Billionaire's Island Bride (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (14 page)

“Good morning,
ladies.”  He walked over to Erin and leaned down to give her a peck on the
cheek.  He smelled of an ocean-breeze aftershave lotion.  “How are you today?” 
He gave her a loving look.

Erin almost
laughed.  She’d had no idea he was such a good actor.  “Just fine, honey,” she
said, her voice sugary-sweet.  Two could play that game.  She smiled and looked
across at Robyn whose face sported a bright and very false smile.  “Dare, I
would like you to meet my friend, Robyn.”

Dare gave a
chivalrous bow and took Robyn’s proffered hand.  He bent his head and kissed
the back of it and she gave a girlish giggle.

Erin almost rolled
her eyes.  Please.

Dare released her
hand then gave her an apologetic look.  “You’ve been here two days and I’m just
getting the chance to meet you.  My apologies.  My work has kept me very busy
these last few days.”

“Oh, not at all,” Robyn
said with a wave of her hand.  “I know how it is.  You have to make the money,
right?”  She gave a tinkly laugh.  “But I hope you’ll be here for dinner this
evening.  After all, you can’t work all the time.”  She cocked her head in her
classic Robyn pose, the one where she added a slightly pouty mouth that men
thought was cute.

Dare gave a slight
nod.  “I’ll do my best to fulfill my duties as your host.” 

That got a smile
of celebration from Robyn.  “I look forward to getting know you.”  The way she
said the words, so low and seductive, left no room for doubt as to her meaning.

Erin felt a slow
heat rising from her belly but Dare seemed to take things in stride.

“I’m sorry I won’t
be able to join you for breakfast.”  He was reaching for an apple as he spoke. 
“I’ll just munch this on the way.  Enjoy your day.”  With that he was gone,
leaving the women alone in the room.

“What was that all
about?”  Erin hissed.

“What?”  Robyn’s
face was all innocence.

“You know what. 
You were flirting with Dare.  He’s supposed to be my husband, remember?”

“Supposed to be?” 
Robyn lifted an eyebrow.  “Sounds to me like you’re not sure.  Maybe you’re in
over your head?”

Erin frowned. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, what’s
a girl like you doing with a man like him?  You’re not even in the same class.”

So there it was. 
The gloves were off now.  No need for pretenses anymore. The fight was out in
the open.

“You don’t know
anything about money,” Robyn continued, the veil gone from her face now
contorted with spite.  “You’re out of your league here.”

Erin felt her
heart tighten.  It was true.  She was like an alien in this world of riches. 
But still, Robyn had no right.  “He’s my husband,” she said finally, her voice
strong and defiant.  “No matter what you may think, he’s mine and I’m part of
his world.”

“We’ll see about
that.” Robyn sat back in her chair, her expression smug.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning we’ll
just see how long your husband keeps you here once he finds out about the real
you.”

Erin gasped.  “You
wouldn’t.”

“Try me,” Robyn
smirked.

“You would break
up a marriage just to soothe your ego?”

“I just want Dare
to know exactly who he married.  That’s only fair.”

Erin took a deep
breath.  The nightmare had begun and it was far worse than she’d expected.  She
knew Robyn had not come to the island to be supportive.  She’d even expected a
little flirtation, but this?  To threaten to reveal a secret she’d shared in
confidence, a secret that could jeopardize her marriage?

She decided to use
her wild card.  Her face calm, she looked Robyn in the eyes.  “You would break
up a marriage even though I’m expecting Dare’s child?”

That did the
trick.  Robyn stared at her, her face frozen in shock.  “You’re pregnant?”

In answer Erin got
up and unbuttoned the loose jacket she’d been using to hide her condition.  The
bump in her belly was now obvious through the cotton fabric of her blouse.

“My God.”  Robyn
looked at her belly and her face grew red.  “How could I have missed that?”

The tension was
suddenly too much for Erin.  She walked over to the counter as a sudden wave of
nausea washed over her.  She sucked in a deep breath, willing her churning
stomach to settle.  She couldn’t afford to show weakness.  Not now.

  She had her head
down when she heard Robyn’s voice again.  It seemed to be coming from far
away.  “Now I see what happened.  You devious little witch.  You knew exactly
what you were doing, didn’t you?"

The venom in the
woman’s voice was like a knife thrust into Erin’s belly.  Why did Robyn hate
her so much?  With shaking hands she reached up and took a glass from the
cupboard then filled it from the tap.  She took a few sips then drew in her
breath and turned around.  Now she was ready.

“Robyn, I don’t
know what I was thinking when I allowed you to come here.  Obviously it was a
big mistake.  I want you to leave.”  Erin made her voice strong and bold even
though she felt almost ready to pass out.

“You…want me to
leave?” Robyn spluttered.  "You’re throwing me out?”

“Yes,” Erin said,
her voice surprisingly calm.  “You came here knowing that you held the handle
while I was holding the blade.  You planned to use that against me, make me
submit to your desires, even if it meant flirting with my husband.  Even
stealing him.  It’s not going to happen.”

Robyn pushed her
chair back, making a long scraping sound on the marble tiles.  “Oh, so we’re
tough now, are we?  Don’t care about our reputation anymore?  One word from me
and this doll’s house can come tumbling down around your ears.”

The nausea was
coming back.  Beads of perspiration popped out on Erin’s brow and again she had
to turn away.  She couldn’t take this, not now, not in her condition.  “Robyn,”
she whispered as she struggled to keep her breakfast down, “please leave.”

As Robyn stormed
out of the room Erin held on to the counter then made her way back to the table
where she sank gratefully into the chair.  She sat there for a while gulping in
air then she gathered just enough strength to get up and grab a can of ginger
ale from the fridge.  It was the only thing guaranteed to dispel her nausea. 

It took a whole
ten minutes for Erin to return to normal.  Still, she did not move.  She sat
there thinking.  And thinking.

What was she going
to do now?  She'd just upset - no, angered - the one person in the world with
the power to create a mess of her life.  Well, the one person outside of Dare
DeSouza.  She had created a real enemy.

She clenched her
fists in her lap.  Whatever Robyn chose to do she would have to deal with it even
if it meant that she ended up on the street.  But there was no way she would
continue to live under that witch’s control.

Her mind made up, Erin
got up and went to find the chauffeur.  Robyn would need the ride back to the
airport.

CHAPTER NINE

Dare sank into the
seat of the town car and, eyes closed, rested his head against the back.  It
had been another rough day.  They hadn’t had any luck in locating Bart Reynolds
in Europe.  What was the use, anyway?  The contract he’d signed was airtight. 
Two hundred and fifty million.  Down the drain, just like that.  It was a lot
of money to lose.

Dare knew he would
recover from this loss.  He always did.  If there was one thing he knew it was
how to fail and keep on coming back.  Wasn’t that the common factor linking all
successful entrepreneurs?

He sighed.  Maybe
it was a good thing he’d decided to make it an early night.  He’d as much as
promised Erin’s friend that he would have dinner with them and he meant to keep
that promise.  But God, he was dead tired.  He hadn’t even bothered to drive
himself home.  As soon as he called, Carlos had come out to get him.  He’d
arrived before Dare even had the chance to stuff his papers into his
briefcase.  Thank God for reliable employees.

Once at home, a
brisk shower was all it took to get him back to normal.  Dressed in comfortable
slacks and a light silk shirt he headed for the dining room where dinner would
be served at seven.  He was prepared to be pleasant and accommodating, the
perfect host.  Erin’s friend deserved at least that, if even for one evening. 
He knew Erin would be pleased he’d made the effort.

Erin.  As his mind
settled on her he shook his head.  He could not figure her out.  She’d thrown
him for a loop when she’d adamantly refused him, even pissing him off by
intimating that he would have to force her.  He’d never forced himself on a
woman in his life and he wasn’t planning to start now. 

But he would put
that incident behind him.  Tonight he’d be cool.  Tonight it was all about the
ladies.

The dining room
was softly lit by elegant lamps positioned in the corners.   A gold candelabra
sat in the center of the table.  And there, all alone, sat Erin.

Clearly, she
didn’t realize that he’d entered the room.  Her eyes downcast, she seemed lost
in thought.  But what made him pause was the slight droop of her shoulders, a
posture that spoke of sadness or pain.  Even her mouth had lost its feisty
pout.

“Erin.”  He said
her name quietly but she jumped and jerked around to stare at him with her
liquid amber eyes.  Even there, in her eyes, he could see a strain that had not
been there before.  For some reason a feeling of guilt gripped him.  Was he the
cause?

“Are you
alright?”  He walked over and pulled out the chair at the end of the table, the
one closest to her.  He sat down and was just about to reach out and take her
hand when he stopped.  An innocent gesture but one she might misconstrue.  He
wasn’t taking any chances.

She gave him a
tiny smile and her eyes glittered in the candlelight.  Or was that the glitter
of tears?  Dare could not tell but no matter what he was going through tonight
he would be gentle with her.  He knew he didn’t have exclusive claim to
problems.  She was probably facing personal challenges of her own.  And he
could guess that being pregnant was no easy thing.

“I’m fine, Dare,”
she said, and her voice cracked on his name.

What the deuce had
upset her so that she seemed on the verge of tears?  “What’s wrong, Erin?  And
where is your friend?  Did something happen between the two of you?”

Erin tightened her
lips then took a deep breath.  “She had to go back to Vancouver earlier than
planned.  She’s alright, though.  She’s fine.”

“It’s not her I’m
worried about,” Dare said, frowning.  “I want to know about you.  Did she upset
you?”

Erin smiled again
and shook her head but it was a sad smile and Dare was not fooled.

“Do you want to
talk about it?”  he asked, watching her intently.

“No, that’s okay. 
Let's just eat.”  She picked up her napkin and rested it on her lap then looked
at him expectantly.

He did the same
but he had suddenly lost his appetite.  Erin had been upset or hurt by Robyn
whatever- her-name-was but obviously she wasn’t comfortable talking about it. 
He would give her some space…for now.  But damn if he wasn’t going to get some
answers.  There was a lot about Erin that remained a mystery to him but he was
going to get to the bottom of this one sooner rather than later.

They began to
dine, in silence at first, and then slowly Erin began to relax in his
presence.  She popped an olive into her mouth, chewed and then looked over at
him.  “How did you manage to leave the office early today?  You’ve been so busy
with your project I didn’t think you’d make it back in time for dinner.”

“I promised,” he
reminded her.  “Your friend made me.”

At the mention of
the recent departee her face clouded over but then it cleared and she was
smiling again.  “Well, I’m glad you made it.”

Dare said nothing
but he had to admit he felt good about it, too.  Since he'd brought Erin back
to the island he’d spent precious little time with her.  Hell, they’d hardly
exchanged words except for that time he’d tried to carry her off to his bed. 
And that had ended in disaster.

“And how’s it
going?”  she asked.  “Your project, is it almost completed?”

Now it was Dare’s
turn to look glum.  He’d vowed not to even think about the damn thing tonight
but now that Erin had brought it up all his anger came flooding back.

 “Trust me,” he
said, “you don’t want to know.”

“Oh, but I do,”
she said quickly and reached out to touch his arm.

He dropped his
eyes and looked at her hand and it looked so small and defenseless against the
muscles of his arm.  He was still staring at her hand when she pulled it away
and in her eyes was a look of chagrin.

He could see that
she was stiffening again and withdrawing into herself.  He’d better start talking
before she shut him out altogether.  “Do you want the short version or the long
version?”  He said it with a smile, hoping to get her to relax again.