Read Online An Unlikely Bride for the Billionaire by Michelle Douglas - Free Book Online Page A

put into a position where you were forced to listen to that.’
    â€˜It’s not your responsibility to apologise on behalf of other people, Dylan.’
    Maybe not, but it felt like his fault. If he’d taken the time to get to know Thierry better before now...
    She reached out and placed a sandwich in front of him. ‘And you need to remember that just because he dislikes me , and my background, it doesn’t necessarily make him a bad person.’
    Dylan was far from sure about that.
    â€˜Even if I didn’t have a criminal record, there’s no law that says Thierry has to like me.’
    â€˜Mia, it’s not the fact that he doesn’t like you or even that he was rude to you that worries me. What disturbs me is the fact that he threatened you.’
    â€˜I can take care of myself.’
    She said the words quietly and he didn’t doubt her. He wished she didn’t have to take care of herself. He wished she was surrounded by an army of people who’d take care of her. He sensed that wasn’t the case, and suddenly he wanted to buy her a hundred chocolate bars... But what good would that do?
    No substance, Dylan Fairweather. You don’t have an ounce of substance .
    The words roared through him. He pulled air in through his nose and let it out through his mouth—once, twice.
    â€˜I have less confidence,’ he said finally, ‘in Carla’s ability to take care of herself.’ He met Mia’s dark-eyed gaze. ‘What if he talks to her the way he spoke to you? What if he threatens her in the same way he threatened you?’

CHAPTER FOUR
    D YLAN COULDN ’ T KNOW it, but each word raised a welt on Mia’s soul. The thought of a woman as lovely as Carla, as open and kind as she was, being controlled and manipulated, possibly even abused, by a man claiming to love her...
    It made her stomach burn acid.
    It made her want to run away at a hundred miles an hour in the other direction.
    She recalled how Thierry had trapped her against the wall in the reptile house and her temples started to throb.
    She set her sandwich down before she mangled it. ‘Have you seen anything to give you cause for concern before now?’
    Those laughing lips of his, his shoulders, and even the laughter lines fanning out from his eyes—all drooped. Her heart burned for him. She wanted to reach out and cover his hand, to offer him whatever comfort she could.
    Don’t be an idiot .
    Dylan might be all golden flirtatious charm, but it didn’t mean he’d want someone like her touching him. She chafed her left forearm, digging her fingers into the muscle to try and loosen the tension that coiled her tight. She wasn’t qualified to offer advice about family or relationships, but even she could see what he needed to do.
    â€˜Can’t...?’ She swallowed to counter a suddenly dry throat. ‘Can’t you talk to Carla and share your concerns?’
    â€˜And say what? Carla, I think the man you’re about to marry is a complete and utter jerk ?’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘She’d translate that as me forcing her to choose between her brother and her fiancé.’
    From the look on his face, it was evident he didn’t think she’d choose him. She thought back to the way Carla had clung to Thierry’s arm and realised Dylan might have a point.
    â€˜How about something a little less confrontational?’ She reached for a can of soda, needing something to do with her hands. ‘Something like... Carla, Thierry strikes me as a bit moody. Are you sure he treats you well? ’
    He gave a frustrated shake of his head. ‘She’d still read it as me criticising her choice. I’d have to go to great lengths to make it as clear as possible that I’m not making her choose between me and Thierry, but the fact of the matter is—regardless of what I discover—I have no power to stop this wedding unless it’s