The CEO Takes a Wife / The Throw-Away Bride. Maxine Sullivan

waiting limousine. She usually wasn’t unnerved by the media, but right now she was. At the wedding it had been different.

      Less personal.

      Now she suddenly felt off-balance and—dare she think it—out of her depth with everything. It was bad enough that Alex probably guessed how she was feeling, but she didn’t want the world to know it, too.

      Twenty minutes later they drove along a winding road to a floodlit mansion. Set in a lush sub-tropical garden, the two-story house had wide verandas surrounding both top and bottom levels. Palms swayed in the light breeze off the crystal waters and tapped against the louvered-glass windows that covered most of the house.

      An older Australian couple greeted them at the door to welcome them to Villa Valente and then Alex suggested she retire to the main suite where they would eat a late dinner.

      “I have a couple of calls to make first. I’ll join you in about half an hour.”

      She nodded with relief, looking forward to having some time alone as she followed Harriet up the stairs. They had a minor discussion about the wedding, and the older woman, who seemed very nice, showed her around the deluxe suite, which included a small intimate table set for two in the corner.

      There was a pale-blue silk gown and matching robe draped on the king-size bed. “Is this from Alex?” Olivia asked, carefully keeping her voice blank, not sure if she liked him buying her clothes. It smacked too much of proprietorship.

      “No. It’s a wedding gift from Martin and me.” Harriet’s face softened. “I know you’re a wonderful fashion designer, Mrs. Valente, but I thought you might like this as a personal gift from us. You don’t have to wear it tonight if you don’t want to.”

      Olivia relaxed with a smile. “It’s lovely, thank you. And yes, I will wear it tonight.”

      “It’s our pleasure.” Harriet walked to the door. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

      Olivia nodded, but as the door closed she looked down at the bridal lingerie that was even more glamorous than that she’d planned on wearing for Alex, the outfit he would take off her slowly and seduc tively, or perhaps in a hurry. She trembled with fear—not of him physically hurting her—but of him physically knowing her body.

      But, she reminded herself, she’d marriedAlex today.

      She’d made a promise to be his wife.

      When she came out of the bathroom after showering, the man himself was standing near the table. He’d obviously showered in another bathroom then changed into gray trousers and a black polo shirt that made him look drop-dead handsome.

      Heat flared in his eyes. “I didn’t think you could get more beautiful,” he rasped. “But you are.”

      Giving an inner moan at the way she dissolved at his words, she shrugged. “Harriet and Martin bought it for me,” she said quickly, not wanting him to think she’d dressed like this totally for him. “I couldn’t not wear it.”

      He held her gaze a moment more. “They have good taste.”

      She stepped forward, looking at the table. “Speaking of taste, this all looks very delicious.”

      He waited until she was closer then held out a chair for her. “Yes, it does. Nothing but the best for—”

      “A Valente?” she quipped, taking a seat.

      “I was going to say for you,” he murmured near her ear.

      “Oh.” He was close behind her. She expected his hands to slide over her shoulders and she tensed, preparing for it, almost wanting it. But that was only because she wanted to get this out of the way, she told herself when he sat down opposite and passed her a glass of wine.

      His glass clinked intimately against hers. “To us.”

      She held his gaze, feeling herself flush. “To us.”

      They both took a sip from their drinks, then Alex placed his glass on the table. “Now, what would you like to try first?” he drawled, a roguish glint entering his eyes.

      She swallowed hard and tried to act sophisticated. Was he suggesting she try him?

      Heavens, if he expected her to take the lead then he was in for a shock. There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t like to make love to him, including herself, but tonight she couldn’t quite bring herself to make the first move. She just wasn’t sexually experienced enough to be blasé about all this.

      She swallowed past her dry throat. “The seafood salad looks nice.”

      He shot her a knowing look. “Yes,” was all he said, then gestured for them to start helping themselves.

      After that they ate and made idle conversation about the house, the weather, the food. It wasn’t a getting-to-know-you time but more a staving off of the inevitable—at least, for Olivia.

      And then Alex took a slip of paper out of his pocket and pushed it across the table toward her. “Here’s a check for the rest of the money. I want you to have it now and not after we make love.”

      His face was unreadable but something softened inside her, despite her pulse leaping all over the place. It was nice to know he was sensitive about her feelings.

      “Thank you,” she whispered, leaving the check where it was for the moment. She’d paid half of his other generous check into her business account and half into her mother’s account in LA. It had held both banks at bay until she could cash this latest check.

      As for Alex, any man who put his family first had to have some sort of sensitivity about him, she admitted, liking that he was doing this for his brothers, just as she was doing this partly for her mother. They at least had this in common.

      And that reminded her.

      She tilted her head at him. “Alex, I like your father. I think his heart’s in the right place.”

      In a split second Alex’s jaw hardened. “You’ve known him five minutes and you figured that out, did you?”

      Oh damn. She regretted saying anything now. Their moment of bonding had disappeared.

      “Sometimes you don’t need to know a person long to know what they’re like,” she pointed out coolly. “You certainly made up your mind about me quickly enough.”

      A heartbeat passed, then his hard mouth visibly relaxed and the sexy look in his eyes told her seduction was now on his mind. “Yes, I did, didn’t I?” Without warning, he reached across and lifted her hand in his, tugging her gently to her feet.

      The breath stalled in her throat. Oh heavens. What had she started? “Alex, I—”

      “And that’s because I know when something feels right,” he cut across her, pulling her the few steps toward him around the table, making her tremble, his intention obvious.

      “Alex—”

      “And you feel right to me, Olivia Valente,” he murmured, pulling her onto his lap, his intense gaze holding hers still, just like his warm hand was holding her waist still. “Very, very right.”

      She licked her lips. “Alex, can we please—”

      “Yes, we can,” he muttered, and lowered his head.

      Chapter Four

      Alex’s mouth covered hers and the room grew silent as he held her, absorbing the texture of her soft skin against his own. He’d only kissed her twice before, so he wanted to stay like this for a while and appreciate every inch of her mouth.

      He did for several heartbeats.

      But soon he couldn’t ignore his need to explore farther. He needed to delve into her luscious mouth, then uncover her bit by bit. He wanted to know the excitement, feel the intensity, learn the mystery of