Hattie gnawed her bottom lip. He'd neatly cut the ground from beneath her feet. Every argument anticipated and countered. It all made perfect sense. And it scared the heck out of her. "You seem to have thought of everything."
He shrugged. "It's what I do. As far as the wedding dress and the ceremony itself, I'll leave that to you. I have a good friend who is a justice of the peace. He's prepared to fly down with us and officiate."
"Who's going to be your best man?"
"Leo."
"Does he know about me … about Deedee?"
"I told him I was marrying someone he knew, but I left it at that. Leo will be there. But as far as he is concerned right now, this is a normal marriage. You and I will be the only people who will know the truth."
"You'd lie to your own brother?"
"I'll tell him the situation later … when it's a done deal."
"And your grandfather?"
"He's flying over for his big birthday party in the fall. I won't encourage him to come this time."
"I wonder if Leo will even remember me."
Luc chuckled. "My brother never forgets a beautiful woman. We'll get together with him for dinner when we come back from our honeymoon, and you can reminisce."
Hattie winced inwardly. Leo probably thought she was the worst kind of tease. Leading Luc on back in college and then dumping him. Leo would side with his brother, of course. Just one more thing to look forward to in her new, surreal life.
She took a deep breath. "When are we going to do this?"
"May 14 works for my schedule. I've cleared the week following for our honeymoon. Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go? The company has a top-notch travel agent."
She smiled faintly. "Since I've never really been anywhere, I'll let you choose."
"I thought Key West might be nice … a luxurious villa on a quiet street. A private pool."
Her mouth dried. "Um, sure. Sounds lovely." Why did she suddenly have a vision of the two of them naked and … cavorting in the moonlight? Dear heaven. May 14 was two and a half weeks away. This was happening. This was real.
She couldn't wait any longer to address the elephant in the room. Or perhaps she was the only one who was worrying about it. Luc was a guy. Sex came as naturally to him as breathing. He probably thought nature would take its course.
But she needed to have things spelled out. "Luc?"
He rejoined her on the sofa, this time sitting so close to her that their hips nearly touched. Deliberately, he lifted her hand nearest him and linked their fingers. "What, Hattie? Permission to speak freely."
His light humor did nothing to alleviate her nerves. She squeezed his hand briefly and stood up again, unable to bear being so close to him when she was on edge. "I had a feeling earlier this evening … at dinner … that one of the things you wanted to discuss in private was sex. It makes sense … to talk about it, I mean. You're a virile man, and I assume you'll be faithful to our wedding vows. So no one can question the validity of our marriage. For the baby's sake."
His face darkened. "For the baby's sake … right. Because I assume that otherwise you could care less if I went to another woman for satisfaction."
He was angry, and she wasn't sure why. She picked up the elastic band he'd removed from her hair. With swift, jerky movements she put her ponytail back in place. She didn't want to think about how it felt to have his fingers combing through her hair, his hard, warm palms caressing her back.
"I'm trying to explain, Luc, that I'm okay with it."
"Okay with what?"
His black scowl terrified her. If she handled this wrong, he might back out entirely. "I understand that it makes sense for us to be intimate … while we're together. A man and a woman living in the same house … married. I'm willing … . That's all I wanted to say."
His lip curled. His dark eyes were impenetrable. "Well, you were right about one thing."
"I was?"
"I did want to talk about sex."
"I thought so."
"But while I am deeply touched by your desire to throw yourself on the sacrificial altar, I don't need your penance."
"I don't understand."
His legs were outstretched, propped on the coffee table. He feigned relaxation, but his entire body vibrated with intense emotion. "It's simple, Hattie. All I wanted to say was that it seems somewhat degrading to both of us to exchange physical pleasure for money."
The way he drawled the words physical pleasure made her belly tighten. "You're confusing me."
"Sex has nothing to do with this marriage agreement. Is that clear enough? If we end up in bed together, it will be because we both want it. I'm attracted to you, Hattie … just as I would be to any beautiful woman. And I have a normal man's needs. I'll welcome you to my bed anytime. But you'll have to come to me. Your body is not on the bargaining table."
He was being deliberately cruel. Perhaps she deserved it. But humiliation swept through her in burning waves. She had offered herself up in all sincerity, and he had reduced the possibility of marital intimacy to scratching an itch.
Dimly, apprehensively, she began to understand what Luc was going to get out of this marriage. He was going to make her dance to his tune. He was going to make her beg.
And what scared her even more than being totally at his mercy was the inescapable knowledge that she would be the one to crack. And she might not make it through the honeymoon.
Six
The days before the wedding flew by. Hattie was consumed with setting up the nursery and shopping for an appropriate dress in which to become Mrs. Luc Cavallo.
After the embarrassing scene with Luc in the den, Hattie saw little of him. He spent four days in Milan at a conference, and when he returned to Atlanta, he worked long days, ostensibly getting caught up so he could be away for a week's vacation. No one at his office knew anything about a wedding.
Deedee was thriving. There had been no further word from Eddie, and on the surface, life seemed normal … . Or at least as normal as it could be given the current situation.
Sherman and Ana adored Deedee and spoiled her with toys and other gifts. Hattie relished being part of that circle. She had never known her own grandparents, and the new relationships she was building helped fill the emotional hole in her soul. Things might become awkward when the marriage ended, but she would worry about that when the time came.
The wedding was only four days away when trouble showed up. Not Eddie this time. A loud knock sounded at the front door midday, and Hattie answered it. Sherman was out back washing the cars, and Ana was making dinner preparations.
The man standing on the doorstep was familiar. "Leo," she said, her heart sinking. "Please come in."
"Well, isn't this nice," he sneered. "Playing lady of the manor, are we?"
She ignored his sarcasm. Clearly, he did remember her … and not fondly. "Luc's not home."
Leo folded his arms across his broad chest. "I came to see you." He was a physically intimidating man, and his brains more than equaled his brawn. Back in college he had played at flirting with her. Not seriously, just to get his brother's goat. But the look on his face at the moment said he'd just as soon toss her in the river as look at her.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I didn't. But I knew something was going on. My brother's been acting damn strangely. And now I know why."
Ana appeared, wiping her hands on a dish cloth. "Mr. Leo. How nice to see you." She turned to Hattie. "If you would like to step out back to the patio, I'd be happy to bring you a snack."
Leo smiled at the housekeeper, a warm, I'm-really-a-nice-guy smile. "Sounds wonderful, Ana. I've been running all day and missed lunch." He eyed Hattie blandly. "What a treat."
Hattie felt Leo's eyes boring into her back as they made their way through the house. She hadn't expected a warm welcome from Luc's brother, but she also hadn't anticipated this degree of antipathy from him. They sat down in wrought-iron chairs, and moments later Ana brought out a tray of oatmeal cookies and fresh coffee.
The older woman poured two cups and stepped back. "I'll put the monitor in the kitchen, Hattie, so I'll be able to hear the baby if she wakes up."