The Sicilian's Bought Cinderella

Not a man like Dante. Not this man, who was sexier and more handsome than should be legal.

She could practically smell the testosterone and pheromones wafting from him. They soaked into her pores in the same way his amazing deep voice did, sensitising her skin and settling deep inside her in a way that was, quite frankly, terrifying.

But a million euros...?

‘I ended it with Lola a month ago.’ He leaned forward, a sudden, unexpected gleam appearing in his eyes.

Her heart thumped, the beat ricocheting through her like a tsunami.

It took a huge amount of effort to keep her voice steady. ‘But you must have a heap of women you could take and not have to pay them for it.’

‘None of them are suitable.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘I need to make an impression on someone and having you on my arm will assist in that.’

‘A million dollars for one afternoon...?’

‘I never said it would be for an afternoon. The celebrations will take place over the coming weekend.’

She tugged at her ponytail. ‘Weekend?’

‘Aislin, the groom is one of Sicily’s richest men. It is a necessity that his wedding be the biggest and flashiest it can be.’

She almost laughed at the deadpan way he explained it.

She didn’t need to ask who the richest man in Sicily was.

‘If I’m going to accept your offer, what else do I need to know?’

‘Nothing... Apart from that I will be introducing you as my fiancée.’

‘What?’ Aislin winced at the squeakiness of her tone.

‘I require you to play the role of my fiancée.’ His grin was wide with just a touch of ruefulness. The deadened, shocked look that had rung from his eyes only a few minutes before had gone. Now they sparkled with life and the effect was almost hypnotising.

She blinked the effect away.

‘Why do you need a fiancée?’

‘Because the father of the bride thinks going into business with me will damage his reputation.’

‘How?’

‘I will go through the reasons once I have your agreement on the matter. I appreciate it is a lot to take in so I’m going to leave you to sleep on it. You can give me your answer in the morning. If you’re in agreement then I shall take you home with me and give you more details. We will have a few days to get to know each other and work on putting on a convincing act.’

‘And if I say no?’

He shrugged. ‘If you say no, then no million euros.’

‘What about the hundred thousand you said you would give Orla?’

‘That is a separate matter and dependent on the DNA test. Your decision will not affect that.’

‘Do you promise?’ She knew it was a childish way of asking but she didn’t care. A hundred thousand euros was too great a sum to play games with.

But a million euros... That was a figure she could scarcely comprehend. That was life-changing.