And that kiss.
He touched his mouth. He could still feel it. The trembling touch of her lips, the way she’d desperately tried to resist before succumbing in his embrace.…
He took a deep breath, savoring the anticipation. He hadn’t been so excited by the prospect of any seduction in a long time.
Perhaps he should have pressed her for more kisses, instead of immediately ordering a car to take them to the airport.
No. He stroked his chin. It was still too soon.
In seduction, as in business, timing was everything.
But he wanted her. And so he’d have her. Why not? Why not add one more layer of pleasure to the whole endeavor? After all, he’d never been married before, and he likely never would be again.
They’d been married with just minutes to spare.
The fact that she didn’t trust him only proved her intelligence. He’d deliberately had to distract her before she looked too closely at the prenuptial agreement.
But he’d make sure she lived in luxury and comfort for the rest of her life. Thirty million dollars was nothing. After their divorce, she would receive hundreds more. Too generous of him, perhaps. But he wanted the debt paid in full.
After everything he’d read in the private investigator’s report, the neglect Lucia had endured in foster care, the terrible, desperate poverty she’d experienced over the last year, he wanted to make sure he never had to think about it again.
And after their divorce, he would finally be free.
She’d lose her stake in Ferrazzi SpA—but what did she, or any woman, care about running a company? She would be happy buying jewels and clothes and toys for her daughter, entertaining friends at gorgeous parties, buying homes across the world. Whatever she desired. If she wanted a real husband, he’d even find her one.
She would be happy. He’d see to it.
And then he could comfortably forget her, and be able to enjoy his life again. It had been too long since he’d truly enjoyed anything…
The baby suddenly hiccuped. She was sleeping across her mother’s chest, her plump arms flung carelessly over Lucia’s shoulders. Such a sweet child. Wentworth really was a fool, Maximo thought. To desert his pregnant lover, and then deny his own daughter…
His jaw hardened. The man deserved what he was about to get. If Lucia had been pregnant with Maximo’s child, he would have treated them both like gold.
But that was a ridiculous thought. Giuseppe Ferrazzi would soon be dead. Maximo would write Lucia an enormous check, bid her farewell and go back to his carefree bachelor life.
The world was full of beautiful women. He would never tie himself down to just one. Particularly not to an unstylish twenty-one-year-old with a smart mouth. He preferred his lovers to be more seasoned. More sophisticated. He preferred gorgeous, experienced women who understood the game for what it was.
His attraction for Lucia would not last. He would soon grow tired of her, as he did of every other woman.
Although at the moment, that was hard to imagine.
As if she felt his steady gaze, her eyes fluttered open. For several seconds, she stared at him as if trying to wake up from a dream. Then, careful not to wake the baby sleeping in her arms, she sat up. Rubbing the back of her neck, she gave him a tremulous smile. “How long was I asleep?”
“We’ll be landing in a few minutes.”
“I slept the whole Atlantic away.” She looked down at her sleeping baby. “And so did she. I can hardly believe it, after the way she cried during takeoff. Our first time on a plane,” she explained.
No, it’s not, he thought. But he said only, “Did you enjoy your flight?”
She looked around the plane, with its luxurious white leather couches, then gave a soft laugh. “It’s amazing. Although I can’t help but wonder—” she eyed the pristine, snow-white carpet “—who keeps that clean. I have a hard time picturing you with a shampooer.”
He returned her grin. “You’re right. I have people for that.” As if on cue, one of his assistants emerged from the back cabin with a large garment bag. “Lucia, this is Paola Andretti. She’s my personal assistant and fashion liaison. She is going to help you.”
His short-haired, ultrathin assistant, cutting-edge fashionable as always, smiled down at Lucia pleasantly.
“Help me with what?” Lucia said uneasily.
“Your clothes,” he said.