Read Online The Sicilian's Wife by Kate Walker - Free Book Online

man’s child?’
    â€˜It wouldn’t be another man’s child. You gave Rowell the chance to make it his; he didn’t take it. He’s not fit tobe the baby’s father. Your child would be born inside our marriage. It would only ever know me as its father. I would take care of the baby as I would take care of you.’
    â€˜I can take care of myself!’
    â€˜Oh, sure!’
    â€˜Other people manage!’
    â€˜Other people have to,’ Cesare stated flatly. ‘They have no alternative. I’m offering you a choice. You won’t have to manage . You’ll be able to take care of your child properly, give it everything it needs.’
    He was getting through to her. She was tempted at least. He could see that from the faint wavering of that moss-green gaze, a flicker of uncertainty deep in her eyes. And there was one more argument he could use to persuade her.
    â€˜If you like, I’ll even throw in a rescue package for your father as part of the deal.’
    â€˜You make it sound like a business deal!’
    Cesare’s shrug of supreme indifference dismissed her protest as totally irrelevant.
    â€˜But like all the best business contracts, it’s one in which we both get what we want.’
    Taking several swift, long strides towards her, he bent his head and looked deep into her eyes.
    â€˜What’s wrong, Meggie?’ he questioned softly. ‘Was my proposal too matter-of-fact for you? Not romantic enough? Would you have preferred it if I’d gone down on one knee…’
    To her horror he suited action to the words, sinking gracefully down onto one knee so that his dark, handsome face was almost on a level with hers as she sat in the chair. Reaching for her hand, he folded his own, long, powerful fingers around it and clasped it firmly.
    â€˜Megan…’ he began, his voice deep and resonant, hiseyes burning into hers. ‘Would you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?’
    â€˜Oh, stop it!’
    Shocked and distressed, Megan made a sharp movement of her hand, trying to snatch it away from his. But the hard fingers closed around hers restrained her without any effort.
    â€˜Please be serious!’
    â€˜I am serious. I doubt if I’ve ever been more serious in my life.’
    It was only when the carved contours of his face began to blur in front of her that Megan became bitterly aware of the tears that were threatening, collecting at the back of her eyes and pushing to slide out, trickle revealingly down her cheeks.
    Blinking hard, she struggled to force them back. She wasn’t prepared to let Cesare see them; was too afraid of what they betrayed—even to herself.
    It was as if she had slipped back in time. Back to a point where Cesare Santorino had been the only man in the world for her. When he had filled her waking thoughts by day, her dreams at night. And one of those recurring dreams had been of a moment just like this one, when the tall, handsome and charismatic Italian was on his knees before her, begging her to be his bride.
    And now he was doing just that—but he was only proposing because he could think of no other alternative that solved both their problems, and his proposition had been made like a business pitch, no emotion involved at all. And it was the way that lack of emotion hurt, biting deep into her soul, that warned her of the real danger she was in.
    â€˜Cesare, you must know that I can’t marry you!’
    â€˜I know that you can’t do anything else. Certainly not anything that will give you the freedom and the money to be a full-time mother to your child, and help your fatherout of his problems all in one go. You must know that Tom won’t be able to support you—he’ll be hard pushed to support himself if his business goes to the wall.’
    Megan felt as if she was being sucked inexorably and irresistibly into the future that Cesare had planned for her, no