Читать книгу Latin Lovers: Italian Playboys: Bought for the Marriage Bed / The Italian GP's Bride / The Italian's Defiant Mistress - India Grey, Kate Hardy - Страница 13

NINA was glad Marc was absent when she and Georgia moved into his house. It was bad enough dealing with the surly housekeeper, who seemed intent on making Nina as unwelcome as possible. Her treatment of Georgia, however, was an entirely different story. Lucia cooed and smiled at the infant with great affection and looked for opportunities to spend time with her alone.

Nina resisted her attempts at first but after a while realised the older woman genuinely cared for Andre’s child so she allowed her to watch her once or twice while she attended to unpacking their things into the bedroom and nursery Marc had assigned.

She had handed in her temporary leave notice at work the day after Marc had left and was surprised how much better she felt knowing Georgia would not have to suffer the fear of separation any longer. The baby seemed happier already and, while she kept telling herself she was probably imagining it, Nina couldn’t help wondering if Georgia was intuitively aware that she was living in her loving uncle’s house and under his protection. Having grown up without a father, Nina knew Georgia would be blessed indeed to have someone as strong and dependable as Marc to nurture her throughout her childhood. It made the sacrifice she was making a little more palatable; her tiny niece would never know the aching sadness of not having a reliable parent to lean on.

* * *

On an impulse she wasn’t entirely sure she understood herself, the day before the ceremony Nina withdrew the last of her savings and bought herself a wedding gown and veil. Without a mother or father to help her prepare for the wedding she had dreamt about for most of her life, she decided that no one was going to stop her being a proper bride, even if the marriage itself was just a sham.

She stood twirling in front of the full-length mirror in the boutique’s fitting room, the soft organza floating around her like a fluffy cloud while Georgia chortled delightedly in the pushchair beside her.

‘So what do you think, Georgia?’ she asked as she lowered the veil over her face. ‘Do I look like a real bride?’

Georgia began to suck on one of her tiny fists, her black-as-raisins eyes bright with alertness as she peered at her aunt through the cloud of fabric.

‘Peek-a-boo!’ Nina crouched down and popped back the veil to expose her face to her niece, who began to chuckle again.

She felt a rush of love fill her at the happy sound and, leaning forward, pressed a soft kiss to the baby’s downy head, her eyes misting over with sudden emotion.

‘One day I hope you will marry a man for all the right reasons, Georgia, a man who will love you to the ends of the earth and back. The way every woman deserves to be loved.’

She straightened and, spreading her voluminous skirts around her, turned to face her reflection in the mirror. The magnolia creamy white of the gown made her eyes a bottomless grey and the tone of her skin like velvet smooth cream. She knew it was quite possibly as close to stunning as she was ever going to get.

Too bad it wouldn’t be appreciated, she thought with a little sigh.

* * *

Nina was still settling Georgia for the night when she heard the sound of Marc’s car returning, the low growl of the powerful engine as it pulled into the sweeping driveway making her stomach turn over in reaction.

In less than twenty-four hours she would be his wife. She would share his name and his life but not his bed.

She heard him enter the house and the sound of his tread on the marble staircase as he approached the nursery where she stood watching Georgia drift off to sleep.

Marc met her eyes in the soft light. ‘Hello.’

‘Hi.’

She stepped away from the cot so he could check on his niece but in the small space she felt the brush of his body against hers and her pulse instantly quickened. She stood to one side and watched as he gazed down at Georgia, his features softening as he listened to the snuffling sound of her breathing.

He looked tired, Nina thought. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept well for days and his jaw looked as if it hadn’t been near a razor for over twenty-four hours. She longed to run her fingers over his face to feel the rough raspy growth through the soft sensitive pads of her fingertips. She wanted to press her lips to the line of his mouth, to make it soften in desire. She wanted to feel him reach for her and.

She jerked away from her wayward thoughts as he turned his head to look at her, his dark gaze tethering hers.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘No.’

‘You look … flustered.’

‘I’m not.’

‘Have you settled in?’

‘Yes.’

‘I would like to talk to you about our trip to Italy,’ he said, moving across to hold the door of the nursery open for her. ‘I will meet you in my study in twenty minutes. I would like to shower and shave first.’

Nina moved past him and made her way downstairs, taking the portable baby monitor with her. Lucia had left for the day so she set a tray with coffee and some cake the housekeeper had baked and carried it through to Marc’s study to wait for him.

He came in a short time later, his black hair glistening with dampness, his face cleanly shaven and his casual jeans and long-sleeved close-fitting black T-shirt making Nina’s pulse start to race.

‘How was your trip?’ she asked, disguising her reaction to him by concentrating on the coffee tray.

He took the cup she had handed him, his eyes meeting hers. ‘Am I to presume you are rehearsing your role as my wife by serving me coffee and asking me such solicitous questions?’

She turned away from the cynicism she could see in his eyes. ‘You can presume what you like. I don’t care how your stupid trip went. I was just being polite.’

‘Do not exert yourself trying to be polite to me, Nina. It does not suit you.’ He took a sip of his coffee but when he met her slightly wounded expression he instantly regretted his terse words. He put the cup down and came across to where she was standing and, taking one of her hands, slowly lifted it to his mouth and pressed a barely there kiss to her fingertips.

She stood transfixed, her heart thudding behind her breast as she held his mesmerizing gaze.

‘Why did you do that?’ she asked.

‘I am not sure,’ he answered somewhat gravely. ‘To tell you the truth, Nina, I sometimes feel when I am with you that I am dealing with two different people.’ He paused for a moment, his dark eyes boring into hers before he added musingly, ‘I wonder which one I will be marrying tomorrow.’

Nina pulled her hand out of his and put some distance between them as she tried to stem her rising panic.

‘I can’t imagine what you mean by that. You make it sound as if I have some sort of multiple personality disorder.’

‘My brother told me many things about you but I am at a loss for I do not see any evidence of those things that disturbed him the most.’

‘Perhaps I’ve changed,’ she said, deliberately avoiding his eyes. ‘People do, you know. Having a child is a very life-changing event.’

‘Undoubtedly, but I cannot help thinking there must be more to it than that.’

‘W-what do you mean?’ She gave him a wary glance, her hands twisting in knots in front of her.

Marc watched the play of emotions on her face, the shadow of worry in her eyes and the way her smooth forehead adopted that slightly anxious look that he found so incredibly engaging. He had spent the whole time he was away thinking about her, wondering what it would be like to sleep with her, to have her long blonde hair splayed over his chest, her slim limbs entwined with his, her body satiated by his. It was as if, knowing she was forbidden to him, his body had decided to crave her relentlessly. He could feel it now, the steady throb of desire pounding through his veins, making him hard just looking at her.

He wanted to hate her, needed to hate her in order to keep her at a distance, but in spite of all his efforts his hatred was slipping away to be replaced by something much more dangerous.

‘I sometimes feel as if my brother was talking about someone else entirely. It just does not add up.’

Nina was at a loss to know what to say in response. She thought of chipping back with a Nadia-type retort but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

‘Have you nothing to say, Nina?’ he asked after another long silence.

She lifted her gaze to his, deciding the only way out of this was a complete change of subject. ‘You said you wanted to discuss our journey to Italy. When do we leave?’

‘We will leave the day after the ceremony. I will get Lucia to pack for you. She will accompany us to help with Georgia.’ He reached for his discarded cup and refilled it from the pot before turning back to her. ‘I should warn you that my father will not welcome you with open arms. He is an ill man who is still grieving. I will try to protect you from any unnecessary unpleasantness but I cannot guarantee things will be easy.’

‘I understand.’

‘The ceremony will be conducted at ten a.m. tomorrow,’ he said. ‘It will be a low-key affair as befits the circumstances.’

Marc watched as she made a movement towards the door as if she couldn’t wait to be rid of him. He considered calling her back but thought better of it. It was asking for trouble to spend too much time alone with her. He was already treading a very fine line and it wasn’t going to take too much to push him over.

As the door closed softly behind her, he wondered if he was more than halfway there already.