woman he’d met last night. At first glance, no red-blooded man would have bothered to take a second look. Nobody would’ve believed beauty lay under the dross.
‘Jett had overheard me talking to one of his team mates. He knew I’d had part-time jobs since my teens and that my mother had also left me money — not a fortune, but enough so I had plans to open up my own clinic once I was qualified. He asked me out because of the savings I had. I was simply too blown away by his interest to suspect his motives.’
Anger coiled in Ricardo’s gut. ‘So, he took all your money and amassed debt in your name. When did you find out about what he’d done?’
‘Not until Jett was dead and a couple of thugs from the loan shark paid me a visit. Soon after that, the bank foreclosed on our mortgage.’
‘I was told he died in a car accident.’
Her lips tightened before she said, ‘He was leaving me. He’d packed his suitcase and picked up his lover. They’d booked a holiday on a Greek island.’
‘With your money?’
She gave a small nod. ‘At first I blamed myself for his death. I believed it was my fault our marriage failed. Once we were married Jett told me how plain I was. He said he married me out of pity. He blamed my looks for the failure...for his inability to...’ She took a big gulp of her coffee. ‘Very soon into our marriage, he moved into the spare room.’
He’d stopped having sex with her.
‘ Mierda ! The man was an idiot.’
‘I hadn’t realised he was still involved with the girl he’d been dating before he made his move on me.’
Ricardo swore again. ‘Just as well he’s dead. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to pummel this Jett into a pulp and make him regret his actions. He abused your trust, robbed you of your self-confidence and your savings.’
Her laugh held no humour. ‘I believe in karma, Ricardo. The universe has a way of repaying those who don’t do the right thing.’
He didn’t believe in any of that. Ricardo preferred to set matters right himself.
‘I was devastated to learn of his affair. I still feel so stupid I didn’t know he was siphoning money out of our account. I had no idea he’d borrowed money on top of our mortgage. He forged my signature on a document that gave him total authority over our finances and left me liable for repayment when he died.’
‘Are you certain? Have you had a lawyer look over the documents?’
‘It doesn’t matter anymore. Thanks to this offer of yours, I’m almost debt free, and Jett won’t be able to take advantage of another woman again.’
More than ever, Ricardo wanted to take her into his arms and to his bed. He wanted to immerse her in love-making beyond her wildest imaginings and erase all her self-doubts and bad experiences.
He quelled the instinct immediately. There would be scars on her psyche after all she’d suffered in her lifetime. If he took her to bed for a temporary affair, it may well cause her more emotional scarring, because Jessica wasn’t like the cold, superficial women he usually dated. She was warm and caring.
She deserved much more than Ricardo was prepared to give her. It wasn’t a temporary lover she wanted but a man who could love her and give her his heart.
Ricardo could never be that man. All he could offer any woman was a brief affair based on physical gratification, because he’d never allow anyone to have emotional power over him.
His chest was gripped in a cramp. He frowned as he rubbed the region. It was strange he suddenly felt such tightness there. Was the discomfort tied into his line of thought? He instantly dismissed the idea. It must be indigestion. He’d never suffered from it before, but that had to be the cause. It couldn’t be an emotional reaction.
Whatever the reason, the odd heaviness was decidedly uncomfortable.
Chapter Seven
Jessica had heard of butterflies in the stomach. The following evening, the butterflies in her stomach were all wearing tap shoes and
‘Jett had overheard me talking to one of his team mates. He knew I’d had part-time jobs since my teens and that my mother had also left me money — not a fortune, but enough so I had plans to open up my own clinic once I was qualified. He asked me out because of the savings I had. I was simply too blown away by his interest to suspect his motives.’
Anger coiled in Ricardo’s gut. ‘So, he took all your money and amassed debt in your name. When did you find out about what he’d done?’
‘Not until Jett was dead and a couple of thugs from the loan shark paid me a visit. Soon after that, the bank foreclosed on our mortgage.’
‘I was told he died in a car accident.’
Her lips tightened before she said, ‘He was leaving me. He’d packed his suitcase and picked up his lover. They’d booked a holiday on a Greek island.’
‘With your money?’
She gave a small nod. ‘At first I blamed myself for his death. I believed it was my fault our marriage failed. Once we were married Jett told me how plain I was. He said he married me out of pity. He blamed my looks for the failure...for his inability to...’ She took a big gulp of her coffee. ‘Very soon into our marriage, he moved into the spare room.’
He’d stopped having sex with her.
‘ Mierda ! The man was an idiot.’
‘I hadn’t realised he was still involved with the girl he’d been dating before he made his move on me.’
Ricardo swore again. ‘Just as well he’s dead. Otherwise, I’d be tempted to pummel this Jett into a pulp and make him regret his actions. He abused your trust, robbed you of your self-confidence and your savings.’
Her laugh held no humour. ‘I believe in karma, Ricardo. The universe has a way of repaying those who don’t do the right thing.’
He didn’t believe in any of that. Ricardo preferred to set matters right himself.
‘I was devastated to learn of his affair. I still feel so stupid I didn’t know he was siphoning money out of our account. I had no idea he’d borrowed money on top of our mortgage. He forged my signature on a document that gave him total authority over our finances and left me liable for repayment when he died.’
‘Are you certain? Have you had a lawyer look over the documents?’
‘It doesn’t matter anymore. Thanks to this offer of yours, I’m almost debt free, and Jett won’t be able to take advantage of another woman again.’
More than ever, Ricardo wanted to take her into his arms and to his bed. He wanted to immerse her in love-making beyond her wildest imaginings and erase all her self-doubts and bad experiences.
He quelled the instinct immediately. There would be scars on her psyche after all she’d suffered in her lifetime. If he took her to bed for a temporary affair, it may well cause her more emotional scarring, because Jessica wasn’t like the cold, superficial women he usually dated. She was warm and caring.
She deserved much more than Ricardo was prepared to give her. It wasn’t a temporary lover she wanted but a man who could love her and give her his heart.
Ricardo could never be that man. All he could offer any woman was a brief affair based on physical gratification, because he’d never allow anyone to have emotional power over him.
His chest was gripped in a cramp. He frowned as he rubbed the region. It was strange he suddenly felt such tightness there. Was the discomfort tied into his line of thought? He instantly dismissed the idea. It must be indigestion. He’d never suffered from it before, but that had to be the cause. It couldn’t be an emotional reaction.
Whatever the reason, the odd heaviness was decidedly uncomfortable.
Chapter Seven
Jessica had heard of butterflies in the stomach. The following evening, the butterflies in her stomach were all wearing tap shoes and
Similar Books
