Too Cold To Love (8 page)

"There is no need. She is beautiful as she
is," Marco said, and Alex laughed out loud.

"My who has it bad here?"

Marco's scowl deepened. Had he said that out loud?
He ran one hand through his already dishevelled looking hair and loosened the
stranglehold of his tie. Why was it so hot in here?

The opening of the door behind him coupled with
Alex's low wolf whistle, made him spin around. The sight of Elise in his mother's
wedding dress hit him like a punch to the gut. She was wearing the dress. She
was actually wearing it. Marco didn't care to examine why that meant so much to
him right now, but his toes curled inside their shoes with the pure effort to
not let himself react outwardly. Even so he took one involuntary step towards
the vision of his
pasticcino
, his heart hammering in his chest. She had
to be the most beautiful bride he had ever seen.

The simple white silk clung to Elise's curves.
The low V neck emphasised her cleavage whilst plunging right down her back to
the cascading train that flowed around her when she moved. His hungry gaze
scanned down her front, over the rhinestones on her bust, down the skirt that
ended just below the knee showing her long legs off to perfection before
finally settling on the bright red toe nails peeping out of high heeled
stiletto sandals. Something about those toes called to him on the most primal
level, and he barely suppressed a groan as he shifted uncomfortably. It clearly
had been way too long since he last had a woman under him.

Alex's quiet chuckle made him turn his heated
gaze away from Elise and relax his tightly clenched fingers. Mamma G, who had
entered behind Elise, threw him a knowing look. She whispered something to
Elise which made her blush delightfully before her chocolate brown eyes widened
slightly when they settled on him. She took one tentative step towards him. Her
eyes never left his face, and the rest of the room faded away as Marco lost
himself in the depth of those beautiful eyes. His fingers itched to free the
hair that she had swept up off her long graceful neck. His eyes focused on the
rapidly beating pulse on the base of her exposed throat. She was nervous as
hell, confirmed by the trembling hand he grasped, when she finally came close
enough for her unique scent to surround him. Not caring about their audience he
pulled her into his body to drop a heated kiss on that quivering pulse. He
smiled at her shocked gasp, and he whispered in her ear.
 
"You look stunning."

 
He would
never be able to remember the actual words they said to each other during the
ceremony that followed. His voice loud and clear, hers slightly more hesitant,
yet with a distinct edge to it he had not heard before. He was too aware of the
woman next to him. Her trembling calling to him on the most basic levels and
aroused a protective instinct so fierce he had to make an effort to gentle the
grasp he had on her. All he wanted to do was fling her over his shoulder and
run off with her like one of his cavemen ancestors. Hell, they clearly had the
right idea back then, so much simpler all round.

When they reached the part where any objections
ought to be made the door flew open and in tottered Jennifer, holding onto the
arm of her latest fling. At least the man had the decency to look embarrassed.
Marco spun round in barely controlled fury when he heard his ex-wife's dulcet
tones.

"Oh I am
so
sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to interrupt. So carry
on." And with a sickeningly fake smile and a dismissive rake over Elise's
attire that set his teeth on edge, she sat herself at the back. Mimi
immediately started crying, but before he could react, Elise cursed low under
her breath. With a hand on his arm and a whispered, "Don't," she went
to give Mimi a cuddle. She took her off a scowling Stella before returning to
stand next to him, his daughter cradled on her hip.

He drew them in close; the sight of Mimi nestled
up so trustingly to Elise thawing out yet another layer of his frozen heart. He
would never forget what had just happened, but he ruthlessly squashed down on
his emerging feelings, forcing himself to concentrate on the ceremony instead
of the urge to throttle his ex-wife.

****

Elise looked at herself in the bathroom mirror
of the hotel suite. Even to her own eyes she looked like a rabbit caught up in
the headlights of an oncoming car. And that is exactly how she felt right now.
The adrenaline that had carried her through the emotionally charged scenes at
the registry office and the dinner that followed had faded to be replaced by a
dull terror at what was waiting for her.

She looked down on the wide platinum wedding
band Marco had slipped on her finger mere hours ago, and her heart skipped a
beat remembering the fierce expression in his eyes when he had done so. The
tension had been rolling off him in waves, a barely controlled fury shimmering
underneath his immaculately tailored suit, ever since that blasted ex-wife had
turned up unannounced. The woman had a nerve; she really did.

Before Elise had barely had a chance to regain
her equilibrium after the kiss Marco had given her once they were married – a
kiss that had rocked her to the very bottom of her soul with the intensity and
whispered promise of things to come later – Jennifer had descended upon them
once again.

Mimi tensed up in Elise's arms, and Alex had
moved between Jennifer and them, talking to her in Italian.

"No need to be like that, Alex dear. I was
just extending my well wishes to the happy couple. You wouldn't begrudge me
that now, would you?"

The low rumble coming from the man she had just
married propelled Elise into action. She all but threw Mimi at her father,
side-stepped Alex, and squared up to the bleached blonde.

"How kind of you I'm sure, but you're not
invited. I would suggest you leave."

"Oohhh, quite the little firecracker aren't
we. This is none of your business, you little fool." Jennifer sneered at
her."Think you're the one to tame Marco are you? Trust me you'll have
bitten off more than you can chew."

She'd thrown Marco a disdainful look, one he
thankfully hadn't noticed as he murmured to Mimi in Italian using his body to
block her from seeing her mother.

"I know what you two are playing at, but
Mimi is still my daughter."

"And you choose today of all days to
remember that, do you? Don't make me laugh. I do not pretend to know what went
on before I showed up. I'm sure I don't want to know, but there must be a
reason why Mimi is frightened of her own mother. So help me you will not get a
chance to hurt that little girl again, not whilst I'm around, so beat it,
woman.
Now
!"

 
"Who
do you think you are to tell me what you can do, you..."

Elise had drawn herself up to her full height,
and her voice had dripped with all the contempt she felt for that excuse of a
mother. "As of five minutes ago Mrs. Giovanni and Mimi's stepmother, and
don't you forget it!"

She had stared the woman down, aware of the
Giovanni closing rank around and behind her. When Marco's strong arms had
circled round her waist she had almost felt as though she did belong to that
huge Italian family.

His voice had been a very low growl in her ear.

"You heard my wife, Jennifer. Get out of
our lives. You're not wanted here, ever."

"This is not the end of it, you just wait,
Giovanni." The woman had paled under her heavy makeupand clip-clopped out
of the room, her companion apologising for the interruption as he followed her.

Mamma G had smiled approvingly at Elise. Marco
had spent the rest of the wedding festivities that followed watching her with
an unsettling intensity that saw her fleeing to the bathroom of the opulent
suite the minute they had finally been left alone in the honeymoon suite of the
exclusive country hotel.

****

Marco paced the living area of the suite like a
panther on the prowl. His new wife had taken off like a skittish foal the
minute the doors shut behind them. The bathroom door banged shut behind her,
the click of the lock the equivalent to a slap in the face.

That had been half an hour ago. What could
possibly be taking her so long? If she thought she could hide away in there
forever, she had another think coming. He downed another brandy slamming the
glass down a bit too forcefully.

Yeah, and what exactly are you going to do
about it, if she doesn't come out soon?
He had
never forced a woman in his life, and he was not going to start on his wedding
night, that's for sure.

Christ
, he really
had married his daughter's nanny. It had seemed such a good idea at the time,
and now... He smiled grimly. Now he was all too aware that he had blackmailed
her into this. He had no idea how she really felt about him. Not too good, if
that locked door was anything to go by. For the umpteenth time he ran one hand
through his hair. Sometimes he really was a fool. He had been so focused on
protecting Mimi and getting that bitch of his ex-wife out of their lives, he'd
given little thought to how Elise must be feeling about all of this.

His dad would have him strung up for the way he
had acted around her. Certainly not the way he was raised, but she had gotten
under his skin with an amazing speed from the day she had spilled the contents
of that hideous bag all over his door step. It was as though he had seen her
for the first time. He shook his head remembering his instant reaction with a
rueful smile as he walked up to the locked door putting one ear against it. Not
a sound to be heard.

Hell, he would do himself an injury trying to
break it down, and besides he didn't want her scared of him. He wanted her to
come willingly. She wasn't immune to him; he knew that. He just had to get her
out of that blasted room.

****

Elise froze at the soft knock on the door.
Marco's low voice wrapped itself around her senses and shivers went down her
spine. She had expected him to be angry, but instead his voice held a very low
seductive timbre.

"Open up,
pasticcino
. A husband
could die out here waiting for his wife."

Oh bloody hell.
She would have to do this sooner or later. He might be amenable now, but Elise
had no doubt he would break the door down if he had to. He was a man used to
getting what he wanted, and for some inexplicable reason he wanted her. She
took one last look at herself in the bathroom mirror and opened the door.

Marco was casually leaning against the
doorframe, a flute of champagne in one hand, his gaze intense as he slowly
looked her up and down. He'd disposed of his jacket and tie, his shirt buttons
undone enough for her to see his chest hair, and Elise hastily looked away.

"Here,
pasticcino
, you look as
though you could do with this."

Elise grabbed the flute off him, downing the
whole thing in one go. Maybe if she had enough of these, this would be easier.
One large hand went under her chin whilst the other took the champagne flute of
her, casually throwing it in the direction of the settee.

"Why so nervous,
pasticcino?"

Elise looked at him, her heart hammering in her
chest so fast, she felt faint.

"I'm not nervous."

"Liar," was the whispered response as
his gaze rested on the rapid pulse at her throat. He moved his hand from her
chin slowly down her neck skimming her collar bone. With the lightest of
touches he stroked downwards, barely touching her nipples, which were suddenly
aching for his touch. He moved his hand towards her bare back and pulled her in
closer. She was so close to him now the fierce heat of his body infused hers.
His own unique scent surrounded her and called her home.

He murmured something in Italian as his mouth
retraced the path his hand had blazed on her skin moments before. When he
slowly turned her around, his erection jutting into her ass brought an
answering need deep inside Elise's core. He trailed kisses up her spine towards
the base of her neck and suckled at the sensitive skin there. Elise couldn't
help the needful whimper. She felt Marco's smile through his kisses as he paid
homage to her neck whilst slowly nudging her towards the bedroom.

The size of that huge four poster bed gave Elise
renewed palpitations, and she tried in vain to lock her knees to stop him from
moving her forward. Marco spun her back round. His blue eyes scanned her face,
his smile wicked, as he simply picked her up and covered the last few remaining
steps with ease whilst capturing her shriek with his mouth. Elise clung to his
shoulders, dimly aware of being lowered on the softest bed she had ever sat on
before his tongue found hers, and every stroke send sparks along her nerve
endings, until she couldn't help but kiss him back. The very male groan spurred
her on, and her tentative hands explored inside his open shirt, surprised to
find his nipples as erect as hers. When her hand slipped lower along his
incredibly tight abs his own hand stopped her with a growled Italian curse. He
shoved her none too gently down onto the bed with a wicked grin. He captured
both of her wrists in one hand above her head, his long body holding her
captive, his gaze scorching her, as he shook his head. "No hands!"