The Spanish Billionaire's Hired Bride by Rachel Lyndhurst Read Free Book Online Page B

the beautician, hairdresser, and holistic therapist my team has organized. You’re going to be a very busy woman in the coming days arranging the wedding of your dreams.”
    “The wedding of my dreams?” Helen laughed bitterly. “Do you want any say? Or is it all up to me?”
    “Do what you like.” He sighed, which she took as a sign he was becoming bored. “If you can’t be bothered or can’t cope, I will deal with the arrangements. But going by my experience of women, you’ll do a very good job of it with unlimited resources at your disposal.”
    Helen suddenly felt deflated. Women really didn’t feature highly on his list of favorite things, sex aside. “What about your parents? Will they want to vet me? Or am I to be an irrelevance to the entire Almanza family?”
    Ricardo ignored her question and strolled towards a wine cooler positioned in the shade of a vine-covered alcove. He grabbed a chilled bottle of Cava and ripped off the gold foil covering the cork, before filling two crystal flutes. Helen watched the froth rise with a frenzy and then subside.
    “My mother is dead.”
    She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could offer a condolence.
    “And my father is dead.” He handed her a glass and took a sip from his own. “I had a brother, who is also dead.” His expression was as hard as granite. “That is all there is to say about my family. Your family, your parents, are good people. I like them a lot. Let’s make it an occasion for them, yes? You never know, we might get to enjoy it too.”
    Helen felt her hands, head, and sternum prickle. She suddenly felt cold and nauseous. She managed to put her glass on a side table with a clatter and then swayed towards the balcony.
    “Hey!” Ricardo swiftly grabbed her elbow to support her. “I think you need to get some rest.”
    “No, it’s okay, I’ll be fine,” she replied weakly, annoyed with herself for behaving like a swooning wimp, but also disturbed by her loss of physical control.
    Ricardo lifted her effortlessly into his arms and began to head for the inner cool of the house. “I disagree.”
    …
    Half an hour later Ricardo stroked a lock of hair from Helen’s forehead as she slept. She was very endearing for such a blatant money grabber. “You don’t fool me,” he whispered. “You’re just like all the others.” She was after all she could get, but as he watched her eyelids flicker, he suddenly felt bizarrely protective. He wondered what she was dreaming about…
    Guilt began to nibble at him. Was he having second thoughts because her parents were being duped? Or was it because she had been maneuvered into a marriage she didn’t want?
    No. He needed to get a grip. She knew what she was doing, and it was all down to hard, cold cash. She might look above suspicion sleeping like an angel on his bed, but there was no mistaking the black diamond that masqueraded for a heart inside her.
    There were distinct advantages in controlling a bank. Conveniently, the parent company of where Helen had her current account was under his majority ownership. He’d been keeping a close eye on it, and noted with interest that the million she’d asked for up front had already been transferred to another high street lender. She must certainly have debts. That wasn’t his problem, however, and her financial woes were proving to be advantageous to him. If she needed amounts of such a size and with such urgency, she wouldn’t walk out on him before the wedding ceremony. He was also looking forward to three months of pleasuring her luscious body in his bed. The prospect was more exciting than anything he could remember in a long time.
    …
    The doorbell rang insistently causing Helen to awake with a start. Coming slowly to her senses, she registered where she was, and then, to her horror, realized that Ricardo was smiling down on her from the other side of the bed.
    “How long have you been here?” she asked sharply.
    “About half