Baby for the Billionaire - By Maxine Sullivan Page 0,77
anyone.”
“I’m not.”
“Then it’s a moral objection.”
She gazed at him helplessly. “You don’t understand.”
He cupped her face, drew her upward so their mouths met, colliding in soft passion, igniting sparks he didn’t dare allow to catch fire. “Then explain it to me so I will.”
It took her a moment to gather her wits enough to reply. “I adore Isabella, you know that. I’d do anything to ensure her recovery. But it would be wrong for me to agree to this, wrong on so many levels.”
“It would be temporary, Annalise. Once CPS signs off, you’re free to leave whenever you want. I’ll make sure you’re provided for.”
“You mean money,” she said bluntly. “You mean, you’ll pay me to be your wife.”
He’d never been accused of being a charming man, so he didn’t bother trying to act the part. “I believe it’s called alimony. But if you’d prefer to consider it wages—just like you’re paid wages as Isabella’s nanny—that’s fine with me.”
Her chin quivered. “Well, it’s not fine with me.”
“Because of the money or because you think it’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice broke and she covered her face with her hands. “I just don’t know.”
“Listen to me. I’m not paying you for sex. If you choose to share my bed, it’s because we’re attracted to each other physically. Consider this an old-fashioned, arranged marriage. I’m a man with a child in need of a wife and mother. You’re a woman who has career goals which can more easily be met as a result of our marriage.”
She bowed her head and he waited for endless moments while she weighed her options. Finally, she spoke, her voice whisper-soft. “My father once told me that being a single parent was the most difficult job he’d ever attempted. He never felt he’d done a proper job. The guilt ate him alive.”
Jack forced himself to use her admission, hating himself even as he said the words. “I won’t have that guilt or those concerns, if you marry me.”
Her hands dropped to her sides and he could see tears welling into her eyes. “How long?” she whispered.
“Figure a couple of years, tops.”
Pain ripped through her gaze again. “And then you expect me to simply walk away?”
“You were going to walk away regardless, remember?” he reminded her softly. “You agreed to a two-year contract while you pursued your master’s, and then you were going to teach.”
Her gaze strayed in the direction of Isabella’s room and a hint of panic deepened the intense color of her irises, turning them to amber. “This job is just temporary.” She said it almost as though reminding herself of that fact. “I know that.”
“All I’m suggesting is that you spend those two years as my wife instead of Isabella’s nanny.”
For once her self-control deserted her, leaving her open and defenseless. “It won’t be easy for her when I leave. We’ll have grown attached.”
“I won’t cut you off. I lived that existence, remember? I wouldn’t do that to my niece any more than I’d do that to you. We’ll make the transition as slowly and gently as possible. I won’t prevent Isabella from seeing you whenever she wants.”
To his concern, her tears escaped, streaking down her cheeks. “I wasn’t supposed to become attached.”
“We’ll work it out. You have my word. But all this will be moot if CPS takes Isabella from me.”
For some reason, reminding her of that fact got through as nothing else had. She bowed her head and scrubbed the heels of her palms across her cheeks. “She belongs with you,” Annalise whispered. “She needs you. I want to do whatever I can to cement your relationship with her. That was the whole point in taking this job.”
“Then marry me. I swear you won’t regret it.”
“Yes, I will.” She looked at him. “I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life. But I don’t think I have any choice.”
The first time he’d seen her, he’d thought her eyes overflowed with ancient wisdom and intense vulnerability. Tonight they also reflected a gut-wrenching devastation. She’d suffered in the past, he sensed, even more than he had. He found he wanted to know her, to dig down through all that pain and uncover her most deeply guarded secrets. As though sensing the direction of his thoughts, shutters snapped closed over her expression and she took a step backward.
“Very well, Jack. I accept your proposal,” she said. “I’ll marry you and do whatever I can to convince CPS to give you full custody of your niece.”