‘So it seems.’
Jess and Amber whirled at the sound of Ben’s voice.
Amber went a guilty shade of pink whilst Jess just stared at him.
‘Amazing what you learn after a relationship is over,’ he said, still glaring at Amber. ‘If I’d known your father was on the verge of bankruptcy, then I’d have better understood your sudden declaration of love. Not to mention your timely proposal.’
‘Ben, I…I…’
‘Save it, Amber,’ he snapped.
‘She doesn’t love you,’ Amber retaliated spitefully. ‘She just wants your money, the way your mother wanted your father’s money. For God’s sake, just look at her. She’s a nothing from down under. A nobody!’
Jess stepped forward and slapped Amber’s face before she could think better of it. ‘I do so love him,’ she spat at the stunned blonde. ‘And I am not a nobody!’
All of Amber’s face went bright red, not just the palm print on her cheek. ‘I’ll sue you for assault, you bitch. And you too, you bastard—for breach of promise. I’ll make you pay for wasting all that time on you.’
Ben’s look in return was chillingly cold. ‘Give it your best shot, sweetheart. I have billions at my disposal and you’ve got what? A dead-broke father and a dead-end job, working for peanuts in an art gallery.’
Amber opened her mouth to say something, then just whirled and stormed off.
Ben stared at Jess who was feeling somewhat shattered by the nasty incident.
‘Did you mean it?’ he asked her. ‘Do you really love me?’
Tears pricked at her eyes. ‘Of course I do. Why do you think I’m here?’
‘Amber just said it’s for the money.’
‘Amber’s a fool. And so are you, if you think that.’
‘I don’t think that. That’s why I love you.’
Jess gaped at him then burst into tears. He gathered her close and pressed his lips into her hair. ‘I love you,’ he murmured. ‘And I want to marry you.’
Jess wept all the harder. Because how could she marry this man and live this life with him? She would hate it. And soon she would hate him.
Finally, when the crying had stopped and she could gather enough courage, she pulled back from him and lifted still, wet eyes to his. ‘I do love you, Ben,’ she said shakily. ‘Very much. But I can’t marry you. I’m sorry. I just can’t.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND why you won’t marry me,’ Ben raged when he finally got Jess back to his apartment. ‘If you love me the way you say you do, then what’s the problem? Hell on earth, Jess, I can give you anything you want.’
‘That’s the problem, Ben. I don’t want what you can give me. I don’t want to live this kind of life,’ she said, sweeping her right arm around at his apartment. ‘It’s too much. We wouldn’t have any real friends. Neither would our children.’
‘That’s ridiculous. I have real friends.’
‘No, you don’t. There wasn’t a single person there tonight who was a real friend. The only real friend you have is Andy in Australia, and that’s because you met him when you weren’t so rich. Being a billionaire means you can’t live an ordinary life, Ben. As your wife, I won’t be able to live an ordinary life either. You’ll want me to go to toffee-nosed dos and dinner parties all the time with people that I despise. You’ll want me to stop making my own clothes. You’ll insist I have a stylist and a designer wardrobe. Our children will have nannies and bodyguards and be sent to snobby boarding schools whilst we stay at home and entertain. I’m sorry, Ben, but that’s not what I want for my children. That’s not what I want for me.’
He stopped pacing around the living room and sent her a disbelieving look. ‘You really mean this, don’t you?’
‘I do,’ she said, even though her heart was breaking.
He swore, then strode over and yanked her hard against him. ‘I could make you change your mind,’ he ground out darkly.
‘No, Ben,’ she said firmly. ‘You couldn’t.’
‘Even if I promise you the world?’
‘Especially if you promise me the world.’
‘Then you don’t really love me,’ he growled and threw her from him.
When she almost fell over he grabbed her again, but not so roughly this time, his expression both apologetic and desperate. ‘I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry. I would never hurt you, Jess. But please, don’t do this. I beg of you. Stay with me. I need you. I love you. I won’t let you go!’