The Pawn (Shattered Series Book 1) (7 page)

       And dear heavens---

       Where were the words to describe the how devastatingly attractive he was? Those green eyes---they were the most hypnotic, she thought, and breathed fast as their gazes held.

        Forcing herself, she looked away.
        A subdued calmness exuded from him as he stared at her mockingly. Then, a lazy smile spread across his rugged handsome features before he turned his attention to his daughter. He forced a frown. “Meghan, you’re not supposed to have sweets this early in the day, and you know that. Not to mention that you’ve been sick with a tummy ache and fever just yesterday.”

       Meghan turned towards her father with downcast eyes. "Daddy, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” The huge tears swam in her eyes as she looked at him. “Please.”
       For a brief second, his hardened gaze softened, but then the sternness returned to his voice. "Of course I am not upset with you. But, you know the rules, Poppet, and you broke them---"
      "I won’t do it again, Daddy. I promise! But, you’re mad at me. I can tell!”

      Bursting into tears, turning to her again, Meghan clung to her.

      "Hey, it’s okay,” Olivia soothed, brushing the tears from the little girl’s face. Then, pure defiance breathed within her as she eyed the stranger. "And there’s no point in making a huge ordeal from a simple matter, is there?”
     Narrowing his gaze, the stranger edged closer to them. "Obviously, you aren’t thinking clearly, Olivia, but you haven’t been well, so I’ll overlook that blatant lack of good judgment." He carefully extracted the child from her before lifting her up in his arms. "My little Poppet," he said, addressing the child with a smile, and then, Meghan squealed delightfully as he tickled her playfully. "Dry these pretty little eyes and go check on Cricket. She’s back from the vet and is missing you right now."
     The child gasped in amazement. "Is my kitty all better?" Meghan demanded, squirming in his arms, and he relented as he placed her down. “I wanna see her now!” Excited, the child tugged on his large hand. “Didn’t you hear me, Daddy? I want to see her now! I want to see her now!”
     A different play of emotions crossed his face, and to her surprise, his tone lightened. “Guess what? She’s just as eager to see you! Rosa is keeping her company right now, and that’s why I was looking for you earlier, Poppet. So, you can only imagine my disappointment when I found you disobeying my rules."
      "I think that Meghan has learned her lesson, don’t you?" she broke in, laying a hand on the child’s shoulder. "After all, she’s just a child.”

      Again, the raw anger flared in his eyes.

      How was it even possible that he was her fiancé?

      If so, what kind of judgment did she have?

      It was obvious that he was a hothead and short-tempered!

      Breaking his eyes from hers, he addressed Meghan again. "Rosa’s waiting for you in the kitchen, Poppet. So, go. I’m sure that Cricket is as anxious to see you as well.”

      He’d barely gotten the words out before a gleeful Meghan charged from the room.

      They were left alone…

      An uncomfortable silence lingered.

      But, neither of them broke it.

      Besides, wasn’t she practically invisible to him anyway, she mulled, staring at the side of his face.

     He wasn’t even sparing her a glance.

     With a quiet quickness, he crossed the study before moving behind the desk. Striking a careful pose, ignoring her, he picked up the elegant pen before scribbling on the ledgers spread across the desk before him.

      She stared at him across the room.

      Despite her misgivings, she had to admit his attractiveness. Now, that they were alone, she was able to get an unblemished view.

       By heavens grace, she thought, holding her breath.

       He was the most gorgeous creature alive…

       Six feet of utter male perfection…

       In waves, his dark hair fell, ending at his nape, and his skin was a shade of light brown honey, displaying his Italian heritage. His features were like those of an artist’s rare masterpiece and carved with the utmost perfection. He had dark green eyes so intense that they’d rival any precious stone. They were like a pool of green water, and if she stared into them again, would she continue to drown? A nose that flared slightly to express any given emotion, and probably those emotions were prone to be volatile. It was offset by his firm full lips, and if he laughed, smiled…
kissed
, she blushed. They’d easily prove to be a deadly weapon to any woman’s resolve.

      The chiseled jaw line was taut, even now, and showed his control, or therefore, the lack of it, she mulled, suddenly feeling like an innocent captive.

       For wasn’t she captivated by what he represented?

       Tall, lithe, sexy, well-built…

       There’d never be a single word to describe
him
.

       He was simply
it
.

       The white polo top matched his trousers and fit his lithe form to perfection, outlining and defining his lean muscles in all the needed places, she thought, unconsciously flexing a soft fist at her side.

       When he spoke, his sexy and suave timbre jarred her back to the present. “Are you coming in, or do you plan on hovering there like a frightened child?”

       With a gasp, she started.

       Across the space, his dark green eyes met hers.

       Suddenly, she felt exposed.

       Taking an inward breath, she fought to regain her composure. And certainly there wasn’t any justification for his shortness!

     Stiffening, firming her shoulders, she crossed the room before stopping at the desk, and at his dismissive look, she grew angrier. “Rather than treating me like I’m a nuisance. Why don’t you explain to me who I am,” she demanded, staring at him squarely. “After that, tell me two things: who are you and why are you keeping me prisoner?”

      “Prisoner?” he asked, raising a brow. Passing her a cool detached look, he tossed the pen onto the desk “A bit melodramatic, don’t you think? Besides, Dr. Roma should have filled----”

        “He wouldn’t tell me anything,” she interrupted, trying to remain unaffected. But, those deep green eyes of his were making that nearly impossible. “The only thing that he’d say was that I’m Olivia Lange, and quite truthfully, he didn’t reveal much about my lost identity.” Though it shook badly, she held out her ringed hand. “No one explained this, and I have awakened to find---”

        “That you’re engaged to Jarrod Sabatino, the lost and insufferable bastard of Lamarie Rock, and you’re looking straight at him. Quite frankly, I don’t know if I’d be pleased with that very news myself. My attributes are less than stunning, unfortunately. I’ve heard that my bedside manner sucks, I use the F-bomb too often in conversations when speaking, I take everything personally, and the decisions that I make are for my personal gains and no one else’s. Let’s just say that I’m not the kind of man that you want to take home to momma,” he stated, sizing her up again. “As for your being held prisoner---don’t be ridiculous. We’re engaged to be married, and there’s no reason for me to force you to stay.” He paused momentarily. “Since the coma, your thoughts haven’t been clear, and understandably so. So, I’ll forgive this untimely rant.”

    She stared into his handsome features.

    “So, we
are
going to be married?” she stammered.

     Again, his look was long and cool. “Yes, we are Olivia,” he murmured, clearing his throat noisily. “And once this crisis is over, we can go on with our lives.”

     She gulped hard.

     This handsome devil before her was the man that she was soon to be betrothed---the very one who was watching her with a dismissive air and impatience? Still, there were holes in the whole story.

     Like the fact that his daughter was clueless to her existence, she thought, stiffening.

     “You can only imagine that I have questions,” she said, staring at him hard, trying to read him. Which she couldn’t, she thought, heart sinking.

      “Of course,” Jarrod shrugged. “It’s only natural.”

     “I have lots of questions. Like if we’re engaged, why doesn’t Meghan know me? I’m practically a stranger to her. That fact is rather upsetting to me, and I’d like to know the truth.”

     “Certainly, I didn’t plan on us meeting like this after you came out of the coma, and even though we’re engaged, I’m virtually a stranger. All of this has to be rather jarring for you.” Leaning back in the chair, Jarrod passed her a long look. “You’re right. What can I say except that our situation is very complicated,” he said evasively, and his eyes steeled over like hard granite. “Meghan doesn’t know you because she lived abroad until awhile ago. For reasons that I’m not ready to explain, I kept her a secret from you, and she had no idea about you until now.” He blew a frustrated breath. “Where Meghan is concerned, it’s a delicate situation, and I have to tread cautiously.”

     She shook her head. “No, it doesn’t make sense. Nothing does.”

     “Of course, it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t at least not at the moment. You’ve gone through a traumatic experience, and the last thing that you need to do is bring up things that will delay your progress. When the time is right, I’ll tell you everything. But, that time is not now. Overwhelming you with so much information at once will only cause a setback. That’s a risk that I’m not willing to take with you.”

      “My a-amnesia,” Olivia stammered, feeling her anger and resolve crumble under his deep stare. “Do you think that I’ll remember who I am or the life that we share together?”

       Again, a panged look crossed his handsome features. Was it guilt, she pondered, wiping the stray tear from her cheek.

       But, he masked it quickly, and once more the cool aloofness won out. “Dr. Roma stated that it’s too early to determine if it’ll be permanent memory loss or not.” This time, genuine sympathy laced his tone. “I’m sorry.”

       Then, dismissing her with another quiet look, he shuffled the papers on the huge desk.

       Staying her shaky hands, she settled in the chair facing the huge desk. “What happened? H-how did the accident happen?”

       “There was an explosion at a local church in the States,” he hedged slowly, adding his signature to one of the papers in a fast flourish. “Minutes before the ceremony, a hand-made bomb was detonated at the west wing of the church, and you were at that exact point when it happened. You don’t realize how lucky you are to even be standing here right now.”

      “Was it our wedding?” she asked, frowning in confusion. “As for the explosion, what happened? Was there a gas leakage or something?”

        His features were tight. “Authorities are still investigating the situation.”

        The alarm ran through her. “After two months, they’re still amidst an investigation? That doesn’t sound good. Do they suspect foul play? If so, why would anyone go to such level to stop our w---”

        “It wasn’t our wedding. Though it’s unfortunate that there was an explosion, it’s a good thing that the marriage didn’t take place. They were all wrong for each other,” Jarrod added with an odd expression.

        “And you say that with such certainty,” she said, watching him close. “It’s apparent that you knew them both well.”

        “All too well,” he confessed, holding her gaze. “He was all wrong for her.”

        An electrifying current filled the air.

        It hit them both at once, and in that moment, an unspoken message seemed to pass between them. At the dark cresses of her conscience, she caught a brief glimpse of the two of them together, she gasped, seeing her tear-stained features. But, then, in a flash, the image was gone.

        “What happened?” he asked quickly. “Have you remembered something?”

         Her voice shook. “No. Not really…but, in my vision, I was crying. I sense that I was heartbroken,”

Olivia stated, and her words caught on a half-sob. “I remember nothing about you. Why can’t I?”

       “Olivia, these things will take time.”

       “Tell me about us,” she pleaded, meeting his intense gaze again. “…every tiny detail that you can, and maybe, hopefully, I’ll remember something.”

       “I have no choice, but to be upfront with you.” He met her gaze head-on. “Our relationship is tumultuous at best, and we’ve been estranged these past few months. Things have occurred recently that have tested our relationship. As a result, we’ve been growing apart.”

         His confession hit home.

         Now, things were beginning to make sense.

         The vision from earlier, her tear-stained features—something had caused strife between them.  

         Apparently, it was the cause of his aloof attitude towards her. “Then, why am I here?” she asked, swallowing hard, already assuming the worst about their relationship. “Why am I not home in the States?”

        “Although you’re recovering from the accident here at Laramie Rock, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to work things out and let go of our broken past. Think of it as a new beginning in every way.”