” she said, letting the words tumble from her mouth in a rush, “the thing is, I’m willing to discuss my father’s offer to you.”
Adam was stunned. He couldn’t believe she was saying any of this. First off, that she knew about Sal’s offer was bad enough. The fact that she’d guessed Adam had reconsidered the deal was disquieting. Did she really know him as well as she seemed to? And why in the hell would a woman like Gina be willing to consider such an insulting bargain?
In the candlelight, Gina’s eyes seemed to shine with the deep, rich glow of antique gold. Her skin was soft and smooth and lightly tanned. He’d hardly been able to look away from her all night. His gaze caught in the tumble of thick, dark curls that hung down her back in waves so silky they invited a man’s hands to delve into them. Her black dress hugged every curve—and she had good ones—and her long, tanned legs looked amazing in high-heeled sandals that should have been impossible to walk in.
All night, she’d tormented him, simply by being Gina. How had he not noticed years ago just how beguiling she was? Had he really been blind enough to dismiss his little neighbor because he’d once known her as a pigtailed child? Well, she was all grown-up now and surprisingly enough, was damn calm and accepting about the bargain her father had offered.
And somehow, that worried him more than anything else.
“Why would you want to do that?” he asked and watched as something not quite identifiable flashed in her eyes.
“I have my reasons,” she said, then smiled at him again.
Adam hissed in a breath. She really was beautiful—but it was more than that. It was something indefinable. Something that tugged at him. Prodded him. Why else would he have considered Sal’s proposition for more than an instant?
“What are these reasons?” he asked.
“Mine,” she said and didn’t offer any more.
This wasn’t going at all the way Adam had expected. What was it about the Torinos that could keep him off balance? First her father, now her. He was the one in charge of situations. On top of everything. He knew what the other guy was thinking, what his next move would be and exactly the right countermove to ensure that Adam King got exactly what he set out to get.
Having the tables turned on him wasn’t something he appreciated. And it was damned uncomfortable to have someone know him as well as Gina seemed to. At the moment, she was watching him with patient understanding glimmering in her eyes and it irritated him that she was so damned complacent while he felt off balance.
Clearly then, it was time to take charge again. Time to let her know that he wouldn’t be twisted around and made to feel as if he’d taken a wrong step. Time to let her know that this date was over.
“Gina…” He flipped open the check folder, tucked a credit card into the pocket, then closed the whole thing and set it on the edge of the table. Their waiter rushed by a moment later and took it away. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I won’t be maneuvered. By you…or your father.”
She laughed, damn it, and he was both annoyed and charmed. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
“Of course you don’t,” she said and reached across the table to pat his hand as she would have an excitable kid. “But come on, Adam. We’ve known each other way too long for you to put on the big crabby attitude and expect me to either salute or slink away!”
He ground his back teeth together and hissed in a breath. “Fine. Say what you want to say, then I’ll take you home.”
She shook her head and smiled again. “Charming to the last.” Before he could say anything to that, she spoke up again, quickly. “Okay. To the point. I’ll marry you, Adam, so you can get the land. But I have a condition.”
“I can’t wait to hear it.”
“I want a child.”
Adam felt the slam of those words crush into his chest and he could have sworn he felt his heart actually stop. Her eyes were clear and steady. Her features calm. Her manner at ease. All the while, his insides were churning and it felt as though the air was on fire. Otherwise, why would his lungs be burning with every breath?
“You can’t be serious.”
“Completely,” she assured him and her face softened, her mouth curving gently. “I know what you went through with the loss of your son and—”
While he was reeling, the waiter brought their check back to be signed. Adam took it, glanced at it, added a hefty tip and signed his name. Taking his credit card and the receipt, he tucked them into his wallet and only when he was finished did he look up at Gina again.
“I don’t discuss my son. Ever.” His loss was just that. His loss. He’d survived. Put the past behind him and that was where he intended to keep it. Those memories, that pain had nothing to do with his life or his world today.
“Fine.”
“And I’m not interested in being a father again.”
“I don’t need your help in parenting my child, Adam,” she said and her voice went suddenly as chill as his own. “All I need from you is your sperm.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I want to be a mother.” She leaned back in her chair, fiddled with the handle of her coffee cup and lowered her gaze to the tabletop. “My brothers’ kids are beautiful and I love them with all my heart. But I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being the favorite auntie. I want a child of my own. I don’t want to be married any more than you do—don’t worry about that. But I do want a baby. The way I see it—” she lifted her gaze to his “—this bargain satisfies both parties. You get your land. I get the baby I want.”
He was already shaking his head. Instinct, he supposed, when she spoke again.
“Think about this before you turn me down. I’ll marry you. Be your wife in every way. As soon as I’m pregnant, you get the land and we get a divorce. And I’ll sign whatever you want me to sign, exempting you from any responsibility toward me or my child.” Her gaze was steady on his as she added, “It’s a good deal, Adam. For both of us.”
She had him in a corner. He hadn’t expected her to know about her father’s proposition—let alone come up with one of her own. The tantalizing idea that he could, in a few short months, have the King family ranch whole and secure again was a tempting one.
He had to give Gina credit. She’d thought this out and had come up with a bargain sure to be tempting to him. And the fact that she, too, was getting something out of the deal made him feel less like some robber baron.
Yet the thought of fathering another child wasn’t something he’d even considered. A pain he refused to recognize thrummed inside him for a long moment. Then it was gone, because he’d had years to learn how to distance himself from emotional distress.
Besides, it wasn’t as if this would be a real marriage. A genuine family situation. This was something completely different and apart from the norm. Gina knew him. And she didn’t want a husband any more than he wanted a wife. She wanted a child, he wanted his land. A win-win bargain. All it would take was being married to a desirable woman for a few months.
How bad could that be?
“Well, Adam,” she said softly, her voice nearly lost in the quiet rhythm of the jazz spilling through the restaurant. “What do you say?”
He stood up and held out one hand to help her from her chair. When she was standing, too, he shook the hand she held out and said, “Gina, you’ve got yourself a bargain.”
Five
Things happened pretty quickly after the proposal.
Within a few days, Adam had arranged for a marriage license—apparently it paid to be one of the wealthiest men in California. And, since Adam was anxious to get their bargain up and running, there was no time for the big, fancy wedding Gina’s mom had always dreamed of.
Instead Adam, Gina and her parents took one of the King family jets to Vegas.
“Not exactly the wedding every little girl dreams of,” Gina whispered to herself as she looked around the interior of the luxury garden the ceremony was taking place in.
The walls were painted a soft summer-blue, with white clouds sponge-painted on as accents. There were tall pedestals holding elegant sprays of silk flowers and the white carpeted main aisle still held the footprints of the couple who had been married before them. Classical music piped in from overhead speakers and Gina’s fingers tightened on the handle of her complimentary bouquet.
Gina’s heart did a bump and roll in her chest and she was very glad she’d insisted on doing some prewedding shopping in San Jose. The deep yellow dress she wore made her feel beautiful and Gina had known instinctively that she would need all the confidence she could find.
“You’re sure about this, Gina?”
She turned her head to look at her father and swallowed hard before answering. “Yes, Papa. I’m sure.”
Of course she was sure. She’d been in love with Adam King for what felt like forever. She’d dreamed of this day for years. Of course, in all of those dreams, Adam had loved her, too. Her dream groom was happy and smiling, surrounded by his brothers, looking at Gina with desire flashing in his eyes.
So okay, the reality was a little disappointing. Still, she thought, shifting her gaze to the head of the aisle where her groom waited. She was marrying Adam.
And Gina’d had a few days to completely rethink this bargain she’d made with her about-to-be husband. This was a business deal, certainly. Adam was getting what he wanted out of it and she would be getting the baby her heart craved.
But over the last couple of days, she’d begun to imagine a slightly different outcome to this bargain. If she were willing to take a chance, to risk her heart, she might find a way to get everything she’d ever wanted.
All she had to do was find a way to break Adam’s defences. Her insides fisted and released at the daunting prospect. She’d come this far, why not take that extra step? She only needed time. Gina was sure that once Adam and she were married, he would see the truth she’d always known. That they could be a great couple.
She sucked in a deep breath as that thought shot through her brain and sent a current of adrenaline to the pit of her stomach.
“You don’t look so good, honey,” her father said.
“I’m fine, Papa. Really. It’s all good. See?” She gave her father a wide, phony smile that, thankfully, he accepted at face value. “Let’s get this done, okay?”
“Yes,” he said. “Your mother looks anxious.”
She did, Gina thought, sliding a quick look at her mom. Actually her mother looked as though she wanted to give Adam a stern lecture about how to treat her daughter. Best to head that off at the pass. Teresa Torino was already a little snippy about Gina marrying a man she didn’t think loved her.
The string quartet suddenly began playing the solemn strains of the Wedding March. Gina’s stomach lurched, but she fought down the last bits of hesitation she felt and started down the aisle on her father’s arm.
Not a very long walk, really, but with every step, she moved further away from the life she knew and closer to the life she’d always wanted.
Adam’s dark chocolate eyes were narrowed on her. His features were stiff and the smile she’d hoped to see didn’t appear. But then, this wasn’t a love match, was it? His gaze was steady, but blank, giving away no hint at all of what he was feeling, thinking. And Gina could only hope he wasn’t able to read her emotions any better than she could his.
At the head of the aisle, Sal laid Gina’s hand in Adam’s and stepped back to join his wife.
