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Chapter 18
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COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 19
Her look of determination was also easily understood—Helena would not give in meekly to any demands he might choose to make concerning the child she carried.But she would give in.Oh, yes, Helena would give in.Eventually.Because it was his child as well as hers, and Bryan had no intention of giving in meekly to any demands she might choose to make concerning their child, either!‘This is nice,’ Helena murmured as she looked around the quiet bistro Bryan had brought her to, his hand having lightly but firmly gripped her arm as he guided her well away from the tourist-busy St Mark’s Square to this small family-owned restaurant that overlooked one of the narrower canals. The owner had greeted Bryan by name before showing them to one of the tables by the open windows.‘Eat, Helena,’ Bryan instructed as the owner deposited breadsticks on the table, along with their menus.Helena ignored his order and instead picked up the menu to use as a shield as she shot Bryan frowning glances. He ha
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 20
Helena firmly closed her mind to thoughts of what Bryan might or might not come to think of her pregnancy if he learnt of that clause in her grandfather’s will. At the moment her main difficulty was getting it through to Bryan that she was not, under any circumstances, going to marry him. Although she would be lying if she said that she hadn’t felt a slight thrill, a frisson of excitement, when Bryan had announced his intention of marrying her.It hadn’t been her immediate reaction, of course. Initially she had been absolutely horrified just at the mention of a marriage between the two of them—had never even considered that Bryan would make such an offer.Although perhaps she should have done…Bryan was Italian, and more than that he was a Smith—a member of a English family steeped in honour and tradition; the idea that the Smith heir might be born out of wedlock, so to speak, was probably enough to send Bryan’s ancesto
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 21
He appreciated that this couldn’t have been easy for Helena. That it had taken great courage for her to come here like this today and tell him of the baby. She could have had no idea how he would react to the news.He was just so frustrated with her refusal to marry him!It was pretty obvious she wasn’t going to change her mind without a fight, either. A fight Bryan didn’t believe she was emotionally or physically equipped to deal with right now.He raised his lids, his eyes widening as he saw that her face had a slightly green tinge to it. ‘What is it?’ he asked with immediate concern.Helena swallowed hard. ‘I don’t think I should have put this much parmesan on my pasta….’ The pungent odour of the cheese on the hot food was making her feel extremely nauseous.Bryan reached across the table to remove her plate and replace it with his own ungarnished pasta.‘Oh, but—’
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 22
Helena stared at that hand, feeling suddenly shy with him, never having quite appreciated before how in other circumstances Bryan might have been Prince Smith. But it was all too easy, in these grand surroundings, to imagine him as such—to recognise his innate air of command, to acknowledge him as the powerful and much-respected head of the Smith family.Bryan was offering to share all of this with her, to make her his wife, the mother of his child—children…? For she didn’t doubt that Bryan would want more than one child to continue the Smith line. Any other woman would have grabbed the offer with both hands, Helena knew. Was she being rash in refusing to marry Bryan? Was she being fair to their son or daughter by denying its birthright?She was no longer as sure about that as she had been…But maybe that had been Bryan’s intent in bringing her here?Perhaps it was, but being here with him like this, with the magic of Venice and the Smith palace surrounding them, Helena was finding it
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 23
One thing at a time, she reminded herself. One problem at a time. And she had enough of those already without thinking of ones that hadn’t even arisen yet!‘Helena, what is it?’ Bryan queried urgently as he watched her cheeks pale. ‘Helena, you will tell me what is wrong!’ he demanded forcefully, totally frustrated with her complete intractability concerning the idea of a marriage between them.Could she not see that it was the only solution? That he would settle for nothing less?And what of Helena's wants and needs? came the unbidden thought….He thrust it aside. Helena was pregnant—a time during which a woman’s hormones and emotions reputedly made logical thought and decisions virtually impossible. The fact that she was pregnant with his child, that he wanted to marry her, surely made her decision never to marry again totally illogical?Helena firmly closed her mind to thoughts of what Bryan might
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 24
Tears swam in her beautiful green eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’ She hastily wiped away the tears before they could fall onto the paleness of her cheeks. ‘I believe pregnant woman tend to be a little—over-emotional,’ she whispered.Bryan felt like a complete heel now. He hadn’t intended to make Helena cry—hadn’t intended to upset her at all—but she was just being so damned stubborn by continuing to refuse to marry him!He closed his eyes briefly, but could still inwardly see her woebegone face and tear-wet lashes.He appreciated that this couldn’t have been easy for Helena. That it had taken great courage for her to come here like this today and tell him of the baby. She could have had no idea how he would react to the news.He was just so frustrated with her refusal to marry him!It was pretty obvious she wasn’t going to change her mind without a fight, either. A fight Bryan didn’t believe she was emotionally or physically equipped to deal with right now.
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 25
Helena, accompanying Bryan up the wide staircase to the first floor, had never seen such a beautiful house. The decorations were ornately gold, the lavish furniture obviously genuinely antique. Huge paintings hung on the walls, and a crystal chandelier was suspended from the high ceiling above them.She followed Bryan as he threw open tall doors that led into what was obviously the drawing room. The domed ceiling of this room held Helena's attention, painted with cherubs and maidens, with more ornate gold filigree work and yet another crystal chandelier also suspended above them.Having grown up in Whitelemon Hall she was, of course, used to big houses, but the Smith palace was in a class completely on its own; it was unbelievably magnificent in its opulence.She gave a choked laugh. ‘Emma told me it was beautiful, but I had no idea…’‘Come and look at the view,’ Bryan encouraged huskily as he opened the doors out onto the b
COLLECTION OF LUST AND LOVE Chapter 26
She had said she didn’t want him to talk of marriage again this evening—would not even contemplate staying here with him until he made such a promise. So could it possibly be marriage itself that she feared? And if it was, what could possibly have happened to Helena to make her look so fearful at the prospect of marriage? Had her husband hurt her in some way? Perhaps been unfaithful? Was that the reason for the short duration of the marriage?Bryan felt a wave of anger deep inside him as he contemplated anyone—most of all Helena's ex-husband, a man pledged to love and protect her—having hurt her in any way.But it was an anger he would control until he could return to England and possibly seek out the man Helena had been married to so briefly; he certainly did not intend to shake their fragile relationship by questioning Helena about it, either now or in the future.His thumbs moved caressingly across the paleness of her cheeks as he smiled gently down at her. ‘I promise I will not me
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