A Debt Paid in Passion

“Dad’s tastes are pretty simple,” she said blankly, startled by his casual affection. He’d been so solicitous these last few days, a hand often finding its way to the middle of her back or resting at her waist, but she still wasn’t used to it.

“Whatever you think is best. I’ll be at Armani, having my tux fitted. Because I need another one.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll come back for Lucy when I’m done.”

They seated Ali in an overstuffed armchair and offered her champagne. Sirena leaned down to give her Lucy so she could have her fitting and Ali whispered, “It’s like we’re living Pretty Woman. You’re going to marry him, right?”

“Sweetie, I keep telling you, it’s not like that. We just had a moment that got us into a situation and we’re trying to make the best of it.” She didn’t know how else to explain her circumstances without revealing details that were far from romantic.

Back when she’d been pregnant and under suspicion, she’d kept the arrest from her family. It hadn’t been her father’s fault, but he would have felt responsible. She certainly didn’t want her sister feeling guilty about pursuing her teaching dream.

Now, well, she didn’t want to tell Ali everything for fear she’d think badly of Raoul. The things Raoul had shared with her were deeply personal and without being able to balance his actions against his motives, he would look like a cold, unforgiving monster. Which was miles from the truth.

Sighing a little, she had to admit he was actually what she’d always admired him for being: a strong, ambitious man with a deep streak of responsibility and loyalty to his family. He was gallant after growing up around women, innately desiring to protect and provide for his own. Even if he had been toothless, dirt-poor and overweight, he’d still open doors and show incredible patience for women who couldn’t decide which shoes or lipstick to wear. He’d still walk a baby all night and start the coffee for her mother.

And she’d still love him.

“Oh, Sin, you’re gorgeous,” Ali murmured as Sirena walked back to her.

With a pinch in her heart, she studied the emerald gown and thought about how she was the complete opposite of Raoul. She could dress up in world-class finery, have her teeth whitened, love their baby and he’d still only see her as a thief.

CHAPTER TEN

RAOUL WENT IN search of Sirena, hearing Ali saying with exasperation, “She’ll be fine. We both will. I swear.”

“But call if you need to. Or text. You have Raoul’s number if I don’t hear mine?”

Suppressing a grin, he stepped into the doorway of the room operating as their nursery. Vaguely aware of Ali efficiently changing his daughter’s nappy, he caught an eyeful of Sin and felt as though his breath had been punched out of him.

She had her back to him, but he was transfixed. He took in the curls pulled away from one ear to cascade like a waterfall over her opposite shoulder. Her off-the-shoulder gown in gypsy-green dipped to reveal one shoulder blade. A cutout on the other side offered a peek of her waist and spine. The skirt draped gracefully over her rounded hips to puddle sumptuously behind her. Distantly, he realized he wasn’t getting any air, and that she hadn’t even turned around, but she’d stolen his breath.

“Your date is here. Quite a dish, too,” Ali said, cocking her chin in his direction.

He barely noticed the girl as the woman turned. Her plump bottom lip was caught in her teeth while her mossy eyes were pools of uncertainty. Always beautiful, Sirena didn’t need makeup and the stylist had known it, only enhancing her stunning bone structure and opulent lashes with a streak of frosted jade and shimmering gold.

A wink of emeralds dangled from her ears and encircled her wrist. They were loaners, but he decided to buy them. They matched her eyes too perfectly to allow them to go to any other woman.

“I’m sorry,” she said faintly. “Have you, um, been waiting for me?”

All my life.

“Get her out of here,” Ali said with a nudge into Sirena’s back. “She’s being a nervous Nellie even though I keep telling her I babysat all of Sydney until I finally got a proper job at the real estate office.”

Raoul held out his arm, not trusting his voice to tell her how beautiful she looked, then winced as she got there first, saying, “You look nice.”

Her light touch curled into the curve of his elbow and a subtle mix of aromas filled his senses with floral and berry notes underscored with tangy citrus and a mysterious anise.

He waited until they were in the elevator, where he let the doors close without choosing a floor, before he gave in to temptation and reached to adjust the drape of her gown, revealing her leg and a shoe with a dominatrix heel.

“What are you doing?” She started to step her foot back inside the skirt, but he set a hand on the bared skin of her waist.

“Don’t move, Sin.”

She gasped, cocking her hip to escape his touch as though it burned, but the flush of color that flooded under her skin and the spark that invaded her glistening eyes told him it was a more erotic reaction.

“You look amazing,” he murmured as he removed his phone from his breast pocket.

Her eyes widened in surprise and her wicked mouth twitched before she screened her thoughts behind a tangled line of mink. “Really?” She settled into a pose with the confidence of a woman who knew she looked her best and was having fun with it. Her shoulders went back, her breasts came up, her hips slanted and her feet parted just far enough to be provocative. “Men are so predictable.”

She tossed her hair and offered a screen-legend smile.

“It’s true,” he agreed, snapping the photo. “We’re simple creatures. Now take it off.”

She laughed and hit the button for the lobby. “I’m keeping it on at least as long as it took me to get into it. Let me see.” Her cool fingers grazed his in a soft caress as she urged him to slant the screen of his phone.

As he studied the photo with her, he saw what he hadn’t meant to reveal. He’d liked the way the mirror showed the back of the gown and had angled the frame to catch it, but he hadn’t noticed his own expression was caught in the reflection. Lust tightened his face. He wasn’t ashamed of it, but his expression held something else.

He tucked the phone away, not wanting to examine the naked emotion on his face.

Discomfited, Sirena told herself she ought to be used to Raoul’s mercurial moods, switching from warm familiarity to all business in the space of a heartbeat. With a pang near her heart, she tried to calm her racing pulse and quit building this into something it wasn’t. But Ali’s romantic nature was contagious. He’s going to propose. Why else does a man go to all this trouble?

Ali didn’t realize this level of luxury wasn’t trouble for Raoul. It was completely normal and he probably took photos of all his dates, inserting them into his iLittleBlackBook so he could keep track of who was who.

The biting thought was wiped clear by another and she cringed inwardly. She really was the most misguidedly devoted ex-PA if she had to bite back remarking to him, You know what might be a cool idea for an app?

She was trying so hard to ground out her electric excitement she didn’t realize the elevator doors had opened onto the opulent lobby.

“What’s wrong?” he prompted.

Idiot. Trying to make light of her distraction, she quoted Julia Roberts under her breath. “If I forget to tell you later, I had a nice time tonight.”

He didn’t get it. In his typically classy fashion, he said very sincerely, “So did I.”

Oh.

Her bones went soft as she took the hand he offered and let him lead her to the limo. It was like sitting down to an IMAX film where scenery rushing by became more intense and colorful, pulling her into a surreal world she had seen from a distance before, but that now drew her in three dimensionally.

Bulbs went off as they walked the red carpet. Action stars were everywhere and this wasn’t even a big awards show. Just Hollywood indulging itself, Raoul had said. Still she could hardly keep her jaw from dropping.

The show was a pageantry of talent, one woman’s singing almost bringing Sirena to tears. During a break, Raoul said, “You’re really enjoying this.”

“How could I not? I don’t have any natural talents of my own, so I’m in complete awe of those that do.”

“You’re an excellent mother, Sirena.”

“Oh, please,” she deflected, uncomfortable with flattery. “Having a baby nearly killed me and I’m bumbling my way through colic and feeding. I’m hardly gifted.”

“Don’t joke about that,” he said with gravity. “Ever.”

Like all criticisms, deserved or not, she took his remark to heart and hid her abraded soul by sitting straight, chin level. His category was called next anyway, putting an end to the short conversation.

He won, of course, which was well deserved. As he rose, he clasped her hand and tried to bring her up with him.

“No!” she said, horrified. Her emotions were right there under the surface, barely contained. She wasn’t standing under massive lights when she was this close to tears.

Setting his mouth into a displeased line, he went to the podium and waited for the applause to die down.