A Devilishly Dark Deal (11 page)

‘If it did turn out that I was pregnant, then of
course
I would let you know. But let me ask you something … Do you want to be a father, Marco?’

It was the hardest question he had ever been asked. His reaction to it sent a multitude of fears and hopes crashing through him. It was the hope that disturbed him the most. ‘I have no experience of what it entails to be a father … no good example,’ he admitted gravel-voiced. The weight of sorrow that suddenly lay on his chest was close to unbearable. Because he was so ill at ease and uncomfortable he batted the question back to Grace. ‘What about you? Do you maybe harbour a secret desire to become a mother?’

Shrugging, she reached for a section of the silk eiderdown to pull up over her chest. ‘One day, perhaps. But not yet … not while I’m still young and have the time and energy to help children who desperately need a home and a school to go to. Anyway … we’re hypothesising about something that probably won’t even happen.’ As if she’d just thought of something more pressing, she turned her glance back to Marco. ‘I know you were raised in an orphanage, but did you never see your father at all?’

Manoeuvring himself up into a sitting position, Marco deliberately averted his gaze from Grace’s—even when she sat up next to him, dragging the silk covers with her. ‘No. My father wasn’t around and neither was my mother. She died giving birth to me, and my father couldn’t handle taking care of me by himself, so he gave me away to an orphanage. Are you satisfied now that you’ve heard the whole sad and sorry story?’

‘Oh, Marco.’

The compassion in her voice burst the dam of emotion he was intent on holding back …
had
been holding back for years. He turned his head to regard her furiously. ‘Don’t you
dare
feel sorry for me. If you do then I’ll get Miguel to take you back to your villa right now and you will never see me again, I mean it! Do you understand?’

Mutely, she nodded.

Marco could hardly hear himself think beneath the drowning wave of rage and fear that crashed over him. He didn’t want his past
or
his emotions put under the microscope by anybody … especially not Grace. The kindness in her eyes would likely tempt him to reveal things that would only end up making him feel bad. He might not have made peace with the events that had shaped him, but at least he’d kept their memory far enough at bay to get on with his life and become a success of sorts.
At least he wasn’t dependent on anyone else to build his self-esteem.

Just when he believed his emotions were returning to a more even keel, with her inimitable ability to speak her mind Grace stirred them up again.

‘It’s not that I feel sorry for you, you know. It just grieves me that you might believe you’re not deserving of sympathy or care. At least … that’s the impression I get. You’re such a good man, Marco. I can’t believe—’

‘I warned you, but you clearly didn’t listen. Now you will have to go.’

He pushed his fingers furiously through his hair, his heart thumping. At the same time he wondered why he was being so reckless and self-destructive, depriving himself of the one good thing that had really started to matter to him. He’d done the same throughout his growing up in the orphanage. If anyone had tried to get close he’d pushed them away, fearing either that they didn’t mean it or that he couldn’t live up to any expectations they might have of him.

‘What?’

‘I said you will have to go. I warned you that I neither wanted nor welcomed your sympathy, but you had to persist, didn’t you?’

‘All right, then.’

Although her lovely blue eyes were silently assessing him, and no doubt reaching more unwanted conclusions about his vehement reaction, Grace was already throwing back the silk covers and moving towards the side of the bed. Dry-mouthed, Marco at last came to his senses and reached for her. Enfolding her from behind, he moved his hands over her bared breasts, kneading them, playing with the rigid velvet tips and pulling her urgently back against his chest. A river of volcanic heat stormed through his bloodstream and went straight to his loins. He had no recollection of ever being this hungry and mindlessly desirous for a woman before … he only knew that he needed her almost as much as he needed his next breath.

‘I’ve changed my mind,’ he breathed against the side of her neck under the soft fall of her hair. ‘I don’t want you to go. It was stupid of me to say I did.’

She carefully disengaged his hands from her breasts and turned round to study him. Her smile was tender. ‘I wouldn’t have gone you know. I wouldn’t have left you because I know you didn’t really mean it. I would have just gone to look for Inês, asked her where the kitchen was, made a cup of tea and then sat out on the patio until you were ready to talk to me again.’

‘Is that so?’ He stared back at her in astonishment. Then he shook his head, leaned forward, and ravished her with a hotly exploring open-mouthed kiss. When her arms feverishly encircled his waist and she pressed herself so close to him that she felt like a part of him he’d never even known he’d lost he broke off the caress to gaze searchingly into her eyes. ‘You are either very stubborn, Grace, or unbelievably daring that you would risk my fury in that way. Do you know I’ve heard that even some of my board members quake in their boots at the thought I might lose my temper if they displease me in some way?’

‘You can’t believe it’s a
good
thing to intimidate people like that … surely?’

‘
You
were not intimidated.’

‘Yes, but I’m as stubborn as a mule … so my dad often tells me. Even if I’m terrified of something I somehow can’t let it get the better of me. Except when my boyfriend attacked me,’ she added thoughtfully. ‘Afterwards, I let my fear of it happening again stop me from getting close to anyone … I regret that. But I’ll never let fear have such a hold on me again.’

In all his years of doing business Marco had never met her equal, he mused in wonder. It was rare indeed that anyone stood up to him or was so frank in confessing their reflections. Grace wasn’t just brave, she was inspirational too.

Quickly, his musings turned to much more urgent and seductive reflections as he saw the sexy evidence of his passionate exploration on her moist slightly swollen lips. ‘I think we have done enough talking for now, don’t you? We can resume this very interesting conversation later.’

‘If you say so.’

She gave him the kind of cheekily provocative grin that came close to making him vocalise his need for her in the most basic and unequivocal terms available to him in language. Instead, he tipped her back onto the bed and demonstrated his need in a much more physical and satisfying way for them both …

It was rare that he stayed in bed all through the night with a woman and didn’t get up early, to work or distance himself in some way. Telling himself that it was because he was on vacation, but knowing it was more,
much
more than that, Marco turned onto his side to view his still-sleeping lover. The oyster silk cover had slipped from her body and he silently studied the naked, very feminine curves of hip and supple thigh. Immediately the waves of strong desire that seemed to be a permanent occurrence whenever he was near Grace flowed forcefully through him again.

Drawing the cover up gently over her bared satin shoulder, he realised he couldn’t seem to get enough of both her company
and
her body. When once again the thought struck him that he might have made her pregnant, he sensed a shockingly uncharacteristic surge of hope sweep into his heart. He had no family.
In his will he had left most of his considerable fortune to charity.
Not once in his romantic history had he ever considered marrying and starting a family of his own. But then he had never really been in love or cared for a woman enough to contemplate it.

Examining the face that was just as lovely in repose as when she was awake, Marco felt a definite quickening inside his chest. If he and Grace
did
make a child together, what would the infant be like? he wondered. He was suddenly fascinated by the idea. He was so dark—and she, being fair and blue-eyed, was his polar opposite. Smiling to himself, he lifted the silk coverlet again to contemplate her smooth flat abdomen. Mesmerised, he grazed his fingertips over the area just below her bellybutton. Grace stirred and opened her eyes. It was like looking into the most sublime sunlit blue lake.

‘What are you doing?’ Her soft voice was sleepily husky.

Marco let the cover drop back down over her body. ‘I was simply looking at you and marvelling at how beautiful you are.’

‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’

‘That’s exactly what I hoped you say.’

‘Except that I have a sudden urge to go for a swim … may I?’

Marco tugged down the covers he had just let fall back into place and employed the most seductive smile he could muster. ‘After we have made love,’ he told her.

Colouring a little, nonetheless Grace made no attempt to cover herself again. ‘It’s a good job that you’re so fit, because you really are insatiable,’ she murmured, even as her slender arms wound firmly round his neck.

CHAPTER NINE

WITH unashamed charm, Marco had persuaded Grace to allow him to take her shopping. Her agreement had only come about when she’d realised that all she had to wear was the dress she’d worn yesterday because she hadn’t expected to be spending the night with him.

Just the thought of how ardently they had made love made her heart race anew, and all the places on her body where he had visited his amorous attentions throbbed and tingled at the memory. The deliciously disturbing sensations were heightened by the realisation that her feelings for this man went far beyond merely enjoying his company. At every turn he mesmerised and seduced her … just by virtue of being himself. Grace loved the sound of his accented voice … the extravagant way he gestured with his hands when explaining something … the flash of an unguarded smile that was more potent even than bright sunlight illuminating a cloudy day …

When she’d suggested that she return to her own villa for some fresh clothing, Marco had caught her by the waist and silenced her reasoning with a long, lingering kiss that had made any inclination to do anything else but be with him inexorably vanish. After that he’d directed her to a luxurious wet room, so that she could take a shower, while he made some arrangements for their shopping trip. Grace had quickly learned that there were always arrangements to be made whenever he ventured out—simply because he was so well known. She’d also intuited that public interest in his activities gave him little pleasure. It was simply a have-to-deal-with by-product of his phenomenal success.

Shortly after his own shower, Marco changed into fresh military-style chinos and another loose white shirt and appeared on the patio, where she was waiting for him.

With his dark hair gleaming, he was looking fresh-faced, unbelievably handsome and somehow endearingly boyish too. Whenever she recalled him angrily asking her if she was satisfied now that he’d told her the full ‘sad and sorry’ story of his upbringing, she sensed the shame he clearly still felt. She wanted to tell him that it was hardly
his
fault that his grieving father had left him there—that he deserved nothing but admiration for being able to transcend his challenging and tragic start in life to become the incredible success he was now. There should be no hint of shame whatsoever … he was an
inspiration
, Grace wanted to say.

The only problem was that their relationship wasn’t yet on the kind of footing where she could demonstrate her understanding and compassion towards him without risking being angrily rebuffed. Having already experienced how swiftly Marco’s defences had slammed into place when she’d been about to express her concern for what he’d endured, she knew she had to rein in her natural instinct to try and get him to talk about it more … at least until he was sure she wasn’t going to betray him in any way.

‘I see Inês has made you coffee?’ he observed, smiling.

‘Your housekeeper is a godsend. You’re very lucky to have her.’

‘You think I don’t know that?’

‘I don’t doubt that you know it. You’re probably extremely appreciative of every person who works for you, if the truth be known. Likewise, they must be very appreciative of you,’ she added brightly.

Frowning thoughtfully, Marco pulled out the chair opposite her at the table. For a long moment he silently surveyed the stunning vista spread out before them. Already a shimmering haze of heat hung over it. ‘Don’t be in such a hurry to elevate me to Employer of the Year,’ he advised, helping himself to some coffee. ‘I am not always so popular … particularly when it falls to me to make some of the tougher decisions. For instance when I have to let people go.’

‘I expect that comes with the territory. In your position you’re always looking at the bigger picture, aren’t you? What’s cost-effective and what’s not etc. Did you always want to be a businessman?’ Relaxing back into her chair, Grace offered Marco the little dish of sugar crystals, but with a slight shake of his head he declined it. She stirred another couple of crystals into her own beverage, grinning unrepentantly when he lifted an eyebrow.

‘I see that you have a sweet tooth, Grace?’

‘It’s only a small vice. Anyway … you haven’t answered my question.’

‘My answer is no … I didn’t always want to be a businessman. I started out just wanting to play golf and to become good at it. There was a course not far from the orphanage …’

He winced—
but at least he wasn’t avoiding mentioning it
, Grace thought. She almost held her breath at what she couldn’t help but see as a breakthrough.

‘When I turned fifteen,’ he continued, ‘I got a job there, collecting all the stray golf balls. One of the members befriended me. He asked me to be his caddy. He also started to teach me how to play. After a while, I did indeed become good at the game.’

‘But you didn’t want to take it up as a career?’

His dark eyes silently assessed her before he replied, as if he was not quite sure she was being serious. ‘You have never looked up my name on the internet and read my bio?’

Slightly bewildered, Grace swallowed hard. ‘No, I haven’t. Should I have?’

‘I was what they call a scratch golfer … good enough to turn professional. I did indeed have a very successful career in the game for a few years, and won several trophies. But then I started to see that the men and women who owned the prestigious courses we played on made even more money than the professional players. That was when I decided on a change of career, and became the businessman and property developer that I am today.’

‘And there are no regrets about leaving your golfing career behind? I mean, do you equally enjoy what you do now?’

He smiled. ‘I do. Especially when it brings me into unexpected contact with a smart, stubborn, pretty woman like you, Grace … a woman who will risk everything—even being detained by my security guards—to help further a cause she believes in.’

She was still reeling from his admiring words when Marco strode round the table and urged her to her feet.

‘Mmm, you smell nice,’ she told him, even as her heart leapt at his nearness.

‘You always say what you’re thinking, don’t you?’ he remarked, looking amused.

‘Do you think that’s a bad trait?’

‘I’m not saying that at all. But I can see how it could get you into trouble.’

Grace frowned. ‘I know … But I never say anything horrible or harsh to offend anyone.’

‘I believe you. You are far too well-meaning and kind for that.’ He tweaked her earlobe, then brushed her lips with a brief kiss. ‘But what if I were to adopt the same approach? What if I told you exactly what
I
was thinking right now, hmm?’

Her legs turned as weak as a kitten’s at the lascivious look in his eyes. As much as it thrilled her to have him want her so, Grace definitely sensed a need to put a little breathing space before the answering leap of desire that he inevitably ignited. Right now events seemed to be gathering speed with dizzying effect, and it would surely be wise to take some time out to reflect upon where they might be leading her.
She had a powerful notion that they were going to lead to the breaking of her heart.

The thought of not seeing Marco again when the time came for them to part was frighteningly distressing—but he was a rich and influential man who had brief flings like this with women all the time. Now Grace’s stomach really
did
plummet. She hated the idea of him making love to any other woman but
her
. When she’d seen the stylish and picture-perfect Francesca Bellini it had been hard not to feel a little insecure. She might have fooled herself that she would take a ‘wait and see’ approach to the possibility that Marco might have made her pregnant, but in truth her feelings were not remotely so
laissez-faire
.

What would she do if she
was
carrying his baby? An answering frisson of excitement arrowed through her but, telling herself to get a grip, she quickly poured cold water on the feeling. Yes, she loved children, but she hadn’t planned on becoming a mother herself until she was in a stable and loving relationship. Besides … men like Marco Aguilar didn’t fall in love with girls like Grace, so the sooner she disabused herself of
that
ridiculous little notion, the better.

Anyway … her thoughts ran on … there was still so much she wanted to accomplish in her work with the charity. She definitely wanted to return to the African village to visit the wonderful children she’d befriended and see the new orphanage finally standing proud … maybe even a school too? The next time she visited she might even extend her stay and help teach some basic reading and writing skills herself.

Touching her palm to the side of Marco’s clean-shaven face, she made her smile as nonchalant as she could. ‘I trust what you’re thinking is
We really should go shopping now, or else Grace will look slightly the worse for wear in the crumpled dress she’s wearing for the second day running?
’ she quipped.

Gathering her hand, Marco pressed his lips warmly into the centre of her palm. ‘I confess my thoughts are more along the lines of
I really want to strip off that pretty dress of hers and take her back to bed
. Are you surprised?’

‘Flattered, maybe … but not surprised, no.’ With an apologetic shrug, she quickly stepped out of the circle of his arms. ‘But I really would like to get some fresh clothes on soon. We don’t have to go shopping. In fact it would be much easier if Miguel just drops me back at the villa and I choose something from my own wardrobe.’

‘Uh-uh. You don’t get out of it that easily. I want to show you Vilamoura Marina. There are plenty of very nice clothes shops there for you to browse in, as well as a good selection of restaurants and bars we can choose from when we’re ready to have lunch. So come … we’ll go and find Miguel and enjoy a leisurely drive there.’

Marco had never known a woman so reluctant to shop. Grace had already told him that shopping was never going to be on her list of priorities, but he’d hoped that when she learned money was no object and he would gladly buy her anything she wanted she would change her mind. That wasn’t the case. She made some polite comments here and there regarding the clothes or jewellery that he steered her towards, in the hope of getting an interested response, but on the whole seemed singularly unimpressed. His frustration grew—would she allow him to buy her anything at all?

Then, half an hour into their tour of the stunning marina, with its plethora of expensive yachts lining the harbour and exclusive boutiques, he noticed that they’d acquired the inevitable entourage—consisting of inquisitive sightseers plus a good few of the locals who had recognised him. His sense of protectiveness towards Grace strengthened even more. When she too realised they were being followed he sensed her uneasiness, and Marco knew her mind was far away from the meant-to-be enjoyable task of choosing a new dress.

Feeling increasingly irritated, he firmly held onto his companion’s small hand as they stopped in front of one of the most reputable and expensive boutiques on the marina. Glancing round to face the small knot of locals and holidaymakers that trailed them, he sighed and said, ‘Come on, guys. I’m trying to enjoy a rare day off, here. Don’t you enjoy doing the same with your families and friends? Leave us in peace and go about your business. I promise you there are far more interesting sights to see on the marina than me trying to impress my beautiful companion.’

An agreeable cheer went up, followed by a couple of risqué comments made by two young men at the back.

‘Is she your new girlfriend, Marco? We all thought your preference was for brunettes.’ This even bolder remark emanated from a lanky Australian in Hawaiian-style shorts and a baggy yellow T-shirt, who had positioned himself at the front of the onlookers. As he spoke, he was busily snapping shot after shot of Marco and Grace with a professional-looking camera.

Recognising the man as a regular member of the paparazzi that showed up at various functions and events he attended, Marco drew in a deep breath. ‘I think you’ve taken enough pictures, and I’d like you to stop. As far as my preference about anything goes, the truth is that you don’t know me well enough to have an opinion.’

He’d stupidly kidded himself that he could get away with just strolling round the marina with Grace and nothing untoward would bother them. He’d even given his bodyguard José strict instructions to wait by the car and not follow them. Today he’d just wanted to be like any other man holidaying with his wife or girlfriend. It seemed the perhaps
foolish
hope he’d secretly nurtured was to be denied.

Glancing at Grace, he pulled her firmly into his side.

‘We don’t have to do this today,’ she murmured, her cornflower-blue eyes utterly bewitching as she glanced up at him from beneath sweeping fair lashes. ‘We can shop another day.’

‘No!’ he snapped. ‘That is
not
what I want. What I want is to buy you a dress, and I want to do it today. Come with me.’

He herded her ahead of him through the shop’s glitzy glass and gold entrance and when the pencil-slim brunette with silver flashes in her hair standing behind the marble kidney-shaped counter, came over straight away to attend them Marco didn’t waste time with preliminaries. The woman had immediately recognised him, he saw, and that was all to the good.