domestic and suffered periods of depression and isolation.
She’d come to America to give her daughter the best life possible. How could
she let her mother down? They’d come from a tiny principality in the
Mediterranean where war and political uprising existed. She had fled when
Hannah was only seven but Hannah remembered it, oh, so well. She squeezed her
eyes shut and tried to blink back tears. Her groom, Gustav, should be the one
she wanted but another man dominated her thoughts, and her fantasies.
Andre Corskovi.
He’d
always been there for her. Watching over her. Hooking her up with her first
job. Encouraging her to pursue higher education. She was studying for her
master’s degree and her doctorate at the same time in child psychology. She’d
always loved children and craved to have her own. But only in marriage.
Andre
was a few years older than her but so mature. She watched how he made his first
million and how he aggressively worked hard to build his own empire after her
late uncle showed him the ropes.
Truth
was, he made her heart go pitter patter . She was on
fire when she was in his presence. Andre was oh, so sexy—a delicious looking
man with the body of an athlete—muscular and strong. So
devilishly handsome and dripping with charm. Trouble was, the other
ladies thought so, too. He’d moved back to New York and built his real estate
empire, buying old buildings and selling them to the highest bidder after he’d
fixed them up.
But he
was emotionally unreachable.
She’d
heard of his reputation in the office.
He was
a please ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He could rock a woman’s world and make
her head spin and pleasure her body in places she’d never known existed. Women lined
up to date him. They stalked him. Wanted him so badly. They were addicted to
his sexual prowess. His skill in the bedroom was known as well as his talent in
the boardroom. She’d heard he was a great lover and secretly wished she could
have experienced it. But he wasn’t a marrying man. That much she knew. She
really didn’t want her heart broken. But now that she was marrying Gustav, she
would never know the honor of being Andre’s woman.
How
unfair could life be?
Hannah
wanted Andre. She craved him. Her body desired him when he was in close
proximity. The man certainly had a presence that could captivate even in a
crowd. She’d was always been drawn to his dark penetrating eyes. His body drew
her like a sexual magnet. She wished he’d made a move on her. She caught him
glimpsing at her a few times whenever he was nearby or in the office but
nothing ever came of it. Did he not desire her?
Why
couldn’t the one man she was interested in make a move on her?
“What
is it, dear?” her mother asked as she wheeled herself up to Hannah. It had been
two years since she’d been confined to a wheelchair after developing Multiple Sclerosis.
“Oh,
nothing, Mom. I’m happy.” Liar.
But how
could she let her mother down and break her heart? Her mother so badly wanted
to see her only child married and happy and giving her grandchildren while she was
still alive. Her mother had done so much for her. Sacrificed so much for her.
“Dear,
you don’t seem happy. Are you sure you’re alright?”
Before
Hannah could answer, a knock on the door distracted her. It was her chief
bridesmaid, Lucy.
“Ooh,
girl, you look so beautiful.” Lucy then turned to Esther, Hannah’s mother. “Mrs.
Steeles, the limousine is waiting to take you to the church first. Are you
ready?”
Hannah’s
mother turned to her daughter and hugged her tight. “I love you, Hannah. I’m so
proud of you. You’ve made me the happiest mother alive.”
Hannah
leaned down to hug her mother and hot tears spilled over onto her cheeks.
“I love
you, too, Mom,” she whispered and kissed her mother on the forehead. Lucy then
told Hannah she would see her soon as she wheeled Mrs. Steeles out of the room.
Hannah
was alone again. With her