‘Luca!’
The voice came from right beside them. Morgan jumped back as if she’d been burned, her face flaming when she saw who it was.
‘Olivia,’ Luca said. ‘What a surprise!’
Morgan glanced sharply at him. There was an edge
to his voice. It was subtle, but it was there. It was as if his words were forced in some way.
At first she thought it was because he was uncomfortable having someone from Da Silva Chocolate witness him in a serious clinch.
But then she remembered who she was thinking about.
Luca was confident and assured; he would not be embarrassed so easily.
He met her look with a bland expression, and just like that she knew. Knew that he’d set this up.
Olivia glanced backwards and forwards between them. ‘Isn’t it?’ She spoke pleasantly enough, but there was a hard look in her eyes. ‘I didn’t expect to see you here, either. And with Morgan. I didn’t know the two of you were seeing each other. I thought—’ She broke off and issued a false laugh. ‘Well, I guess it doesn’t matter what I thought.’
As soon as the other woman spoke it dawned on Morgan that Olivia was Luca’s mysterious source. She was surprised she hadn’t thought of it before.
Olivia was ambitious. She’d suggested to Joseph several times that he bring the marketing function back in-house for her to manage. Joseph had always vetoed the idea.
With Joseph temporarily out of the picture had Olivia seen another way of attaining her goal?
Morgan didn’t want to think badly of anyone, but her gut instinct warned her that that was exactly what had happened.
She inclined her head. ‘No, Olivia. It doesn’t matter what you thought.’
She didn’t wait for a reply, spinning on her heel and storming off the dance floor. As she departed, she
vaguely heard Oliva say, ‘Well! What on earth is wrong with Morgan?’
Morgan paused beside their table only long enough to scoop up her handbag. As she pushed through the crowd towards the exit she thought she heard Luca shout her name, but ignored him.
Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.
Of all the stupid things to do.
Somewhere along the line she’d let herself be seduced into believing the fantasy was real.
Only it wasn’t…and never would be.
The scene Luca had just orchestrated proved it!
Luca tried to follow Morgan, but Olivia grabbed hold of his arm. ‘If you’ve got a minute, Luca, I’d like a word with you.’
‘Not now.’ He didn’t even spare her a glance, his eyes focussed on the pitch-black crown of Morgan’s head as she wound her way through the crowd towards the door.
The fingers curled like talons around his arm didn’t let go. ‘It will only take a minute.’
‘I said no.’
Without another word, Luca pulled out of her grasp.
He had to follow Morgan.
He’d seen the look on her face.
She knew what he’d done…and she despised him for it.
At that very moment Luca despised himself.
Which was quite patently ridiculous, of course.
His family had to come first. He had to protect them—no matter what the cost.
Except, he realised, heart twisting, that he wasn’t prepared to accept the cost of Morgan running out on their arrangement!
Morgan didn’t get far. She was no more than five paces from the red rope that cordoned off the entrance to the club when a hard hand curled around her shoulder from behind.
‘Don’t touch me,’ she spat, spinning to face him.
‘Calm down.’
‘No, I won’t calm down. I’m so angry I could hit you.’
‘I know you are.’
Morgan stamped her foot. ‘Don’t agree with me, damn it!’
‘Would you rather I disagree with you?’
‘That isn’t funny.’
‘I know it’s not.’
The gravity of his tone and the shadow of regret in his eyes made her anger evaporate in a puff of smoke, exposing the raw pain underneath. ‘Why, Luca? Why did you do it?’
‘You know why.’
Yes, she did. Even though he’d suggested they pretend the past didn’t exist, Luca couldn’t forget it. ’You brought me here deliberately because you knew Olivia was going to be here, didn’t you? You wanted her to see us together because you know she’ll tell Joseph—just as she obviously told
you
she’d seen me with Joseph.’
He inclined his head. ‘That is correct,’ he said, his accent thickening.
‘You bastard!’
He shrugged. ‘I can assure you that my mother and father were married—even if it was unhappily—at the time of both my conception and my birth.’
She ignored that. ‘What I still haven’t figured out is what you hope to achieve.
Why
do you want Joseph to know we’ve been out together?’
‘Because he will never touch you again—not after you have been with me,’ Luca replied calmly.
Morgan inhaled sharply. She’d known Luca was ruthless, but had never understood just how ruthless until now. ‘You haven’t believed a word I’ve said, have you? I’m just wasting my breath even trying.’
The realisation angered her.
But she also felt incredibly hurt.
With the strength of pent-up emotions, she tore herself out of his arms and stormed off into the night.
Luca watched her march away from him, spine rigid, head held high. He’d hurt her. Really hurt her. He’d seen the shadow of pain cross her face as she’d ripped herself out of his arms.
His chest felt tight. Once again he considered whether he’d made an awful mistake believing Olivia’s suspicions. Hadn’t he chosen Olivia as the person who would see him with Morgan tonight because he’d instinctively known she’d use the information to her advantage?
But so what?
That didn’t mean anything.
She hadn’t fabricated what she’d seen. She hadn’t lied.
Olivia
had
seen Joseph and Morgan together. Morgan had confirmed that by admitting to those
lunches at The Minstrel. Olivia had merely seen an opportunity to benefit herself by revealing what she knew.
Still, Luca couldn’t forget the look on Morgan’s face just before she’d turned away.
Morgan.
His head snapped up. He’d been so distracted by his thoughts he’d lost track of her in the crowd.
’Dio!’
He looked frantically around, and was pleased to see Gino already waiting at the kerb. He flung himself into the back seat and stared through the front windscreen. ’Did you see where she went?’
Gino nodded as he pulled away. ‘Round the corner, boss.’
‘Step on it.’ Luca kept his eyes trained on the pavement, looking for the black flyaway hair, the proud tilt of her head. Finally he saw her. Relief flooded through him. He pointed. ‘There she is.’
Gino swerved, ignoring the blast of car horns behind him. Luca leapt from the vehicle before it stopped moving. He planted his feet in the middle of the pavement, barring her way.
Morgan saw him and stopped. She still had that haunted look on her face and his heart wrenched in his chest. ‘Get in the car, Morgan.’
She didn’t answer him. Instead she turned on her heel and went back in the other direction.
‘Damn it, Morgan! It’s not safe for you to be wandering the streets at night on your own.’
Frustration drew his shoulders up towards his ears when she kept right on walking. ‘If I have to, I’ll pick you up and put you in the car myself.’
She stopped and stared at the pavement. She made no move to get in the car.
Luca took a step towards her.
Her head shot up. The look she threw at him as she brushed past him on the way to the car would have frozen the Sahara Desert.
She was so different from the women he’d been involved with in the past, Luca thought, getting in beside her.
Each and every one of them had been keen and eager to please—to the point where he’d soon grown bored with them.
Morgan was the exact opposite.
She wasn’t afraid of telling him exactly what she thought of him.
When he pushed, she shoved straight back.
As he settled back against the leather seat Luca realised that that was just the way he liked it!
Morgan stared out of the window, not speaking, so angry with Luca she expected steam to pour from her ears at any moment.
Why didn’t he listen to reason?
Why didn’t he just accept that she and Joseph were friends?
Because he couldn’t, she realised, answering her own question.
Luca had mentioned in passing that his mother had had one affair after another. No doubt in his mind there was no smoke without fire.
He was trying to protect his sister. And if that meant manoeuvring the situation to his advantage then that was exactly what he would do.
And could she really blame him for that?
Wasn’t she doing exactly the same thing to protect Joseph?
Keeping secrets she didn’t want to keep.
Telling lies she didn’t want to tell.
She sighed, wishing things were different. Less complicated.
If she’d met Luca under normal circumstances—
No!
Morgan put a brake on her thoughts. There was no point wishing for something that didn’t exist. She had to deal with realities, not fantasies.
‘I’m sorry I ruined the evening,’ Luca murmured into the silence.
Twisting around on her seat, Morgan searched his face. ‘Are you really?’
He nodded and picked up her hand, his thumb caressing the tender flesh on the inside of her wrist. ‘Yes. I am.’ He paused for a heartbeat. ‘Please try to understand. I want to believe you. I really do. But Stefania is my only sister. She’s too important to me.’
Morgan sighed. Hadn’t she just been telling herself exactly that? It might not be right or fair, but it
was
understandable—at least to some extent.
Luca stopped stroking her wrist and clasped her hand. ‘If something is going on between the two of you I had to make sure it has ended. For Stefania’s sake. Tonight achieved that. You might not like my methods, but you have to admit that it was the best way to resolve the situation. This way nobody gets hurt. Do you understand?’
Morgan pulled her hands out of his and folded her arms. ‘I understand. But you’re wrong about nobody being hurt.’
‘Am I?
She nodded. ‘How do you think
I
feel knowing that you think I’m a liar?’
Luca grimaced. ‘Angry and hurt, I suppose.’
‘You suppose right,’ she said, determined not to wrap it up into something it was not just to make Luca feel better.
He raked a hand over his face. ‘I wish things could be different.’
There was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice. His words so closely echoed her own thoughts that tears pricked the backs of her eyes. ‘He’s always going to come between us, isn’t he?’ she whispered.
‘Only if we let him.’ Turning on his seat, he cupped the side of her face and stared deep into her eyes. ‘I’m serious,
cara.
We won’t talk about it again. We won’t even think about it. It’s all in the past. Over and done with. What do you say?’
She wanted to say yes.
Wanted to say yes so badly that she could taste it.
But logic suggested that she would be a fool to trust him. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly that. Instead, she pressed her cheek against the palm of his hand and whispered, ‘Yes.’
He smiled a slow, warm smile that made his eyes glow. ‘Then let us seal our bargain with a kiss,’ he said thickly.
When he pulled her into his arms and took her mouth with his Morgan wondered why she was listening to her heart and not her head.
Which, of course, begged another question…
Just when had her heart become involved…?
F
ROM THAT POINT
on life became a fantasy for real, with Luca as her very own Prince Charming.
They didn’t discuss the past. Or the future. They just lived for the moment.
The only cloud on the horizon was Joseph. Morgan had overheard part of another conversation between Luca and Stefania—only this time the news hadn’t been so good.
It appeared Joseph’s medical team were having difficulty getting his blood pressure under control. The specialist Luca had brought in had ordered another series of tests.
The setback sent Morgan’s heart plummeting. She felt helpless. All she could do was believe Luca was right when he told Stefania, ‘Joseph is in capable hands. He’s getting the best care possible. Remember that. Whatever these new test results show, the doctors will deal with it.’
When the weekend arrived, and the weather was half decent, Luca suggested they spend it together in Paris.
‘You’re kidding, aren’t you?’ Morgan asked, clutch
ing a hand to her chest. ‘Surely it’s too late to get airline tickets?’
‘We don’t have to worry about that,’ Luca replied with a smile. ‘I have my own plane. It can be ready to take off within the hour. All I need is your go-ahead.’
Morgan had taken the ferry over to France as a teenager, but had never made it as far as Paris. ‘I’d love to go. But where would we stay?’
‘I’ll book us a hotel suite. With separate bedrooms if you wish,’ he added.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him not to bother about separate rooms, but she swallowed the words back. Even though she wanted to make love with Luca more desperately than she’d ever thought possible it still troubled her that he’d blackmailed her into becoming his mistress.
Their agreement hung over her head like a black cloud. It was a constant reminder of the past they’d agreed to forget.
But the past seemed very remote as the weekend turned into a fairytale.
They arrived late on Friday evening. Gino, who had flown across with them, drove them to their hotel. He took the circuitous route, so that Morgan could see the sights, and she spent the journey with her nose pressed up against the glass.
That evening they dined at their hotel.
Morgan wanted to go for a walk after their meal, but Luca insisted they have an early night. ‘We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.’
‘Do we? What have you got planned?’
He smiled a heart warming smile. ‘It’s a secret. You’ll find out tomorrow.’
The next morning they walked hand-in-hand along
the Avenue Montaigne. It took all of thirty seconds for Morgan to realise this was where the rich and famous bought their clothes.
‘What are we doing here?’ she asked, clutching Luca’s arm. ‘When you said you had a big day planned I thought you meant sightseeing.’
‘That’s next. Right now we’re about to buy you an evening dress.’
She stopped, making Luca do the same. ‘I don’t need an evening dress,’ she protested.
‘Yes. For the evening I have planned. You do.’
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart leaping in her chest. Eyes locked on his, she reached up on tiptoe and pressed her mouth against his.
Passion flared instantaneously, so much heat and energy flowing between them she half expected sparks to fly at any moment. It wasn’t until a wolf whistle pierced the air that they broke apart.
‘Dio,
Morgan! This week cannot be over soon enough,’ he rasped. ‘I feel as if I am being tortured.’
She dragged in a breath, and then another. ‘I know the feeling,’ she whispered back.
With every day that passed, Morgan found it harder and harder to resist Luca. He didn’t help matters. He seemed to find every excuse to kiss her or touch her or simply pull her into his arms to hold her close.
Their desire had threatened to get out of control on more than one occasion—Morgan was sure they could set the world on fire with the heat they generated between them—but not once had Luca pressured her to sleep with him.
If he had maybe it would have been easier to resist him. Instead, she found her respect for him growing.
He was, she was learning, an honourable and decent man. Misguided in her case, perhaps, but his heart was certainly in the right place.
‘Come on. Let’s go and buy you that dress.’
Luca took her hand, but Morgan dug her heels into the pavement. ‘It’s really not necessary.’ She frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to her. ‘Unless you’re going to be embarrassed if I’m not wearing the right thing.’
He tapped her on the nose with the tip of his finger. ’You would never embarrass me. I’d be proud to take you out wearing jeans, if that’s what you want. You’d still be the most beautiful woman there.’
The compliment sent a warm glow through her. ‘I don’t know,’ she said, biting down on her lower lip.
‘It’s your decision,’ Luca said seriously. ‘I haven’t forgotten what you told me about not ordering you around. But I feel like spoiling you. Please, let me do this for you.’
Morgan knew she should refuse, but somehow she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Luca was trying so hard to please her that she didn’t have the heart to turn him down. ‘All right. But just this once,’ she cautioned.
Luca blazed her a smile that made her heart turn over. Then he grabbed her hand and led her into a boutique manned by a uniformed doorman who swung the door open for them.
Luca knew exactly what he wanted. ‘The lady would like something long and glamorous in red, please,’ he told the elegant assistant who came to serve them.
‘I usually wear black,’ Morgan interjected quickly.
‘But this time you will wear red.’
Again Morgan knew she should object. Luca was being arrogant, thinking he could tell her what to wear.
But he seemed to be deriving so much pleasure from being able to buy her something she found herself wanting to please him.
‘Magnifico!’
Luca breathed, sitting up straight in his chair when Morgan appeared in a flame red dress that set off her black hair and magnolia skin to perfection. ’Turn for me,’ he said, marking a loop in the air with his finger.
She twirled on high red heels. The skirt swirled around her ankles, its long slit flaring open to reveal a stunning length of toned calf and slender thigh. Nipped in at the waist, the dress outlined the feminine flare of her hips and the fullness of her breasts. His eyes lingered on the hint of cleavage revealed by the low neckline, then lifted to her face.
His heart contracted, his breath catching in the back of his throat. ‘You are one very beautiful woman, Morgan Marshall.’
Her cheeks flamed.
Luca frowned. This was not the first time she’d acted embarrassed when he’d paid her a compliment. Luca liked the fact that she didn’t consider such flattery her due. She didn’t primp and preen, and she wasn’t vain. It made him realise how shallow some of his previous lovers had been.
But her reaction did make him wonder. It was as if she wasn’t used to receiving male admiration. But he could hardly believe her past lovers had been remiss in paying tribute to her beauty.
Luca ruthlessly reined in his thoughts. He didn’t want to think along those lines. Didn’t want anything to ruin this weekend for them.
The past was in the past. Let it stay there.
If this was a fantasy he was more than happy for it to continue. Each day he spent with her was better than the one before. Each time he left her he couldn’t wait to get back to her.
‘We’ll take it,’ he instructed.
Afterwards, they strolled along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, where they stopped for a coffee and Morgan took almost fifteen minutes to select a cake from the delectable array artfully arranged in the glass window.
‘I’ve always wanted to visit Paris,’ Morgan said, sighing blissfully as she licked the last crumbs of cake off her lips. ‘And Rome. You said you were born in Rome. Do you go there often?’
He shook his head. ‘I haven’t been back to Italy since moving to London after the accident.’
‘Oh.’ Her eyes softened with sympathy. ‘I often wondered why you weren’t based in Italy.’
‘Well, now you know.’ He dragged in a deep breath. ’Now, if you’ve finished your coffee, we should get going. We still have the Arc de Triomphe, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Eiffel Tower, the Nôtre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre to see.’
Luca had seen all of these tourist destinations before, most of them more than once. But seeing them with Morgan turned them into a brand new experience.
She had a genuine appreciation for everything he showed her.
Her pleasure became his pleasure.
Her enjoyment his.
He loved watching her smile.
And laugh.
And he was delighted when she ‘ooh’d’ and ‘ah’d’
or when she grabbed his arm in excitement and gasped, ’Look at that, Luca. Isn’t it beautiful?’
He would say, ‘Yes, it certainly is,’ but in his mind the most beautiful thing he saw was her. She took his breath away.
With every day that passed Luca found it more and more difficult to believe she’d ever had an affair with Joseph. The neutral stance he’d found so difficult to take now felt a lot more comfortable. So much so he dreaded anything happening to challenge his position.
If he ever had to commit one way or another he was going to be in one hell of a lot of trouble!
Luca smiled as he rang Morgan’s doorbell. He was looking forward to seeing her.
Last night, on their return from Paris, he hadn’t wanted to leave her. And today he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He’d even found himself doodling her name on his notepad during a meeting, which was something he’d never done before.
Something else he’d never done before was postpone an important business trip for a woman. And yet that was exactly what he’d done with his US visit—rescheduled it for the second time this week so that he could be with Morgan.
He frowned at the door. Morgan should have answered by now.
He’d tried calling her several times during the afternoon, but her phone had diverted to voicemail. He’d left her several messages but she hadn’t called back.
He rang the bell again, and this time was rewarded with the sound of the lock turning. The door opened. Morgan was framed in the doorway. She was wearing
his favourite black I’m-in-charge leather boots, with a cream suit and a black blouse.
‘You didn’t check to see who it was before you opened the door,’ he reprimanded, stepping forward to gather her in his arms so that he could kiss her hello.
She backed out of his reach before he could touch her. ‘I forgot,’ she said unsmilingly. Turning on her heel, she walked back into the apartment, leaving him to follow.
Luca took his time, frowning at her rigid back. ‘I’m serious, Morgan. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Check next time.’
She nodded, but didn’t answer him.
His frown deepened. Morgan was the antithesis of the woman who’d kissed him goodnight on their return from Paris.
That woman had been glowing with happiness. Pleasure had shone from her eyes like rays of sunshine and her smile had been powerful enough to light up the night sky.
Luca had felt his chest swell with pride to know
he’d
put that smile on her face.
Morgan wasn’t smiling now.
Her face wasn’t glowing, either. Instead she was pale, her expression pinched, her eyes dull and flat.
His heart turned over in his chest, a sinking feeling attacking his stomach. ‘What’s wrong?’
She folded her arms. ‘Nothing.’
Luca knew that tone. He’d heard it before. It was cold enough to freeze the Sahara. ‘Don’t tell me nothing is wrong when it’s as plain as the nose on your face that you’re upset about something!’
Her face twisted. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
What could have happened between yesterday and
today to make her this upset? Luca asked himself, his insides contracting into a tight ball of knots.
His brain clicked into gear as he pieced together what he knew. ‘I tried calling you today but there was no answer in the apartment,’ he said, thinking out loud. ’You didn’t answer your mobile, either.’ His gaze sharpened on her face. ‘Where were you?’
‘Out.’
Her monosyllabic answer deepened his anxiety until it felt as though invisible hands were squeezing around his throat. ‘Out where?’
Morgan tossed her head, sending her hair swirling around her shoulders. ‘Are you checking up on me?’
Luca’s frown deepened. She was as prickly as a porcupine. To say she was in a strange mood would be an understatement. ‘No. I’m merely curious to know where you were this afternoon. Is there anything wrong with that?’
‘I suppose not.’ She stared at him for a long moment. Luca could practically hear the cogs of her mind turning over. Finally she angled her chin into the air, her eyes glittering like black diamonds. ‘If you must know, I had a job interview this afternoon.’
Luca tensed at the mention of what he knew was a sensitive subject. ‘I didn’t know you were still looking for a new job. You haven’t mentioned it.’
She gave him a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. ’Why would I when you’re the person responsible for having me fired me in the first place? Unjustifiably, I might add.’
It was the first reference either of them had made to the past in days. The atmosphere in the room thickened, the silence taking on a quality that prickled at the back of his neck.
Luca stared at her, and his discomfiture increased. The way she was looking at him, black eyes full of challenge, forced him to confront once again the possibility that he was wrong about her.
If he was then he had indeed treated her unfairly.
Tension lifted his shoulders towards his ears. His heart was so heavy it felt as if he’d swallowed a rock.
‘And how did the interview go?’ he asked, carefully avoiding any mention of his role in her current situation.
‘I thought it went well, but they’ve had a lot of applicants. I’m up against some pretty tough competition.’
‘I see.’ Luca walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a whisky and a red wine for Morgan. ‘It isn’t necessary for you to find another job, you know. I can give you an allowance.’