Da Silva's Mistress

by Tina Duncan

  ‘I—You—’ Luca snapped his mouth closed, too stunned to know what to say.

  And then the anger came.

  Waves of it, smashing into him, stealing his breath and sending his blood roaring through his veins.

  He rushed at her, pinning her up against the window ledge again. ‘I could kill you for this. I warned you what would happen if you hurt Stefania!’

  ‘But I haven’t hurt Stefania.’

  She sounded so calm Luca wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled. Instead, he gripped her even tighter. ’Do you really think she is thrilled to see her private agony spilled across the pages of the tabloids for the world to read? Is that what you think?’ he demanded, dealing with the lesser of two evils first. He couldn’t bring himself to imagine how Stefania had reacted to the news that Joseph and Morgan were having an affair.

  She tossed her head. Her black hair swirled around her shoulders and sent an invisible cloud of orange scent into the air. ‘Is that an accusation, Luca?’ she asked quietly.

  Chapter Ten

  LUCA STARED AT her and kept on staring.

  Morgan stared right back, black eyes glinting with challenge, head tilted back with angry pride.

  He’d seen that look about her before. More than once.

  Now, as then, he found it difficult to look at her and believe she’d done the things she’d done. But he’d seen her with his very own eyes. Heard her with his very own ears.

  His anger evaporated, exposing the raw pain underneath. ‘I don’t know what it is,’ he said wearily. ‘I don’t know what to think.’

  A shadow flickered across her face. ‘Don’t you?’

  She looked sad. Disappointed. Hurt.

  Luca wanted to believe the emotions etched on her face were genuine, but Morgan had lied to his face more than once—and looked like an innocent angel as she did so.

  ‘No. No, I don’t.’ He raked a hand through his hair and around the back of his neck. ‘I want to believe you had nothing to do with the leak to the papers, but who else could have told them?’

  Her eyes flashed fire at him again. ‘Any number of people, I’d have thought.’

  ‘Like who?’

  ‘What about someone at the IVF clinic? Or the adoption agency? What about one of the staff who work here in this very house? Maybe they saw a way to earn a bit of extra cash on the side? Who knows? I can think of a dozen possibilities.’ She stabbed him in the centre of the chest with the tip of her finger. ‘But you can’t even bring yourself to give me the benefit of the doubt, can you?’

  Luca remained silent, staring at her, his heart sitting at the back of his throat.

  Her reaction bothered him.

  It was one thing to deny the charge, but quite another to challenge him outright the way Morgan was doing.

  ‘Can you?’ she shouted.

  Luca stared at her. His chest felt so tight he could hardly breathe.

  Images rushed through his mind at kaleidoscopic speed.

  He saw again the look on her face as she’d tossed his cheque back in his face.

  Saw her marching away from him, spine rigid and shoulders squared, angry pride radiating from her in waves.

  Saw the brightly defiant gleam in her eyes every time he pushed and she shoved straight back.

  Saw her eyes widen as he entered her, and again when she climaxed.

  Luca exhaled slowly, the truth filtering through his bloodstream.

  He’d done it again. Let his emotions rule his head so that he couldn’t think straight.

  He stared deeply into her eyes. ‘Yes. In fact, I can do better than just giving you the benefit of the doubt. I can say outright that you had nothing to do with the article. You wouldn’t do something like that.’

  ‘You see. You—’ She stopped, gasped, then said slowly, ‘Say that again.’

  ‘I believe you. You didn’t leak the information to the papers.’

  She seemed to sag before his eyes, as if the fire inside her had suddenly been extinguished. Then her eyes filled with tears.

  His heart wrenching, Luca reached for her. But when he tried to pull her closer she resisted.

  Luca had never felt so helpless. Or so unsure of himself. ‘Hush, cara. Don’t cry. I’m sorry. So, so sorry.’

  She sniffed, dragged in a breath, and then exhaled slowly. She stared him straight in the eye and said calmly, ‘The leak to the newspaper came from Da Silva Chocolate.’

  Luca felt winded, as if an invisible fist had punched him in the stomach. Every word she’d just uttered rebounded inside his head, as if someone had taken a hammer and was beating on the inside of his skull.

  ‘What—? Who—? I don’t understand.’

  ‘Do you believe me?’ she demanded.

  Luca didn’t hesitate. ‘Yes, I believe you.’

  Her chin angled into the air, a glint of challenge in her eyes. ‘Are you sure?’

  He nodded. ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘Because if you’re not you can always check with your sister when she gets back.’

  Luca knew better than to doubt her again. ‘That won’t be necessary.’

  She looked pleased by his response.

  His gaze sharpened, her words finally penetrating. ’Stefania knows about this?’

  Morgan nodded. ‘Yes. She’s the one who told me.’

  Luca gasped. ‘How does she know where the leak came from?’

  ‘Joseph pulled some strings and set up a meeting with the journalist. Stefania promised him an interview if he revealed the name of his source.’

  ‘Who was it…?’

  He held his breath as he waited for her to answer. Whoever was responsible would learn what a terrible mistake they’d made crossing his family. He did not make a good enemy; he would ensure they were punished for what they’d done.

  ‘Can’t you guess?’ she asked, her eyes locked steadily on his.

  His scalp crawled and a wave of unease slid serpentlike down his spine. ‘Olivia. It was Olivia, wasn’t it?’

  Morgan nodded.

  Fury rose up inside him like a two-headed monster. Unable to stand still, Luca began pacing the floor. ’Madre del Dio! She will pay for this.’

  Suddenly he ground to a halt and spun to face Morgan, his hands clamped into fists at his side, a frown on his face. ‘But how did she find out about the IVF treatments and their plan to adopt?’

  Even as the words left his mouth he knew. His meeting with Stefania the day she’d arrived back from Australia replayed through his mind. He saw again the moment when he’d suddenly noticed the door was ajar.

  Had a hint of movement or a barely audible sound drawn his attention to the doorway? Something certainly had. Only he’d been so engrossed in his conversation with Stefania it hadn’t registered at the time.

  His teeth gritted. ‘The door. She was listening at the damned door!’

  ‘It wouldn’t surprise me. She’s one ambitious woman. I wouldn’t put anything past her.’

  Neither would he, Luca acknowledged. A woman capable of leaking personal information to the press—for money, revenge or whatever twisted motive she’d had—was capable of anything.

  ‘You’ll also be pleased to know Stefania isn’t upset by the article,’ Morgan continued.

  ‘She’s not?’

  Morgan shook her head. ‘No, she’s not. She was to start with, but then she realised she had something to offer other women in the same situation.’

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘She’s hoping that by giving an in depth interview she can help other women make the decision to adopt.’

  ‘I see.’

  How had he got things so wrong? Luca asked himself.

  And then he realised the answer was standing right in front of him.

  Morgan.

  Luca raked a hand through his hair and around the back of his neck, tension clawing at his insides. Stefania had called him stupid more than once, and that was exactly what he was. Stupid. He’d been acting that way fro
m the moment Morgan had walked into his office in those I’m-in-charge black boots, with her hair swirling around her shoulders and her black eyes blazing.

  And the day he’d found her with Joseph was his crowning glory!

  Because without even hearing what Morgan had to say about the scene he’d interrupted he knew he was wrong about that, too. At least about Morgan’s role in it.

  The woman who had whispered his name as she’d fallen apart in his arms would never betray him.

  The woman who had kissed him as if she wanted to be with him for ever would not lie.

  Morgan had tried to tell him that, but he’d been too upset to listen.

  He just hoped he wasn’t too late to undo the damage.

  He dragged in a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry about last week, cara.’

  He heard her breath catch. ‘Are you? Are you really?’

  There was no mistaking the pain in her voice and his heart wrenched. ‘I am. What can I do to make it up to you?’

  ‘Nothing. It’s too late for that.’

  Pain pierced his heart. ‘Don’t say that,’ he said roughly, his insides twisting into a knot. His arms wrapped around her. ‘It’s not too late. It can’t be.’

  She pushed against his chest. ‘Let me go, Luca.’

  He shook his head. ‘No. Never. You’re mine now. I’m never going to let you go.’

  Her eyes flickered with an emotion he couldn’t define. ‘That’s not your decision to make.’

  ‘If you just let me explain—’

  She tore herself away from him. ‘Like you let me explain last week?’

  ‘I know. I was a fool. I was upset.’

  She shook her head. ‘You weren’t upset. You were angry.’

  ‘True. But with men one usually follows the other.’

  ‘Maybe.’ She stared into his face for a long time and then sighed. ‘If it’s any consolation I understand why you found it so difficult to believe I was telling the truth.’

  ‘You do?’

  She nodded. ‘The accident made you feel so over-protective of Stefania you weren’t able to see the wood for the trees. And I guess having a mother who cheated on your father didn’t help.’

  He shook his head. ‘No, it didn’t. I was determined not to follow in my father’s footsteps.’

  ‘I can understand that.’

  He took a step closer. ‘Does that mean you forgive me?’

  She stared steadily back at him, then bit down on her lower lip. ‘I can forgive you for thinking badly about me in the beginning. I might have done the same thing in the circumstances. But what I can’t forgive is the way you turned on me last week.’

  Luca’s heart sank, a sick feeling clutching at the back of his throat. He grasped her shoulders. ‘Do you think I’m not kicking myself for that? But you have to understand what it looked like. Finding the two of you together, hearing him say he loved you, was a shock.’ For a minute he couldn’t go on, remembered pain stabbing at his insides. ‘I was too hurt to listen to reason.’

  Morgan wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe the hoarseness of his voice was the result of pain.

  But she couldn’t.

  She clasped her hands tightly together in front of her. ’You should know me better by now. You should have given me a chance to explain.’

  ‘Yes, I should have. I’m sorry, cara.’ His fingers tightened on her shoulders. ‘Believe me. I will never make the same mistake again.’

  Could she trust him? She wanted to—so badly she could taste it. But every time she let herself believe they had a future together something happened to show her she was fooling herself.

  Luca had broken her heart. She couldn’t take it happening again. She opened her mouth to tell him that it was over, but quickly shut it again.

  She had a habit of speaking first and thinking second.

  Only this time the stakes were far too high for her to reject Luca outright. If there was a chance he was telling her the truth then she would grasp it with both hands and never let go.

  ‘You haven’t asked me what I’m doing here,’ she said slowly.

  He smiled. ‘And I don’t intend to. Whatever your reasons, your motives are honourable. You didn’t come here to cause trouble or to harm anyone.’

  She searched his face. He met her gaze steadily and she felt hope bloom to life inside of her.

  If Luca had demanded an explanation she would have given him one. But the fact that he had faith in her without one meant a lot to her.

  Still, it wasn’t enough.

  Much as she wanted to fling herself into his arms and tell him she forgave him, there was still the matter of Joseph to deal with.

  That…and Luca’s decision to blackmail her.

  She folded her arms. ‘What about Joseph?’

  The question lingered in the air. The room suddenly seemed very still. Very quiet. So much so Morgan imagined she could hear her heart beating.

  ‘What about him?’ Luca asked. His voice had an edge to it and his facial muscles had tightened imperceptibly.

  ‘Do you believe we’re just friends?’ she asked, tension reknotting her shoulders until it felt as though she was carrying a heavy weight on them.

  Luca hesitated for a fraction of a second. ‘I believe you see him as just a friend.’

  Her insides stiffened. Luca’s hesitation had been a fraction too long. And his answer was only a part answer. ‘That isn’t what I asked. Are you going to accept Joseph as my friend?’

  Luca stiffened. She watched it happen. ‘No. No, I’m not.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I don’t think Joseph’s motives in wanting your friendship are as innocent as yours. Don’t forget I saw the two of you together. I saw the way he touched you. They were not the actions of a man only interested in friendship. His feelings run a lot deeper than that.’

  Morgan frowned. Luca had a point. Joseph’s feelings were a lot deeper than mere friendship. Luca’s instincts were right about that. He just hadn’t realised it was paternal love he had seen rather than the love a man felt for a woman.

  Was that his fault?

  No. It wasn’t.

  But…

  And it was a big but…

  She unfolded her arms and clenched her hands into fists at her sides. ‘You’re missing the point.’

  ‘Am I? Then perhaps you’d better explain it to me.’

  ‘Oh, I intend to. Don’t worry about that.’ She stabbed him in the middle of his chest with the tip of her finger. ‘How can you say you believe me when you don’t trust my judgement?’

  ‘I think you are innocent in the ways of men. We are far more basic creatures than you might think. Friendship with women is not high on our agenda.’

  Morgan snorted. ‘Tell me something I don’t know. I sometimes think sex is all you men think about!’

  He smiled. ‘I rest my case.’

  Morgan stamped her foot. ‘I know when a man is attracted to me, damn it, and Joseph isn’t!’

  Suddenly the door behind them sprang open. Joseph and Stefania were framed in the doorway.

  Joseph was wearing a heavy frown. ‘What the hell is going on in here? We could hear you arguing all the way from the front door!’

  Luca froze until his entire body was rigid. The last thing he needed right at this moment was to be confronted by Joseph.

  ‘You keep out of this. You’ve caused enough trouble,’ he snapped, unable to contain his frustration.

  ‘Luca!’

  He wasn’t sure who had spoken first. Stefania or Morgan. Both were glowering at him.

  Luca looked from one face to another. What was it about Joseph Langdon that inspired these women to spring to his defence?

  He could understand his sister wanting to protect her husband. That was what a wife should do.

  But what about Morgan?

  If she and Joseph were just friends then she should put him—Luca da Silva—first.

  Not second.

  Not
third.

  But first, damn it!

  ‘Don’t worry, ladies,’ Joseph said, sauntering into the room, his wife hot on his heels. ‘I think it’s time Luca and I had a showdown.’

  ‘Now, Joe, don’t forget you’ve been ill. I—’

  Joseph held up a hand. ‘No, Stef. I’m not going to be quiet. Not this time.’ He stared Luca in the eye, his expression harder than Luca had ever seen. ‘Morgan and I had a long conversation after you left us last week. She filled me in on what happened while I was away.’

  Ice slid down Luca’s spine. ‘All of it?’

  Joseph nodded. ‘All of it.’

  Luca spared Stefania the briefest of glances. Her face gave nothing away.

  Did she know what they were talking about?

  He hoped the hell that she did not.

  He turned back to Joseph. ‘And how does it make you feel knowing that Morgan has found pleasure in my bed?’

  Luca heard Morgan gasp, but kept his eyes trained on his brother-in-law.

  Joseph surged towards him. Stefania grabbed his arm and forced him to a halt several feet away. ‘It makes me ill. But not for the reason you think, you bastard! I ought to punch your lights out for blackmailing the poor girl into sleeping with you.’

  ‘Joe—don’t,’ Stefania pleaded beside him.

  ‘I won’t let this go, Stef. I can’t. Morgan is too important to me.’

  Joseph’s words bounced off the inside of Luca’s skull.

  He closed his eyes.

  He felt sick.

  Sick to the stomach.

  Sick to his very soul.

  He would never have imagined this scene would be played out in front of Stefania. He’d tried so hard to avoid this very situation. So hard to protect her. But all his plans lay in dust at his feet.

  Slowly, he opened his eyes.

  He didn’t look at Stefania.

  He couldn’t.

  Couldn’t look at the pain on her face and in her eyes after hearing her husband pledge his feelings for another woman for all to hear.

  His eyes focussed on Joseph’s face, and the anger that had been simmering for months boiled over.