(A/N-Special thanks to Bekki boo for beta reading this. Also to those who read, review, follow, fav.)


"Excuse me? You want me to marry you?" Regina asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Exactly."

She waited for him to say something more, but he didn't. And the intensity of his gaze on hers was uncompromising. There was a part of her that wanted him to soften the offer, to wrap it up in more acceptable terms, to pretend that he had some feeling for her, ok, not love, she corrected herself fiercely, because if he suddenly declared that he loved her it would be an obvious lie. But some kind of romantic spin on the proposition would have made it a little more…acceptable.

But the minutes tickled by and Robin made no attempt to persuade her with soft words. Indeed, he looked so stern and ruthless that Regina felt even more out of her depth. "So, are you suggesting a kind of business arrangement?" She ventured. "A marriage in name only?"

The coldness of his expression was now replaced by a mocking gleam in his eyes, a sardonic curl of his lips. "Come on, Regina, get real. You think I'm going to marry you and not take you to my bed? My life may be dominated by business but I'm a red-blooded male."

He watched the way the pallor of her skin scorched with fire. "Let me spell it out for you," he continued with brutal candor. "I would expect you to play the part of devoted mother and very sexy wife to absolute perfection."

The words caused a fierce consternation inside her, because, although she hated his cool detachment from any emotion, there was also a secret part of her that felt a wild excitement at the thought of giving herself up to him. Of being a mother to Holly, of being a part of a family by day and by night allowing him to pleasure her, allowing those hands, those lips, to move freely over her body. She had spent so long in the past dreaming about it, speculating about it.

She looked away from him abruptly, ashamed of the sudden yearning he had stirred inside her. What he was suggesting was a shameless, loveless union, for heaven's sake. Where was her pride?

He placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him, now allowing her to evade the intensity of his gaze. "So, what do you say?"

Even the firm, uncompromising touch of his fingers against her skin was turning her on. She swallowed hard, hating herself. "I think it is a barbaric idea!"

The fact that for a moment he had seen desire in her eyes and now she was trying to hide it, pretend it didn't exist, infuriated Robin even more. She'd tried to do this last night as well, and it reminded him of the way she had walked out of his life the first time. It also reminded him of a past relationship, one he preferred not to dwell on. He dropped his hand from her skin. "So go home to your safe little existence then and let me get on with the job of bringing Holly up."

The derisive words twisted inside her. "In other words, if I don't agree to your proposition, then effectively I will lose Holly completely?"

"I would think that more of less sums up the situation." He held her eyes coldly. "As you so rightly pointed out, Holly needs stability, she needs a mother. If you choose to go back, then that person is not you. You can't just flit in and out of her life when it suits you."

"I know that!"

"Then if you are aware about your intentions towards Holly you will realize that my proposition is the most sensible one."

"But we don't love each other." The words broke from her lips in a throaty whisper of distress.

For a moment, his eyes held with hers and she could see a blaze of light burning in their depths, could see a pulse beating at the side of his strong jaw. "This has nothing to do with love, Regina, this has to do with practicalities."

The words were so icy they took her breath away.

"But for us to make a lifetime commitment, tie ourselves together as man and wife, share a bed, for heaven's sake…" Her voice trailed away as she saw his lips curve in a mocking smile.

"You think we need to love each other to share a bed, to enjoy ourselves?" He watched the bright glow of color creep up under her skin at that question. "Come along, Regina, you are that naïve young woman you were when we first met, surely?"

The words were so scathing that she felt foolish in the extreme.

"You're not still weighing relationships up, dreaming of an old-fashioned yet perfect liaison?" He continued.

"I have never dreamed of any such thing!" She angled her chin up. "But don't you dare mock me, Robin!" she continued furiously. "There's nothing wrong in having ideals, or of thinking a relationship through sensibly! I know what real life is like. I know all about heartbreak. I watched my parent's marriage disintegrate, heard my mother cry herself to sleep every night when my father walked out."

"Then you know that love is no magic guarantee for happy ever afters."

She shrugged. "What I know is that I don't want that kind of life, for me or for Holly."

"And do you think that this guy back home can offer you the kind of security that you crave?" Robin grated. "Because let me tell you, no matter what he had whispered in your ear when you make love, he can't have meant it, otherwise he would have come with you, would have wanted to help you and be involved with Holly."

"Just leave Graham out of this, Robin! You must know that I would never choose a man over Holly. She is my goddaughter and I love her. She is and always will be my priority," she snapped uncomfortably.

Robin was privately relieved that Regina seemed so willing to sacrifice her relationship with this Graham. He felt supremely confident that she would choose the life he offered her above all else.

"So, you see, I'm being realistic. Love is about compromise, nothing is perfect."

"Well, our union sure as hell wouldn't be."

"And that's something we'd have to work on, Regina." His eyes moved over her face, lingered on her lips and she started to feel hot inside with a different kind of emotion, one she didn't want to acknowledge at all.

"And we have one very real, very basic thing in our favor," he murmured. "The chemistry is right between us. We may not be in love but we sure as hell want each other."

Regina started to shake her head.

"You still don't want to believe that…hmm?" He reached out to take hold of her arm bringing her firmly in towards him. "Let me remind you," he grated huskily.

"Robin, don't I-"

Her words were cut off as his lips covered hers and instantly warmth and longing flooded through her entire body. Instinctively she responded, opening her mouth for him, her whole being pulsating with pleasure. His hands moved to cup her waist, at the same time bringing her in tightly against him. She could feel the hardness of his body pressing against her and it made her senses swirl with a need that was both primitive and raw. She wanted him, wanted him so much that her body was crying out to be even closer, for him to touch her more intimately.

His lips ravished the delicate softness of her mouth before trailing a heated path towards her neck, and she groaned with pleasure when at the same time his hands swept upwards over her body, finding her breasts, stroking roughly over the silk of her dress.

"You see, you like that…hmm?" He whispered the words against her ear as his fingers found the hard aroused peaks through the soft material, caressing over them so that they tightened even more into tight buds of excitement that throbbed for his touch. And suddenly she ached for him to pull the flimsy barrier of material away and possess her completely.

"You see I was right." His voice rasped against her skin as his lips trailed a heated blaze down her neck. "You want more, don't you? You want me to take you…satisfy you completely?"

"Yes…" She pressed closer in a complete delirium of need, almost unaware that she had answered. All she could think about was the craving he was stirring up inside her, a basic instinct as old as time that had overtaken everything else including pride and reserve.

He moved his hands from the warmth of her breast and unzipped her dress, pulling it down part way, exposing the creamy flesh to his ruthless gaze. But then instead of continuing to caress her, kiss her, make love to her, he stepped back to look at her.

"Now what were you saying about desire not being a strong enough emotion?" He murmured the words softly, his eyes slowly ravishing her sultry pouty lips before moving down over the firm thrusting curve of her breasts in the lacy black bra. "You want me in every sense of the word, Regina," he rasped as he watched the heated color climb over the smoothness of her skin. "You want me so much that if I were to continue caressing you now you would beg me to make love to you over and over again."

Reality flooded in on the hazy world of longing that had somehow swept her away and she realized with horror that he had been kissing her merely to prove a point. Ashamed that he had succeeded so easily she pulled her dress back up over her curves with hands that trembled so much that she didn't dare to even attempt to zip herself up again.

"Ok, you can turn me on." Her eyes blazed with fury into his. "But it doesn't mean anything, it's just a chemical reaction."

"Call it what you want." His gaze was hooded and dangerous. "Frankly, I don't give a damn. All I care about is the fact that we could make a relationship work, for Holly's sake."

It was astounding how he could kiss her with such passion yet sound so totally indifferent towards her. But then, as he had already pointed out long ago, love and desire were two very different things.

"Lust can't sustain a relationship." She murmured distraughtly.

"But it helps. If there was no desire between us I would be suggesting this arrangement for one minute. Similarly, if I didn't believe that you truly loved Holly and would make a good mother for her, I would tell you to walk away." He noted how her hands shook as she zipped her dress back into place.

"You were the one who said you'd do anything to make Holly's life more secure," he reminded her gently.

"And I meant it!" She looked up at him, her eyes wide and filled with glistening vulnerability that tore at him. "But this…" She shook her head. "This scares me, Robin."

He nodded and was suddenly fiercely glad that he had fought against the raging desire that coursed through him a few moments ago. Regina needed to come to him…

"I understand."

"You do?"

"Of course, this is a big step for both of us. But think about it, you and I could be the family that Holly so desperately needs."

The words tore through her defenses.

"Regina, I will do my best to make both of you happy and secure." He shrugged. "I can say no more than that."

Her heart ached as she looked at him.

"Take some time and think about it," he told her softly. "For Holly's sake, I think it is the only way forward."

Regina tossed and turned in the large bed. The heat of the night was intense. She couldn't sleep, the evening kept playing over and over in her mind, Robin's proposal taunting her, mocking her, his words running through her like an instrument of torture.

Love is no magic guarantee for happy ever afters.

He was right, love hadn't held her parents' marriage together and they had been head over heels about each other when they'd walked down the aisle. And Graham had told her he loved her, but it hadn't meant anything. He'd been lying to her, paying lip service to emotions he didn't feel just to get her into bed. When she'd found out he was seeing someone else he'd just shrugged. Said it was her fault for not sleeping with him.

At least Robin was honest about his feelings. He'd never pretend to love her, never said the right words just to get her into his bed.

And she did desire him… She remembered the heat of his kisses, and the way her body still responded to him with such intensity of passion. But it scared her that he could take such control over her senses, she'd always sworn that she would be careful about who she gave that power to. Just walking about from Robin two years ago had been unbelievably painful, so if she married him and it went wrong she didn't even dare speculate how that would feel. All she knew was that it would be devastating.

So, what should she do?

Marrying Robin would provide Holly with the stability of a family. And surely that was the most important thing? If she said no and walked away, then effectively she would be leaving Holly to the mercy of staff on a regular basis, or to a stepmother who might resent her eventually.

Really, she had no choice but to accept Robin's offer.

Regina turned her pillow over trying to find a cool place so that she could think rationally. Her mind drifted back to those moments in the kitchen when Robin had told her to think over his proposition. One moment he had been ruthlessly insistent, the next coolly pragmatic. He had turned his attention away from her towards the meal she had prepared. Had talked in general terms about Holly as he had taken over the cooking and suggested moving through towards the dining room to relax. Regina hadn't wanted anything to eat and she'd felt as though she would never relax again, but somehow she had managed to gather herself together enough to sit opposite him at the dining table and had tried to act as nonchalantly and non-committally as he.

But inside her emotions had been swirling in confusion, just as they were now. The pale pink of dawn was breaking outside and Holly stirred in her cot. Regina could hear her gurgling contentedly and she sound made her smile. Flinging back the covers, she reached for her robe and went to see her.

"Hello, darling, how are you today?" she murmured and the child smiled in delight and lifted her arms to be picked up.

"Are you hungry, honey?" Regina reached in and lifted her.

How could she leave this little girl? The question twisted painfully inside her as she carried the child through the silence of the house and downstairs to make her a bottle. How could she go back to her job and not be haunted by her day and night? Not worry about her, not fret about who was taking care of her? She glanced out the side window in the kitchen as she waited for the kettle to boil and saw Robin swimming in the pool. He was cutting though the silky water with strong, firm strokes, going backwards and forwards without any breaks. His strength and energy held her spellbound for a few moments.

Then she watched as he heaved himself out onto the side in one lithe movement. The gold light of early dawn played over the strength of his muscles. He had a fabulous physique, lean and hard, not an ounce of spare flesh, she watched how his muscles rippled powerfully as he reached for a towel and something inside her turned over. Swiftly she averted her eyes trying to ignore the feeling, trying to tell herself that it meant nothing.

But as she placed the bottle in to heat for Holly she couldn't resist looking out again. He was walking towards the kitchen door now just wearing a pair of lounge pants low around his waist, a towel strung around his neck, his torso bare. He made a very striking picture against the sky in the back field, his tanned body still glistening with water, his hair wet and slicked back from the hard boned aristocratic face.

"Morning, Regina." He swept in through the back door and smiled at her. "Are you making coffee by any chance?"

His laid-back manner made her wonder if she had imagined his proposal last night, imagined the way he had made her feel as he had taken her into his arms.

"Er..yes, I've just boiled the kettle." She tried desperately to match his tone. "I'll make you some."

"Thanks." He crouched down next to Holly's high chair. "And how is my little sweetheart this morning?"

The words caused the strange aching feelings inside Regina to intensify. She tried not to look over as Holly laughed and gurgled up at him.

"Are you getting ready to go to the office?" she asked him.

"Not today, it's Saturday."

"Is it? I'm losing track of time," she murmured.

He turned his attention to her as she moved about the kitchen taking cups from the cupboards. He noticed how her dark hair was silkily disheveled. She had bare feet, he noticed, and the silk robe was tightly fastened around her curves.

"So, what are your plans for today?" she asked as she put the coffee down on the table beside him.

"My day is free." Robin answered.

Regina took Holly out of her high chair and sat down at the breakfast bar to give her the bottle she had prepared. The child suckled noisily and happily, looking up at Regina with wide trusting eyes.

"She seems more settled since you arrived," Robin remarked as he watched her.

For a second their eyes connected and then before Regina could gather herself together to make a reply he picked up his coffee and walked towards the door. "I'm going to grab a shower. I'll see you down here a little later."

As he started to walk away, Regina took a deep breath and called out to him. "Robin, wait!" She had to do this now or she would never get the nerves to do it later. Robin turned back around to face her, raising his eyebrows to encourage her to continue.

"I thought about your proposal and have come to an answer." Regina said.

"And the answer is?" Robin asked.

"Yes, Robin." She whispered the words huskily. "I will marry you."


Regina couldn't quite believe how her life had changed. Since saying yes to Robin a few days ago, the arrangement had been made with such lightning speed that she felt slightly dazed, she barely had time to extend her leave from work before she was swept along with Robin's plans for their wedding. Robin had informed her that their wedding was their wedding was set for tomorrow, hence why they were now on Robin's private jet, flying to Hawaii.

"I've organized a credit card for you, spend what you want." Robin said as they sat on the plane.

"Robin, I have money of my own. I don't need to spend yours," she told him tautly.

He slanted her a mocking look. "You don't need to worry about money. I'm a very wealthy man, I can afford to buy you anything you want."

What she wanted, money couldn't buy.

"That's not really the point," she told him hastily. "I like to be independent. I always have been."

"As my wife, we'll be attending parties and social gathering," Robin reminded her.

Regina glanced at him in alarm. "You don't think the paparazzi will be snooping around taking photos of our wedding, do you?"

"As hardly anyone knows that we are getting married, I shouldn't think so." He shrugged. "Unless you informed people when you contacted your office to give in your notice."

"Actually, I haven't done that yet," she admitted huskily.

"Why not? I thought we agreed that you would do that first thing today?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've had other things on my mind."

"Like finishing with the guy you were seeing?" he grated. "You have done that?"

Why did that one little lie keep coming back to haunt her? She wondered furiously. She swept an unsteady hand through the length of her hair, wanting to tell the truth, that the affair had ended ages ago. "Robin, I.." She trailed off for a moment, her nerve failing her as his eyes seemed to narrow on her. "I already told you that Holly was my priority, so, yes, of course the relationship with Graham is finished," she murmured. "We are getting married tomorrow, for heaven's sake."

He was still looking at her with that intense stare of his. "So why haven't you quit your job?"

"I will, my boss is away at the moment. He's due to be back after the wedding." Regina said.

"I bought you a ring." He reached into this jacket pocket and brought out a small square box. "I hope you like it. If it's not to your taste we can exchange it here in town." Robin said.

Regina took the box from him and opened it. An exquisite square cut diamond solitaire sparkled so fiercely in the light, it almost took her breath away. "It's stunning," she said, overwhelmed.

"I'm glad you like it."

He watched as she took it from the box and then, before she could put it on, he reached and took hold of her hand, slipping it firmly into place himself. The touch of his hand made her heart race.

"It seems like a good fit, I guessed your size well," he murmured, checking how it sat on her.

"Yes, perfect." She tried to keep her tone free from emotion, but it trembled slightly.

She looked up at him through the thickness of her lashes and as their eyes met she felt the sensual need inside her tighten painfully. His fingers stroked across hers in a fleeting touch that promised so much pleasure.

"I'm going to look forward to our honeymoon," Robin said.

"A honeymoon!?"

"I think we've waited this long for each other that I think a few days of uninterrupted sex is a complete necessity." Robin said.

Regina looked away from him, her heart and her body on fire with a strange kind of longing. She wanted a honeymoon, wanted to get closer to him, wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips possessing her, but she wanted it to mean more to him than just uninterrupted sex. She wanted him to feel the way she did… She wanted his heart as well as his body, because she was in love with him.

She'd been in love with him since the day they had met, their eyes had met on that crushingly embarrassing first blind date when it had been so obvious he hadn't wanted to be there.

He reached out and stroked her hair back from her face in an almost tender gesture that confused her senses. "I want to make you happy, Regina."

His lips covered hers with a hungry possessiveness that sent her emotions spinning. And before she realized what she was doing, she was moving closer, kissing him back fully. It felt blissful, all the doubts seemed banished, all thoughts occupied by just one detail.

How much she loved him.

She moaned slightly as, instead of increasing the pressure of the kiss, he pulled away. She looked up at him, her skin tingling, her lips swollen and parted.

"Tomorrow night, there will be no holding back. Tomorrow night, I want all that you are, Regina. As I intend to give you all of me." Robin promised her.