The Ultimate Merger (6 page)

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Renaldo
reluctantly dragged himself from Sabrina’s warm bed and soft arms. He dressed
in silence and declined the steaming cup of coffee she offered. He had no appetite
for drink or food.

At the door, they kissed one last
time. He crushed her to him, running his hands up and down her body through the
silk robe, trying to imprint her shape in his mind until he could see her
again. As if he could forget anything about her. He couldn’t. Not her long
legs, the flair of her hips, nor the cushiony feel of her backside. Not her
soft lips, her wild kinky hair, nor the scent of pink lilies clinging to his
clothes.

She represented everything a man
could want. Smart and funny. Strong yet vulnerable. Sexy, and she even laughed
at his jokes. She was curious about his culture and wanted to learn his
language. For the first time in his life, he didn’t look forward to returning
home.

Once he left, he moved on leaden
feet down the hallway, the tightness in his chest expanding the farther he
walked from her door. At the elevator, he punched the button and stepped into
the open cabin. As the doors closed, he thought back to their conversation. They’d
agreed to continue seeing each other when he came back to the States. It seemed
like a good idea, but in the bright light of day, he realized it wouldn’t be
enough.

The elevator stopped and two women entered,
smiled at him, and then resumed their conversation with each other.

Worry seeped into his bones as the
doors closed. What would she do when he wasn’t here? Would she date other men? Would
she restart her friendship with her “friend” who had stood her up the night
they met?

He thought about his parents’
loving relationship, which served as a blueprint for the type of marriage he
wanted. In the short time since he’d met Sabrina, he’d felt they could have the
same type of relationship.

There was one more characteristic
he admired in her. She had a strong work ethic, like he did. With her
intelligence and knowledge, she should be making strides at the firm where she
worked. Instead, she continued to be overlooked and remained unhappy.

An idea popped into Renaldo’s head.
It made perfect sense. He pushed the button for the next floor and exited the
elevator when it stopped. With a newfound burst of energy, he sprinted up the
stairs, back to Sabrina’s apartment.

****

A loud knock on the door startled
Sabrina from her moping. She stood at the kitchen counter, staring down into a
cup of coffee that had grown cold. Frowning, she went to the door, and for the
second time in less than twenty-four hours, she opened it to let Renaldo in.

“Did you forget something?”

“You.” He walked in and shut the
door.

“What do you mean?” Sabrina asked,
her heart rate picking up speed. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions about
what he’d just implied, but he looked so intense.

“On the way down in the elevator, I
realized I don’t want to see you every few months or whenever I can get away
and come back. It’s not enough. The past few days have taught me that.” He
cupped her face in his hands, his dark eyes staring intently down into hers.
“Marry me. Come to Brazil and become my partner, in my personal life as well as
in business. Help me build my company.”

Sabrina’s mouth fell open. “Marry
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,” she said. “Because I
can’t wait to be your wife.”

THE END

More
Stories by Delaney Diamond

Hot Latin Men series

The Arrangement

Fight for Love

Private Acts

Second Chances (fall 2012)

Hot Latin Men: Volume I (in print summer 2012)

Hawthorne Family series

The Temptation of a Good Man

A Hard Man to Love

Here Comes Trouble

For Better or Worse (winter 2013)

Bailar series (sweet/clean romance)

Worth Waiting For

Short Story

Subordinate Position  

The Ultimate Merger

Free Stories

www.delaneydiamond.com

About
the Author

Delaney Diamond is
the bestselling author of sweet and sensual romance novels. Originally from the
U.S. Virgin Islands, she now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been an
avid reader for as long as she can remember and in her spare time reads romance
novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of non-fiction.

When she's not
busy reading or writing, she's in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at
one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting
locale. She speaks fluent conversational French and can get by in Spanish.
You can enjoy free reads and the first chapter of all her novels on her
website. 

Join her
distribution list to get notices about new releases.

http://delaneydiamond.com

https://www.facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond

Book Excerpt

(unedited
sneak peek from
Second Chances
, Book 4 of the Hot Latin Men series;
coming fall 2012)

Chapter
One

Liar. Cheat. Those were the
words that came to mind when Renaldo da Silva thought about his wife. His soon
to be
ex
-wife.

Silently berating himself,
he stared out of the giant windows of the luxurious penthouse apartment they’d
shared since she moved to Sao Paulo with him over a year ago.

He should have known better.
After all, he’d been warned, hadn’t he? She’d told him herself about her
background. She told him how she came from a family of drug addicts and
criminals. She’d explained how she had lied and stolen to make ends meet. He’d
known what kind of woman she was, and he’d chosen to ignore everything she’d
said because he’d been such a besotted fool and assumed she’d done those things
out of necessity.

He’d barely known her when
they married. His impulsive behavior had simply been an act to whisk her away
and make her his. According to her, he’d given her the kind of life she’d only
dreamed of, but it still hadn’t been enough. It was never enough.

He looked down at the three
photos in his hands, though he didn’t really need to. The images of her and
another man were seared into his brain. To think, he wouldn’t have known if he
hadn’t been searching for a document in her home office. He wouldn’t have found
the pictures, and he wouldn’t have known of her deceit.

He’d been a fool to welcome
her into his life. Fortunately, he’d uncovered her true character beneath the
beautiful façade of independence and intelligence before it was too late.
Nonetheless, his stomach burned, and anger simmered inside him.

****

Sabrina stepped
off the private elevator, glad to be home. The five-bedroom apartment took up
the entire top floor of the building Renaldo owned. The recessed lighting
shined down like a spotlight in the spacious entryway, while the rest of the
house remained wrapped in darkness. In her hands she held her high heels so
they wouldn’t make any noise on the black walnut floors because she assumed he
was probably asleep after his long trip.

She crept toward
the staircase, trying not to make too much noise. She knew Renaldo would not be
pleased she’d worked another late night, particularly since she hadn’t been at
home to greet him upon his return from his trip to Chicago. But she’d been
getting so much accomplished, she simply hadn’t been able to tear herself away.

Sabrina smiled to
herself. She would find a way to make it up to him.

She sensed his
presence before she saw him and halted her movements. He emerged like an
apparition from the darkened interior, slowly coming toward her. The
shirtsleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to reveal his bronze, hair
sprinkled forearms.

She set her shoes
on the table against the mirrored wall and planted her most becoming smile on
her face in an effort to counteract the disapproving set of his.

“Sweetheart, I’m
sorry I didn’t get here earlier. Feel free to give me a spanking,” she teased.

He didn’t crack a
smile, stopping a few feet away. “Where have you been?” he asked in an oddly
quiet voice.

“At the office, of
course,” she answered. She couldn’t decipher the strange look on his face.