Illegitimate Tycoon (20 page)

 
          
Then
he’d met Leila and his hopes had surged along with his passion and love. Such
beautiful plans they’d made. And yet when it came time for them to move their
relationship to the next level, when having a family was just within their
reach, she was too gripped with fear to try.

 
          
She
lacked faith in him to believe he’d be there for her, that together they could
move mountains. That he’d do whatever was necessary to help her through a
pregnancy.

 
          
Though
she professed she still loved him, still wanted to be a mother, in the end she
had rejected him in favor of returning to her dazzling career. She clung to her
fears instead of him and the bright future that was right there in their grasp.

 
          
Dammit!
His money could buy anything. Take him and Leila anywhere they wished to go. He
could ease the suffering of thousands with his charities. But his riches couldn’t
buy the close marriage he’d once envisioned he’d have with Leila. It couldn’t
buy her trust. All the wealth he’d accumulated wouldn’t ensure she could have a
healthy pregnancy.

 
          
Leila.
She was always on his mind. A fever in his blood. Why the hell had she phoned
him earlier today? Why hadn’t she left a message?

 
          
The
question needled him, for when he’d returned her call much later, there had
been no answer. Was she all right?

 
          
He
wrapped a thirsty towel around his hips and padded across the white terrazzo
floor, calling himself a fool for worrying. Leila likely had a change of plans
for her upcoming shoot. Perhaps she’d gotten another offer, one that would tear
her away from him for another holiday, he thought sourly.

 
          
A
trio of wide steps descended into his spacious living room. He damned sure didn’t
want to go on like this, living apart from his wife. Virtually living alone.
Putting his dream of a family with her on hold yet again while she struggled to
cope with her fears and devoted more and more time to her career.

 
          
If
she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take a chance on them, on a family, he could be
stuck in this marital limbo for years.

 
          
That
prospect rested heavily on him as he drew a
bam
gelado
from the bar cooler, the bottle of beer was so cold that ice coated
the outside. At least this small pleasure in his life was perfect!

 
          
He
opened it and drank deeply, welcoming the shock to his senses. But when the
drink was finished, the quiet penthouse still felt oppressive.

 
          
Rafael
cursed loud and long. He had to get out of here before the solitude drove him
mad. Maybe he’d hit the clubs along Ipanema Beach tonight, see if he could
connect with friends. With life.

 
          
Before
he could take an impatient step toward his bedroom, the bell on his private
elevator dinged. His brow furrowed in annoyance. Who had the audacity to pay
him a visit without calling first? He certainly was in no mood for company.

 
          
But
that was exactly what he was going to have, for his elevator was moving upward.
Someone was coming. He intensely disliked surprise visitors and this time was
no exception.

 
          
Hopefully
it was just Nathaniel and his wife needing to crash here. If so, they could
have the penthouse for as long as they wanted.

 
          
Certain
that was who was paying a surprise visit, Rafael turned to the elevator with a
forced smile just as the doors opened. The last person he expected to see
stared back at him with huge hazel eyes, her gorgeous reflection caught in the
many mirrors.

 
          
“Leila?
What in the hell are you doing
here?”

 
          
“We
have to talk,” she said, and stepped inside the suite, dragging a small
overnight case behind her.

 
          
A
blast of anger and desire erupted within him, both vying for prominence, both
confirming he was far from over her. “You should have returned my call.”

 
          
“I
thought about it, but this was something that needed to be said face-to-face.”

 
          
He
didn’t like her grave tone or the tension carving lines in her face. Had she,
too, made a decision regarding their future? Did she want to end their marriage
once and for all?

 
          
“So
talk,” he said, striving to be light but failing as the words came out clipped.
Sharp. Cold.

 
          
She
took a shaky breath. Then another.

 
          
He
took an instinctive step toward her, his in-sides twisting with concern now.
She looked pale. Tired. Terrified.

 
          
Something
was very wrong.

 
          
“Very
well,” she said. “I’m pregnant.”

 
          
RAFAEL
prided himself on his iron control of his emotions, but that admission nearly
brought him to his knees. His gaze scanned her body with exacting detail, but
her loose clothes prevented him from seeing the evidence that proved her claim.
Leila was pregnant.

 
          
He’d
dreamed of it. Wanted it badly. Yet the realization that she carried his child,
that they would be parents, floored him.

 
          
“You
are sure of this?” he asked.

 
          
“Positive.
My doctor ran blood tests to confirm it,” she said, eyes wide with obvious
fright. “According to the doctor, I conceived in March. That’s when we met in
Aru—”

 
          
“I
remember,
querida.”

 
          
Remembered
every delicious detail of that reunion.

 
          
He
swiped a hand over his mouth, sorting this out in his head. That had been the
first time he’d been with his wife in eight long months and he’d been ravenous
for her. Hell, they’d been starving for each other.

 
          
He
gave a nervous laugh at the tremor that rocked through him. It was
unbelievable. It was a dream come true.

 
          
“You
are … what? Three months along?” he said, the reality of being a father in less
than six months staggering him.

 
          
She
nodded. “The reason I got pregnant was because I was taking an antibiotic at
the same time as my pill, and it diminished the effectiveness of the birth
control.” Her eyes closed on a groan. “This is just such a shock. So much to
cope with.”

 
          
“Which
you will do with me by your side now that the choice of having a child has been
taken from you.”

 
          
That
earned him a pointed glare, but he shrugged off her annoyance at his choice of
words. Call it a miracle. Fate. Everything he’d wanted was in his grasp. He
wasn’t about to jeopardize her health or their child’s.

 
          
That
meant he, too, would have to make major changes in his life. Quick decisions.

 
          
A
baby changed everything, his life and hers. He hoped Leila came to realize that
quickly.

 
          
He
crossed to her then and wrapped her in his embrace, the towel falling to the
floor forgotten. His heart soared and he longed to shout for joy, but he
tempered his excitement in the face of her shock.

 
          
She
was unnaturally stiff, and an occasional tremor skittered through her. He had
to handle her and this situation carefully.

 
          
“Perhaps
it’s as you said in France,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple, her
forehead. “Perhaps conceiving in the face of such odds was fate’s choice to
make.”

 
          
She
took a stuttering breath, her body marginally losing its unbending steel. “However
it happened, it was still unplanned. Is still difficult to accept, to face my
worst fears.”

 
          
“We
will get through this together.”

 
          
He
heard her swallow, felt her tension vibrate along his own taut nerves. “There’s
more, Rafael.”

 
          
He’d
never seen Leila act this serious. This worried. This terrified.

 
          
God, please don’t let there be something
wrong with our baby. With Leila. Give us this
.

 
          
“Go
on,” he urged gently, his own breath held now.

 
          
She
took another shaky breath and stepped back from him, though still caught in the
circle of his arms. Her worried gaze lifted to his. “The ultrasound I took
yesterday revealed there are two babies.”

 
          
It
took a moment for that to sink in. “Twins?”

 
          
She
gave a wooden nod, looking as if she’d be ill any second.
Meu Deus!
She’d gone through hell trying to have one baby. How
would she cope with bearing two?

 
          
For
the first time he felt the sharp talons of fear scrape down his spine. Every
complication he’d ever read about was now twice as dire.

 
          
“It
will be all right,” he said, hoping to hell that would prove true.

 
          
“Rafael,
I’m terrified.” She took a step backward, her eyes suddenly frantic. “I came
here because.” She blinked rapidly, yet tears slipped from her eyes anyway. “I
don’t know what to do. I’m so afraid I’ll fail us again.”

 
          
He
was at her side in an instant, gathering her close with hands that trembled. “Do
not say that. Don’t even think it. Remember that together we can do anything.”

 
          
She
trembled in his arms, but this time she clung to him and the fear gripping his
heart eased. “You are so arrogantly sure of yourself I want to believe you.”

 
          
“Never
doubt I can keep you safe,
querida.”

 
          
Since
he’d seen Leila in France, he’d endlessly researched the risks attributed to
recovered anorexics during pregnancy and he had a better grasp of the inner
demons she battled. He had decided then that if she’d give them a chance at
this, he’d make sure that not one day went past without him telling her she
grew more beautiful to him. More cherished. More loved.

 
          
“I’ll
hire the best doctors. You will be fine,” he said, conviction in his voice that
he desperately wanted to believe.

 
          
He
shoved those doubts away and focused on the woman pressed to him now. His eyes
closed and his throat worked.

 
          
She
was his wife. Soon to be the mother to his children.

 
          
He
was going to be a father. He would have Leila back as his wife. He’d have his
family. He’d have everything.

 
          
“We’ll
relocate to the
fazenda,”
he said,
knowing a phone call would alert his small staff to prepare for their arrival.

 
          
“I
have to return to California first.”

 
          
He
was shaking his head before she finished. “There is no need when you can have
your things shipped here.”

 
          
“I
was afraid you’d do this.”

 
          
She
twisted out of his arms and stepped back, far enough that he’d have to take a
step to reach her, enough distance to force him to realize that she’d wrestled
control of her emotions.