A Devilishly Dark Deal (7 page)

‘Thanks. I’ve been taking much better care of myself since I’ve been with Francesca. The woman has transformed me! By the way, she’ll be along any moment now. She’s powdering her nose … you know what women are like! And who’s
this
lovely lady that you’ve brought with you?’ Lincoln asked, his interested, almost
greedy
blue eyed glance moving from Grace’s face down to the modest cleavage of her dress in one disturbing swoop. She found herself moving a little closer to Marco’s side, as if subconsciously seeking his protection. Lincoln Roberts might be one of the most famous movie stars on the planet, but she knew almost instantly that she didn’t like him … didn’t like him
one bit.

‘This is Grace Faulkner.’

Marco had provided the other man with her name almost reluctantly, Grace thought.

‘A beautiful name for an undoubtedly beautiful lady … I’m delighted to make your acquaintance, Grace. I really am.’

In a blink he had separated her hand from Marco’s and clasped it firmly between his own bigger, slightly
sweaty
palms. It was hard not to cringe. ‘It’s nice to meet you too, Mr Roberts,’ she murmured politely, at the same time quickly disengaging her hand.

‘Call me Lincoln, sweetheart. We don’t stand on ceremony here. Francesca wants all her guests to feel relaxed and to make themselves at home. These little gatherings she has are always very informal … aren’t they, Marco?’

‘They are indeed.’

‘Talk of the devil—here she is now. Doesn’t she look ravishing?’

‘
Ciao
, Marco … I’m so glad that you were able to come. I doubted that you would, you know …’

Both men turned to greet the vision in figure-hugging white that had joined them. The dark-eyed brunette with her perfectly arched eyebrows and scarlet-painted lips had straight away made a beeline for Marco and was regarding him with undisguised pleasure, Grace noticed, watching apprehensively as the woman kissed him resoundingly on both cheeks, then dropped slender hands with myriad glinting diamond rings lightly yet almost
possessively
onto his arms.

‘Handsome as ever, I see. Broken any poor woman’s heart lately—like you broke mine?’

Grace’s stomach flipped as she waited to hear his answer.

‘No. And I doubt very much that
any
man could break
your
heart, Francesca.’

Their eyes locked for a scant second, and Grace didn’t think she imagined the regret in the Italian woman’s beautiful dark gaze.
Did Marco feel the same?
She was about to distance herself from him a little when he turned towards her, smiled, then once again, enfolded her hand in his.

‘Grace, this is Francesca Bellini, our charming hostess. She is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of high fashion. Francesca, I’d like to introduce Grace Faulkner.’

‘Grace … delighted to meet you.’ The woman shook her hand limply and almost instantly let it go. She was anything
but
delighted, Grace thought wryly. Clearly she and Marco had once been an item, and it was obvious that the Italian wished that they still
were
. The realisation didn’t exactly bode well for a relaxed afternoon …

Lincoln stepped in just then, to loop his arm round his girlfriend’s tiny waist, cinched in with a broad patent leather white belt with a huge gold buckle. Could she even
breathe
in such a tight outfit? Grace wondered. She was suddenly very glad of her own more comfortable and practical summer dress.

‘Darling, I was just telling Grace that our parties here are always very relaxed, informal affairs.’ The American smiled.

Informal
and
relaxed
weren’t the two descriptions that naturally sprang to mind, Grace wryly reflected as she scanned the perfectly manicured grass that ran down to a shimmering blue lake with two pairs of regal swans gliding across it, then looked back again to the sight of small clusters of guests dressed glamorously enough for a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

To add to the indisputable impression of the kind of wealth that went far beyond most ordinary people’s dreams, on the air floated the sound of a well-known Vivaldi composition played by a sublime string quartet. Grace immediately had the strongest urge to move closer to where the musicians were performing, so that she could simply stand in the sunshine and listen to them play at close quarters. It would be such a privilege, she thought.

She glanced up at the dark-eyed man by her side, and something told her that
he
too would infinitely prefer to do just that, rather than spend too much time with their hostess and her infamous boyfriend.

The knowledge made her suddenly bold, and briefly buried her disquiet that Marco should bring her to a garden party at the house of an ex-girlfriend. ‘Is that lovely music being played nearby?’ she asked, proffering what she hoped was an eager and appreciative but not too
presumptuous
smile to the party’s glamorous hosts.

‘Yes, honey—they’re sitting right over there by the fountain,’ Lincoln answered.

‘It sounds so wonderful. Marco? Shall we go over and see them?’

‘Go ahead,’ Francesca urged helpfully, but not before Grace had witnessed the undisguised flash of jealousy in her glance. ‘I’m sure we’ll hook up again later. By the way, there are a lot of people you know here already, plus a few that you
don’t
who are anxious to meet you. In the meantime, go and enjoy the music with the beautiful Grace.’

When they were less than halfway across the shimmering lawn that led to a spectacular fountain with an audacious sculpted mermaid, Grace murmured, ‘I hope you didn’t mind that I suggested going to listen to the quartet?’

Touching his hand to her bare arm, Marco came to a standstill. Staring back at him in surprise, she saw the frown that creased his tanned brow as his dark eyes thoughtfully roved her face. ‘Francesca and I dated for a short while about five years ago. These days she is no more than a business acquaintance I occasionally bump into at corporate functions. Did you think that she meant something more to me than that? As far as I know she is quite happy to have her name linked with a movie star like Lincoln. She’s always been very ambitious, and their romantic partnership certainly hasn’t hurt her career.’

‘She’s seriously stunning.’

‘So?’

‘I just wondered why you would bring me to a party thrown by an ex-girlfriend. I know we’re not serious or anything, but—’

‘I told you … we were over a long time ago and there’s nothing for you to worry about. Can’t we simply enjoy the party?’

Grace shrugged, feeling slightly miserable that she might be spoiling things between them before they’d really even begun. ‘Okay.’

‘Come here.’

‘What?’

‘I said come here.’

Catching hold of her by her slim upper arms, Marco impelled her against him so that she was suddenly on dizzyingly intimate terms with the hard, lean physique she’d been secretly admiring since setting eyes on him again that morning. The heat from his body all but burned her through the elegant cotton of his shirt.

Tipping up her face, he gazed down at her, saying, ‘You know … I have a sudden profound urge to make you stop talking.’

The unexpected confession was accompanied by the most enigmatic of heart-stopping smiles. His seductive warm lips covered hers. She didn’t even have time to gasp her surprise.

It was a kiss that sent a molten river of irresistible longing pumping right through her body, and Grace’s lips parted almost the instant he touched his lips to hers. Less than a moment later her knees all but threatened to fold at the hotly melting exploration of his erotically silken tongue. Her hands automatically moved either side of his straight lean hips to anchor herself.

Just when the incredible assault on her senses felt as if it might grow even stronger—turn into a veritable wildfire that would burn them both to cinders with its power—Marco cupped the side of her face with a warm palm and gently and regretfully separated his mouth from hers. ‘I desired to stop you talking so that I could sample the sweetness of your lips … but now I am almost rendered speechless myself due to the fire you have stoked in me, Grace.’

He meant every word.

Inside his chest, Marco’s heart was thundering in an amalgam of desire, urgent longing and deep, deep shock at the depth of feeling that kissing this woman had aroused in him. All he could think right then was that he wished he hadn’t been so hasty in making the decision to come to Francesca Bellini’s garden party—if he were at home now with Grace he would be making it his mission to get her into bed …

Carefully moving her to his side, Marco slipped a deceptively casual arm round her waist, just so that he could maintain the contact that was becoming the most essential factor of all for determining his happiness that day—especially after that explosive little kiss they’d just shared. He was still walking on air from the sheer pleasure of it.

‘Let’s go and listen to the music together, shall we? I’ve heard this particular string quartet perform before at La Scala in Milan …’

After some companionable time had passed, during which Grace and Marco sat side by side sipping champagne on the edge of the sculpted fountain, listening to the sublime soaring notes of Vivaldi’s
Four Seasons,
Marco was invited to join the well-dressed group of businessmen and women who had been eyeing him ever since he’d walked across the perfect emerald lawn to sit by the water fountain with Grace.

Assuring him that she was quite happy to sit there by herself for a while as he conversed with them, Grace shut her eyes to simply let the stirring music envelop her. It had the same delicious effect as cooling summer rain after a hot, dry spell. In truth, she was glad of the opportunity not just to listen to the music but to mull silently over the soul-stirring kiss that Marco had initiated and she had eagerly complied with.

It had been a revelation just how much she’d enjoyed it. Since that dreadful incident with her ex-boyfriend she’d secretly feared another man kissing her, in case she was immediately repelled by the contact. But the
opposite
had happened. Even now the memory of Marco’s lips against hers made her tingle fiercely and long for more …
much
more of the same. She briefly held her breath at the thought, then batted away a buzzing insect that brushed against her cheek. The day was once again incredibly hot, and the soporific intensity of it was making her drowsy. She wished that she’d remembered to bring the straw hat she’d left lying on a chair in her villa’s hallway.

Just then there was a break in the music, and when Grace opened her eyes she was taken aback to find a small auburn-haired girl standing in front her. The child’s skin was as fair as her own, but she was sensibly wearing a sunhat, its brim decorated with very becoming pink and white daisies.

‘What’s
your
name?’ the girl demanded, head tipped to one side and jade-green eyes squinting in the sunshine.

Grace smiled. ‘My name is Grace,’ she answered. ‘What’s yours?’

‘I’m Cindy Mae Roberts and I’m here with my daddy. He’s a movie star.’

Glancing round the various little knots of men and women gathered together on the rolling lawn, Grace saw this little girl appeared to be the only child there. Instantly Grace’s heart went out to her, perhaps doubly so because she had the onerous legacy of Lincoln Roberts’ world-wide fame to contend with growing up. ‘Well, Cindy, I’m very pleased to meet you.’

She held out her hand but the child ignored it, demanding instead, ‘Are you in the movies? If you are I’ve never heard of you.’

‘That’s because I’m not … in the movies, I mean.’

‘Then what
do
you do?’

‘I work in London for a charity that helps children who are orphaned and abandoned.’

‘That must be
so
boring!’

Grace’s lips curved in a gently understanding smile. ‘It’s not boring at all … it’s quite the opposite, in fact. It’s wonderful to help make children happy—especially children who don’t have any parents or anyone else to love them and look after them. It’s very satisfying.’

An expression crossed Cindy’s freckled face that was surprisingly thoughtful. ‘Do you really like children, then?’

‘Of course. I like them very much.’

‘My daddy doesn’t. He just thinks they’re a nuisance … At least, he thinks
I
am. I’m glad I only stay with him now and again, because sometimes he’s not very nice. The other times I live with my mom in New York … she’s
very
nice.’

Now Grace’s heart really
did go
out to the girl. What a horrible thing for any child to believe … that her father thought her a nuisance. She noticed that Cindy held a lime-green tennis ball down by her side. ‘Didn’t any other children come to the garden party for you to play with?’ she asked.

‘No. My daddy said one little nuisance was enough, without inviting any more, and Francesca agreed. She doesn’t like children either.’

Grimacing at that, Grace immediately got to her feet. ‘How about a game of catch?’ she suggested, smoothing her hands down over her dress and at the same time kicking off her backless sandals, then bending down to pick them up and carry them.