The Ultimate Merger (6 page)

He paused and thought for a moment. “Then
bring her with you. In my country, family is very important. When
we marry, your family becomes mine, and my family becomes
yours.”

“She has a drug problem,” Sabrina reminded
him. “It’s very difficult to deal with. I can’t ask you to become a
part of this.”

“Do you think there are no treatment
facilities in Brazil? She can receive excellent care there, and
maybe the change of environment will be good for her.”

“I’ve never been out of the country before,
and I don’t even speak Portuguese.”

“You can learn.”

He had an answer for every objection she
tossed out. Sabrina blinked, trying to digest his words. “This is
happening so fast!” she said with a shaky laugh.

He took her hands in his. “Are you
afraid?”

She bit the inside of her lower lip. “A
little. What if it doesn’t work?”

“It will work. We’re compatible in every
way.”

“We haven’t even talked about the basics.
What about kids?”

“Yes, I want them.”

She laughed. “Me, too, eventually, but not
right now.”

“Me, either. We’ll be too busy working. Maybe
in three or four years?”

“Okay…well, how many?”

“Four.”

“Four! No way. One.”

“One?” He looked aghast. “No. Four.”

“Two.”

“Okay, three.” He grinned.

“Renny! Two. That’s my final offer.”

“All right.” He pulled her into his arms and
kissed her temple. His unshaven jaw scraped her skin. “Just say
yes. Say you will marry me,” he whispered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes.
I’ll marry you.”

He growled with joy and swung her around in a
circle. Her joyous laughter filled the room. When he set her back
on her feet, she pressed her lips against his.

“We’re really doing this?”

“We are really doing this,” he confirmed.

His eyes lit up with happiness, but a small
part of her hesitated. She couldn’t wait to turn in her
resignation, and she agreed a change of location might be good for
Jewel. Getting her away from the old life and the temptations
presented here in Chicago could be what she needed. Life would
improve for both of them.

She’d be a partner in a real estate
investment company, and as a bonus, she’d be married to a sexy man
who adored her. It was perfect. And that’s what she feared. It was
too perfect.

“Promise me something,” she said, looking
deeply into his eyes.

“Anything.” He continued to smile down at
her. Noting her somber expression, he frowned and asked, “What is
it?”

“Promise me you’ll always love me.” He
laughed, as if her request was ridiculous. She squeezed his hands
in hers. “Promise.”

“
Meu amor
,” he said, “you have nothing
to fear. My love is real. I know we will be happy together. Believe
me, there is nothing you could ever do that would make me stop
loving you.”

Sabrina stroked his cheek and allowed herself
to bask in the warmth of his love. “Good,” she said. “Because I
can’t wait to be your wife.”

Hot Latin Men series

The Arrangement

Fight for Love

Private Acts

Second Chances (fall 2012)

Hot Latin Men: Volume I (in print summer 2012)

Hawthorne Family series

The Temptation of a Good Man

A Hard Man to Love

Here Comes Trouble

For Better or Worse (winter 2013)

Bailar series (sweet/clean romance)

Worth Waiting For

Short Story

Subordinate Position

The Ultimate Merger

Free Stories

www.DelaneyDiamond.com

Delaney Diamond is the bestselling author of
sweet and sensual romance novels. Originally from the U.S. Virgin
Islands, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been an
avid reader for as long as she can remember and in her spare time
reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of
non-fiction.

When she's not busy reading or writing, she's
in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her
favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. She
speaks fluent conversational French and can get by in Spanish. You
can enjoy free reads and the first chapter of all her novels on her
website. 

Join her distribution list to get notices
about new releases.

www.DelaneyDiamond.com

www.facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond

(unedited sneak peek from
Second
Chances
, Book 4 of the Hot Latin Men series; coming fall
2012)

Liar. Cheat. Those were the words that came
to mind when Renaldo da Silva thought about his wife. His soon to
be
ex
-wife.

Silently berating himself, he stared out of
the giant windows of the luxurious penthouse apartment they’d
shared since she moved to Sao Paulo with him over a year ago.

He should have known better. After all, he’d
been warned, hadn’t he? She’d told him herself about her
background. She told him how she came from a family of drug addicts
and criminals. She’d explained how she had lied and stolen to make
ends meet. He’d known what kind of woman she was, and he’d chosen
to ignore everything she’d said because he’d been such a besotted
fool and assumed she’d done those things out of necessity.

He’d barely known her when they married. His
impulsive behavior had simply been an act to whisk her away and
make her his. According to her, he’d given her the kind of life
she’d only dreamed of, but it still hadn’t been enough. It was
never enough.

He looked down at the three photos in his
hands, though he didn’t really need to. The images of her and
another man were seared into his brain. To think, he wouldn’t have
known if he hadn’t been searching for a document in her home
office. He wouldn’t have found the pictures, and he wouldn’t have
known of her deceit.

He’d been a fool to welcome her into his
life. Fortunately, he’d uncovered her true character beneath the
beautiful façade of independence and intelligence before it was too
late. Nonetheless, his stomach burned, and anger simmered inside
him.

****

Sabrina stepped off the
private elevator, glad to be home. The five-bedroom apartment took
up the entire top floor of the building Renaldo owned. The recessed
lighting shined down like a spotlight in the spacious entryway,
while the rest of the house remained wrapped in darkness. In her
hands she held her high heels so they wouldn’t make any noise on
the black walnut floors because she assumed he was probably asleep
after his long trip.

She crept toward the
staircase, trying not to make too much noise. She knew Renaldo
would not be pleased she’d worked another late night, particularly
since she hadn’t been at home to greet him upon his return from his
trip to Chicago. But she’d been getting so much accomplished, she
simply hadn’t been able to tear herself away.

Sabrina smiled to herself.
She would find a way to make it up to him.

She sensed his presence
before she saw him and halted her movements. He emerged like an
apparition from the darkened interior, slowly coming toward her.
The shirtsleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to reveal his
bronze, hair sprinkled forearms.

She set her shoes on the
table against the mirrored wall and planted her most becoming smile
on her face in an effort to counteract the disapproving set of
his.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry I
didn’t get here earlier. Feel free to give me a spanking,” she
teased.

He didn’t crack a smile,
stopping a few feet away. “Where have you been?” he asked in an
oddly quiet voice.

“At the office, of course,”
she answered. She couldn’t decipher the strange look on his
face.

“Working late again. You
knew I was coming back tonight, but you couldn’t tear yourself away
from…whatever you were doing to be here to greet me.”

She had really screwed up
this time. He was very upset with her. “I’m sorry, but when you see
the numbers I have, you’ll understand why I couldn’t break
away.”

He took a step forward but
stopped again. He eyed her, examining her features in a curious
way, as if he was seeing her for the first time. But there was
something else. His eyes were hard and cold. She’d finally pushed
him too far.

“Renny, I know you’re mad
at me. I’ll make it up to you.” For the first time, Sabrina noticed
the photos in his hand. They were turned inward toward his leg, so
she couldn’t see the images, but her heart rate sped up with
trepidation. “What are those?” she asked in a low voice.

Renaldo tossed the photos on the floor with a
mixture of anger and distaste. They fanned out across the polished
wood, and she could clearly see the images. They turned her
stomach.

“You tell me,” he said in a quiet voice. “Who
is this man and what are you doing with him?”

Sabrina swayed, feeling lightheaded. She
reached for the table to steady herself. “Where did you get those?”
But she already knew where they came from. He’d
found the photos she’d hidden away in her desk.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Renaldo
reminded her.

She couldn’t get the words out because she
didn’t know what to say or how to explain.

“Were you with him tonight?” Renaldo
asked.

Sabrina’s eyes flew to his face. He spoke
calmly, but she could see the darker emotions hidden in his eyes,
ready to unleash on her.

“No, I was at work. I swear,” Sabrina said,
her voice trembling.

“And why should I believe you? It seems that
when I’m out of town, you find alternative ways to keep yourself
entertained.”

Sabrina shook her head. “No. That’s not
true.”

He jabbed his index finger toward the floor
in barely restrained fury. “Then explain this to me.”

His composure was slipping fast. The words
were said behind gritted teeth and his accent thickened. How could
she explain when she didn’t know herself how this could have
happened?

“I don’t know how,” she admitted weakly.

“They are not…” his voice trailed off as he
fumbled for the correct English word. “They are not doctored?”

She recognized that he was grasping at
straws, hoping she would say they were doctored photos. If only she
could. If only she didn’t know herself that she had betrayed him
with her actions. She’d managed to keep it a secret for as long as
she could.

“No,” she said quietly.

The breath he drew in was harsh and loud in
the grave-like quiet of the house. “So you have been lying to me
and sneaking around behind my back? For how long?”

“I never sneaked around behind you back,”
Sabrina said. “It-it just happened. I didn’t plan it.”

Renaldo gave a disgusted snort. “It’s hard to
believe you when I find photos of you in intimate positions with
another man, hidden away in your desk for enjoyment when I am not
here.”

“That’s not why I hid them. I was ashamed. I
didn’t want you to find them.” She pressed her palms to her hot
cheeks. “Please. You have to believe me.”

“You should leave before I do something I
regret.”

The scorn and anger in his voice hurt. It was
almost too much to bear, because ever since she’d met him he’d been
her champion and treated her with care and respect. He’d never once
made her feel beneath him because he had money and a better family
life than she did.

“You have to listen to me. You have to hear
me out,” she said in desperation. Her perfectly formed world was
falling apart.

“Leave.”

“Renny, please.”

“By the time I count to three, you better get
out or I will toss you out.”

“Please don’t do this to me. Give me another
chance.”

“One.”

“I was drunk,” she said, shaking
uncontrollably. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Two.”

“You love me.” He flinched as if she’d struck
him. “Can we please work it out? I don’t know what happened, but
you know that’s not me. I
love
you.”

“Love me?” His upper lip curled in disbelief.
“You love this life. Your ambition betrays you. You love money and
power. You love material things. But you
do not love
me
.”

Sabrina’s eyes welled up with tears of pain
at the way he’d characterized her. “If you believe what you’re
saying, why did you marry me?”

“I was a fool,” Renaldo said in a voice full
of regret. “I saw what I wanted to see.”

“That’s not true. I’m your wife. You know
me.”

“Obviously I do not. Your time is up.” He
resumed counting. “Three.” He stepped toward her with a purposeful
stride, his face set in uncompromising lines.

He was really going to put her out. In a
panic, Sabrina struck out at him, but he caught her hand and spun
her around hard, slamming her back against his chest.

“You can’t do this,” she said, as her pulse
kicked up a notch.

He was so tall, that when his arms cinched
around her like tight bands, and he easily lifted her, her feet
dangled a few inches above the floor. “You can go to him now,”
Renaldo said in her ear, bitterness lacing his voice. “Tell him I
sent you, and he can have you all to himself.”

Sabrina twisted and kicked wildly, throwing
her body backward to force him to put her down. “I’m not leaving!”
she screamed. “I’m not leaving!”