LITMIR.BIZ

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bright spring sun outside hit her like a slap in the face. Two of Diogo’s bodyguards slammed the church doors shut behind them, trapping all the guests inside as Diogo set her gently on her feet.

      But she found herself face-to-face with Timothy.

      “I can’t believe you did it.” His wire-rimmed glasses trembled on his nose. His eyes were red and wet, fog¬ ging up the glass. “I waited for you nearly ten years. I did everything I could to win you. And you spread your legs for Serrador, who treats his women like whores?”

      Every word was like a stab in her heart. “I…”

      “You are mine, Ellie,” he cried, reaching for her. “Mine—”

      Diogo stepped between them. Carelessly, he tucked his hands into fists, widening his muscular legs into a confident stance that suggested he was ready for anything. Even in his perfectly tailored gray suit, he looked like a warrior who could fight—and kill—at will.

      “Ellie’s not yours. Neither is her baby. What exactly were you planning, Wright?”

      Timothy’s face blanched with fear. He backed away.

      “Now,” Diogo said softly, turning to Ellie. He brushed a tendril of hair away from her face in a gesture that was deceptively gentle. “You’ll tell me the name of your baby’s father.”

      She rubbed her forehead. “You swore on your honor you couldn’t get me pregnant,” she muttered. “Your honor.”

      Diogo’s dark eyes swept her face, pulling out every secret she’d ever tried to keep, leaving her vulnerable and bare. He tightened his hold on her, causing her to cry out. “I’m the father, Ellie. Say it!”

      “I hate you,” she whimpered.

      “Say it!” he thundered.

      “All right!” she shouted. Tears of grief and rage streamed down her face. “You’re the father!”

      Timothy gave a loud, high moan. She turned to him desperately. “I’m so sorry. So sorry…”

      She tried to reach for him, but he slapped her hand away. Bitterly, he turned to Diogo.

      “Take her, and be damned. She’s filled with your child. It disgusts me. Another whore for you. Another bastard—”

      Diogo punched him hard across the jaw. Ellie screamed as Timothy dropped like a stone into the lush green grass.

      The Brazilian turned to her, and the rage in his eyes made her draw back in confused fear. He blinked, staring at her. His dark eyes suddenly looked sad, as if haunted by shadows and ghosts of long ago.

      Then he abruptly turned away without a word. At his signal, two black sedans pulled forward on the street. As a bodyguard opened the door, Diogo pushed her gently into the backseat, holding her against the leather as he drew the seat belt over her body. She struggled, but his grip was implacable. His hands were like iron shackles wrapped in silk.

      And every accidental brush of his fingertips made her feel fire in her veins. How could she fight her own desire? How? She swallowed, trying to control the pounding of her heart as she glanced through the back window.

      “Timothy—”

      “He’ll have a headache.” His teeth gleamed in a feral growl. “He deserves worse.”

      Why? What had Timothy done? But she didn’t have the nerve to ask. She had far more pressing issues to worry about. “Where are you taking me?”

      “To the airport.” He sat next to her as the driver pulled away. She could feel his thigh pressing against hers through the layers of her wedding dress.

      He looked down at her, his eyes black as onyx. Then he gave her the heavy-lidded half smile that had led so many women to ruin.

      “Now,” he said, “you belong to me.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      BY THE TIME THE PRIVATE plane touched down in Rio de Janeiro, Ellie knew without doubt that Diogo was a soulless barbarian without a drop of mercy.

      They’d left from a small private airport tucked in the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania. He’d carried her onto an enormous private plane waiting in a hangar. Ignoring her questions and demands, he’d locked her into a small ensuite bedroom in the back of the plane. She’d been alone since the plane took off. For sixteen hours, she’d had nothing to do but cry and sleep and eat snacks from the small refrigerator. And wonder what he meant to do with her.

      Now, you belong to me.

      What did that mean?

      She shivered, holding her ripped wedding veil tightly in her hands.

      Diogo had made it clear he had no intention of getting married. Shown that he did not like or even respect her. And his playboy lifestyle was hardly conducive to being a father.

      So why had he kidnapped Ellie? Where had he taken her?

      She placed her hands on her belly through the wrinkled taffeta of her wedding dress. In just one day, she’d already come to love this baby more than her own life. To vow that she would treat the little boy or girl—for some reason, she thought it might be a girl—very differently than her own mother had treated her. Ellie would treat her child with love. Ellie would protect her.

      She clenched her hands into fists. Diogo might think he could still boss her around, but she was no longer his employee. He would soon realize how much had changed between them…

      She heard the bedroom door unlock. Diogo entered the small cabin of the plane, newly shaved and wearing fresh clothes. In his crisp white shirt and tailored black pants, he appeared relaxed and self-confident. He’d no doubt had an excellent night’s sleep. Unlike her.

      “Welcome to Rio de Janeiro,” he said with a smile, holding out his hand. “I trust you slept well?”

      She rose from the bed, folding her arms with a scowl. “Rio? No! Take me back!”

      “Back to your precious bridegroom?” Coolly, he withdrew his hand. “No. You will remain with me until the baby is born. I thought I made that clear.”

      Kept prisoner by the most ruthless playboy in the world, in a strange, exotic city? A whimper escaped her lips. She wanted to go home. She wanted her grandmother. She wanted to be a million miles away from this man who’d so carelessly seduced her, lied to her, and lured her into heartbreak.

      She raised her chin. “You can’t keep me here against my will. I’m going home the first chance I get!”

      “This is your home now.” He gave her a lazy smile. “But Rio can be dangerous. You must stay close to me. For your own protection.”

      But who was going to protect her from him?

      She looked wildly at the door behind him. “I’m not going to stay with you!”

      “You have no money or friends here. You don’t even speak Portuguese. I’m curious. Exactly how do you intend to escape?”

      “Somehow,” she whispered, but uncertainty raced through her. Everything he’d said was true. How on earth would she get home?

      “Forget Wright,” he told her coldly. “He cannot help you. Obey me, and it will be easier for everyone. Especially you.”

      Obey him?

      That was what had gotten her into this trouble in the first place. In the alley off Copacabana Beach, amid the rhythmic beat of samba music and cries of the crowds, he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her with a sudden ferocity that had made her weak. “You’re coming home with me now,” he’d whispered against the flushed heat of her skin. “You can’t say no.”

      And she’d been desperately in love with him then as only an innocent girl could be. All she’d wanted was to be utterly his. To give herself completely.

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