Billionaire's Revenge (19 page)

Having finished the small helping of food, David
begged to play in the bright play area, Sara finally giving in as she
allowed him to
move to the room with slides and pipes all connected like similar ones
s
he
had
seen in a
hamster’s
cage.  The two
moved to a seat closer to the enclosed
play area
, Darius smiling
,
seeing the way Sara’s eyes
never left the small child
who was
happily
chatt
ing to another
little boy
on the plush mats.  Taking another sip of his coffee he
groaned, her eyes flying to his as he
laughed
.

“Even the coffee is bad
”
She
gave
a small snort
,
“How can the coffee be bad...it is just coffee”
 
Darius
adopt
ed
a knowing
, superior
look
.
 
“Ah...that is
where you are wrong young lady.  To an Italian a good coffee should be like a good woman
-
hot and intense on the tongue
”.  Sara chok
ed
on her drink
ma
king
him laugh again, her head shaking as she
wiped
away a tear she was laughing so hard
,
“I cannot believe you just said that”
Darius
wiggl
ed
his eyebrows wickedly making her laugh even harder.  As his head
turned to look at David, she
stared at the man by her side.  The day
had
been wonderful, not
only because she was spending time with David, but because she was spending time with Darius too.  She
had
expected him to be aloof with the small boy, but he was a natural with children, David already so comfortable with him.

“Thank you
”
Her
soft voice
saw
his head turn, a curious
expression
on his face as his mouth
curled softly
,
“For what?”
Sara looking over at David
.
“For such a lovely day”
,
she
replied gently
,
not seeing the way his eyes
flicked over her.
 

It
was
nearly seven in
the evening by the time they
returned home, David chatting constantly as he and Darius
talked about soccer, his eyes widening hearing
the names of
some
of
the soccer stars
the Italian
knew personally.  When Darius
offered to get him a signed f
ootball of one of the biggest stars in the
world
-
even Sara
had
been
impressed to know that the two were friends
-
David
squirming excitedly in his chair.
 
“That is so cool”
,
he
cried
. 
Sara
g
ave
a chuckle as she
smiled over
,
“Name dropper”

By eight David
had
been bathed, Darius hearing the way he
talked constantly surprised to find that he
enjoyed being around the child.  Sara
put him into the room closest to
theirs;
reading him a story but only getting halfway through before his small eyes
blinked shut, exhaustion finally overcoming him.  She
plugged in the baby monitor her mother
had
brought and moved downstairs to join Darius in the dining room. 
She
had
just sat as Edith
moved into the room, her eyes bright.
 
“So nice to have a child in the house”
,
she
cried
,
her eyes dropping pointedly to Darius, he rolling his heavenward as Sara
chuckled. 
As the housekeeper
left
,
she
shook
her head
. 
“Poor you...Edith
is
on a mission now” Darius
g
ave
her a mock pained look.  “Yep you could be right...might
need to get a dog to keep her quiet”
Sara
laugh
ed
harder as she
nodded
,
“Yes...that would teach her”

The meal that night
was
full of laughter, both so relaxed from their day together.  Darius
again thought how smart and funny Sara was, realising that she was also incredibly playful as she
teased him, he giving as good back, Sara also enjoying the meal.

That night in bed, he
lay
over her, his eyes taking in every detail of her beautiful features, as his finger
stroked her cheek
.  “
I
had
a good day today
,
Sara Balfour
”
His
soft tone
brought a gentle smile to her lips as more seriously she
nodded
,
“I did too
Darius Garelli
”
,
before his mouth
dropped to kiss her so softly. 
Their lovemaking
that night
had
been different, softer, more...intimate.  Both
took
their time, caressing and kissing the other before they
once more brought the other to the same
mind
-
blowing release as they always did.

Lying with him over her, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, their head
s
together as they
fought to bring their breathing back to normal she
had
been so happy, so in love.  Snapping her eyes open, she
stiffened
,
disbelief filling her at the realisation of what she
had
just
though
t.
  She was in love...in love with
Darius Garelli
, biting her lip to hold down the groan of pain which
rose
within her throat.  How could she be so stupid as to fall in love with a man out to destroy her?

“Are you OK?”
T
he s
oft question
made her start as
Darius
slid
from her, his eyes so close to her own full of concern, Sara pull
ed
a smile to her lips
, 
“Y...yeah...I just thought I heard David”
T
his answer seem
ed
to appease him as he
pulled her in tightly against himself, a sm
all chuckle on his lips
. 
“Oh
,
I have a feeling that we will hear him just fine when he wakes”
 
Darius wrapped his arm
around her shoulder, Sara leaning against his chest listening to the sound of his heart
,
enjoying the way his fingers
trailed down her ar
m, her hand under her chin.

“David really likes you
”
Her
words
caught him by surprise, a smile rising to his lips
. 
“He is a good kid”
,
the smile more devilish as he
added
,
“Has his aunty wrapped around his fingers though
”
She
chucked, nodding agai
nst his skin, a frown rising to her forehead.
 
“You never talked about your father in the past...yet you come back with his name...did he not know
about you
when you were born
?”
 
She
felt him stiffen slightly
,
suddenly wishing that she
had
said nothing
. 
“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to pry”

Beside her
,
Darius
gave
a long sigh, his body relaxing as he
pulled her in to drop a kiss on her head, his voice emotionless.
 
“My mother worked for Antonio Garelli as a maid.  When she got pregnant, he
had
her k
icked out.  Gave her some money and told her that if she said a word to anybody then he would see her in prison”
 
Sara
gave
a loud gasp, her eyes flying to his, the similarity of his position when she
had
been forced to fire him not lost on her.  H
is mouth
straightened in a hard line as he continued
, “
My mother was no angel.  She preferred to spend her time with her boyfriends.  The only person who gave a damn about me was my grandfather.  He taught me how to build
...he was old
-
school
”
She
saw
the fond smile which flitted across his features
.
 
“He died when I was fifteen and
,
well
,
you
know the rest of the story about my mother
”

Sara
made a small sound of sympathy as he
gave
her head another kiss
. 
“That’s terrible Darius”
,
as
another sigh
left him
. 
“We were never close Sara.  I started working with a company and later became a contractor myself
...then moved to the states...which is when I started working for your family”
 
She
heard the tinge of anger on his tone, remaining si
lent as he talked.
 
“Like I said...after you fired me
,
your father made sure that I was not able to get another contract.  So I returned to Italy and decided that it was time that I met my father
”
Sara
nodded softly
.

“
You never said what happened to your mother
?”  He
hesitated for a second before shaking his head
.
“
She
died when I was eighteen...
S
h
e
got into a car with a drunk who
wrapped them both around a tree”
,
his voice becoming sad
,
“she w
as never good at choosing men.  They used her...starting with my father
”
Sara
felt her heart reach out for the man she knew she loved with everything in her.
 
“How did things go with your father?
”
her voice soft
,
as Darius paused
for a few seconds.

“My father was dying when I appeared.  His whole life he had
overind
ulged...drink, drugs and women
”
,
another sigh torn from him
.
“
He
had
a daughter”
,
his mouth tightened once more
,
“
N
ot
a nice person...and very much
like him...which meant that his
fortune
was not what it had
been
.  He gave me a
hundred
thousand dollars if I agre
ed to legally change my name...suddenly he was glad to have a son...someone to carry on his name
”
Again
he
paused
.

“I used the money to buy some land and
built some
luxury houses on it...made millions...and it went on from there
”
As
he
lapsed int
o silence she
twirled her finger around his belly
. 
“
Well it is good that you and your father finally made up
...and you met your sister
”
The
harsh laugh
made her eyes fly to his
.
 
“My father was
a selfish
man
who had
no interest in me, only in carryin
g on his family name
...and believe
me his daughter
-
my sister
-
is no different.
  W
hen I made my first few million she
lawyered
up and demanded fifty percent of everything I had.  My father backed her just before he died...signed
an affidavit that
what he gave me was a loan”