Too Cold To Love

by Doris O'Connor

  Marco had informed herthat they were meeting his banker for lunchafter Elise had signed that ridiculous prenup agreement. She had almost flung it at Marco with a muttered, "There, I certainly don't want your money."

  His eyebrows had risen mockingly at her little outburst.

  "I'm expanding the business, and I'm in the middle of hashing out the best deal. Knowing Henry, he will bring some piece of fluff along to distract me, so you are my secret weapon. Make sure you pull that dress down a bit lower when you meet him. Henry is a boob man."

  Elise had been outraged. "Farming me off on your business associates now, Marco Giovanni?"

  Marco looked her up and down, the sudden heat in his eyes making Elise swallow. "Hardly, pasticcino. He's allowed to look, but if he as much as lays one finger on you he will need to see his dentist."

  The look on his face had been positively dangerous, and Elise didn't doubt for one minute that he would follow through on that threat.

  Sure enough Henry zoomed in on her cleavage the minute they were introduced, and right now he was once again staring at her boobs whilst talking business to Marco. She met Marco's amused eyes over the table, rolling her own as Candy droned in her ear about her dream to make it on the Playboy cover.

  "Why, your parents must be so proud of you, Candy."

  "Oh they so are. Do you know my dad bought every cover of my latest glamour shoot that he could find in the village shop and all the surrounding ones, too? He stashed them all somewhere. Isn't that nice?"

  Elise had a hard time keeping her face straight.

  "In fact, he has done that with everything I'm in. The minute it comes out he's right there buying the whole lot, but he doesn't like me talking about it."

  "I'm sure I cannot begin to imagine why, Candy…"

  Elise had to hide her twitching mouth behind her napkin, and Marco's low chuckle did little to alleviate her mirth. A quick glance across the table showed him watching her, genuine amusement in his eyes, as he winked at her and turned his attention back to Henry.

  She gave up trying not to laugh, especially when the silly woman just laughed right along with her without knowing what she was laughing at. Poor old Candy, she was nice enough, if not the brightest of women. Elise sobered and made a real effort to include her in the conversation, which earned her another long, considering look from Marco.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when, a short while later, Henry and his consort refused dessert and made an early exit. The conversation between Marco and Henry had turned rather heated.

  "Think about it, Henry, or the Giovanni may have to look elsewhere for their banking," had been Marco's parting shot, before he graciously bent over Candy's hand to kiss it, reducing her to a giggling mess.

  When Henry tried to do the same to Elise whilst peering down her cleavage again she snatched her hand away. Marco's arms went round her waist, drawing her in, his voice an angry whisper..

  "Watch it, Henry." The older man turned a nice shade of pink when Elise couldn't help herself to add.

  "And in future, remember my face is up here."

  Marco's silent laughter vibrated against her bare back. He kissed her lightly on the shoulder murmuring something in Italian.

  He was watching her now. They were alone munching on their desserts.

  "So, where did you learn French?"

  "I spent a year working for a French family. I had school French anyway, so that just helped."

  "What made you take up nannying, pasticcino?"

  His eyes were thoughtful, almost kind, as he studied her across the table, and Elise almost forgot that this was just an act. Remember, Elise, that man is ruthless. Don't give anything away.

  "Are you going to answer me?" he asked.

  Elise jumped as he took one of her hands in his. His touch sent a spark of electricity tingling up her arm. It travelled down her spine and finally settled low in her core. Her pussy clenched, and she rubbed her thighs together to ease the delicious ache. Marco in this mood was incredibly difficult to resist.

  "Relax, I find myself interested to learn more about the woman I'm going to marry tomorrow, especially after she has just been so helpful."

  "Helpful? I thought that didn't go well?"

  Marco's genuine smile lit up his features, and Elise's heart missed a beat. Oh my, the man is gorgeous when he smiles like that.

  "On the contrary, it went exactly like I wanted it to go. He was too distracted by your assets to realise I was backing him into a corner until it was too late. That's why he left early. I am fully expecting a phone call later accepting all of my terms. All in all, I would say it has been a very successful lunch."

  His thumb drew lazy circles on the back of her hand. Circles that Elise felt all the way down to her toes, and her breathing speeded up when she looked up and saw him watching her reaction. His intense gaze dropped down to her breasts, which felt much heavier. Elise put one arm across them to hide the effect his gaze was having on her, all too aware that her nipples were straining against the confines of her bra. She tried to snatch her hand away, but he kept a firm, but gentle hold. His other hand went under her chin making her look up.

  The heat in his gaze made her swallow, and Elise licked her suddenly dry lips. Marco's eyes darkened, following that small movement, and he rubbed one of his long fingers over Elise's bottom lip. His mouth kicked up in a ghost of a smile. He released her abruptly when her phone started ringing, cursing softly in Italian.

  Elise blinked, recovered from the sensuous spell Marco had woven over her and made a grab for her phone.

  Jemima. She had to finally return her many phone calls when Marco was sitting right across from her setting her female instincts into overdrive by the simple act of lifting his wine glass to his full mouth. Oh shit, I'm marrying that man tomorrow.

  "Not going to answer that?"

  Elise shook her head, but before she could put the phone away, Marco snatched it out of her hand and looked at the display with a frown.

  "Who's Jemima?"

  As he asked, the phone stopped ringing, and Elise breathed a sigh of relief – short lived, as the phone started ringing again. Damn, she would have to answer that. Jemima was nothing if not persistent, and what if she was in some sort of trouble again?

  It stopped, only to almost immediately start again.

  Marco handed the phone back to her. "Answer it. Don't mind me. She seems most determined, whoever Jemima is."

  ****

  Marco watched Elise's expressive face as she finally answered that phone. She didn't seem very pleased to speak to this Jemima. His ears pricked up when he heard Elise gasp.

  "You cannot be serious, Jem! Where am I supposed to get that sort of money from? No, I most certainly cannot… Well, that's too bad; he will just have to wallow in it… I don't care… No… Jem, grow up. You cannot carry on like this, and I can't believe you did that to him…"

  Elise threw him a glance that brought all of his instincts on high alert. Were they taking about him? His eyes narrowed as he continued to listen.

  "No, Jemima, he did not deserve it… What did you expect, of course he would… That is none of your business… Enough, Jem… I can't… I won't…. Jem, how dare you? I have always looked out for you, always, but I cannot do this, not now, not ever and… "

  The tension was coming off his little pasticcino in waves as she snapped her phone shut. Her delicate features were so pale that the two enticing freckles on her jaw stood out very clearly. Marco shifted in his seat to relieve the sudden pressure in his groin. Tomorrow, he would only have to wait till tomorrow.

  The tears in Elise's eyes brought him up short. Dannazioni, he could never resist a crying woman. His papa, God rest his soul, drummed it into him from knee-high that women had to be protected. How many times had he fallen for that old trick? His ex-wife had cried over everything. Like the lovesick fool that he'd been he had believed the tears every fucking time, until he'd caught her red handed in bed with his best friend. />
  There was a crack as the delicate stem of his wine glass broke in his hand. Damn it all to hell.

  Elise jumped, her eyes huge.

  "Marco, are you ok?"

  "I'm fine, woman. Don't fuss. Who was on the phone, and don't say that phone call wasn't important. Like I said I find myself curious about my fiancée, so spill."

  He had to strain to hear the whispered words.

  "She's my sister, and she's in trouble."

  Chapter Seven

  She had a sister? Why did he not know about this? And why was she not looking at him? Damn it all, what was the woman hiding now?

  "What sort of trouble?"

  Elise just shook her head still refusing to look at him, shredding the napkin in front of her.

  "Damn it, woman, answer me. We're getting married tomorrow, and I know next to nothing about you, so tell me!"

  She surprised him by throwing her shredded napkin at him, slivers of white falling like confetti. Color rose in her cheeks, her eyes blazing, and her full lips down turned in disgust.

  "Suddenly that bothers you? You have blackmailed me into this, not listened to anything I had to say about any of this and now you want to know about me? Why? Afraid my sister is an Axe murderer? Maybe you should have thought of that before arranging this charade."

  Marco had to smile at the sudden passionate outburst, and he couldn't help but wonder whether she would be this passionate in the bedroom. God, he sure hoped so. His smile deepened as he took in the way her erratic breathing made her full breasts dance in front of him. Right now he could kiss whoever designed that dress she was so beautifully filling out.

  "Don't you dare laugh at me you arrogant, piece of … argh!" Elise ran out of steam, her tawny eyes filling with tears which she resolutely blinked away before finishing the almost full wineglass she had been nursing all through lunch in one angry swallow.

  "If it wasn't for Mimi, I would rather go to jail then marry the likes of you. But that would leave her at the mercy of whomever else you might bring in instead for this crazy plan of yours. She has had too many changes already!"

  Marco did laugh then, a cold harsh sound.

  "Keep my daughter out of this if you know what's good for you. Lucky for all concerned you have agreed to marry me, and quite frankly I am not at all averse to dragging you in front of the registrar kicking and screaming, if need be. Now your sister – and I want the truth, woman, now!"

  He watched her take a deep breath, one hand fisting the table cloth and the other clutching her wineglass as though her life depended on it.

  Just as he thought he would have to add more pressure for her to open up, Elise's words tumbled out, hesitant at first, then faster and faster, and Marco leant forward enthralled by what he was hearing.

  "Jemima has always been in trouble over something for as long as I can remember. She used to drive Mummy insane and usually tried to get me into trouble along the way. More often than not it worked. If Mum had ever known half of the things she got up to… I am older, so have always had to be the responsible one, especially when Mummy got sick. Jemima just kicked off even more, she couldn't cope with it, and in the end …"

  Dannazioni, she went so pale, and there was so much pain in her voice he couldn't help himself. Marco reached across. One thumb wiped away the tears that fell silently – not attention seeking loud sobs, like Jennifer had used – just a quiet desperation that cut straight through all of the carefully constructed layers of ice around his heart.

  "What happened, pasticcino?"

  "Mummy died within two months of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It had spread to every organ of her body, and she was riddled with it. She made me promise to look after Jemima before she died. She was in so much pain at the end. It was awful."

  Elise's voice broke again, and damn it, he needed to hold her. This brought back too many memories of his parents. Marco threw some money on the table and, grabbing Elise, made a dash for the exit. Somehow he got them back to the car, and once they were safely inside pulled Elise on his lap, her tears seeping into the front of his shirt.

  "How old were you, pasticcino?"

  Elise mumbled, "Ten", into his chest, and Marco closed his eyes whilst kissing her hair and whistling under his breath.

  He felt Elise push against his now damp chest, and he reluctantly let her go watching her warily. Her beautiful eyes were red rimmed, her hair a mess, where he ran his hands through it in a futile effort to offer some comfort. Hah, he was offering comfort, whatever next. But heaven help him, he wanted to make all that pain go away for her. No child should have to deal with this.

  He smiled grimly remembering his own parent's car accident that had robbed him of their loving guidance when he was sixteen. That had been bad enough, and he'd had the rest of the Giovanni to help him through.

  "What about your dad?"

  Elise shrugged her shoulders. "He left us when we were very little. I can't remember much about him, just the arguments he used to have with Mummy."

  Damn the man, if he could get his hands on the good for nothing bastard.

  "He didn't come for you, when your mother died?"

  "No, we were put into one foster home after the other. I tried my best, but Jemima, well, she has a mind of her own, and she acts before she thinks. She has always been the prettier and more flamboyant one. Men flock to her, and she just laps it up."

  "Don't sell yourself short, pasticcino."

  He frowned at Elise's short laugh.

  "Trust me, men always want her not me, not that I mind. Men are nothing but trouble, if Jemima's adventures are anything to go by. I mean look at her latest boyfriend. He's some weird rocker dude that she is jet setting round Europe with, and now he's landed himself in jail for possession of drugs for pity's sake, and she expects me to bail her out again. Well, she can sing for it. She really can. Besides I haven't got the money she wants, and even if I did, she has gone too far this time. Drugs, Marco. She's insane I tell you, insane!"

  Some of the colour had come back into her cheeks, and Marco's smile turned wicked when she seemed to remember whose lap she was sitting on.

  "Europe, eh. And how did she get the tickets for the trip, Elise?"

  He chuckled as her colour increased, and she threw him a worried glance.

  "Did I pay for those tickets by any chance? Elise?"

  At her barely visible nod he sighed.

  "Why didn't you ask me?"

  "Ask you? Yeah right, as if you'd have ever said yes."

  Marco shifted in his seat, his conscience pricking at him. In all fairness, he probably wouldn't have listened. She had annoyed him far too much back then, with her garish clothes and her sharp tongue. Heaven only knew what that Jemima must be like,if Elise thought she was the conservative one. His eyes hurt just trying to imagine what Jemima must dress like, bearing in mind the outfits he had made Agnes burn. That had been an ingenious plan of his. Once again his eyes ran over the delightful curves her dress displayed, and he moved one hand deliberately just under the short skirt, delighting in her gasp and the way she tried to clamp her thighs together.

  An action that made her wriggle enough to have his cock tighten painfully.

  He chuckled to himself when she noticed, her brown eyes turning huge before she tried to wriggle off his lap.

  "Not so fast, woman, you owe me remember."

  Elise put her hand on his mouth stopping him from kissing her.

  "No need to constantly remind me of that. I'm all too aware that you bought me for your own ends, but that doesn't start until we're married Mr."

  "More's the pity, pasticcino, but have it your way, for now."

  ****

  Elise sat in the Land Rover wondering what was taking Marco so long. He had stopped in a back street outside a shabby looking tailor’s, and he'd been ages, mumbling something about last minute wedding arrangements.

  Elise had palpitations just thinking about the wedding. Earlier in the car had been bad enough.
She had wriggled off his lap in a hurry, her hand tingling where he licked it when she had stopped him from kissing her. His eyes singed her with the heat of their gaze, and she'd been all too aware of his clearly visible erection, through the tailored trousers. She highly doubted that he would ever let her wriggle away again, once they were married.

  He surprised her with his quietly uttered question.

  "Do you want me to bail your sister out? I can afford it, after all. It'll be too late to get her to the wedding, but…"

  "No, no, no, no!"

  He cocked one eyebrow at her vehement denial, and Elise cursed herself for a fool when his gaze turned suspicious.

  "Why not, she is your sister after all, and we only get one family."

  "I know that, Marco, but really, she needs to learn a lesson."

  "Ok, I'll get Robert on the case, though, in case she needs legal counsel."

  Elise nodded, miserable at not being able to be honest with him, but she had to protect Jemima from his wrath. If he ever found out how he'd been duped… That didn't bear thinking about. Jemima, with no child care qualifications at all whatsoever, looking after his beloved daughter. The thought of Mimi made her smile. The little girl had taken residence in her heart with such a speed she would never have thought possible after what happened at her last assignment. Jemima must have missed that out of her CV when she applied for this job.

  Breathe, Elise, breathe, and don't think about her now.

  Pain, guilt, misery, threatened to engulf Elise before she resolutely put all that hurt back into the locked drawer in the dark recesses of her mind that allowed her to function. She made herself recall Marco's light smile instead when he told her that he was dropping her round Mamma G's, instead of his house. Apparently they had decided between them that she would be spending the night before their wedding at Mamma G's house. She had some sort of surprise for Elise.

  Marco reappeared just then, a garment bag flung over his shoulder, his face tense as he handed it to her.