Loe raamatut: «The Millionaire's Marriage Revenge»

TALL, DARK AND SEXY

The men who never fail—seduction included!

Brooding, successful and arrogant, these men have a dangerous glint in their eye and can sweep any female they desire off her feet. But now there’s only one woman each man wants—and each will use their wealth, power, charm and irresistibly seductive ways to claim her!

Don’t miss any of the titles in this exciting collection:

The Billionaire’s Virgin Bride

Helen Brooks

His Mistress by Marriage

Lee Wilkinson

The British Billionaire Affair

Susanne James

The Millionaire’s Marriage Revenge

Amanda Browning

AMANDA BROWNING still lives in the Essex house where she was born. The third of four children—her sister being her twin—she enjoyed the rough-and-tumble of life with two brothers as much as she enjoyed reading books. Writing came naturally as an outlet for a fertile imagination. The love of books led her to a career in libraries, and being single allowed her to take the leap into writing for a living. Success is still something of a wonder, but it allows her to indulge in hobbies as varied as embroidery and bird-watching.

THE MILLIONAIRE’S MARRIAGE REVENGE
AMANDA BROWNING

~TALL, DARK AND SEXY~

TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

THE MILLIONAIRE’S MARRIAGE REVENGE

PROLOGUE

SOFIE ANTONETTI stirred with a sigh of utter contentment and no inkling that this was the day on which her life would begin to change for ever. A moment later a familiar aroma assailed her nostrils and she sniffed it in. ‘Coffee!’ she exclaimed with a sultry smile and, opening her eyes, looked up into the fascinating blue ones of her husband.

‘I knew there was a good reason why I married you. You make wonderful coffee,’ she teased him, and Lucas grinned back down at her.

‘Only coffee?’ he queried, a wicked gleam appearing in those azure orbs.

Sighing with catlike satisfaction, Sofie ran her hands over his bare chest, delighting in the sensation. Making love with him was the most exciting experience of her life. ‘OK, you make love well too,’ she added with a coquettish grin, then held him off as he leant towards her. ‘But it’s coffee I want right now!’

Laughing, Lucas moved back, allowing her to sit up and modestly draw the sheet up to cover her nakedness. ‘I know what’s under there,’ he pointed out as he handed over the mug.

Her eyes flirted with him over the rim as she took a cautious sip. ‘I know you do, but unwrapping the present is half the fun.’

‘True,’ he agreed, standing up, revealing that he wore only a towel draped low around his hips. He retrieved a large box from the dressing table and his own mug of coffee.

‘What’s that?’ Sofie asked curiously, wondering if it was a late present. They had spent a happy few days opening a mound of presents after they had returned from their month-long honeymoon in the Seychelles, but some were still arriving.

Putting his mug down, Lucas made himself comfortable on the bed. ‘The wedding photos Jack made up for us,’ he informed her, and immediately Sofie set her mug aside and took the box from him. They had received their official photos long ago, but her colleague Jack, a photographer like Sofie, had made up his own album for them. He had declared it to be more quirky than traditional.

‘Let me. I’ve been dying to see them!’ she exclaimed as she tore at the wrapping paper, tossing it aside to lift the lid off the box. Peeling back tissue paper, she revealed a white leather-bound album.

Her photographer’s eye told her Jack had done a fantastic job, but then she forgot all about composition and started to relive the day as each page was turned. It had been perfect, with blue skies and sunshine. Everyone had been happy, but none happier than herself and Lucas. Like all the men, he had been in full morning dress and just looking at him now turned her heart over.

They hadn’t known each other very long—just a matter of a few short months—but they had known from the first that they were meant to be together. They had met whilst both were holidaying in Bali; however, there had only been time for a brief romance before she had to go home. What she hadn’t known then was that Lucas was determined to see her again and had secretly arranged for her to take the official photos of the new London headquarters of the Antonetti Corporation. Lucas’s father owned the company and Lucas was the managing director.

Not that she had been aware of that when she had gone there that first day. She had been so shocked to see him when she’d walked into the room that she had tripped on the corner of the carpet in his office and would have fallen to the floor had he not quickly gathered her into his arms. She had fallen in love at the same time. So deeply in love, she had known there was no cure. Especially when he’d swung her up into his arms with a grin that faded rapidly when he’d looked down at her.

‘I didn’t intend to say this now, but I can’t wait any longer. I love you,’ he had declared in a voice made thick by emotion.

‘I love you too,’ she had whispered back to him, so happy her heart had wings.

Then he had kissed her and, for Sofie, nothing had ever seemed so right. It wasn’t a passionate kiss as kisses went, but it had rocked the world so that nothing could ever be the same again. Nor, she’d decided, when she had come back down to earth, would she ever want it to be. It had been an indescribable feeling, and she had felt it every time she looked at him from that moment on.

A whirlwind romance had led to a huge wedding—way beyond anything she had dreamed of—but they had wanted everyone to be there to share their happiness. Champagne had flowed, hundreds of photos had been taken and they had danced long into the night. The next day they had flown off to the Seychelles for four perfect weeks, before returning to the real world just a few weeks ago.

The photographs brought it all back, like the one of her dancing with her father. She remembered him telling her how beautiful she was, and it brought tears to her eyes now, as it had then. It had been the most wonderful of days.

‘Ouch, there’s my aunt with that awful hat!’ Lucas declared with a wince and Sofie glanced over at the huge group picture he was looking at. It had been taken in the church grounds, which had, thankfully, been extensive. ‘I don’t remember inviting all these people, but we must have. Who’s this? He isn’t on my side, so he must be one of yours,’ he asked her a moment later, and Sofie frowned.

‘Where?’ She tried to see who he meant in a sea of faces.

‘Just there,’ he said, pointing to the figure of a man standing at the end of one of the back rows.

Sofie looked where he was pointing and, the instant she did so, an icy hand grabbed at her heart. No! she cried out in silent despair. Dear God, no! She recognised who it was and all the joy went out of her as an arctic chill pierced her soul. How could he have been there? How could she not have sensed it?

‘Don’t know him?’ Lucas prompted from beside her and she very nearly jumped because she had forgotten he was there, so caught up was she in the horror of the discovery.

Feeling the old shaking starting up inside her, Sofie gathered as much of her composure as she could in order to answer him and not make him aware that anything was wrong. ‘No. No, I don’t. He must be one of the boyfriends or husbands we never got to meet,’ she responded reasonably, and was glad she sounded almost normal. She didn’t feel it, though. The shaking was getting worse and she knew from experience that it would get the better of her soon. She didn’t want Lucas to see that. Didn’t want him to ask questions. She had enough of her own spinning around in her mind.

Glancing at the bedside clock, she gasped. ‘My goodness, look at the time! We’ll be late if we don’t get a move on!’ she added as she threw back the sheet. Scrambling from the bed, she snatched up the robe she had draped over a chair. ‘You have that early meeting with…thingummy. You know who I mean. You’d better use the bathroom. I’ll take a shower down the hall.’

She didn’t give him time to argue the toss, but collected together some clothes and hurried out the door. Safe inside the bathroom in a spare bedroom, she shot the lock, dropped her clothes on the floor and sank back against the door, the shaking now a visible. Sofie pressed a hand over her mouth, but a whimper escaped all the same, and she sank down to the floor, dropping her head on her knees and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

Why now? she wanted to know. It had been some years since she had last seen that man. So many years that she had believed herself free of him, but that photograph proved how wrong she had been. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she rocked backwards and forwards. It made her feel physically sick to know that he had been there at the church. Waiting. Watching. Then he had joined on the end of a group photo, just as if he belonged there, knowing that she would see it and realise he was still around.

Her stomach heaved then and she scrambled to the toilet just in time. Afterwards she wiped her face with tissue and sank back weakly against the tiled wall. The shaking had stopped, thankfully, and probably wouldn’t return now the first shock was over.

Her heart ached. She had dared to be happy. Had dared to look forward, not back. To what end? Nothing had changed. Gary Benson was still there. And to think she had once thought him sweet and kind!

She had been nineteen when they’d met, and they had been photography students at the same college. He had seemed normal enough, but before long she had discovered he wasn’t. He was an ill man who was fixated on her. She had ended their relationship after only a few dates because he had smothered her with feelings she didn’t share. He had been convinced she had to love him because he loved her, and so he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He would ring her at all times of the day or night, or turned up at her house and simply stood outside, waiting until she was compelled to come out to tell him to go away.

She had thought he had finally got the message when he’d stopped ringing her, but instead he had started following her. Of course her family had called the police and obtained a restraining order, but that hadn’t stopped him stalking her. Nothing had, because he’d vanished before he could be caught, only to turn up on another day in another place.

Life had been a nightmare for almost two years, and then it had stopped. She had never known why. Over time she had come to believe that he had given up on her and transferred his ‘affections’ to some other poor woman. She was just grateful that her life had returned to normal.

Except normal wasn’t the normal it had once been. The experience had shredded her confidence. She could no longer trust any man, for fear that they would turn into another Gary Benson. She had become reserved and cautious, preferring to concentrate on her work, and it had been a very long time before she had been able to stop looking over her shoulder to check if ‘he’ was there.

Time had been the healer, and the appearance of Lucas in her life. With him she had finally dared to trust again. So much so that she had forgotten about Gary Benson completely—until that photograph had turned up. She knew now that whatever had kept him from her had been temporary. He hadn’t forgotten her. He still thought of her as his.

The presumption angered her as never before. How dared he think he could do this to her again? She wouldn’t allow it! She would tell the police. Even if they had been unable to stop him before, that didn’t mean they would fail her this time. Yet Gary Benson had done nothing except appear in a photograph where he shouldn’t have been. That could hardly be described as stalking.

What should she do? Instinct said she ought to tell Lucas, but he had so much on his mind at the moment, with the planned takeover of another company, that she didn’t want to bother him. She could wait a few days. Just knowing Lucas was here gave her the confidence to do that. He was the exact opposite of Gary Benson—upright, honourable. He had never given her a moment’s doubt, and she was slowly but surely coming to believe he never would.

Yes, that was what she would do. Nevertheless, it sent chills through her to know that Benson must be around, watching her. She knew he was probably biding his time. The photograph was a reminder. He would crawl out of the woodwork when he was ready, and come knocking on her door. However, this time she wasn’t the defenceless young woman of before. She had a strong man to protect her now.

As she thought it, Lucas knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Hey! Have you fallen asleep in there?’

Having jumped a mile, Sofie shot to her feet, hand pressed to her heart. ‘I’m almost ready,’ she lied, stripping off her robe and stepping into the shower. ‘Put some toast on for me.’ She didn’t think she could force even a bite down, but she knew she had to behave as if everything was normal. Just for a little while, until the pressure was off Lucas.

After she had washed and dressed in record time, Sofie went down to the kitchen, where Lucas was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Her heart turned over, for he was so very precious to her.

Lucas looked up, frowning a little when he saw her standing watching him. ‘What’s up, caro?’

Smiling to hide her worries, she shook her head. ‘Nothing. I was just thinking how much I love you,’ she told him, and he immediately held out his hand invitingly.

‘Come over here and tell me that.’

She went, allowing him to pull her down on to his lap. Combing her hand through his hair, she looked deeply into his eyes. ‘I love you, Lucas. Nothing will ever stop me loving you.’

He smiled. ‘I’m glad you feel that way, because it’s how I feel, too. I couldn’t imagine life without you now. I’d show you, if I didn’t have that meeting in an hour.’

How Sofie wished they could simply go back to bed and shut out the world, but they couldn’t. So she cocked her head flirtatiously and smiled back. ‘Well, you can give me a little something on account, couldn’t you?’

Laughing, he moved so that she was lying back with only his arm to support her. ‘Oh, yes, I could most certainly do that,’ he growled sexily and kissed her.

It was the kind of kiss that raised their temperatures to boiling point and took their breath away at the same time. When Lucas raised his head again, they were both left wanting more.

‘Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Remember where we were and we’ll take it from there later,’ he told her in a gruff voice, and Sofie hopped off his lap with a groan.

‘It’s going to be a long day.’

He grinned wolfishly and stood up. ‘Yes, but keep your thoughts on the night,’ he advised as he took his jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it on. ‘I have to go, caro. Think of me toiling away at the mill whilst you’re having fun snapping photos.’

She would. She always did. He was never far from her thoughts.

Sofie walked him to the door of their Hampstead home and waved him off in his car as she did most mornings. However, as she turned away to close the door, a movement across the road caught her eye and she looked back. Immediately her blood ran cold when she recognised the man standing in the shade of a tree. As she stood, transfixed, he started to walk across the road towards her. Though he was the very last person she wanted to talk to, she had to face him. Had to know why he had come back. Descending the steps, she walked to the gate and waited, arms folded defensively.

Gary Benson stopped on the other side. He was a nondescript man, who was already running to seed. ‘Hello, Sofie,’ he greeted her as if only days had passed, not years, and she looked at him coldly.

‘What do you want, Gary?’ she asked abruptly, but her coldness, as ever, went unheeded.

‘You. Only you.’

She knew from before that anger got her nowhere, so she strove to remain calm. ‘You can’t have me. I’m spoken for, remember.’ The broad hint made him laugh delightedly.

‘You saw me in the photo. I hoped you would. You looked lovely in white.’

Sofie drew in an angry breath. ‘You had no right to be there. It was a private wedding.’

Gary did as he always did and ignored what he didn’t want to hear. ‘How could you marry him? You belong to me! You love me!’

She shook her head, heart quailing as she heard the same old words. ‘No, I don’t. I love my husband, not you.’

‘You think you do, but once he’s gone you’ll realise you made a mistake. Things will be better then. You’ll see,’ he informed her complacently.

To Sofie he was making no sense at all. ‘He’s not going anywhere. You’re the one who’s going to go away. Go away and stay away,’ she commanded him, in as firm a voice as she could muster. Gary merely smiled.

‘You know you don’t mean that, Sofie.’

There was no getting through to him, and that made her want to scream with frustration. ‘I do mean it and, if you don’t stop bothering me, I shall call the police.’

He grinned, with the supreme confidence of the sick mind. ‘They’re useless. Besides, I haven’t done anything. You know I’d never hurt you. I adore you. I just want us to be together.’

She laughed in his face. ‘You can’t be serious!’ she derided and for perhaps the first time she really saw him angry.

‘Don’t laugh at me, Sofie. I don’t like people laughing at me!’ he berated her, then turned and stomped away, anger in every step.

Sofie watched him go down the road and around the corner. Her mind was seething. Somehow she had got through his thick skin and hurt him. Maybe that would be enough to make him stay away. A seed of hope started to germinate inside her. Maybe this time she had actually won. Smiling to herself, she ran up the steps and into the house, feeling more hopeful than she had been an hour ago.

That evening Sofie prepared one of Lucas’s favourite meals, as this was to be their last evening together for at least a week. He had to go away on business and she wanted to make tonight special. Whilst the dinner was cooking in the oven, she slipped upstairs to take a long, relaxing bath, leaving her skin soft and delicately scented. Then she changed into cream lounging trousers and a silky vest top. Glancing at her wrist-watch, she saw time was getting on and, humming to herself, she skipped down the stairs and went into the lounge to mix a pair of fancy cocktails.

Lucas arrived home some fifteen minutes later and, as soon as she heard his key in the door, her body began to tingle with anticipation. Picking up a glass in each hand, she walked out into the hall to greet him.

‘Hi,’ she said huskily and, setting the glasses down on the hall table, slipped into his arms before he had even set his briefcase down. Arms around his neck, she hugged him tightly, taking in the scent and feel of him so that she could remember this moment during the long days he would be away.

‘Hi yourself,’ Lucas replied with a laugh, dropping his briefcase and enfolding her in his strong arms. ‘What brought this on?’

Sofie let her head fall back so that she could see him and laughed softly. ‘I missed you, that’s all,’ she told him, pressing her lips to his neck and jaw in a series of tantalisingly brief kisses.

‘I missed you, too, caro,’ he told her, and moved his head just enough to capture her lips with his own.

There was no way Sofie could hold back when she knew they were about to be parted for the first time since they had married. She kissed him with all the depth of love she felt for him, igniting the passion that was never far from the surface. If Lucas was surprised, it didn’t last long. Soon he was swept away, returning her kisses with the equally powerful love he felt for her.

When they drew back a short while later, neither had any interest in eating.

‘I don’t know about you, but I have no appetite for food right now,’ Lucas growled sexily, and Sofie stroked her finger across his lips.

‘I thought you’d be hungry. I have a casserole in the oven,’ she teased, sending him a sultry look from beneath her lashes.

He grinned, but there was no mistaking the heat of passion in his eyes. ‘I am hungry…for you. Let’s go to bed,’ he suggested and, taking her agreement for granted, swept her up in his arms.

‘Let me turn the oven down. We can eat later,’ she countered quickly, and he carried her through to the kitchen so she could turn down the heat, then back out and upstairs to their bedroom.

Once there, clothing was tossed aside carelessly in their eagerness. Desire mounted swiftly as, naked, they tumbled on to the bed and reached for each other. Knowing that tonight was going to have to last her until he got back gave a greater depth of passion to Sofie’s every kiss and caress. She wanted to show him without words just how very much she loved him, and the result was scintillating. All their senses were heightened, so that the room echoed to their mingled gasps and sighs of pleasure.

Nothing else existed in the whole world other than the two of them as they rolled over, limbs tangling, glistening bodies gliding against each other. Hot breath mingled as increasingly erotic kisses were exchanged, driving their senses wild and tightening the coils of desire inside them. The conflagration was burning too hot and bright to last long. Driven by a powerful need, their bodies came together, fitting perfectly, moving as one towards the desired moment of release. It came in a white-hot explosion that made them both cry out as they hurtled into that realm of space known only to lovers.

Aeons later, their hearts began to slow their frantic beating and reality returned once more. Sofie turned into Lucas’s arms, holding him close. This week was going to feel like for ever.

Suddenly heartsick, she snuggled up to him and closed her eyes. ‘I wish you didn’t have to go away,’ she sighed, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

‘I’d rather stay here, too, but it’s only a week. It will go in a flash. We’ll have a whole lifetime together after that.’

His words comforted her like nothing else. ‘Hmm, a whole lifetime…sounds good,’ she murmured, yawning. A week was nothing. She was just being silly.

She hadn’t intended to sleep, but their lovemaking and her busy day got the better of her. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep. A moment later, Lucas joined her.

For the next couple of days Sofie kept herself busy with work. The photographer she worked for was fully booked and consequently gave her plenty to do. She missed Lucas terribly and couldn’t wait for his nightly telephone calls. The sound of his voice made her feel less lonely, even if it couldn’t fill the gap in their bed at night.

When Wednesday came along, she cheered herself up by telling herself it was only a couple of days until Lucas returned home—a feeling that vanished when he rang that evening.

‘Sorry, caro, but I’m going to have to stay a few days longer. Things aren’t quite going to plan,’ he told her, and her heart sank to her boots.

‘Oh, Lucas, no!’ she exclaimed, emotional tears welling behind her eyes.

‘I know, I know,’ he soothed. ‘It can’t be helped. I’ve worked too hard on this to let it fall apart now. You understand, don’t you?’

Of course she did, but it didn’t make her feel any better. ‘Yes, I understand,’ she replied glumly, then winced as a feminine squeal echoed down the line, followed by the distinct sound of giggling. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked sharply, sitting up, frowning.

‘Oh, that’s just some guys fooling around. We’re taking a break and I’m by the pool. Look, amore, I don’t have much time. Just remember I love you and I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can. OK?’

‘OK, Lucas. Love you,’ she responded, trying to sound cheerful, but her heart was heavy when she set the receiver back down. A few more days sounded like a jail sentence. Not that there was anything she could do about it. She just had to get through it.

She slept badly that night and was consequently late getting up. Because she had a photo session at a client’s house, she picked up the mail as she was leaving the house and stuffed it in her bag. She only discovered it later in the day, when she bought a sandwich for lunch and took it to a nearby park to eat it in peace.

Examining the small collection of envelopes, she recognised the usual bills and junk mail, but there was a large brown envelope at the bottom which had nothing but her name and address typed on it. Curious, she tore it open and reached inside for the contents. They were face down, but it was clear from the markings that what she held were photographs. Wondering who could be sending them to her, and thinking it might be more wedding photos a relative had decided to pass on, she turned them over.

A Post-it note was stuck to the front, with a brief message:

Do you know what your husband gets up to while he’s away? Take a look at these.

Her stomach fell away, leaving her feeling as if she were poised at the edge of a precipice. Trembling fingers pulled the note away, revealing the top photograph, and she gasped as shock hit her like a sledgehammer. There was Lucas, with his arms around a woman she had never seen before. They were laughing and gazing into each other’s eyes as if…

‘No!’ The cry left her lips though Sofie was unaware of saying anything. She flipped the photo up, revealing the next, and her heart cried out in pain, for this time they were kissing.

Shaking her head as if to deny what she was seeing, Sofie looked at each in turn, and in every one it was the same woman, even if the background was different. Anyone could see that the couple were obviously in the midst of a passionate affair. She closed her eyes, trying not to see them, but her brain just replayed each one over and over.

Feeling sick, she forced herself to keep calm. It couldn’t be true. Lucas couldn’t be having an affair! Yet she had the evidence in her hands. But where had they come from? Who had sent them? She searched the envelope, but there was nothing inside, only the stark note. Someone had wanted her to know the truth, but wished to remain anonymous.

It left a nasty taste in her mouth. That person need not be a friend, which gave Sofie a moment’s pause. Despite what she saw, was it true? Could there be some other plausible explanation? That fragile framework of trust she had built since meeting Lucas made her want to believe there was an answer, and the only way to know was to ask him.

Lucas wouldn’t lie to her. She trusted him, and trust was everything. Reaching into her bag for her mobile phone, she flipped it open and groaned when she realised she had forgotten to charge it. There had to be a phone box nearby, so she shoved everything piecemeal into her bag and hurried off to find one. When she did, it was occupied, and she had to wait a nerve-racking ten minutes before she could step inside and close the door.

She didn’t care that it would be the middle of the night where Lucas was, but dialled the number of the hotel he was staying at. There was a long wait whilst the call was put through to his room, but finally it was answered. She was taking in a deep breath when a voice spoke.

‘Hello? This had better be important.’ A distinctly feminine disgruntled voice echoed in Sofie’s ear.

Her heart stopped, and she frowned. ‘Sorry. They were supposed to be putting me through to Lucas Antonetti’s room. There must have been a mistake,’ she began to apologise.

‘There’s no mistake, honey. This is Lucas’s room. Just you hold on and I’ll get him for you.’ Stunned, Sofie could only listen to the noises at the other end of the line. ‘Hey, Lucas, you gorgeous hunk of man. Get out of bed. There’s a phone call for you!’

Sofie gasped in disbelief as her whole world began to shatter around her. She didn’t need to wait to hear more, but slammed down the receiver and tumbled out of the phone box in a state of near devastation. The only thoughts going around her mind were that the photos hadn’t lied. It was all true. All most horribly true!

Looking around her, everything felt alien and she just wanted to get away. Go home and wait for the pain to go away. She flagged down a passing taxi and sank into the seat, dropping her head in her hands. How could Lucas do this to her? She had trusted him! It had taken every ounce of courage she had possessed to trust him and put her faith in their future together, and now it was gone. Shattered into a million irretrievable pieces.

Dear God, it was Gary Benson all over again. He had turned her life into a nightmare, and now Lucas had betrayed her. She couldn’t take it again. She just couldn’t take it!

That same thought was in her mind when she got home. Only it didn’t feel like home any more. It was a place of deception and treachery and she couldn’t spend another night in it. As she looked round the lounge she had spent so many happy hours in, she knew that she was going to leave Lucas. However much she loved him, the trust was gone. If she stayed, she would never trust a thing he said or did, and that would destroy her, so she had to go.

Not just go, but vanish completely, so that she would never see him again. It was the only way, for her love for him might undermine her resolve if she saw him. It might tempt her to stay and try to live with the doubts. No, she must go and never look back. The prospect almost made her break down, but she knew she had to be strong. Later she could fall apart. When it was done. When it was all over.