Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Whirlwind Romance Series) Read online

  Kira felt her heart squeeze. She really wanted that facility near Disneyland to go to good use.

  She then shook her head. Boy, did she have an inside scoop. “So this is only for the weekend?”

  “Yes. I will need your presence for the weekend and the coming week.”

  “And then what?”

  “And then we annul the marriage after a few months in quiet and go our separate ways.”

  Kira swallowed hard. She still had so many questions. As if he could read her mind he said, “Don’t worry. You can read over the written agreement I drafted up last night before you signed it.”

  “And a prenuptial agreement, no doubt. Boy, you really had this planned.”

  “I do plan most things but I’m a man who can think on the spot and change course at the spur of the moment when I need to. That’s called survival, my dear. Survival.”

  Kira shook her head as she looked out on the beautiful Vegas Strip outside the window of the hotel suite. The tall buildings with glittering lights, the early morning sun peeking through and reflecting shades of orange on the buildings. She held her head again. That pounding was starting again under her scalp.

  Alessandro walked over to the bar in the room and poured a glass of drink. “Here, drink this.”

  “What is it?” Kira asked.

  “You really must be out of it, dear. It’s just a glass of water. You need to rehydrate yourself if you want to stop having headaches. Alcohol is dehydrating.”

  “It is?”

  “I can tell you don’t drink much—usually. That’s good.” He grinned. “By the way, don’t ever drink on an empty stomach again.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Kira drank the water and felt quenched. She then placed the empty glass on the table beside her and leaned back on the sofa, trying to make sense of everything. Well, she’d wanted to live with excitement. This was certainly as exciting as it could get. There was also something trustworthy about Alessandro. Somehow she felt secure around him. There was definitely a magnetic pull between them. The atmosphere was electrifying around him. She felt charged around him. Alive.

  “Well, aren’t you going to take your shower now and get ready?

  “For what?” she queried, puzzled.

  “We have our first public engagement this morning after breakfast. We’re going to be interviewed.”

  Kira’s entire body stiffened.

  3.

  Was Alessandro mistaken to trust the beautiful, rogue reporter in his suite? He had married her on a whim. But he could not resist. She was the perfect diversion from the paternity suit which had him in anguish. The only thing was, he was beginning to wish he’d agreed to stay married to her longer.

  He’d seen beautiful women but her looks could take a man’s breath away and she acted as if she didn’t know it. She was so different from any other woman he’d dated.

  So innocent. Kind. A breath of fresh air.

  Damn! It was going to be hard keeping his distance from her. He grew hard inside his pants whenever she was near. He wondered if her lips would taste like a glass of red wine. Sweet and silky. Right now, he wanted to slide his tongue between her parted lips. He tried to dismiss sexual thoughts of her since sex was not part of the agreement but at moments the naughty thoughts kept sneaking back into his mind.

  “I signed a contract stating that I’d go along with this charade for the weekend including interviews?” Kira looked dubious.

  “Not a charade, my dear.” Alessandro went into his case on the countertop and pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to her. “A business arrangement.”

  Kira took the sheet of paper and read it. She said nothing for what seemed like forever.

  “I can’t believe I signed this,” she finally uttered.

  “If you wish to terminate the contract, you are free to do so.” His voice was cool as ice and sounded dangerously low.

  Kira thought for a moment. “No. I…I’ll go ahead with it. But just for the week. I really believe in your idea for the world’s largest children’s hospital right beside Disneyland. I think it’s great. I want to be a part of it. It’s all coming back to me now.”

  Alessandro looked aloof for a moment. “Yes. Unfortunately, I’m not the only bidder in the game. There are other businessmen who want that building but they plan to open up some entertainment facility. Do you have any questions?”

  “Yes. I do have a question, Alessandro.”

  “I’m waiting…” He cocked a brow, as if expecting her objections.

  “So you say, according to this agreement, that we’re going to video tape this interview for your website so that potential investors can see that you…and your new wife are committed to this new children’s hospital project?”

  “Yes. Also, a few reporters will be present to interview us afterwards. Just online magazines. I need as much press as I can get this week to help persuade my potential associates that I’m the best man to take over that building when we meet in a couple of days.”

  “And what happens when they find out that it was all a fake?”

  “They won’t.”

  “They won’t? How could you be so sure?”

  “Because, first of all, my dear I prepared a script last night for you to memorize just to give you a brief background of all that would take place.”

  “Boy, you really work fast, Alessandro.”

  “I live dangerously. I’m always on high alert. Ready to change course at the spur of the moment.”

  “Do you ever sleep?”

  He grinned. “Sometimes. But there’ll be plenty of time for that when I’m dead.”

  Kira said nothing for a moment. She looked thoughtful.

  Alessandro continued. “The marriage is as real as this marriage certificate and the ring you sport on your ring finger. No one will suspect a thing. They won’t know how long we’ve been seeing each other.” Alessandro noticed that Kira glanced in awe at the jewel on her ring finger. She’d done it a few times since she’d woken up.

  “And furthermore, we are to part on amicable terms in less than three months.”

  “So you just need me around for the week for show and tell.”

  “Yes. There will be no need to be at my side everywhere I go after that.”

  “I see you have it all planned.”

  “One must plan if one wants to go anywhere in life, my dear. Remember that!”

  “Oh, I will. I think I’ll never forget this weekend so long as I live.” Kira held her head again.

  “Here. Drink some more water. Soon you’ll have a nice breakfast to soak up the remaining alcohol in your body.” He grinned as he handed Kira another glass of water.

  “You are kidding, aren’t you?”

  “Not about having a nice breakfast.”

  Two hours later as they sat in the boardroom after breakfast in front of the reporter, he could not take his eyes off her slender legs. Before they entered the room where they were to be interviewed he’d walked behind her and caught full view of her voluptuous curves and delicious form. How could a woman like her be so inexperienced with a body like that? She’d baffled him the moment he’d laid eyes on her. She had a voluptuous cleavage to match that captured his imagination. And those hips! Her tiny waist accentuated her child-bearing hips. She wasn’t pencil thin like some of those super models he’d dated. She was shaped like a real woman in his books. And she moved with grace.

  “Well, first of all, congratulations,” the reporter said as she held on to her notes as she faced them. The cameraman had already begun filming. It would be for a documentary that would be aired on a local channel and on the internet on his corporate website. He was going out of his way but he needed to undo all the negative press that had come upon his name in recent months.

  “Thank you,” Alessandro answered. He noticed Kira beginning to squirm in her seat. He hoped the reporter did not take notice.

  “Now let’s get down to business about your new project. Th
e Alessandro and Kira Romano Foundation.”

  Kira looked gobsmacked. She had an expression of surprise on her face. Alessandro wished she wouldn’t appear so dumbstruck or star-struck. She was, after all, a reporter. A new one, but nonetheless, she was his wife and she’d better act the part as per their agreement. Okay, he should have told her that he would also use her name in the project. But it would cost her nothing but immortalization.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  Kira could not believe she’d just been interviewed for a video to appear on the Romano Enterprise official website and now the Alessandro and Kira Romano Foundation. He was using her name as a front. This man that she’d married would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. This both terrified and intrigued her at the same time. Was that the power of money and position in society? Power-hungry people like Alessandro could buy other people and buy a public image all in a split moment? She shook her head as they drove back in the limousine to the hotel where they were staying.

  “You’re quiet, my dear.”

  “Oh, I’m just tired,” she lied, quietly. She stared out at the city lights on the buildings down the Vegas Strip on the way to the hotel. She could not believe it but she craved Alessandro. Was she losing her mind? This whirlwind weekend was making her head spin. But she enjoyed his company, his aura, his scent of power. She enjoyed everything about Alessandro. But most of all, she could not believe that he’d chosen her. She wished she’d remembered everything about last night and yesterday. Only bits and pieces surfaced. They’d got to talking and they’d taken in some sights on the town after the banquet..

  “You did very well during the interview. Thank you,” Alessandro’s voice sliced through her thoughts.

  What could she say to that? You’re welcome? It was my pleasure to be your actress for the interview? “Hey, I’m glad you’ll be getting what you want.”

  “You don’t sound too happy.”

  Kira caught Alessandro’s eyes sliding up and down her legs. He seemed quite pleased with what he saw. She instinctively crossed her legs at the ankle.

  “I…I don’t know what to say. I mean, here I am supposed to be covering a story about you…and well, I’m in the middle of it. I’m just in a bit of shock, I guess.”

  Her lips remained parted after she spoke and the next thing she knew, he leaned over to her, his arm around her. “I told you not to keep your mouth open,” he said in a low voice.

  His dark, sparkling gaze dropped to Kira’s lips which made her self-consciously bite down on her lower lip. He had the loveliest eyes she’d ever seen on a man. God, he was stunning to look at.

  Her nose caught the sweet scent of his delicious cologne and she thought she was going to lose it. He was appealing in every way. His dark eyes penetrating her. His form, his aura, his sexual power. She felt overwhelmed by his presence—in a good way.

  Before she knew it, he gently traced the outline of her jaw with his fingers, stroking her chin, sending waves of desire through her veins. Then he gently brought his lips to hers, sliding into the moistness between her lips. The heat of expectancy filled her. God, she wanted him. Right there in the limousine. She’d never felt this way about any man in her life.

  Brushing his lips against her caused her pulse to race and butterflies to let loose in her stomach. The hotness of his kiss sent tingles all over her body. He seemed to enjoy sucking on her lips. The irresistible scent of his maleness drew her in. God, he was delicious. His lips tasted like fine red wine.

  Never in her life had she been kissed that way.

  The atmosphere in the limousine was charged. She could not believe this. Stuff like that only happened in romance novels. What did he see in her? Simple, play-it-safe, plain Kira. She wasn’t a supermodel or a size zero. But he was attracted to her as much as she was to him. What did she do to deserve this live fantasy of hers? Being swept away by a charming, powerful billionaire and experiencing the finest treatment?

  “Your lips are so beautiful,” he murmured as he reclaimed her mouth again with his hot tongue.

  God, what a kiss! She felt moisture pool between her thighs and worried about it showing when she got up.

  “I want you,” she moaned into his mouth. She felt his lips curve into a smile. Was she going to make out in a limousine?

  Just then her thoughts were distracted by her cell phone ringing. She noticed Alessandro glanced down her legs again then to her purse as she pulled out her cell phone.

  “Oh, God!”

  “What is it, beautiful?”

  “My boss! She probably wants to know how the story is going?” Kira felt her stomach tumble to the floor of the limousine. She answered the phone and tried to remain as calm as possible. She told her boss that she was still on the story (which she was) and she’d get back to her during the week. Kira wasn’t Alessandro. Thinking on the spot when life threw you some surprises wasn’t her thing. Neither was avoiding telling the whole truth.

  4.

  Two days later, Kira sat down in the restaurant of the hotel waiting for Alessandro who got up to take an important business call. By the way the call had sounded, it looked as if he were talking to his investigators about who was trying to smear his name. He looked distracted as he excused himself from the table.

  It was as if she were living a different life. A more exciting one. At times, Alessandro was distant and seemed like he had a lot on his mind with thoughts no doubt on the upcoming business meeting but she seemed to manage to help him through it.

  He did not seem like the womanizer he was painted to be. Not once had he turned his head to look at another woman. For starters, he had revealed that he wasn’t even seeing anyone. But what really caught her attention was the way he treated the hotel staff. He was quite friendly with them, even the cleaners. In Kira’s books a true man of class treats everyone with respect regardless of rank or position in society.

  Surprisingly, Kira was filled with excitement going places with Alessandro. She was married to Alessandro Romano. Even if it were for a brief time. At least she could say she did something exciting in her life. She lived! She got married in one of the most exciting cities in the world! This may be the closest she ever came to getting married the way her life was going. It was so hard to find Mr. Right, these days. Or more like, it was so hard to find and keep Mr. Right in your life.

  Kira swallowed hard as she glanced at the menu on the table perusing the entrees. She didn’t want this whirlwind relationship to end. She couldn’t bare not having Alessandro in her life. He made her feel special. Important. The way he looked at her, invited her into his world. The way he treated her like a princess these past couple of days. She loved the attention. How could something that felt so real and so good, be over soon? She blinked emphatically as she placed the menu down and reached over to his side of the table to pick up the print offs from the internet and the headlines of the various articles.

  Real Estate Tycoon Alessandro Romano Ties the Knot in Vegas

  Romano and New Bride Hope to Open Children’s Hospital

  Tycoon Recently Slapped With Paternity Suit Marries In Vegas

  Kira felt as if she were wide awake in a dream. Her eyes scanned the beautiful restaurant in the luxury hotel where they were staying. She was seated in a private candle-lit booth with a window view of the stunning Vegas Strip lights below. The five-star restaurant was on the sixty-seventh floor. She was getting a taste of the rich life for however long it would last.

  “Enjoying the view?” Alessandro reached back to the booth and distracted her daydreaming.

  “Oh, it’s gorgeous. But I guess you’re pretty much used to views like this.”

  “I don’t really take much notice.”

  Kira was stunned. “You don’t?”

  “Why does that surprise you, Kira?”

  “I don’t know. I just think it’s so important to stop and smell the roses once in a while.”

  “Oh, really?” he mocked her.

  “Yes,
really.” She cocked a brow.

  “Well, are you planning on changing me during our marriage?”

  “Maybe. I mean, we’re in Vegas. I really want to go to more places and see more sites. I think it would be fun. You can’t be all work and no play.”

  “Too dull for you, is it?”

  She grinned. Kira felt good that she was able to give him something that money couldn’t buy. She wanted to live it up a little and he really needed to relax for a while. Vegas was the perfect place to do that.

  “Very well. After we give our proposal tomorrow at the board meeting, I’ll arrange for a few tours. How does that sound?”

  “Awesome!”

  “You know a lot about me,” Alessandro commented after the waiter came with their entrees. “Tell me about yourself.”

  “Oh, well, there isn’t much more than I’ve told you actually.”

  “Now, I don’t believe that for a second.”

  “You’re the one with so many stories. I mean, it’s no secret that you were adopted. Have you ever tried to contact your…um biological mother?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “She obviously didn’t want to be contacted, so I didn’t bother. The mother who raised me did a great job of it.”

  “Aren’t you the least bit curious? I mean you could have biological brothers and sisters that you don’t know about.”

  “I’m sure they’re getting along just fine if that’s the case.”

  Kira felt a pang of disappointment for him. Of course, she’d never known what it was like to be given up for adoption. “I’m sure it was a difficult decision for your mother. You’re a wonderful person and I’m sure she would be proud of you.”

  Alessandro felt something he’d never felt before speaking with Kira. She was all heart and she struck a chord within him. She was priceless. He actually felt relaxed around her.

  “You’re good for my ego, Kira. I hope you continue to be the good person you are inside.” Alessandro took his glass of wine and bought it to his lips before continuing with his dinner. He couldn’t believe he was going to annul his marriage to her once the deal goes through—if it did go through.