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“No, you said you want me to marry you. You never asked me.” Her mouth was set in a cute pout.
Dare laughed. If a question was what she wanted then a question she would get. He would not be accused of not being romantic.
Just to make it more touching and more likely to be in keeping with her romantic notions Dare slid off the chair and went down on one knee. He took her slim hand in his then looked deep into her eyes. “Erin Samuels,” he said, his voice firm and full of meaning, “will you marry me?” Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
For a moment she only stared at him then her hazel eyes flashed and she snatched her hand from his grasp. “No,” she said, her voice vehement and hard. “Never in a million years.”
What the hell? Taken aback, Dare remained on his knees. Then, never taking his eyes off her flushed face he rose to his feet. Only then did he speak. “What the blazes was that all about?”
She lifted her face and gave him a look of defiance. “I said I’d never marry you.”
“Then why did you make me ask you?” He could feel the anger rise in him. Did she think she was playing with a damn puppy?
“I wanted you to ask me so I could give you my answer,” she said, her tone smug. “And the answer is no.”
“Why?”
She gave a toss of her head and one of her brown curls fell across her face. She lifted a delicate hand and brushed it away. “You rejected me so now it’s my turn to reject you.”
“Oh, being petty are we? So you would reject my offer knowing that you can’t support yourself and the child. You would do this just to prove a point.”
“I can support my baby and me.” She had the audacity to look offended. “We don’t need you.”
He folded his arms across his chest and glared down at her. “If you think I’m going to let you raise my child in this dump you’re out of your mind.”
“Dump? You’re calling my home a dump?”
“Forgive me. Your humble abode.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “My child will not be living here nor growing up here. My child will be with me in Santa Marta.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “I want to see how you’re going to accomplish that when I’m not going anywhere.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
Dare could feel his nostrils flare in annoyance. Not a good sign. Erin was intent on pushing him to breaking point. He was going to end this before things went too far.
“Now you listen to me. You will come back to Santa Marta with me and you will marry me. If you don’t then be prepared to be cut off from the child altogether.”
“What do you mean, cut off from the child? You can’t do that.” Her voice had risen and he heard the fear registered there.
He pressed home his advantage. “Oh, can’t I? There’s something to be said about having money, Erin. With money comes power. I have a lot of it and you don’t.”
Erin stared up at him, eyes wide and uncertain. He could see that she was vulnerable now.
“I can hire the best lawyers to present a case that it would be in the best interest of the child to be with me. I can provide everything that he or she would need unlike you who can barely manage to sustain yourself.”
She was pale now, and silent. His words were having the impact he’d intended. He decided to drive another nail into the coffin. “There’s a good chance you’ll lose custody, Erin. Do you want to take that risk?”
“You…wouldn’t.” Her voice was a broken whisper.
“I would.” He would not yield. Not now. He was too close to victory. “Marry me, Erin, and all your problems will be solved. You won’t have to worry about money, the care of the baby, anything. But if you choose the other path, know that I will do everything in my power to claim my heir.”
For a long time Erin did not respond. Then her lower lip began to tremble and she turned her face away. “You’re such a bastard,” she said with a sob and covered her face with her hands.
Dare said nothing. He might be a bastard but he was a bastard determined to get what he wanted. He’d come all this way to get Erin Samuels and he was not going home without her.
He could see she was defeated. He softened his stance and went over to take her in his arms, comfort her and let her see she was in good hands.
As soon as his hand touched her shoulder she wrenched away and when she looked up at him her eyes spat fire. “Don’t touch me,” she said through clenched teeth. “I may have to marry you but I will never be your wife.”
Dare sucked in his breath and scowled. So that was the way it was, was it? A marriage in name only.
Well, he’d already won the first battle. She would marry him. Once he got her back to the island he would take on this second hurdle. He was looking forward to the challenge. He smiled to himself. There were ways to make a woman yield and he was an expert at every one of them.
“Get some rest,” he said calmly. “I’ll be back in the morning to work out the details. Let your boss know you won’t be coming back.”
He didn’t bother to wait for a reply. He knew she was numb from shock and exhaustion. He let himself out of the apartment and headed for the elevator where he gave a satisfied sigh. Erin Samuels was his at last.
***
Within a week of Dare’s arrival Erin was in a private jet on the way back to the island of Santa Marta but this time as the wife of one of the richest and most powerful men in that land. So why wasn’t she over the moon with joy?
Instead, she felt sick inside. Had she sold her soul to this devil, Dare DeSouza? He’d given her an ultimatum and she’d cracked under the pressure, scared out of her mind that he would follow through on his threat. He could be a ruthless man. She had no doubt about that and she wasn’t taking any chances where her child was concerned.
A limousine met them at the airport and they traveled in silence, Erin flipping through a magazine or at least pretending to, and Dare engrossed in whatever it was he was reading on his iPad.
About twenty minutes into their journey the limousine turned off the main road and drove through the stately gates of what looked like a resort. As Erin glanced up she frowned. This was not how she remembered the entrance to Sunsational Resort. She sat up and looked out the window. They were traveling up a palm-lined driveway that climbed a gentle hill and then the limousine turned and there she saw on the crest of the hill a majestic mansion that made her eyes widen. Huge palms graced its courtyard and framed the gleaming ivory walls and red and gold flowers were sprinkled amongst the rich green leaves that formed a soft carpet along its base. It had the look of an opulent tropical paradise.
Was this Dare’s home? Erin stole a quick glance at him and saw that he was watching her with hooded eyes. She turned away again. If he’d hoped to impress her he’d certainly done that, and more. She couldn’t imagine living in a place like this. The resort had been luxury enough.
The chauffeur slowed the car to a halt then came around to hold the door open for them. As he helped her out of the car Erin continued to stare, admittedly overwhelmed by the grandeur before her.
Then Dare was by her side. He took her hand in his and led her up the steps and into his lavish home. As they passed the threshold they heard the sound of hurried footsteps then a tiny woman with her hair pulled into a bun entered the foyer.
“Welcome, welcome Mrs. DeSouza. We’ve been expecting you.” Her eyes crinkled in a smile so bright Erin had to respond with a smile of her own. The woman had called her Mrs. DeSouza. It had sounded strange to her ears but that was who she was now - the mistress of the house. Sort of. She had to remind herself not to get carried away. Dare had brought her here under duress. This was anything but a fairy-tale marriage.
“Erin, this is Francine Lopez,” Dare said with a warm smile that was both surprising and refreshing. It was obvious that he had genuine regard for the woman. “She’s my right hand.”
“Oh, Senor Dare, you are too kind.” The woman smiled back at him then she turned her full attention to Erin. “I am the housekeeper. I have run this house for Senor Dare for the past four years but now that you are here, senora, you will give the orders.”
That brought a smile to Erin’s face. “I don’t think so,” she said with a little laugh.
“Oh, yes.” The housekeeper nodded emphatically. “The woman, she is in charge of the house. The man, he knows nothing about the house, only about making money.”
“Hey,” Dare objected with an exaggerated frown. “Are you saying all these years I thought I was in charge I really wasn’t?”
“That is so, Senor Dare. That is why you have me.”
There was a twinkle in Francine’s eyes that bore testament to the comfort she felt with her employer. Apparently Dare had a pleasant side, one that he reserved for a select few.
