The Billionaire's Bodyguard Bride (10 page)

“I’m Maria, Rafe’s housekeeper.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Maria. “Thanks for offering to lend a hand. It would take a contortionist to do up all these buttons.”

“It’s a gorgeous gown, and you make a stunning bride,” Maria beamed, setting to work fastening the buttons. “The staff here are all so thrilled Rafe has found someone to share his life with. He’s a very special man.”

“I know,” Lauren admitted honestly. For as much as she resented Rafe for the way he’d so callously cast her aside in Greece, she understood, at least partially, why he had. He believed she’d betrayed him, stomping all over his deeply ingrained values of honesty and integrity in the process.

“Rafe told me about your parents,” Maria relayed gently. “I’m sorry. It’s tough enough to lose a mother at such a young age. It’s doubly difficult to have lost your father as well. Rafe says the only other family you have to share this special day with is your brother. Will he be giving you away?”

“Yes. Since it’s just Luke and me, and because Rafe’s father is overseas and unable to be home for the wedding, we opted for a simple ceremony with you and my brother as witnesses.”

“I’m honored to be a part of it. And you look stunning,” Maria pronounced, stepping back to admire her handiwork. “Your brother is waiting to see you. May I send him in?”

“Absolutely,” Lauren assured her.

Luke entered the room, coming to a halt as he caught his first glimpse of her in the wedding dress. “Wow,” he exclaimed with a loving smile. “You’re a vision. You remind me so much of Mom. She’d be proud.”

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to get all weepy and my mascara will run. I’ll look like a raccoon.”

“The most beautiful raccoon on the planet,” he insisted with a tender smile before his expression turned serious. “Are you sure about this, Lauren? You don’t owe Dimitriou anything after the way he treated you, and you certainly don’t have to do this for the agency. It’s not too late to bail.”

“I know, but this is the best solution. You won’t have to establish another cover career, and Sentinels will be able to protect Rafe more effectively if I’m on the inside. It’s a win-win.”

“It’s not a win for you. I know you say you can separate yourself from the emotional side of things, but it’s going to be harder than you think.”

“Maybe, but I’m willing to chance it.”

“You’ve always been stubborn,” Luke sighed.

Lauren drew her brother in for a warm hug. “And it’s one of the many things you love about me,” she teased.

“You’ve got me there,” he said, fiercely returning her hug. “Just promise me you’ll stay sharp and be safe. I have a suspicion Philip isn’t being entirely honest with Sentinels regarding the nature of these threats. I think they may be tied to Lawrence Mendacci.”

“The man Philip was lunching with when I took those photos in Greece? Rafe insisted the only dealing his father ever had with the man was selling him a stallion. You think there’s more?,” she queried, as a knock sounded on the door.

“It’s possible. Just be extra careful until we know for sure what we’re dealing with, okay?”

She nodded as a second knock sounded on the door. “Come in.”

Maria poked her head into the room. “Rafe asked me to let you know he’s waiting downstairs for you whenever you’re ready.”

She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready, but she took Luke’s hand and they made their way downstairs to Rafe’s study .

Her groom had chosen a black tuxedo and paired it with a sharp white dress shirt. A tidal wave of heat crashed over her at the sight of him. Luke was right. Handling Rafe’s potent allure without getting in over her head wouldn’t be easy.

But as dangerous as this move was to her heart, there was no turning back now. If she bailed on their agreement, there was a very real possibility that Sentinels would not be able to protect Rafe from the threat looming over him and his family. She couldn’t chance that.

The irony of her current situation wasn’t lost on her. Rafe believed she’d lied to him two years ago when, in truth, she hadn’t. Now she really was deceiving him. Still there wasn’t any alternative but to continue on the path she was on. She had to find a way to pull this off. His life depended on it.

There was a sense of déjà vu as they exchanged vows. Only this time the celebrant was real, not an actor playing a part.

When the time came to seal their union with a kiss, she steeled herself, prepared for Rafe to charge her defenses. Instead, he merely brushed her lips with his before pulling away.

The remoteness of the gesture and his sudden withdrawal surprised her. Was he having second thoughts about having chosen her to carry out his charade? She knew she should be relieved he wasn’t trying to pressure her. So why, instead, did she find the chaste kiss so disconcerting?

She was spared from contemplating her reaction when the photographer requested they adjourn to the gardens for more pictures. Following the shoot, they mingled at a champagne and hors d’oeuvres celebration with Luke, Maria, and the rest of Rafe’s household staff.

An hour later, she found herself alone with her groom.

“One final toast,” he pronounced, topping off the champagne she’d barely touched. “To the success of our new partnership. And to the ‘more’ we’ve yet to discover.”

Lauren touched the delicate crystal flute in her hand to his matching glass. “To our strictly professional business agreement,” she clarified. “There is nothing more.”

“Oh, but there most definitely will be,” Rafe countered, his piercing blue gaze alight with a melding of confidence and desire that made her breath catch in her throat and her pulse hit warp speed. “You’re fooling yourself if you think there won’t be. Just how much more, Mrs. Dimitriou, is up to you.”

Standing in the entryway of the Fullertons’ estate a few hours later, being welcomed by the CEO of
Gracious Living
himself, Lauren thought Rafe couldn’t have chosen a more fitting description of Chuck Fullerton than “down-to-earth.” He was wonderfully approachable, and not at all what she’d expected.

“I’m sorry this event coincided with your honeymoon,” he apologized as he shook Rafe’s hand. “I’m thrilled you’re able to join us.”

“We’re pleased to be here,” Rafe assured him, returning his warm greeting.

“And this must be Lauren,” he beamed, appraising her with shrewd blue eyes. “You’ve chosen well. Congratulations to you both. My wife is out on the patio putting the finishing touches on the floral arrangements for this evening’s welcome dinner. Grace is passionate about her flowers,” he relayed with an indulgent grin. “She’s hoping you’ll join us there for coffee.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Lauren smiled.

Flowers weren’t Grace Fullerton’s only passion, Lauren mused, spotting the look of love in the woman’s eyes when she saw her husband walking towards her. It was obvious she was crazy about him, and it was clear the feeling was mutual.

They chatted with the Fullertons over coffee, and afterwards the couple took them on a personal tour of the house and grounds. Despite its sprawling size, the mansion held an inherent warmth and hominess.

“You must be worn out from the long drive, dear, not to mention the excitement of the wedding,” Grace observed when they completed the tour. “I remember when Chuck and I were married. By the time we exchanged our vows, I was so exhausted I could have slept for a week.”

“As I recall you got a second wind in time for the honeymoon,” Chuck told his bride of fifty years with a wink.

Lauren wondered what it would be like to share half a century with someone who still looked at you as though you were as essential to him as the very air he breathed. She wanted to find out. She wanted to be swept up into her very own fairy tale with a man who would value her love and not toss her heart aside. Too bad Rafe wasn’t that man.

They returned to the patio to find the Fullertons’ butler waiting for them.

“This is Malcolm,” Chuck introduced.

The butler’s dark hair was cut military style, and he carried himself with the demeanor of a well-trained security expert. Lauren would bet her paycheck Malcolm wore more than one hat in Chuck Fullerton’s employ.

“Malcolm will take your bags up to your suite and see that you’re settled in,” Chuck relayed. “Our other guests should be arriving shortly. We’ll meet in the dining room at seven for dinner. Please feel free to enjoy the pool or the tennis courts or explore the grounds until then.”

Lauren’s professional eye spotted the discreet bulge of a concealed weapon under Malcolm’s jacket as he bent to pick up the cases, confirming her guess that the handsome butler doubled as a bodyguard. Chuck Fullerton rose another notch in her estimation. He ran a tight ship.

Malcolm led them up two flights of stairs to a wing Lauren had admired on the tour. “Here you are,” he smiled. “I hope everything will be to your satisfaction. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

“Thank you. I’m certain we’ll be very comfortable here,” Rafe assured him.

Malcolm pulled the door shut on his way out, leaving them alone in the opulent room. The suite was breathtaking, decorated in rich shades of silver and lavender. Beyond the sitting area, the master bedroom was dominated by a huge four-poster bed. Atrium doors opened onto a gorgeous balcony, allowing lovely floral scents from the garden below to waft in on the soft breeze.

Lauren’s high heels sunk into the plush carpet with every step. She slipped them off with a blissful sigh. “Suddenly I’m feeling very spoiled. The Fullertons really know how to roll out a welcome mat.”

“They’re a very special couple. And Chuck is a remarkable business man. He’s even more of a legend in the business arena than my father.”

“That’s hard to imagine. I’ve read about your father’s accomplishments. He’s an icon.”

Rafe’s features turned stony. “It’s too bad you hadn’t appreciated his undertakings a couple of years ago. Perhaps you would have thought twice before you set out to ruin him.”

“Causing you and your father grief was never my intention. If you’d bothered to hear me out in Greece, you would know I never intended to imply he was involved in anything illicit.”

Rafe shook his head emphatically. “I don’t buy that,” he barked, indignation sparking in his blue eyes. “I met you two days before the story hit. Do you honestly expect me to believe that was a coincidence?”

“Yes, I do,” Lauren told him with a vehement nod. “That story was already in my editor’s hands by then. It simply hadn’t run yet. I was officially on vacation, and I didn’t have a clue who you were when you saved me.”

“Why can’t you admit you staged your accident in order to get access to me and my family to try and dig up dirt for your article?”

“Because I didn’t!” she denied vehemently. “I would have been crazy to take such an outrageous chance. I would have drowned if you hadn’t happened along. A byline isn’t worth dying for.”

“Even if what you claim is true, and you didn’t realize you were on my private property, you were negligent in your actions when you submitted that photo. There was an innocent third party in that picture. You should have given consideration to the collateral damage your story would cause.”

“I admit I made a mistake,” she murmured, wincing at the indignation and resentment in his voice. She longed to reveal the whole truth to him, to make him see that her exposé was never intended to damage an innocent bystander’s reputation.

She’d written the story to save a life, not to hurt his father or the Dimitriou family empire, as Rafe believed. True, when she’d snapped the photo, she’d assumed the three men lunching together were in collusion, but she hadn’t known the identity of the third person at the table—Rafe’s father—so she hadn’t referenced him directly in her story. And her speculative article had only hinted that the other two men’s activities might be questionable.

“I rectified my error,” she defended as Rafe continued to stare her down with hot anger in his eyes. “The newspaper printed a retraction, and I wrote a separate human-interest story on your father that cleared him of any misplaced speculations.”

“Yes. I know. I read your follow-up article. You sang my father’s praises. He was quite touched. Your little accolade may have smoothed everything over in his book, but that doesn’t mean I’ve absolved you of the havoc you wreaked.”

“Since you refuse to consider my side of the story, there’s nothing I can do to change that,” Lauren sighed, suddenly weary of the battle. It was one, she knew, she’d never win. He didn’t believe her and he never would. It was obvious he preferred to cling to his own take on the event. And she couldn’t explain how the story had saved a key Moroccan official’s life without revealing her true assignment. “How does your father feel about us? Our marriage, I mean?”

“He isn’t aware our union is a business arrangement, of course. He thinks we patched things up when our paths crossed in New York. He’s too pleased I’m settling down to care about the hows and whys. You don’t have to be concerned that there are any hard feelings on his part. He forgave you a long time ago.”

“I’m glad he’s forgiven me. Regardless of what you might think, I never meant him any harm.”

“Unlike me, he believes that. He was overjoyed when I told him I intended to marry you. He wanted to be stateside for the wedding, but he couldn’t break his commitment to speak at the trade conference.”

“It’s just as well. I’m glad he didn’t have to witness our marriage fallacy.” And she hoped with all her heart that Luke’s suspicions about Philip proved to be unfounded. If it was true that Rafe’s father had conspired with Lawrence Mendacci, things could get ugly.

Grabbing her luggage, Lauren began unpacking. She hung her garments in the sitting room’s coat closet.

“Why aren’t you using the walk-in closet in the bedroom?”

“The bedroom is all yours. I’ll be perfectly comfortable here on the sofa.”

“You’ll share my bed,” Rafe refuted, steel in his voice. “I distinctly recall us having had this conversation this morning.”

“And I distinctly recall telling you our arrangement doesn’t include sleeping with you,” she shot back.