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She turned and walked into the kitchen, then glanced up to see him following her. Ignoring him, she reached for the coffeepot but could feel his eyes looking around the apartment then on her, no doubt comparing her modest surroundings to a Hollywood lifestyle.
Only she couldn’t explain that she lived modestly for a reason. That she’d been paying her mother’s debts off these past few years. Anyway, this was no hardship. She’d been mostly raised by her grandmother here in Sydney in a comfortable suburban house, far from the excesses of LA.
“You enjoy being a fashion designer?”
She poured the coffee into two mugs. “Yes. I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”
“You never wanted to be a movie star like your mother?”
She passed him a mug. “I can’t act.”
He casually leaned against the door frame. “So it doesn’t run in the blood then?”
“I’m a simple girl at heart,” she half joked, then rested against the kitchen counter and looked at him over the top of her mug. “If you’re expecting more then you’re going to be disappointed.”
His gaze lingered on her. “No, I don’t think I will be,” he murmured, making the breath hitch in her throat.
“I—” She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say. Something…anything…to stop the overwhelming need to step into his arms. “This is crazy,” she said.
“No, it isn’t.”
Realizing she was giving away too much of what she was feeling, she swung around and placed her coffee mug in the sink. Taking a calming breath, she turned back to meet his eyes. “Alex, look—”
“What’s your decision, Olivia?”
“I’ll marry you,” she said, seeing his eyes flare with satisfaction—mixed with something else. “On one condition. You give me half the money now.”
Whatever that something else was that she’d seen lurking in his eyes disappeared. He gave a hard laugh as he put his mug down on the table. “I’m a businessman, Olivia. I’m not about to give you any money before you marry me.”
She felt a spurt of anger. “My word isn’t good enough?”
Irritation swept over his face. “Look, this isn’t about your word. It’s not personal. This is a business decision.”
“Not personal? You want me to marry you and share your bed and you say it’s not personal?” Her brow arched. “Just when does it get personal, Alex?”
His jaw set but he acknowledged her words with a nod. “Okay, I concede the point.”
Olivia met his gaze levelly. “Then we have an agreement?”
A brief hesitation as he scrutinized her, then, “Yes.”
Relief swept through her. Relief she would get the money, not relief she was marrying him, she told herself. “Good.”
For a moment she wondered if she should tell him about her mother’s money problems. Could she trust him? No. She didn’t know him at all. Besides, it was her mother’s secret.
As for her own secret, she’d never tell him about that. She wouldn’t have to tell him about it, considering the briefness of their upcoming marriage.
Suddenly he was all business. “Can you be ready in two weeks’ time?”
Her mouth dropped open. “Two weeks?”
“We have to do this as soon as possible. I’ve already booked the Sydney Opera House for the ceremony.”
She swallowed, ignoring for the moment that the Opera House was one of the most beautiful venues in the world. “You were that certain of me?”
“Yes.”
“You’re an arrogant bastard.”
“I believe you’ve mentioned that already,” he drawled.
“I can’t possibly be ready in two weeks’time. I’m off to LA in a couple of days. I promised my mother I would visit with her. She hasn’t been feeling very well lately.”
And that was an understatement. Her mother knew she couldn’t continue with her lavish parties and her high maintenance. She knew it was coming to an end unless she found herself a major role.
All at once Alex looked thoughtful. “You know something. This could play in our favor. If you keep a low profile while you’re over there, it will add to the mystique of our wedding.”
Our wedding.
She sent him a cynical look. “Yes, and we definitely want mystique for those perfume sales, don’t we?”
He glanced at her oddly, as if it was a given. “It’ll help your sales as well.”
Okay, so he was right. But getting her mother to keep a low profile when the media were bound to be knocking at their door? Impossible! Of course, using Alex’s “mystique” angle might be the way to go. Felicia loved “mystique.” She knew the value of it.
“What about your father?”Alex asked, drawing her from her thoughts. “Do you want him at the wedding?”
An old heartache jarred but she quickly stomped on it. “No. He lives in Vancouver with his family and I have little to do with him.”
He nodded with a grimace. “Some men don’t know when they’ve got a good thing.”
She shrugged. “Owen Cannington was a B-grade actor who gave it all up years ago. He divorced my mother when I was two.”
“She kept his name,” he pointed out.
“Only because she was becoming well-known as Felicia Cannington.” Her lips twisted. “Mum said she may as well make some use of him.”
“Sounds like the divorce was amicable,” he mocked.
She couldn’t help herself. She had to smile, if only the tiniest one she could find.
Taking her by surprise, Alex was suddenly in front of her, putting his hand under her chin. She started to speak, but his mouth closed over hers, holding her there beneath him, taking without asking, as if it was his right.
And then his tongue dipped inside her mouth and did a sweep, exploring her, getting to know her, until she shuddered from a flood of sensation that shook her world.
He eased back, his eyes dark with a passion that didn’t surprise her at all. “There,” he murmured huskily. “At least that’s one thing we’ve got out of the way.”
She swallowed hard. “Um…I didn’t know it was in the way.”
He arched a mocking brow before leaving. They both knew she was lying, if even to herself.
Chapter Three
Alex watched Olivia walk toward him in her wedding gown. The white, off-the-shoulder, satin dress was slim and elegant, and it looked absolutely stunning on her. How had he not known she existed before this? he wondered, filled with a deep satisfaction that he’d found the woman he’d wanted for his temporary wife.
God, she was beautiful.
Beautiful and lovely and so very picture-perfect.
Surprisingly he’d missed her these last two weeks and had actually been pleased to see her when she’d arrived back in the country only forty-eight hours ago.
There’d been a hell of a lot to do with a high-profile wedding such as theirs, the time having gone fast, though not fast enough for his peace of mind. He’d wanted this marriage signed and sealed and he wanted Olivia Cannington in his bed. Just the thought of making her his sent the blood rushing through him.
Right then she reached him and their eyes met for one long moment before they turned toward the female marriage celebrant.
The ceremony began, and through the huge window in front of them, they could see the sun shine on the spectacular backdrop of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge suspended over vibrant blue water dotted with sails.
They exchanged traditional wedding vows, and Alex felt a twinge of guilt when he promised “to cherish her until death do us part.” He would have liked to change the vows to “to have and to hold for as long as they both stayed married.” Only he didn’t want to think about divorce on their wedding day.
Then suddenly their marriage was a fact and he was told he could kiss the bride.
With pleasure.
Soft pink colored Olivia’s cheeks as he leaned toward her. Seeing her eyes drop to his mouth sent something powerful flaring inside him. He placed his lips against hers for a long moment that wasn’t wholly for the benefit of their guests.
Tonight there would be no audience…
Soon they stood on the steps of the Opera House, where it seemed the world’s media wanted to take their picture.
Not that he minded, usually. He’d grown up in the Australian spotlight, but this was different. One part of him felt a wedding day should be private, yet another part was gratified he’d done the right thing in using this avenue to highlight Valente’s Woman.
“Can we have a photograph of you and Olivia looking deep into each other’s eyes?”
He glanced at Olivia with a sideways smile. “Can we do that?”
She gave a tight smile. “Yes, I think we can,” she said, but only he could see her eyes were guarded as he turned to stare into them.
“You’re doing fine,” he murmured, noticing the flecks of different shades of blue that sparkled in her eyes.
She winced a little. “This is hard work.”
“Just pretend you love me,” he drawled, attempting to put her at ease.
A genuine smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “It would be easier if I didn’t hate you so much.”
He chuckled and cameras snapped all around them, and he realized being joined in holy matrimony with Olivia was going to be more than interesting. She was a challenge. And he liked challenges.
“Can we have a picture of you both with the bride’s mother?”
Alex felt Olivia stiffen beside him and that reminded him of last night’s dinner. She’d seemed edgy around Felicia, as though she expected her mother to take center stage all the time.
And of course “the star” had done exactly that, he remembered with mild amusement. The older woman was elegant and charming, and he could easily see where Olivia got those same qualities from.
Yet he sensed Felicia had an emotional fragility about her that Olivia didn’t. Perhaps that’s what made Felicia such a good actress, he mused, as she came forward and smiled at the cameras like the pro she was.
“Felicia, how does it feel to be the mother of the bride?” one of the journalists called out.
“Old,” she said with a pout.
Everyone chuckled. “You’re not so old, Felicia,” the journalist said.
Felicia sent him a stunning movie-star smile. “Darling, I love you.” She winked. “Come and see me after the reception.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” the reporter quipped with a huge grin.
Felicia chuckled, stepping between Olivia and Alex and linking her arms through theirs. “Let’s smile for the cameras, darlings.”
A few minutes later, they were still snapping pictures. Alex looked across at Olivia and could see how much of a strain it was becoming. He felt the same. On the other hand, Felicia seemed as though she would go on forever, cornering the attention and loving it all. It’s what she did best.
He stepped away from the women. “Right, that’s enough,” he all but growled. They still had a reception to get through.
Felicia darted a look at him and seemed to realize the moment was over. She turned back to the cameras and clapped her hands. “Right, fellas. That’s a wrap. This is my daughter’s day and I want to go play mother of the bride.”
Alex looked beyond the words and realized something. He had no doubt Felicia loved her daughter, but he had to wonder if Felicia didn’t love Felicia just that little bit more. He suddenly had a new appreciation of what it must be like to live with a superstar.
And he had a new appreciation of Olivia as her own person. For Olivia to get out from under her mother’s shadow, to make a name for herself as she’d done, showed her depth of character. He’d chosen well in his bride.
Hell, and he’d just gotten married!
His sacrifice had been worth it.
Then he looked at his new wife and all at once it didn’t seem like such a sacrifice. There would be benefits.
Very nice benefits.
Not the least of which would be making love to a flawless beauty who put up walls he now intended to pull down.
Olivia was glad when they moved back inside the Opera House to the waiting reception. Not that she had escaped the prying eyes. There were at least three hundred guests here today and the haste of their marriage had most of them looking at her and Alex with suspicion.
Was she or wasn’t she?
It was a thought she tried to put to the side and not think about. It had been the same last night at a Valente family dinner in her honor. She couldn’t help but note the question in everyone’s eyes.
Everyone’s except Cesare Valente’s.
He knew why Alex was marrying her so hastily.
Surprisingly, Olivia hadn’t expected to like Alex’s father, but she did. And his stepmother, Isabel, was a doll. Both his parents hit it off really well with Felicia, and Isabel had even promised to keep an eye on Felicia until her mother returned to the States in a week’s time. Her mother was such a good actress that a week of being charming to people who were charmed by her shouldn’t be so difficult.
