Her Shameful Secret (8 page)

Isabella blinked slowly as she listened to his vow. Why was he claiming this child? She hadn’t expected that. But then why would she? Her own father hadn’t claimed
her
. Giovanni had only claimed his baby because he could use the information to hurt Antonio. What did Antonio expect to get from all this? What was his end game? Whatever it was, she didn’t think she could afford the price.

“My baby doesn’t need your financial support,” she declared huskily, and tried to move away. Antonio settled his hand against her shoulder and she stopped.

“It’s not just money,” he explained. “Your child will
one day head the Rossi empire. He will be part of this world. He needs me to guide him through it,” Antonio said as he removed his hand from her shoulder. “Unless you think you’re up for the challenge?”

Isabella felt her skin flush. She was an outsider while Antonio’s family ruled high society. “Who says my child will want this world?”

“That should be his decision, not yours. Your child will need to be groomed from the beginning. He will need to attend the best schools, train—”

“I can provide that now. I am
not
a disadvantage to my baby,” she insisted, hating how her voice shook.

She was surprised when Antonio hooked his finger under her chin and guided her face up so she could look into his eyes. “Your baby is already lucky to have you as a mother,” he assured her softly. “You are very nurturing and affectionate.”

Maybe too much so. During their affair she hadn’t held back on her embraces and caresses. She’d always been touching Antonio. Holding on. Clinging. It had led him to think that she was like that with everyone.

“But you don’t think I can give this child the sort of life that befits a Rossi heir?” she said.

Antonio dropped his hand and took a step back. “That’s where I can help.”

It was too good to be true. There must be some strings attached to his offer. An expectation of good behavior or a short expiration date.

“For how long? Until it’s no longer in your interest? When you start a family of your own?” With that fiancée of his. The thought of the other woman made Isabella want to crumple up in pain. She’d seen pictures of the sophisticated lady. She was beautiful, from a
prominent Italian family. She would be an asset to Antonio while Isabella had been a liability.

“I am committed to being in this child’s life. From this moment on. Whenever I am needed I’ll be there.”

“Antonio, you don’t know the first thing about commitment.”

“How can you say that? I have always met my obligations. I have a duty to—”

She raised her hand to stop him. “I am
not
your obligation and you have
no
duty to my child,” she said fiercely. “I am solely responsible for my baby and I don’t want your help.”

He gave an arrogant shrug. “Too bad because you already have it.”

“Your type of help will be more like interference and influence.” She stopped as she thought of her words yesterday.
You have no rights over me or my child
. That was what this was all about. Isabella closed her eyes as anger washed over her. Oh, she was so stupid for not realizing it sooner. “You want to control the power and the money Giovanni gave to me.”

“No,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Are you worried that I would squander the family fortune? Or that I will abuse my power?” She shook her head. “Don’t worry. I didn’t ask for this kind of responsibility. I don’t even want it. But I’m doing it to protect my child’s interests.”

“If you don’t want the responsibility I can help you with that. If the tests prove that this child is Giovanni’s I’ll pay you a lump sum in exchange for your interest in the Rossi empire. You will have millions more dollars at your fingertips instantly and you won’t have to make any business decisions.”

Isabella noticed he’d come up with the alternative quickly. It was almost as if he’d been waiting to present it. “And you won’t have to deal with me or my baby,” she pointed out sweetly.

Antonio’s nostrils flared as he reined in his temper. “My commitment to you and the baby would remain the same.”

“It’s a tempting offer,” she said with exaggerated politeness, “but I’ll have to think about it.”

Isabella turned away as she battled conflicting emotions. She’d known Antonio had an ulterior motive, but she was filled with disappointment because she was right.

She knew better than to accept Antonio’s help. He’d said he was fully committed, but what he really meant was that he would be committed until he could get full control of the Rossi money. The minute he got what he wanted Antonio would discard her from his life with the same ruthlessness as before.

“Committed? Yeah, right.”

“What was that?” Antonio was right behind her. She felt his heat and his towering strength.

Isabella knew she should let it go, but the anger was building up inside her. She slowly turned around, wondering if this was the smartest move, and confronted Antonio. “I think your definition of commitment is different from mine. You couldn’t commit to me, but now you’ll pledge a lifetime of commitment to a child?”

Antonio clenched his teeth and a muscle bunched in his jaw. “You question my ability to commit when
you
are the one who cheated?” His harsh voice was almost a whisper.

“I didn’t cheat,” she said with a weary sigh. “Not
that it matters. If Giovanni hadn’t come up with that story I’m sure you would have found another reason to dump me.”

Antonio’s eyes darkened as tension crackled around them. “That’s not true.”

“It is. Men like you don’t
do
relationships.” She had been warned, but she hadn’t listened. She’d thought what she’d had with Antonio had been different. Special. That it would beat the odds.

“Men like me?”

“You have money, power and so many choices.” And she’d had nothing to offer to make him want to stay. “Why make a commitment when something new and exciting, something better, is just around the corner?”

Antonio grabbed her wrist and pulled her close. “I wanted you and only you.”

She believed him. But she also believed the feeling had been temporary. “And how does your fiancée feel about that?” Isabella asked as she pulled from his grasp.

“So that is where all this is coming from?” Antonio exhaled sharply and rubbed his hand over his face. “Let me assure you, Bella, I do
not
have a fiancée.”

“Isn’t that just a technicality?” she asked as she rubbed her wrist, hating how her pulse skipped and her skin tingled from his touch. “You haven’t put a ring on her finger yet, but there is an agreement.”

“I was engaged, but that was before I met you.”

He had been engaged? Maybe he did know how to commit, but just not to her. “To the woman they mentioned in the news? Aida?”

Antonio nodded. “Her parents were good friends with mine. It was to be an arranged marriage.”

Isabella’s mouth parted in surprise. “Why would you
do something like that?” Antonio was the most sexual man she knew. Passionate. He would have suffered in a paper marriage.

“We came from the same world, had the same interests, and the marriage would have been advantageous for both families. Aida would have made a good wife.”

Aida clearly offered everything she could not. Isabella tried not to think about that. “If it was such a good match, why aren’t you married?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Before we announced our engagement Aida decided she couldn’t bear the idea of getting married to me when she had fallen in love with Gio.”

“Oh.” Isabella’s eyes widened. “Is
that
why you and your brother were estranged?”

Antonio shook his head. “Gio never knew, thank God. He had no interest in Aida. She might as well have been invisible to him.”

Isabella wondered if this was why Antonio was so quick to assume she’d used him to get to Giovanni. His own fiancée had rejected him for his brother. It would have been hard to get over that, arranged marriage or not. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? I wasn’t in love with Aida, but I would have taken my wedding vows seriously. I know how to make a commitment and how to honor it.” He took a step back and glanced at his watch. “That’s all you need to know.”

“No, it’s not,” she said with exasperation. Typical of Antonio. If he felt he’d revealed too much, or if it veered into uncomfortable territory, he shut the conversation down immediately.

“Then let me be clear,” he said in a clipped tone. “It doesn’t matter whether you accept your inheritance
or let me buy you out. This is still Gio’s baby and I’m still going to be part of this child’s life. Get used to it.”

He was in hell.

The white walls of the doctor’s office were closing in on him. His hands were cold, his chest clenched and he wanted to walk away. Instead he stood by the door, arms folded, as the amplified sounds of an infant’s heartbeat filled the examination room.

He watched Isabella as she listened. Her face softened and she pressed her lips together as she listened to her baby. The child might have been unplanned, but Isabella had already bonded with this child and wanted it fiercely.

The ultrasound technician invited him to come closer. Antonio declined with a shake of his head and didn’t move. He felt like he shouldn’t be there, that he was intruding on a very private moment. He’d promised to look after Isabella and her child, but that didn’t erase the fact that he was standing in for his brother.
Again
.

And Isabella had made it clear she didn’t want him around. Her instincts were right on target. He
was
doing all this to gain control of her. She wasn’t going to give up her fortune—that had been a long shot. Which meant marriage. He could make her fall in love with him, but that wouldn’t be enough. He needed to demonstrate that he could accept the baby as his own.

“Everything looks fine and your baby has a strong heartbeat,” the lab tech said as she got up from her chair. “You can get dressed now and go to the lab to get your blood taken.”

“How long will it take to get the results?” Antonio asked.

“I’ll ask them to hurry,” the woman said as she approached him, “but it can take up to a week.”

A week was too long. He wasn’t thinking only about the legal aspects of confirming Gio’s heir. Having Isabella in his life, in his home, was already placing a strain on his self-control. She had only been under his roof for a few minutes when he had pounced.

He thanked the technician, ignoring the flirty promise that lay beneath her fluttering eyelashes. He closed the door firmly behind her and turned around when he heard Isabella’s deep sigh.

“This is why I wanted to come alone to this doctor’s appointment.”

“Why?” Antonio asked as he watched Isabella sit up and swing her bare legs over the edge of the examination table. “What did I do?”

“She was paying more attention to you than the screen.”

“You’re exaggerating,” he said. Her comment surprised him. Isabella wasn’t the jealous type, but then he had never given her reason to worry. His adoration had been painfully obvious.

Isabella hopped down from the table and her paper gown rustled loudly. “I’m going to get dressed.”

Antonio retrieved his phone from his jacket and leaned against the door. He scrolled through a few messages before he glanced up again. Isabella was tapping her bare feet impatiently and had her hands on her hips.

“I’d like some privacy.”

He raised an eyebrow. This from the woman who had once given him a striptease so erotic that his body still clenched from the memory of it? “You can’t be serious.”

She glared at him. “Will you at least turn your back?”

“No.” He pocketed his phone and crossed his arms. He should probably be a gentleman and allow her to get ready in private, but he didn’t like being relegated to the status of an acquaintance. A stranger. They had once been lovers and he didn’t want her to forget it.

“Fine. Hold this while I dress.” She thrust the ultrasound printout in his hand.

He automatically looked down at the black and white image of Isabella’s baby.

Gio’s baby
.

His fingers pinched the edge of the picture.

Antonio braced himself for searing pain as he stared at the image. But all he felt was curiosity and regret. He wished Isabella were carrying
his
child.

What kind of father would Gio have been? Antonio wondered. Would he have been a disciplinarian, like their father, or would he have been an absent parent? He didn’t think Gio would have offered stability or comfort. His brother had been famous for his playboy lifestyle and wouldn’t have changed his ways to accommodate a baby.

Antonio, on the other hand, was already prepared to make changes for this child. He frowned at the picture, noticing how small and innocent the baby appeared. He could offer the child a stable environment. Protection. But love?
That
he didn’t know.

“Is something wrong?” Isabella asked softly.

Antonio realized he had been staring at the picture all this time. “I think it’s a girl,” he said gruffly.

“I haven’t asked about the sex of the baby,” Isabella said. She turned around and walked to the chair that held her clothes. “All I care about is the baby’s health.”

Antonio glanced at the paper gown that fell onto the
floor. A kick of anticipation heated his blood. His gaze trailed from Isabella’s bare feet to her slender legs. He wanted to let his eyes roam, to memorize every line and bend of her body, but that would be dangerous. Antonio knew once he did that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Isabella.

“Was your assistant able to find a plane ticket for me?” she asked as she stepped into her panties. The cheap cotton didn’t detract from the gentle curve of her hips, and his hands stung with the need to drag it down her thighs.

“Plane ticket?” he asked in a daze. He remembered the warmth and softness of her skin. The way she’d nestled perfectly against him when they slept.

“To Los Angeles,” she said as she hooked thin bra straps over her shoulders. “That was the deal.”