The Hot-Headed Virgin

It wasn’t as if it was going to be a real marriage, she did her best to reassure herself. After all, actors did this stuff all the time. God, how many times had Julia Roberts been married on screen? It meant nothing.

It was all an act.

A role to play.

Temporarily.

But still…

‘Can I have some time to think about it?’ she asked. ‘This is totally surreal. I can’t quite get my head around it.’

‘Of course,’ he said. ‘But I’d like you to meet my great-aunt tomorrow; it will perhaps help you to make up your mind.’

She captured her bottom lip for a moment. ‘What if I don’t agree to marry you?’

His eyes locked down on hers. ‘Then you’ll be throwing away a fortune.’

Mia gave a tiny swallow. ‘Exactly how big a fortune?’

He named a sum that sent a shock wave through her brain. Mia came from a comfortable background and had never really wanted for anything in her life, but the amount of money he was willing to pay was unbelievably generous. The money he’d already given her had helped ease Ellie’s situation fractionally but if she could send her thousands it would mean her sister would be out of danger for good.

But marrying Bryn Dwyer?

‘If you do decide to take up this offer there will be some legal documents to sign,’ he said into the silence, ‘a prenuptial agreement and so forth. And, as I mentioned in the car earlier, as my fiancée I’d like you to wear an engagement ring.’

Mia watched as he went across the room to where a large painting was hanging. He shifted it to one side as he activated the code on the concealed safe set in the wall and, opening the safe, took out a blue velvet box before closing it again and repositioning the painting.

He brought the box over to her, took out a solitaire diamond engagement ring and handed it to her.

‘It was my mother’s,’ he informed her.

Mia turned the white-gold ring in her fingers, staring down at the simple perfection of the diamond.

‘Try it on,’ he said.

She slipped it on her ring finger, not sure whether to be surprised or spooked by the perfect fit. It was nothing like she’d been expecting. There was nothing ostentatious or flashy about it. It was simply a beautiful ring that had once been worn by his mother, a woman who had been torn from his life when he was a small, vulnerable child.

‘If you don’t like it we can choose something else,’ he said into the silence.

‘No…no, I like it…it’s…beautiful…’ Tears welled in her eyes and her throat felt tight, but she wasn’t sure why she was feeling so emotional.

‘It’s not worth a lot of money but it’s one of the few things I have left of my mother,’ he said, turning away to hunt for his car keys. ‘Come on, I’d better take you home. It’s nearly three a.m.’

Mia followed him out of the house in silence, the ring on her finger tying her to him in a way no priceless jewel could do.

It’s just a stupid old ring, she chided herself, but somehow whenever she looked down at the diamond winking up at her she felt as if something elemental had just taken place in their relationship.

He didn’t speak on the journey back to her flat. Mia stole covert glances at him from time to time but his expression was closed. She could see the lines of tiredness around his eyes and wondered what sort of day he had ahead. She knew that working in radio was not just a simple matter of turning up for the time he was on air but that hours of research and preparation had to be put in before and after. She also knew it was a fickle business. A radio personality could be the flavour of the month only to be cast aside the next. Ratings were everything and contracts were cancelled or renewed on what they revealed. But Bryn hardly needed the money. He was a multimillionaire, so whatever satisfaction he got from having his own prime-time show must be motivated by something other than monetary reward. Fame? Prestige? Power? Or was it the desire to be known as something other than who he really was?

‘I’ll call you later,’ Bryn said as he pulled up in front of her flat.

Mia didn’t answer. She got out of the car when he opened her door and with her head down began to move towards her front door.

‘Mia.’

She stopped as his hand came down on her shoulder and slowly turned around to face him.

‘You did a good job tonight,’ he said. ‘Thank you.’

Her chin lifted in pride. ‘So you’re finally admitting I can act, then, are you?’

He bent down and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. ‘That’s what I’m paying you to do,’ he said as he straightened. ‘Goodnight.’

She watched from her window as he drove away, her fingers absently playing with the ring he’d given her, a small worried frown taking up residence on her forehead.

Yes, he was paying her to act, but what if she forgot her script and began to make up her own?

A script that wasn’t for the temporary season he had in mind but for much longer?

CHAPTER SIX

‘OH, MY God, look at this!’ Gina thrust the morning’s paper at Mia. ‘And this one…and look at this magazine! You’re famous!’

Mia looked at the articles spread out before her and forced a stiff smile to her face. ‘Hey, I don’t look so bad, do I?’

‘You look absolutely gorgeous and the Press loved you,’ Gina answered. ‘Here, listen to this:

The beautiful Mia Forrester, a struggling part-time actor and former café waitress has stolen the heart of Sydney radio personality and multimillionaire Bryn Dwyer, in a whirlwind romance that has to be seen to be believed. Miss Forrester is a radiant young woman who clearly has taken to her role as Bryn Dwyer’s future wife with enthusiasm. It is rumoured that the wedding will take place within a matter of weeks. The young couple dined and danced the night away at the St Patrick’s Children’s Charity Ball before spending the night together at Mr Dwyer’s Point Piper mansion.’

‘I did not spend the night with him!’ Mia said indignantly and then, seeing her friend’s raised brows, hastily tacked on, ‘or at least not the whole night.’

‘I know that but it just goes to show you can’t believe everything you read in the Press, now, can you?’

Mia lowered her gaze to the photo spread and answered with more than a hint of irony, ‘No, you certainly cannot.’

Gina put her chin on her hand and sighed. ‘You know, I really envy you, Mia. You’re so lucky you haven’t had a string of disastrous love affairs in your past like me. That’s just so special these days when just about everyone jumps into bed on the first date. Your honeymoon will be so romantic, the memory of your first time together will be something you’ll treasure all your married life.’

Mia felt a hot, trickling sensation low down in her belly at the thought of the possibility of Bryn Dwyer becoming her lover.

She hadn’t intentionally held back from conducting a sexual relationship with previous boyfriends but neither had she rushed into anything she hadn’t felt ready for. She’d always believed making love should be about exactly that—making love, not having sex just for the sake of it. She knew it was perhaps a little old fashioned, but a part of her was proud that she had maintained her standards in spite of peer and popular-culture pressure.

One of her friends had been very ill with a sexually transmitted disease as a teenager and it had made Mia all the more determined to wait until she was absolutely sure it was the right step to take. Besides, she had never been in love with anyone, at least not seriously enough to consider committing herself physically.

Gina gave another dreamy sigh as she flicked through the rest of the articles. ‘He’s just so gorgeous—look at the way he’s smiling at you in this picture. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more in love.’

Mia looked over her friend’s shoulder and frowned. It was strange, as she was supposed to be the professional actor, but Gina was right; Bryn Dwyer had given a truly brilliant performance as a man totally smitten by love.

‘What did your parents think of your news?’ Gina asked.

Mia faltered over her reply. ‘Um…I haven’t actually called them yet…time differences and so on. I’ll probably email them later today.’

‘What about Ellie? When does she get back from her wilderness trek in the Amazon?’

Mia carefully avoided her flatmate’s eyes. She hated lying but Ellie had expressly asked her not to tell anyone. As much as she wanted to break her promise, deep down she understood Ellie’s motivations. News had a habit of travelling and if her parents got wind of the danger Ellie was in it could trigger another heart attack for their father. It was going to be bad enough when they got to hear of Mia’s impending marriage.

‘I’m not sure,’ she said evasively. ‘She said something about staying on for a little longer. You know Ellie, if there’s a crusade she can put her name to, she will.’

‘It seems a shame none of your family is here to celebrate your engagement with you.’ Gina closed the paper. ‘Wouldn’t it be absolutely awful if they didn’t get back in time for the wedding?’

It would be wonderful, Mia thought privately; that way I won’t have to stretch my acting capabilities to the limit. But as she responded verbally she had to yet again draw deeply on her acting experience to sound genuine. ‘You know something, Gina, I’ve always sort of dreamed of a private wedding. The only person I want there is the man I love. If the church was full to the rafters I’m sure I wouldn’t even notice a single soul except for the one waiting for me at the altar.’

‘You’re right.’ Gina smiled. ‘Who cares who is there as long as your future husband is there, ready and waiting? But I insist on being there—I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

Mia gave her a smile, even though her jaw ached with the effort. ‘It will be nice to have you there, Gina; after all, who else is going to catch the bouquet?’

Mia watched from her window as Bryn arrived in front of her flat a short time later in a powerful red Maserati. He unfolded himself from the driver’s seat, the casual clothes he was wearing highlighting his height and lean, athletic build as he strode towards her front door. She opened the door at his firm knock and tried not to be overwhelmed by his disturbing presence as he stepped inside.

His eyes ran over her but before she could mumble a single word of greeting Gina came bounding out of her room.

‘Wow! I can’t believe it’s really you.’ She stuck out her hand to him. ‘I’m Mia’s flatmate, Gina. I’ve been dying to meet you. I absolutely adore your show and your column. I’m a huge fan and so are all our friends, but most especially Mia, she never misses your show, right, Mia?’

Mia stretched her lips into a semblance of a smile. ‘That’s right.’

Bryn smiled as he drew Mia closer, stooping to press a long, searing kiss to her mouth. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. ‘That’s what I like to hear—the woman I love is my biggest fan.’

Mia had to wait until they were in the car and on their way before she could vent her spleen. ‘Did you have to be so…so completely over-the-top? I’m sure you embarrassed Gina by kissing me like that. It was totally unnecessary. A simple peck would have done.’

He sent her a sideways glance, his eyes glinting darkly. ‘I’m not a simple-peck sort of guy. If I’m going to kiss someone I’m going to damn well do it properly.’

Mia felt a fluttery feeling between her thighs at his statement. She was already well aware of his kissing skill and couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to experience his whole lovemaking repertoire. She imagined he would be a demanding but consummate lover who would take his partner to the very heights of sensual experience.

Her gaze strayed to his hands where they rested on the steering wheel, her skin tightening all over at the thought of those long, tanned fingers touching her intimately. How would it feel to have him stroke her…?

Bryn caught the tail end of her glance, noting her heightened colour and the agitated look on her face. ‘If you’re feeling a bit nervous about meeting my great-aunt, don’t be. I’m sure you’ll take to her immediately; she’s that sort of person.’

‘I’m not nervous…’ she said and began chewing at her bottom lip.

He sent her one more thoughtful look but she had turned her head and was looking out of the window, her fingers playing absently with the engagement ring on her hand.

The private palliative-care unit Agnes Dwyer was residing in had a peaceful atmosphere and was beautifully landscaped with sweet-smelling roses that could be viewed from every window.

Bryn’s great-aunt was in a room overlooking a trickling fountain adorned with cupids and dolphins, the sound of wind chimes signalling the movement of the summer breeze across the exquisite garden.

Mia looked at the emaciated figure lying on the bed, the sunken eyes closed, the hollow papery cheeks speaking of a life long lived and now coming to its inevitable end.

Her heart contracted painfully as she glanced up at Bryn. His expression, unguarded for a fraction of a second revealed the depth of his emotions at the loss he must soon face.

‘Aunt Aggie,’ he said softly, taking his great-aunt’s hand in his.

Mia watched as the old woman’s eyes opened and gradually focused.

‘Oh, darling…you caught me napping.’ She struggled upright with Bryn’s gentle, solicitous help and met Mia’s clear grey gaze at the end of the bed. ‘Come here, my dear, and let me look at you. My eyes are not as good as they used to be.’

Mia stepped forward and took the thin hand that had reached for hers. ‘Hello.’

‘My, oh, my, but you’re gorgeous,’ Agnes said. ‘One of the nurses brought in the papers this morning but you are even more beautiful than the photographs in them.’

‘Thank you,’ Mia said shyly.

Agnes smiled. ‘You are just as I hoped Bryn’s future wife would be.’

‘I—I am?’

‘Yes, indeed. I so wanted him to find someone genuine. You have a big heart; I can see it in those big grey eyes of yours. You are perfect for him.’

Mia felt the daggers of guilt prod at her sharply. She could barely stand to look into the old woman’s eyes in case she saw the truth about her relationship with her great-nephew.

‘I—I’m glad you think so…’ she said, lowering her gaze and hating herself for yet another lie as she added, ‘He’s perfect for me too.’

‘I knew it would be this way. His parents were the same, you know. When my nephew first met Bryn’s mother it was love at first sight.’ The old woman gave a sad little sigh. ‘But they didn’t get the chance to live the life they should have had together…’

Mia could sense Bryn’s discomfiture at his great-aunt’s disclosure and her heart went out to him again for what he must have suffered. She felt uncomfortable with the way she had judged him so rashly; it didn’t seem right to have written him off as a self-serving playboy, given what he’d been through. No wonder he lived life so shallowly when life had let him down so early.

‘It was a long time ago,’ he inserted gruffly.

‘I know, darling, but now that I am facing…well, you know what I’m facing…I can’t help feeling that I could have done more for you.’

‘That’s totally ridiculous and you know it,’ he said. ‘You’ve been the most wonderful support. I couldn’t have asked for a better guardian.’

‘But I wasn’t the real thing, was I?’ Agnes said. ‘I was just a substitute for the real thing. I could never be enough. I could never be your parents, no matter how much I tried to be.’

‘Please don’t say that…’ Bryn said, squeezing her hand gently.

‘Darling, darling boy,’ Agnes sighed and, giving his hand an affectionate pat, turned her head to Mia. ‘You will have to take over from me, sweet child, and love him when I’m gone. It won’t be long now…’

Mia swallowed the solid lump of emotion in her throat. She could feel the sting of tears at the backs of her eyes and her chest felt as if someone had clamped it in a vice. Guilt assailed her and passed over her skin like a scalding burn.

‘I will love him…for you and for me…’ she said softly. ‘He’s a wonderful man…’

‘I’m so very glad you think so,’ Agnes said through misty eyes. ‘Very few people know the real Bryn, but I can rest in peace now that I know he has found someone who loves him for who he really is. It’s not easy being in the public eye, but then you’d know all about that, being an actor yourself.’

‘I’m not a very good one, I’m afraid…’ Mia said with downcast eyes.

‘Your modesty is delightful,’ Agnes said. ‘But perhaps Bryn was right when he wrote that review, although he was a very naughty boy to put it quite the way he did.’ She sent her great-nephew a mock-reproving glance before turning back to Mia. ‘You were miscast. You have a delightful air of innocence about you which is so rare these days.’

Mia wondered just how innocent Bryn’s great-aunt would consider her if she knew what was really going on between her and Bryn.

‘We mustn’t tire you,’ Bryn said to his great-aunt. ‘We’ll leave you to rest for now. I’ll pop by again later.’

‘Thank you, darling.’ Agnes took Mia’s hand again and gave it a tiny squeeze. ‘You probably haven’t even had time to discuss when you’re getting married but personally I’m not a great believer in long engagements. In this day and age, when practically everyone is cohabiting, what is the point? Besides, I haven’t got much time left. It would be a dream come true to see my Bryn happily married. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I do so want to be there on your special day if it’s at all possible.’

‘I want you to be there too,’ Mia said, swiping at an escaping tear.

Bryn slipped his arm around her waist and drew her closer as he addressed his great-aunt. ‘We’ll let you know as soon as we have a date set.’

‘Thank you, darling…I’m sorry to be such a bother.’

Bryn stooped down to kiss his great-aunt’s cheek. ‘You could never be a bother. Now, have a good rest and I’ll see you later.’

Mia slipped out of Bryn’s embrace to kiss his elderly relative, her eyes bright with tears as she straightened. ‘It was lovely to meet you.’

‘You have made me so very happy,’ Agnes said. ‘I cannot think of a more wonderful partner for Bryn.’

Mia was blubbering uncontrollably by the time they got back to where Bryn had parked his car. She began to hunt for a tissue when he pressed a clean white handkerchief into her hand, his expression thoughtful as his dark blue eyes met her streaming ones.

‘I’m sorry…’ she choked out. ‘I just can’t help it…’

‘It’s all right,’ he said and drew her up against him, his hand going to the back of her head to bring her head to his chest.

‘It’s just so sad…’ she sniffed. ‘I don’t know how you can bear it…it reminds me of when my granny died…I still feel emotional every time I see someone with grey hair and it’s been seven years.’

Bryn kept stroking his fingers through her hair, his chest feeling a little strange as he breathed in the fragrance of her light but unforgettable perfume.

Mia lifted her head to look up at him, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen and her bottom lip still trembling with emotion. ‘I feel so guilty lying to her…I know you’re going to think this is really weird, or dumb even, but I wish we had fallen in love…’ She gave another little sniff and added, ‘I wish this was really true and not just an act.’

Bryn stared down at her uptilted face and felt another gear shift in his chest. Something warm and indefinable began to slowly spread and then fill him inside as he thought about being loved for real by her.

The only person he had ever felt truly loved by since he’d lost his parents was his great-aunt. The truth was, he hadn’t always been that lovable. Although he’d always denied it, he had been seriously traumatised by his parents’ death. He had never been able to find it within himself to forgive the person responsible for taking his parents from him.

He’d been a lonely, angry child and his behaviour throughout his childhood and adolescence had been nothing short of deplorable. Even as an adult he’d been selfish and arrogant, riding roughshod over people with a ruthless disregard for their feelings. To a very large degree his bad-boy image had propelled him into the success he’d experienced and most of the time he played it to the hilt. The public expected him to be cutting and sarcastic, it was his trademark, but it wasn’t who he really was or indeed who he really wanted to be.

‘Does this mean you’ve decided to go ahead with our marriage?’ he asked after a little pause.

‘I don’t see how I can possibly say no,’ she answered somewhat grimly. ‘Agnes is dying…it seems so unfair not to grant her this last wish, even if it is all an act.’ She bit her lip and then released it to add uncertainly, ‘I guess I can see it through for a week or two…’

‘We have to see this through, Mia, no matter how compromised each of us feels. I don’t want her to know this is all an act. It would destroy her.’

‘I know…’ she said and eased herself out of his embrace. ‘I just feel uncomfortable…I’m being paid to be your wife. It just seems so…so…you know…terribly tacky.’

‘You’re thinking too much,’ he said as he unlocked the car. ‘It’s just money and I have plenty, so you don’t need to worry on that score. Think of it as any other acting job. I’m sure every actor has been assigned roles that aren’t quite to their taste, but they do it for the money.’

Mia frowned as she got in and fastened her seat belt. It wasn’t the money she was really worried about, she knew he had plenty and what he was paying her would hardly make a dent in it, and it would certainly solve her sister’s dilemma. It was what he couldn’t give her that worried her more. She was being paid to pretend to love a man she had previously thought unlovable, but somehow as he’d held her a few moments ago she had felt a tiny flicker of something deep inside, as if something was trying to make its way out to the surface but was being blocked in some way.

She sneaked a glance at him as he drove out of the car park. His expression was mostly inscrutable except for the tiny glitter of sadness she thought she could see in his dark eyes. But, as if he sensed her looking at him, he reached for his sunglasses on the dashboard and put them on his face and she was shut out once more.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity that left Mia spinning. There was legal work to be dealt with and, although she felt uncomfortable signing documents that were so legally binding, she did it for the sake of Bryn’s great-aunt. She just couldn’t stop thinking about the older woman’s life coming to an end and how it would impact on Bryn. She was his last living relative. Once she died there would be no one else but him. His final link with his parents would be gone.

As far as she could tell he had spoken to no one about his dying relative. Jocey Myers had only found out by a quirk of fate. There had been nothing mentioned in any of the newspaper articles about Agnes Dwyer’s role in his life and certainly no mention of the tragic loss of his parents when he was a child. She wondered if he did it deliberately, as Jocey had suggested, to keep his hard-as-nails image in place or whether there was some other reason.

The Press went wild when the news broke of their impending marriage; requests for interviews flew thick and fast and wherever she went paparazzi followed, hoping for a candid shot of Bryn Dwyer’s intended bride.

It made Mia totally rethink her life-long dream to be famous. Now fame was becoming a reality she found she hated it. She couldn’t do the most basic things without being followed; even going for her morning run or thrice-weekly visits to the gym became an exercise of subterfuge in order to escape the intrusion of journalists and cameras.

Bryn, on the other hand, seemed to take it all in his stride. He insisted they dine out regularly and she was forced to put on a bright smile and accompany him to yet another high-profile restaurant.