The Platinum Collection: Claiming His Innocent: Jess's Promise / A Rich Man's Whim / The Billionaire's Bridal Bargain. LYNNE GRAHAM
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I would not prosecute your father.’
Eyes wide and hopeful, Jess snatched in an audible breath. ‘All right, tell me. How could I help you?’
‘I would like to have a child but not in the conventional way,’ Cesario explained wryly, his lean aquiline profile taut as she gazed back at him, fine brows rising in surprise. ‘I’ve never been convinced that I can meet one woman and spend the rest of my life with her. On the other hand I believe I could handle a marriage that had a more practical foundation.’
Jess was now frowning more than ever as she struggled to follow what he was telling her and divine how on earth such a topic could relate to her father’s predicament. ‘How can a marriage be practical?’ she asked him uncertainly, convinced that in some way she had misunderstood, because she found it hard to believe that he could possibly be discussing the subject of marriage with her.
‘When it’s a straightforward contract freed from flowery ideals and expectations like love, romance and permanence,’ Cesario outlined with unconcealed enthusiasm. ‘If you will agree to have a child with me I will marry you, give you your freedom back within a couple of years and ensure that you need never worry about money again.’
In the grip of astonishment at that sweeping suggestion and his clear conviction that he was making her a generous offer, Jess looked away from him momentarily before turning her head back sharply to stare at him. ‘You can’t be serious—for goodness’ sake, you’re young, handsome and rich,’ she pointed out. ‘There must be any number of women who would be eager to marry you and give you a family.’
‘But I don’t want a hedonistic gold-digger for a wife or, for that matter, as an unsuitable mother for my child. I want an intelligent, independent woman who will accept my terms and know to expect nothing more lasting from me.’
Not unpleased to be styled both intelligent and independent, Jess stood a little taller. ‘But if you’re not prepared to commit to a long-term relationship with a woman, why on earth do you want a child?’
‘The two are not mutually exclusive. I would commit to my relationship with the child,’ Cesario declared with conviction, willing her to see the sound sense behind his arguments. ‘I’m not being selfish.’
Jess shook her dark head slowly, her disapproval patent. ‘Are you so keen to have a child that you can’t wait until you meet the right woman to marry?’
‘I would like to say yes and impress you with my credentials as a child-loving male. I do very much want a child of my own,’ Cesario proclaimed, his strong sensual mouth compressing with a level of gravity that she had not previously seen in him. ‘But that isn’t the whole story…’
Unsurprised, Jess nodded acceptance of that admission. ‘I thought not.’
‘I am the descendant of a long unbroken line of di Silvestris,’ Cesario recounted, his brilliant dark eyes narrowing and focusing on a distant point beyond the windows, his attitude one of detachment while his crisp drawl became oddly flat in its delivery. ‘My grandfather was immensely proud of that fact. He was obsessed with blood ties and he devoted his life to researching our family tree. Unfortunately he tied his Tuscan estate up in such a way that I cannot legally inherit from my late father unless I have an heir. Male or female, it doesn’t matter, but I must have an heir to retain ownership of the family home.’
‘My goodness, that was very short-sighted and controlling of him!’ Jess commented helplessly. ‘I mean, you might have been gay or not remotely interested in having a child.’
‘But I’m not gay,’ Cesario pointed out drily. ‘And I am now choosing to look on this as a project that can be completed.’
‘A project…having a baby is a project?’ Jess repeated in consternation, her thoughts in turmoil.
She thought that it was deeply ironic that he should cherish a desire for something that lay so close to her own heart when they had absolutely nothing else in common. He wanted a child for mainly practical reasons, while she simply wanted a child to love and share her life with. ‘I think it would be very wrong for you to bring a child into the world just so that you can inherit some family property.’
‘That’s one angle, but there are others. I would love my child, who would enjoy a fine education, a supportive family, and who would ultimately inherit everything that I possess,’ Cesario responded levelly. ‘Any child of mine would enjoy a good life.’
‘Why don’t you just hire a surrogate mother?’ Jess asked bluntly. ‘Surely that would make more sense?’
‘That wouldn’t meet my requirements at all. I come from a conservative background and I prefer that my child be born within what would appear to be a normal marriage for its duration. I also want my son or daughter to have a mother’s love and care. I grew up without a mother,’ he admitted with an expressive twist of his sensual mouth. ‘That’s not at all what I want for my own child.’
‘I assumed that, in the circumstances you mentioned, you would be seeking full custody of any child that you had,’ Jess remarked.
‘No. I would not seek more than shared custody and visiting rights. I firmly believe that a child needs a mother to flourish.’
‘And a father,’ she added abstractedly, thinking of her own childhood when she had adored having her father’s attention.
‘Of course,’ Cesario di Silvestri conceded, but the clipped edge of his voice and the austerity of his expression drew her gaze and she could only wonder what unhappy memory she had contrived to awaken as his lean dark features had shadowed with an expression of regret.
Jess breathed in slow and deep, her brain racing over the outrageous proposition he had outlined, lingering on the pitfalls she saw in the concept and almost immediately rejecting it in full. What he was asking was not only impossible, but insane. She, personally, could not marry a man she did not even like, get into a bed with him and conceive his child. Even thinking about taking part in such a shocking scheme made her tummy somersault and her face burn with the heat of embarrassment.
‘You’re asking me, but I couldn’t possibly marry you,’ she declared in a feverish rush.
Cesario dealt her a long measuring look as cool as iced water, for while she might be flustered by the tone of the conversation, he was most definitely not. He also knew that if she rejected his offer he would very much regret having made it. ‘You must accept that this is the only option you have and the only offer I have to make you.’
‘But it’s scarcely a reasonable offer,’ Jess complained, her chin coming up in an open challenge.
‘I disagree.’ His dark eyes gleamed gold below the thick dark screen of his lashes, his lean, strong face implacable. ‘In return, I would be making a considerable sacrifice in letting your father and his partners in crime go unpunished. I would also be accepting the permanent loss of my painting without financial compensation as, in this situation, I could not approach the police or make an insurance claim.’
Sobered by that view of the consequences of any agreement being reached, Jess swallowed hard. He had not been joking when he’d talked about offering her a deal. He wanted something in return for the loss of his valuable painting and why not? She thought it unlikely that Cesario di Silvestri was accustomed to being on the losing side of any exchange. And the only thing he seemed to want right now was to become a father without agreeing to the level of commitment or the expectations that would accompany a conventional marriage.
Bearing in mind what she knew about Cesario di Silvestri, that made very good sense to Jess. No woman had ever held his interest for long and it was a challenge to picture him settling down with one woman to start a family in the usual way. On the other hand, choosing a wife and future mother for his child on the basis of cold, hard practicality would sentence him to fewer restrictive ties. A wife who was only pretending to be a proper wife would not require much time or attention either. Yes, as she considered his proposition she could certainly see the advantages from his point of view.
And