“He did offer to—”
“Enough, Tess. These romantic fantasies have ruined your life for long enough. I won’t let them ruin our family’s business, too.”
She flinched, even knowing he was right. Stefano hadn’t wanted any part of her or Esme. He hadn’t even asked about seeing his daughter again. All he’d wanted to do was pay them off. To make them disappear. While she...
She wanted a father for her daughter. She wanted a real home. She wanted a partner she could trust, someone she could share her life with. She’d wanted them to be a family.
Forget it, she told herself harshly. Her uncle was right. Romantic fantasies had ruined her life for long enough—
The bell chimed behind her. The bakery’s door opened, and the cool September wind blew in. She heard a heavy step against the tile floor.
Maybe it was the faint scent of his cologne. The sound of his step.
But without even turning around, Tess sucked in her breath as prickles went up and down her body.
Her uncle’s expression changed into a beaming smile as he looked past Tess to the new customer. “Yes, sir? How can I help you? We’re out of pastries this morning, I’m afraid, but we have coffee and some very healthy muffins... How can I help you?”
“You can’t.” Stefano’s voice was a growl. She closed her eyes, shivering. Coming directly behind her, he said in a low voice, “Tess. Look at me.”
Slowly she turned.
Stefano looked like a dream to her, the handsome Sicilian prince staring down at her so hungrily, his muscular body powerful in a sleek designer suit.
“I thought you were leaving for London,” she said, her voice trembling in spite of her best efforts.
“I am. But I forgot something.”
“What?”
His sensual lips curved. “You.”
“Me?” Tess whispered.
From the corner of her eye, she saw her uncle Ray’s jaw drop.
Stefano put his hand on her cheek. “I can’t leave you. I tried. I can’t.”
Electricity pulsed through her body at his touch. She breathed, “It seemed easy enough for you a minute ago.”
He eyed the baby in the stroller, who looked back at him with dark eyes exactly like his own. He said simply, “I need you and Esme with me.”
“In London?”
Leaning forward, he whispered, “Everywhere.”
She felt the warmth of his breath against her skin, and her heartbeat quickened. For so long, Tess would have done anything to hear Stefano speak those words.
But she’d suffered too much shock and grief today. He couldn’t tempt her to forget so easily how badly he’d treated her. She pulled away.
“Why would I come with you?”
Stefano’s eyes widened. She saw she’d surprised him. And he wasn’t the only one. Her uncle and the white-haired customer were now staring at them, wide-eyed.
Giving her a crooked grin, he said, “I can think of a few reasons.”
“If you want to spend time with Esme, I will be happy to arrange that. But if you think I’ll give up my family and friends and home—” she lifted her chin “—and come with you to Europe as some kind of paid nanny—”
“No. Not my nanny.” Stefano’s thumb lightly traced her tender lower lip. “I have something else in mind.”
Unwilling desire shot down her body, making her nipples taut as tension coiled low in her belly. Her pride was screaming for her to push him away but it was difficult to hear her pride over the rising pleas of her body.
“I—I won’t be your mistress, either,” she stammered, shivering, searching his gaze.
“No.” With a smile that made his dark eyes gleam, Stefano shook his head. “Not my mistress.”
Tess heard a gasp. Glancing back at the cash register, she saw that her aunt and cousins had come downstairs from the upstairs apartment. They were standing next to her uncle, wearing the same stunned expressions.
“Then...then what?” Tess stammered, feeling foolish for even suggesting a handsome billionaire prince like Stefano would want a regular girl like her as his mistress. Her cheeks were hot. “You don’t want me as your nanny, not as your mistress, so—what? You just want me to come to London as someone who watches your baby for free?” Her voice shook. “Some kind of...p-poor relation?”
“No.” Taking her in his arms, Stefano said quietly, “Tess. Look at me.”
Although she didn’t want to obey, she could not resist. She opened her eyes, and the intensity of his glittering eyes scared her.
“I don’t want you to be my mistress, Tess. I don’t want you to be my nanny.” His dark eyes burned through her. “I want you to be my wife.”
* * *
Tess’s beautiful face looked pale against her scarlet-red hair as she stood in the faded bakery. Her green eyes were shocked, even horrified.
Stefano was a little shocked himself. He marveled at how quickly everything had changed. Yesterday, before he’d known about the baby, marriage had been the last thing on his mind.
His own parents had hardly made him think well of the institution, and none of the ice-cold heiresses and greedy, pouting models Stefano had dated had ever tempted him to change his mind. Taking them to bed was more than enough.
Even an hour ago, knowing that Esme was his child, he’d grimly intended to let Tess go, leaving just his money to sustain them.
But when he’d watched Tess put their baby in a stroller and leave him, walking toward the bakery, he’d felt a jolt like a cold knife slicing through his solar plexus.
He hadn’t wanted her to go.
Then he’d seen two men pass her on the sidewalk, slowing their walk to smile at her. Farther down the street, they’d turned back to look at her again. Their polite smiles changed to leers as they elbowed each other. Stefano could only imagine what the two men were saying about her. Or what they’d like to do to her.
The knife in Stefano’s gut had twisted deeper. He didn’t want to imagine Tess with another man. Ever. And yet he’d let her go so she could find a man who could love her. A better man.
But what if the next man wasn’t better?
What if he was worse?
Admittedly love was a mysterious emotion to Stefano, as he’d never experienced it. From the outside, it seemed like a self-inflicted delusion, an addictive madness that people used as an excuse to behave badly. Love came like a hurricane and left like a tornado, leaving people trampled and homes destroyed.
It had been that way with his parents, and to an entire army of their discarded lovers and spouses, in their exhaustive quest for love. And all the while, they’d left their only child to languish in an isolated castle in the care of paid servants. To them, children were an unacceptable impediment to enjoying a love affair.
What if the man Tess chose was similarly selfish and cruel? What if he treated her badly? What if he cheated on her? Stole from her? Hit her?
What if, far from him being a better father than Stefano, he resented raising another man’s child and mistreated Esme? What if he abused her?
A cold shudder had gone down Stefano’s spine.
He’d thought giving up