Latin Lovers: Italian Playboys: Bought for the Marriage Bed / The Italian GP's Bride / The Italian's Defiant Mistress. Kate Hardy
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see to its welfare. Besides, accidents can happen.’ She gave him a pointed look and added, ‘I didn’t happen to see you put on a condom just now.’
‘I did not … you know …’ He let his words trail off, a dull flush riding over his cheeks.
She raised her brows. ‘Surely you know better than that? Pre-ejaculatory fluid contains thousands of sperm. You might very well be in exactly the same position as your brother.’
‘If I am, I am prepared to meet my responsibilities. If we have conceived a child I will not walk away.’
‘Even though you loathe me and can barely stand to look at me?’
He met her gaze without flinching. ‘I will put my personal feelings aside if need be.’
Nina felt her heart tighten painfully at his words. He was so unlike his brother, who’d had his fun and had walked away without a backward glance. She knew Marc would stand by his word, even if it cost him dearly. How she wished she could tell him the truth!
She turned away before he could see the longing in her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. I have no plans to get pregnant.’
‘If it were to happen.’ He raked a hand through his hair as he considered the prospect. ‘You will tell me?’
She met his eyes for a brief moment. ‘I would owe you that at the very least.’
His eyes fell away from hers first. ‘I will check on Georgia. You should go to bed; you look … exhausted.’
She opened her mouth to deny it but stopped as she realised it was true. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly and moved towards the door.
‘Nina?’
His voice stopped her hand from turning the handle and she slowly turned around to face him. ‘Yes?’
His eyes didn’t quite meet hers. ‘I am sorry.’
Her hand on the doorknob fell away. ‘For what?’
He dragged his gaze up to hers with an effort. ‘I wish I had known the truth about Georgia’s birth.’
She gave him a rueful little grimace and reached for the doorknob again. ‘I wish you had, too. You can’t imagine how much.’
Marc opened his mouth to call her back but the door closed on her exit, locking him inside with his guilt.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE first thing Nina saw when she came down with Georgia the next morning was a personal cheque made out to her lying on the kitchen bench, which was exactly double the allowance he had deposited in the bank the day before.
She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or hurt. Was he paying off the bet out of guilt or to insult her even more? She scrunched it up and threw it at the nearest wall only to hear a reproving hiss behind her. She turned to see Lucia looking at her with her usual contempt, her dark eyes going to the ball of paper lying against the wall before coming back to hers.
‘Do you wish me to clean that up, signora?’
Nina unthinkingly responded in Italian. ‘No. Mi scusi. I will see to it.’
Lucia stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
Nina gave her a rueful look. ‘I should have told you earlier. I speak and understand Italian.’
‘Signore Marcello did not tell me,’ Lucia said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
‘Signore Marcello doesn’t know.’
The housekeeper’s dark eyebrows shot upwards. ‘You have not told him?’
She shook her head and a little sigh escaped from her lips. ‘There’s a lot I haven’t told him.’ She turned to look at Georgia, who was sucking noisily on her fist. ‘So very much I haven’t told him.’
Nina became conscious of Lucia’s lengthy, studied look.
‘Signore Marcello told me to tell you that he has some business to see to. He will be home in time for us all to leave for the airport together.’
She gave the woman a faltering smile. ‘Grazie, Lucia.’
‘He will be a good husband,’ Lucia said after another little pause. ‘You must give him time. He is still grieving; he is not himself at all.’
Nina inwardly smiled at the irony of the housekeeper’s statement. Marc wasn’t the only one who wasn’t himself!
‘Georgia is such a beautiful baby,’ Lucia said, gazing down at the child. ‘She has brought joy to Signore Marcello’s life.’
Unlike her fake mother, Nina couldn’t help thinking as she reached to tickle her niece’s tiny fingers. ‘She’s my world, aren’t you, Georgia?’ She kissed each little finger in turn.
‘You are a wonderful mother,’ Lucia said. ‘No one could doubt it for a moment.’
Nina looked around in surprise. The housekeeper had been nothing but hostile towards her for days. What had happened to bring about this sudden change?
Lucia’s gaze was so intent and watchful that Nina had trouble maintaining eye contact. She looked away guiltily, unable to rid herself of the feeling that Lucia was starting to put some pieces of a rather complicated puzzle together in her head.
‘There was a phone call for you while you were in the shower,’ Lucia said into the sudden silence.
‘Oh?’ Nina tensed.
‘I did not want the sound of your mobile phone waking Georgia so I answered it.’ The housekeeper paused for a single heartbeat and added, ‘I hope you do not mind.’
‘No.’ Nina swallowed. ‘No, of course I don’t mind.’ She forced her voice to remain calm. ‘Who … who was it?’
‘She did not say, but for a moment I thought it was you. It was uncanny, really. Her voice sounded so similar.’
‘Did … she leave a message?’ Nina asked, staring at Georgia’s starfish hands with fierce intent.
‘She said she would call back some other time.’
‘Grazie.’
There was another small pause.
‘Signore Marcello has instructed me to help you pack for your trip.’
‘It’s all right, Lucia. I can manage. I haven’t got much to pack anyway.’
The housekeeper gave her one last thoughtful look before moving away to complete her tasks. ‘If I can help you with anything, Signora Marcello, you have only to ask. It will be my pleasure, I assure you.’
‘Grazie, Lucia.’
Nina waited until the housekeeper had left the room before she released her breath. She sighed as she looked down at the chortling baby, muttering in an undertone, ‘I’m in over my head, Georgia, and drowning fast.’
Georgia gave her a toothless grin and stuck her fist back in her mouth.
Marc was well aware of Nina’s reluctance to establish eye contact with him as they prepared to leave for the airport later that day. She spoke politely to Lucia and was openly affectionate to Georgia as she settled her into the car, but each time her gaze swung to him it just as quickly shifted away, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.
He slanted his gaze her way as they drove to the airport, frowning when he saw her hands moving restlessly in her lap and her bottom lip being nibbled by her teeth as she stared anxiously, almost fixedly, in front of her.
The memory of the intimacy they had shared the night before gnawed at him constantly, the feel of her body against his, her soft mouth feeding off his, her flinching cries when he had gone too