Too Cold To Love (20 page)

"You mean, he's..?"

"Let it be, Elise. The less you know the
better. Suffice to say he is buying some insurance for your sister, not that
she deserves it."

Elise's confused eyes searched his face. He
could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Her mouth opened slightly, and
her eyes lost their focus. Delicate eyebrows drew together in a frown, and when
she bit into her lip, he groaned. Consequences be damned, he needed to taste
her. She gasped softly when his mouth claimed hers. He smiled and wasted no
time deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped into the warm haven of her mouth,
and he groaned his need for her. Her hands fisted in his shirt, drawing him
closer. Their tongues met, and he squeezed her butt cheeks. His heart galloped
in his chest,and his cock hardened to the point of pain, as his need to have
her slammed into him.
Merda
, he'd missed her. Why ever had he deprived
them of this? Whatever else was wrong between them, this connection they
shared, it just had to be enough, for now.

Stop thinking, Marco, and just enjoy her.

He sensed her withdrawal even before her
trembling hands pushed against his chest, and he let her go.

She searched his face, her dilated pupils giving
her arousal away, even as she shifted away from him. He almost didn't hear her
whispered question.

"Why, Marco, why are you doing this? Why is
Giorgio helping her, and what do you want from me in return?"

****

He wasn't going to answer her. Marco sat stock
still. He watched her out of half-closed eyes, the heat in his gaze scorching
her. She was all too aware of his powerful erection straining underneath her,
and she bit her lip to stop herself from giving in to her body's needs. He
grabbed her hips and brought her core in direct contact with his cock. Elise's
breath hitched, and she clamped her thighs together, to relieve the ache in her
pussy. Liquid heat soaked her thong, and Marco's smile turned wicked.

"You know what I want,
pasticcino."
His breath warmed the sensitive skin on the side of her neck, as he
whispered the words into her ear.
God,
he wasn't playing fair. She had
to stall him somehow.

"Whateverhappened to you wouldn't touch me
if I was the last woman on earth? I won't be used, Marco."

"Whatever happened to I will do anything if
you help my sister, Marco? Surely you haven't forgotten that already?"

The
 
words
wereharsh, but he gentled his hold on her hips and then ran his hands slowly up
her sides to cup her face. She couldn't read the expression in his glittering
midnight blue eyes when he pulled her down for another mind-blowing kiss, which
left Elise quivering with unfulfilled need. Damn her treacherous hormones. How
was she supposed to think straight when all her senses were leading her astray?

She somehow drew a shuddering breath into her
lungs, even as his tongue invaded her ear. He nipped her earlobe playfully. The
sweet pain from his teeth sent sparks of sensual awareness down to her core.
His hot breath whispered across the sensitized area, and she closed her eyes as
liquid heat replaced the blood in her veins.

"If you don't want this, then tell me to
stop." The gravelly words wrenched a soft moan from her lips, and she could
feel him smile through the butterfly kisses down her neck to her collarbone.

"I, I, Marco, please... I want..."

One of his hands wandered under her dress,
caressing her breast through the confines of her bra, and Elise bit back
another moan. Her nipple hardened and thrust shamelessly into his waiting hand.
He pinched the stiff nub and rolled it between his thumb and forefingers. She
squirmed on his lap.

"Yes,
cara mia
, what do you want?
Tell me."

He went very still at her tortured, "Stop,
Marco, please!" Their harsh breathing filled the space between them. He
rested his head on her shoulder, and his soft curse resonated through her.

She expected him to be furious when he looked
up, but instead she glimpsed unexpected tenderness in his eyes that almost
undid her resolve. He shifted his gaze to a faraway spot over her right
shoulder.
 

"You're not going to let this go, are you,
pasticcino?"

She shook her head, unable to trust her voice.
When he looked at her again the familiar mask was back, his eyes guarded.

"Giorgio is helping because I asked him to.
God knows he owes me plenty, and besides, he has some sort of score to settle
with your sister. I reckon he doesn't want anyone else spoiling his fun in that
regard."

"But."

"But what?
 
He's a man, she pissed him off, and if you ask me, he cares more about
your sister then he's letting on. Whilst his reasons may be far from honorable,
I'm not averse to using them to keep her safe – for you."

Elise's heart skipped a few beats at the last
few mumbled words Marco ground out. His grim expression was in direct contrast
to the barely concealed emotion in his voice. He abruptly got up, sat her on
the edge of his desk, and turned his back on her with another low growl. When
she put one tentative hand on his shoulder he spun round and put his own hand
up to stop her from getting closer.

"Don't – unless you want me to fuck you
senseless on this desk right now and to hell with your objections." Elise
swallowed against the lump in her throat, as her treacherous body ignited with
the images in her head. Somehow she forced the words past that lump of want and
need.

"But that still doesn't explain why you
helped her in the first place. I thought you were going to turn her in. Why
would you do that? For me?"

She held her breath willing him to say
something, anything, to break the unbearable tension between them. Her heart
beat a hopeful staccato against her chest bone at the expression on his face.

"Don't flatter yourself with any
sentimental notions, wife. You're just that, my wife, and heaven help me, I
take my wedding vows seriously."

"But I thought you were filing for divorce
the minute this is all over?"

His harsh laugh cut right through her, and her
heart shrunk in on itself.

"And break my daughter's heart? Not likely,
woman, besides I'd rather have you where I can keep an eye on you."

"I see." Elise cleared her throat. She
was not going to let him see how much those words hurt, no fucking way.
"So we're back to that, are we? Women can't be trusted, let alone me. What
do I have to do to make you see I'm not like that? And what on earth makes you
think that I'm going to stay with you? You can't make me, Marco."

"No, I can't. But if you can break Mimi's
heart so easily, well that's all the proof I need that you're just the same."

Oh she could slap him, she really could. "I
would never do that to Mimi; you know that."

Marco looked at her for the longest time before
he stalked away from her. He turned around at the door.

"Well that makes us even then, doesn't
it?"

"Even, what on earth are you going on about
now?"

"I'll never forgive you if you hurt Mimi,
and you'll never forgive me if I hurt your sister."

The pain in his eyes sliced through her heart.

"Perfect basis for a marriage, wouldn't you
say,
cara mia!"

Chapter Twenty-One

Elise couldn't help but smile at Mimi's bouncing
around. The little girl had been in a high state of excitement, ever since she
had gotten up impossibly early that morning. Even so, she missed Marco who had
left for work even earlier. Elise had thought to stop him, but he'd been in
such a foul mood for the last two days, she simply pulled the covers over her
head and listened to his footsteps when he stopped outside Mimi's room briefly.
The soft thud of the front door and the faint rumble of his Land Rover signaled
his departure for the day.

Mimi's disappointment was palpable, but Elise
managed to reassure her that daddy would be even more surprised, and that yes,
he would make it to Nonna G's later.

But she couldn't shake the niggling suspicion
that he might well not show up. She'd left him a note before they had departed
for Mamma G’s, but he'd been so unapproachable since that day in his study, she
wouldn't be surprised if he didn't bother to read it. He certainly hadn't
bothered to respond to the several voice messages she left him since.

"Ok, that's it. Spill Elise. Every time you
think Mimi is not looking you have a face like a wet weekend. What is going
on?"

Stella Giovanni's ice blue eyes were drawn
together in a frown, her arms crossed, and Elise sighed. Oh bother, how was she
going to wriggle out of this now? The woman gave the Spanish Inquisition a bad
name when she was in this mood.

"Nothing is going on, Mamma G. Marco has
just been busy with work, that's all. I'll try and ring him again in a minute."

"Elise, you have rung him three times since
you got here, and every time it's gone to voicemail. What on earth makes you
think he would answer it this time? Did you have a fight?"

"Not exactly, no, that would at least clear
the air I guess." Elise sighed.

"Let me guess he's still in a tizzy over
Jemima, right?"

When Elise nodded Stella rolled her eyes.

"Oh for goodness sakes, I shall have words
with him. That man is so stubborn he would cut his nose off to spite his face,
he really would. He needs to lighten up."

"Urm Mamma G, I think he's entitled to not
lighten up over this. Just let him be. The whole thing with Jemima has caused
enough trouble already. He did everything he could. I just hope she's safe and
has learnt her lesson."

Stella stopped her hand halfway to her mouth
with one of the fairy cakes Mimi made for Marco's birthday, and her suddenly
frosty gaze collided with Elise's.

"Ok, start at the beginning, what has that
boy not told me?"

****

Marco looked at the note Elise had left for him
on the hallway table and swore loudly. He crunched the damn thing up in his
hand and threw it halfway down the hall.
Merda
, he needed to hold his
little girl in his arms right now, not have to drive half way across
London
to collect her
from Mamma G. The last thing he needed was a grilling from his aunt, and if he
saw Elise now… He wasn't sure whether he was going to strangle her or… or what
exactly. When was she going to stop throwing him fucking curveballs? Every
goddamn time he thought he had her figured out, it turned out he didn't know
her at all.

Why hadn't she told him? It all made sense now,
of course – her nightmares, her insistence that she didn't want kids, her
instant rapport with Mimi. No one should have to live through what she had, and
now that bitch was going to use this against her – over his dead body. The
sooner he got Jennifer out of their lives the better. Maybe then, he could get
his head round this thing with Elise.

The ringing of his mobile made him groan.
Dio
Santo
, if that was Elise again...

He flipped the thing open with a resigned sigh.

"
Ciao.
Mamma G, don't start on me.
I've just got home and found the note."

****

Elise listened to Mamma G's conversation with
mixed feelings. This whole thing was supposed to have been a surprise. It wasn't
every day a man turned thirty, and the whole Giovanni clan had turned up in
force. Mimi had been practicing for days, not to mention been baking for days.
It was amazing where one could find icing sugar at the end of a long day.

"Marco, just get your butt over here
fast.... Ask me no questions and I tell you no lies."

Stella smiled at her, her blue eyes thoughtful.

"He's coming, and by golly you're right
he's not in the best of moods. He'll best cheer up I tell you. I'll not have
him ruining Mimi's big moment."

"I'm sure he won't, Mamma G. He would never
do anything to hurt Mimi.You know that."

The elderly woman made a very un-lady like sound
in the back of her throat before schooling her features into a smile.

"Francesca, my dear, where are my favorite
grandchildren?"

Elise sighed and made herself busy ensuring
everyone had their drinks filled up, keeping an eye on Mimi and breaking up
several fights between the numerous Giovanni offspring.

Not for the first time she wondered how Marco
could stand these family gatherings. No wonder he hadn't been that keen to turn
up.
 
Especially as everyone seemed to
take great delight in asking her when she was going to add to the brood.
Seriously
,
as if there weren't enough Giovanni children here already.

"Take no notice of them." A laughing
Kitty smiled at her, cradled in her husband's arms. "You should have heard
the grief Alex and I got, and that was for being pregnant. There is no pleasing
them I tell you. You'll get used to it."