The Ultimate Merger by Delaney Diamond Read Free Book Online

you?”
    He nodded. “Have you been happy over the past
month?”
    She nodded.
    “Are you certain of your feelings for me?
Certain you love me?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    “Then marry me.”
    “But my job—”
    “You do not need that job. They don’t
appreciate you. You are an intelligent woman, and I trust your
judgment. In the short time I’ve known you, you have given me good
advice that I put to use when I purchased the Samson Hotel. Think
about it—as partners we could grow the business and be unstoppable.
You handle the finance side, and I will manage the purchase and
renovation of the properties. We could do this.”
    “You’re serious?”
    “Yes.” He smiled down at her. “Say yes,
because I won’t accept any other answer. Te amo com todo meu
coração. ”
    “What does that mean?” Sabrina asked.
    “I love you with all my heart.”
    Sabrina’s fingers encircled his wrists. “You
know I love you, too, but I have so much baggage. What about Jewel?
I can’t just abandon her. She needs me.”
    He paused and thought for a moment. “Then
bring her with you. In my country, family is very important. When
we marry, your family becomes mine, and my family becomes
yours.”
    “She has a drug problem,” Sabrina reminded
him. “It’s very difficult to deal with. I can’t ask you to become a
part of this.”
    “Do you think there are no treatment
facilities in Brazil? She can receive excellent care there, and
maybe the change of environment will be good for her.”
    “I’ve never been out of the country before,
and I don’t even speak Portuguese.”
    “You can learn.”
    He had an answer for every objection she
tossed out. Sabrina blinked, trying to digest his words. “This is
happening so fast!” she said with a shaky laugh.
    He took her hands in his. “Are you
afraid?”
    She bit the inside of her lower lip. “A
little. What if it doesn’t work?”
    “It will work. We’re compatible in every
way.”
    “We haven’t even talked about the basics.
What about kids?”
    “Yes, I want them.”
    She laughed. “Me, too, eventually, but not
right now.”
    “Me, either. We’ll be too busy working. Maybe
in three or four years?”
    “Okay…well, how many?”
    “Four.”
    “Four! No way. One.”
    “One?” He looked aghast. “No. Four.”
    “Two.”
    “Okay, three.” He grinned.
    “Renny! Two. That’s my final offer.”
    “All right.” He pulled her into his arms and
kissed her temple. His unshaven jaw scraped her skin. “Just say
yes. Say you will marry me,” he whispered.
    She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes.
I’ll marry you.”
    He growled with joy and swung her around in a
circle. Her joyous laughter filled the room. When he set her back
on her feet, she pressed her lips against his.
    “We’re really doing this?”
    “We are really doing this,” he confirmed.
    His eyes lit up with happiness, but a small
part of her hesitated. She couldn’t wait to turn in her
resignation, and she agreed a change of location might be good for
Jewel. Getting her away from the old life and the temptations
presented here in Chicago could be what she needed. Life would
improve for both of them.
    She’d be a partner in a real estate
investment company, and as a bonus, she’d be married to a sexy man
who adored her. It was perfect. And that’s what she feared. It was
too perfect.
    “Promise me something,” she said, looking
deeply into his eyes.
    “Anything.” He continued to smile down at
her. Noting her somber expression, he frowned and asked, “What is
it?”
    “Promise me you’ll always love me.” He
laughed, as if her request was ridiculous. She squeezed his hands
in hers. “Promise.”
    “ Meu amor ,” he said, “you have nothing
to fear. My love is real. I know we will be happy together. Believe
me, there is nothing you could ever do that would make me stop
loving you.”
    Sabrina stroked his cheek and allowed herself
to bask in the warmth of his love. “Good,”