But he would always win.
Losing was not an option for him.
‘Like you, I want more.’
Her eyes suddenly flared. ‘How much more?’
He gave her a smouldering look. ‘I think you know how much more.’
She tried to disguise a swallow. ‘You’re joking.’
‘It’s a big house,’ he said. ‘I put a lot at risk to acquire it. I’m not going to relinquish it unless I think it’s well and truly worth it.’
She gave him a gimlet glare. ‘I think I should’ve faced the gallows or the firing squad or a public flogging back in that godforsaken place we just left. It would’ve been preferable to this...this outrageous proposition of yours.’
Remy laid his arm along the back of her seat, his fingers close enough to touch the nape of her neck. ‘What’s so outrageous about making love with someone you’ve desired for years?’
‘I don’t desire you. I’ve never desired you.’ Her eyes flashed pure venom at him. ‘I detest you.’
He caught a coil of her hair and tethered her to him. He watched as her grey-blue eyes flared and her tongue swept over her lips again. ‘I could make you eat those words, ma belle.’
Her mouth was pinched tight. ‘You can’t make me eat anything.’
There was something incredibly arousing about her defiant stance. She pulled against his push. She had always stood up to him. Challenged him. Annoyed him. Goaded him. ‘I’ll have you eating out of my hand soon enough.’ He gave her a confident smile. ‘You won’t be able to resist.’
She grabbed her hair and tugged it out of his hold even though it must have hurt. ‘I hate you for this.’
He gave a negligent shrug. ‘So what’s new?’
Her eyes narrowed to slits. ‘I mean I’ll really hate you.’
‘So.’ He curled his lip mockingly. ‘You’ve only been pretending up until now?’
‘I can’t believe you’re being so ruthless about this.’ She continued to glare at him. ‘You don’t want me at all. You just want to win the upper hand.’
He caught her hand and brought it to his groin, holding it against his throbbing heat. ‘Oh, I want you all right, princess,’ he drawled. ‘Make no mistake about that. And what I want, I get. Every. Single. Time.’
She snatched her hand back and glowered at him. ‘Then you’ve met your match, Remy Caffarelli, because I bend my will to no man. If you want to sleep with me, then you’ll have to tie me to the bed first.’
Remy smiled a sinful smile. ‘I can hardly wait.’
Angelique seethed as she waited for him to come round to open her door when they arrived at his hotel. The press must have been given a tip-off as they surged towards him, but he just gave them one of his butter-wouldn’t-melt smiles.
‘Mr Caffarelli, the news of your marriage to Angelique Marchand has surprised everyone. Have you any comment to make on your whirlwin
d relationship?’
‘No comment other than to say I haven’t even told my family about it yet.’ Remy grinned at the television camera. ‘Rafe, Raoul, if you’re watching this—sorry I didn’t tell you guys first. You too, Nonno. Bet you didn’t see that coming. But I wanted to surprise you all. Who would have thought it? Me, head over heels in love.’
Angelique mentally rolled her eyes as Remy helped her out of the car. ‘Do you have to be so...?’
‘Smile for the cameras, ma chérie,’ he said as he took her by the hand in a firm, almost crushing grip.
‘But I—’
‘Miss Marchand.’ A journalist thrust a recording device at her. ‘Your marriage to Remy Caffarelli is the biggest scoop our network has had in decades. There are photos going viral with you in that gorgeous, ancient wedding dress. Can you tell us about your secret wedding?’
‘It was very romantic,’ Remy said before Angelique could answer. ‘Very traditional too, wasn’t it, mon amour?’