His Love (9 page)

“What’s wrong with them?” Sofia asked.

“It’s just a cold.” Antonio replied.

He had time to think about Rayne’s pregnancy. The thought of creating a life with her excited him, just as it had with Maria, but knowing the long road ahead of them and the danger had humbled his excitement. He needed to keep a close watch on Rayne, but he needed her to tell him about the pregnancy first.

“Mother could you keep an eye on Alessandria, I don’t know how much Rayne will be able to do today.” When Morrison walked into the room he gave another instruction. “Empty the bar in my room.”

“Why?” Kane asked suspiciously. “Has Rayne been drinking?”

“No, but I don’t want to tempt her either.” Antonio’s remark was met by curious gazes. He thought it would be better to tell them. “Rayne and I are starting a relationship and I’d rather she didn’t taste the alcohol on me.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jacqueline muttered, but Antonio could see the discouraging looks on his parents’ faces.

“Thank you for the support, Jacqueline.” He cleared his throat. “I’m not asking for anyone’s opinion or input in this. There is something else.” Antonio thought he would tell them about Alessandria’s new name for Rayne, so that no one would be shocked when they heard her. But Alessandria beat him to it.

She walked in, in her pajamas with a little bunny in her hand, and her blanket trailing behind her. “Where is mommy?”

Antonio almost laughed at their stunned expressions. He picked Alessandria up and settled her on his lap. “She’s sleeping. She’s not feeling well.”

“Is she also sick?” She bit into his toast.

“Yes, and you also need to go back to bed and get some rest.” Antonio stood up; he took in the shocked looks once more and headed toward Rayne’s room.

“You look terrible,” he said as he lowered Alessandria into bed with Rayne.

“That’s what happens when you puke your guts out from six am to eight am,” Rayne mumbled as she pulled Alessandria into her arms and tucked her under the covers. “Are you going to work?”

“Yes, only to close a deal. I’ll be back for lunch.” He wished she would tell him, but he didn’t expect her to. He kissed them goodbye and headed for his car, avoiding going back into the house.

Antonio was back home sooner than he anticipated. Although he was a little apprehensive because the representative of the company he was supposed to buy out didn’t show up, he was glad to be getting home to his family.

“What happened?” Kane met Antonio in his office a distressed look on his face.

“They didn’t show up,” Antonio said. “We called their offices all morning, but they kept giving me the run around.”

“I’ll get my inside source to tell us what’s going on.”

Espionage wasn’t something Antonio would put past his father, but having an ear to the ground was what made Burke Enterprises what it was now.

“About Rayne—” Kane began as Antonio turned to walk out of the office.

“What about Rayne, Father?” He was ready to put his foot down. His father’s controlling interest in the company forced him to listen to Kane, but he didn’t have any controlling interest in his personal life.

“Are you sure of what you are doing? Are you sure it’s right to let Alessandria refer to Rayne as her mother?” Skepticism was his father’s main attribute.

“Rayne is the only mother she’s got. I’m going to marry her soon; I don’t see why we shouldn’t be a family now.” Antonio shrugged nonchalantly. For the first time ever he didn’t need his father to approve what he was doing.

“Who’s getting married?” Sofia sauntered into the room, a questioning frown on her usually perfect olive brow.

“Rayne and Antonio.”

“She doesn’t know of my intentions just yet, so please keep it to yourselves.” The last thing he needed was for them to scare her away.

“The man in the Armani suit is back.” Rayne met them in the foyer carrying a sleeping Alessandria in her arms. “It’s a bit early for you to be here. What went wrong?”

“Nothing.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “How is she feeling?”

“Better, but the medications keep her in an unconscious state,” Rayne mumbled and Antonio could see how stunned she was by the public display of affection.

“What about you?” He stroked her cheek and watched how she darted her eyes at his parents.

“I feel better.”

“Have you eaten?”

“The thought of food just makes me want to gag. I’ll just go put her down for a nap.” Rayne walked away.

“You got her pregnant.” His mother accused after Rayne was out of earshot.

“She doesn’t know I know,” Antonio filled in.

“Are you sure?” Kane’s distrust in the world was evident.

“If it will make you feel any better I will ask her to sign a pre-nuptial agreement when we get married, but yes, I am sure she isn’t aware I know. I get this feeling that she wants to try and make our relationship work, but there is also this fear that I’m sure will make her try and run from me.”

“Try?” Kane asked.

“Yes, try, because I will never let her leave. I’ll lock her up in this house if I have to.” His voice was soft, but the note of deadly earnest wasn’t missed.

“You can’t hold her prisoner,” Sofia piped in.

“I’m in love with her, and she loves me. But she’s terrified of what I was.”

“And locking her up is your solution?”

“Yes, that’s only until I can convince her to marry me.” Antonio was confused when he saw a sly smile curl on his father’s lips. Before he could interpret what it meant, Martin stormed into the house, breathless, with a terrified expression on his face.

“Martin what is it?” Antonio finally remembered his name.

“Sir, could I talk to you and your father for a moment?” he stammered.

Kane led the way to Antonio’s office, any laughter in his eyes disappeared. Antonio could almost hear his warning—
My company, my chair, my desk, my office, and if you screw up—even once—you are out.
Antonio stood behind his desk and his father sat down in his chair. He tried not to read into the action too much, but already he felt like he was being edged out of his position in the company.

“What is it?” Antonio barked, wondering why Martin couldn’t have kept “the sky is falling” routine in the office when they were there.

“Montgomery Enterprises heard about the bid on the oil company in the Middle East, and they have made a bid for it as well. They knew our strategy and what we were offering and are now offering the Sheikh ten percent more.”

“How did this leak out Antonio?” Kane growled.

“I’ll find that out later. Now we just have to try and make a better bid.” Antonio paced around the room, as the numbers and agreement terms flooded in his head. He had to find a way that Burke enterprises wouldn’t spend more than they had to, but keep the buy secure.

“Sir,” Martin began and Antonio knew he wasn’t going to like what he said next. “I did some research on who owns Montgomery Enterprises.”

“But the owner is a ghost,” Kane argued. “No one has ever seen or heard of him.”

“Sir, the owner is a woman. Her name is Eliza Mathews; she is Miss Mathews’ grandmother.”

“I don’t believe it.” Antonio heard his father say, but his attention was focused on one target, Martin. He was sure the man was lying, but didn’t know what his motives were. There was no way Rayne would betray him, he didn’t believe it.

“Who told you this?” Antonio barked, trying to control his temper.

“I did a background check on her, sir.”

“Who gave you the permission?” Although he didn’t like knowing that Rayne could have deceived him, knowing that someone was snooping around in her past was worse.

“What did you find out?” his father interjected.

“She lost her family home when the bank repossessed it. Her father lived a humble life although his mother is a billionaire. After he and his son died in a car crash, Rayne burned through everything that was left to her. Her mother’s money was also depleted when she got cancer and she took a loan on the house to put Rayne through school. Rayne came here soon after. I think she’s trying to get back in her grandmother’s good graces because she disowned her when she found out Rayne was a drug addict,” Martin explained. “Sir, Rayne also had a daughter who died before she was born.”

Antonio could see the look in Kane’s eyes and it was obvious that he believed that Rayne was sent there to spy on them. What reason would Rayne have to stay if she was bound to inherit billions from her grandmother? She had already threatened to take his daughter away. He picked up his phone and called his security men and rushed out of the office to Alessandria’s room.

Antonio found Rayne sitting on Alessandria’s bed stroking her hair. Ensuring that the little girl was asleep first, he grabbed Rayne’s arm and dragged her out of the room.

“You’re hurting me,” Rayne cried out as fear filled her eyes.

Antonio pushed her into the room and paced around trying to get his anger under control long enough for him to talk.

***

Rayne watched in fear as Antonio walked from one end of the room to the other. He was like a caged tiger ready to attack his prey. She sat on the sofa, her fingers digging into the cushion. Rayne began to say something, but the angry set of his jaw and the way his slitted eyes glared at her told her to wait.

Did he find out about the baby?
She was afraid that the pregnancy had only made him mad and not as happy as she would have wanted him to be. When he suddenly stopped she sat up straight ready to defend herself from whatever he accused her of.

“Who is Eliza Mathews?”

“What?” Rayne never thought she would hear that name again, not since her grandmother abandoned her. “Why?”

“Who is she to you?” he asked, in a huff of impatience.

“She’s my grandmother.” A whoosh of tense air escaped her lungs.

“When was the last time you spoke to her?” he demanded.

“A year or so, when my mother first found out she had cancer. I asked her for help, but she turned me down.”

“Because, you are a drug addict.”

It sounded more of an accusation than anything else. Impulsively Rayne stood up to defend herself, but she was met by Antonio’s cold stare. That alone made her sink back onto the sofa.

“What is this about?” Rayne’s voice faltered.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your grandmother?”

“Because she’s not important to me anymore.”

“And if there were something important you would tell me.”

Oh!Oh!
Rayne thought as she got back on her feet and rushed into his bedroom. Panic coursed through her. He couldn’t know. She wasn’t ready to admit it to herself let alone to him. She was trapped in there with nowhere to go.

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Rayne, frightened at his vehemence, looked everywhere, but at him.

“Were you going to tell me about the baby?” Rayne stumbled back in shock. She studied the hard planes of his jaw as a shadow crossed over his face and his expression became hard to read.

“I would have when—”

With a gruff voice he cut her off. “When you thought I was no longer a monster?”

Rayne winced at the steel that cut into his tone. His breathtakingly handsome face was so harshly set, the angry twitch in his jaw announced its presence. She took a step back in fear. “I didn’t know how to tell you without feeling like I was trapping you.”

Antonio let out a short sardonic laugh. He left the room, but he was back a few seconds later with Alessandria in his arms. He tucked her into bed and walked toward the door.

“I’ll leave if you want me to,” She said, chancing another glance at him. Rayne didn’t expect him to let her go, but didn’t put it past him. He thought that she had betrayed him and not just by keeping the baby from him, but it had to do with her grandmother.

“You will never leave this house,” he warned. “You are the mother of two of my children now. You are never going to leave them.” His voice softened with deadly earnest.

She scoffed back a chance to lash back at him and when Antonio opened the door she saw how serious he was. The men in black were now positioned at his door, clearly there, not for her safety, but to imprison her.

“You can’t keep me prisoner,” she hissed at him.

“I can and I will.” He pointed out with an arched eyebrow. “Morrison and Melody will bring both your meals in here. I will see you when I get back.”

“When is that?”

“I don’t know. I might be forced to travel to the other side of the world to fix your betrayal.”

Rayne watched him leave. She dropped on the sofa, disillusioned on what her next act should be.

Chapter Nine

If it wasn’t for Jacqueline bulldozing her way into the room, Rayne wouldn’t have known what was going on. She couldn’t imagine Antonio suspected her of stealing company secrets and giving them to her grandmother. She expected that from Kane, but for Antonio to think that all the intimate moments they shared was just a way for her to get rich, hurt her.

Rayne didn’t see Antonio for three days. She wasn’t sure if he was even in the country, but on the third night, the sound of his Italian leather against the Persian rug in his room told her that he was back. Rayne pulled Alessandria closer to her, feeling like the little girl was her only protection from Antonio’s wrath.

“Come with me.” His tone was low, but there was no mistaking the authoritative bark hidden within.

Rayne didn’t argue. She slowly and quietly left Antonio’s bed and followed him into his living room.

“Take this bag. I want you to use every single one of them.”

Rayne looked inside the paper sack. It was filled with pregnancy tests—at least ten of them. She smirked. “If you don’t believe I’m pregnant. Then let me leave.”

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” He had a tortured look on his face. “I just want to make sure that you are not inventing a pregnancy to use me, and that doctor isn’t one of your pawns.”

“You were at the hospital with me. A doctor told you—behind my back mind you—violating his oath to keep my medical records private, and told you,” she shouted. “All hail the rich Armani suit with lots of money, who doesn’t comply with the rules of society and humanity. I’m not going to pee on ten sticks.”