by Sharon Kleve
“I’m not your new girlfriend and I did not get possessive over you,” Gwen stated, her eyes following the progress of the couple across the restaurant to a less pleasant table in the corner.
“No, you didn’t,” Rob’s hand gently eased Gwen back into her seat although he sounded a little disappointed.
“Who was that?”
“The biggest mistake of my life.” Denning returned to his own seat, and drained his glass of water before pouring Gwen a large measure of the red wine he’d chosen. “Melissa Towers is a soul-sucking, money-grabbing, manipulative monster.”
“She seemed to like you.” Gwen lowered her head, a wry smile drifting across her face. She quite enjoyed watching the beginning of panic flash over his face.
“She liked me a little too much.” Denning grimaced as he watched the slight shudder of Gwen’s shoulders. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Gwen giggled, unable to hold in the sound any longer.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Me? Of course not!” Gwen declared before bursting into laughter, one hand covering her mouth. Rob slowly smiled at the sight of Gwen’s humor-filled face. She looked ten years younger, like a naughty schoolgirl.
“Was any of that funny to you?” Rob’s grin lit his eyes, creating crinkles which made Gwen’s breath freeze in her chest. He was gorgeous as the humor softened the hardness to his face and increased his appeal no end. What would he be like to kiss? Would those lips be demanding on hers?
“No,” Gwen sobered but a gentle smile remained on her lips. Her irritating companion had a vulnerable spot which was good to know. “She was a little over the top in that dress.”
“The breasts are new.” Denning shook his head. “I suppose the new boyfriend paid for them. I refused to.”
“Funny, I can’t really see you two together.”
“She isn’t my type but it took a few months for me to realize it. Mel is insidious and sneaks beneath your defenses before you even realize you need defenses,” Denning confessed.
“Oh my goodness, Mr. Denning, you sound almost human.”
Rob’s laughter warmed Gwen’s heart as it jumped in her chest. Denning was better looking than Jasper Raven feather, taller than she’d imagined Nathan Jones in the Demon Witch series and much better company than Sam ever could be.
“What is your type, Mr. Denning?”
“I prefer sassy little blondes.” He grinned wider, waiting for the rebuke.
“Really?”
“Of course, there has to be a brain to accompany the looks. I get bored easily.”
“And rich?” Gwen asked. To her amazement, she enjoyed his banter. He wasn’t serious about the blonde bit, she was certain.
“Money isn’t important. I have simple tastes and I’ve never allowed a woman to pay.” He leaned over to top off Gwen’s glass and took a sip of his mineral water.
“So as long as you can be macho over the bill and the woman is pretty but smart enough to answer your questions, you’re happy?” Why was she pushing this? Why was it important?
“You have the wrong idea about me,” Rob leaned forward, his strong hands resting on the table. “I don’t need a woman’s money to pay for a meal. If I want to take a woman out, I will always pay.”
“Always?” she glanced at the menu, knowing how expensive this evening would end up.
“Maybe not tonight,” he grinned back. “You invited me, remember.”
“I was lumbered with you. It’s not quite the same thing.”
“We don’t have to stay here, do we?” The mischief in Denning’s eyes was enticing.
“What are you suggesting?” She leaned forward to catch his whispered words.
“You’ve showed up and made your presence known. Besides, that dress is too damned pretty not to see some dancing.” His eyes dropped to notice the soft blush covering Gwen’s décolletage as revealed by her red strapless dress. Was that a sign she was interested?
“Dancing, Mr. Denning? Do you even know what that is?” Gwen leaned forward again, as though to disclose another secret before thinking better of it.
“I don’t think you enjoy being the center of attention all the time and I can take you to a place where it’s quieter, the food is superb and you can dance all night if you want. There will be no press and no cameras.”
“It’s tempting,” she confessed. Too many people were looking her way, their eyes making her skin itch, their interest causing unease. She’d never liked this side to her work, and if she could sit in a quiet room all day long creating her romantic worlds she’d be so much happier, but Janis insisted that her fans needed to see the woman behind the many wonderful characters in her books. Gwen sighed silently to herself. For all she knew, he might be here watching her. She quickly silenced her thoughts as though believing Denning could read them. No one needed to know about him, hadn’t she agreed to that?
“What do you have to lose?” His grin was infectious and despite her promise never to fall in love, Gwen suspected those lips might yet entice her in. “Just think, no crowds, no reporters trying to see down the front of your dress. No champagne, no Melissa boring holes into your back with her eyes. Just good food and great company.”
“And this little slice of Heaven… is it far?”
“Thirty minutes by car, twenty if I break the speed limit.”
“Why, Mr. Denning, that’s illegal, isn’t it?”
“You tell me, Ms. Lancaster. How fast were you going when you rode that innocent milk float off the road?”
Gwen laughed out loud, her humor causing tears to build in her eyes. Who could have known that this arrogant oaf of a driver would have such a wicked sense of humor? This evening was turning out to be fun.
“Oh, you’re on.” Gwen reached for her tiny scarlet clutch bag and stood, her eyes daring Denning to do the same. “I can’t take much more of your fiancée’s evil stares or else I’ll turn into a pillar of salt.”
“She’s not my fiancée,” Denning hissed as he led Gwen out of the restaurant,
“Ex-fiancée?” Gwen teased, enjoying the look of irritation on Denning’s face as his eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened.
“Be nice.” Rob smiled as he realized Gwen was only teasing.
Chapter Seven
“Hello, my darling.” Rob smiled into his phone, ignoring Gwen’s curious stare. “Are there are any leftovers going spare? Yes, I’m bringing a friend back… Yes, it’s a lady friend and no, you can’t meet her.”
Gwen listened as Rob’s eyes locked onto hers. All of a sudden, the expanse of her car became all too close and a hot flush which started somewhere near her feet rampaged through her body although rebellious goosebumps crept over the skin of her arms. His voice was so soft, so caring and she realized there were sides to Mr. Denning she hadn’t imagined. He laughed a deep sexy rumble which seemed to resonate through her as it left his throat.
“No, it’s far too early for her to meet Sasha… It’s Gwen, Gwen Lancaster. ….Yes, that Gwen Lancaster …. No, it’s far too early for you to meet her too.” Another laugh and a whispered endearment and Rob ended the call.
“Your girlfriend?” Gwen asked, not liking how it sounded on her tongue.
“My aunt.” He replied without any sign of embarrassment. “You ready?” he asked as he switched on the ignition and the Merc purred under his hand.
****
“Is this it?” Gwen slid out of the passenger seat of her car, displaying a flash of pale leg as the slit of her long skirt fell open.
“The best place in town.” Rob guided Gwen down the steep stairs to the basement of the three-story townhouse.
“This is your home?” Gwen stopped warily on the threshold. This wasn’t part of the agreement.
“You’re safe here, Ms. Lancaster, I give your my word.” Rob held out his hand and for a reason she couldn’t give, she took it. “Just good food and maybe some of that dancing I promised.”
A delicious smell wafted through the hall as she followed him in semi-darkness down to a large kitchen where white flickering candles sat on every surface. He chuckled softly, moving to extinguish them.
“No, leave them,” Gwen touched his arm before he could blow any out. “Please leave them; I like them.”
“You like them?” He smiled down at her, the lines of his face lit by the glow of the flames all around them. “Doro has an over-dramatic sense of romance. She reads far too many love stories.”
“Doro?” An uneasy feeling rushed through Gwen’s chest. She hadn’t thought Rob might be living with someone. Maybe he was married.
“Dorotea, the aunt I mentioned.”
“You live in your aunt’s house?” It was better than him living with a wife but what kind of man his age still lived at home?
“She lives in my house, upstairs,” he explained as he reached for a cloth and bent to open the oven. “Perfect.” He lifted out a dish of something which smelled even better than it looked as Gwen’s stomach made itself known with a loud rumble.
“Hungry?” Rob spooned out a large portion of lasagna onto a white porcelain plate and handed Gwen a fork before he poured two glasses of dark red wine.
“So, apart from an aunt who lives upstairs, does anyone else share this enormous mansion with you?” Gwen kept her eyes on her empty plate, not wanting Denning to see the curiosity in her eyes. Who was Sasha and why didn’t he want them to meet?
“There’s Romeo, my cousin who lives on the top floor. He likes to imagine he’s an artist starving in a garret but he’s a well-fed graphic artist.” Rob paused, waiting for the laugh he’d earned. “His sister…”
“Juliet?”
“Err, no,” Rob chuckled. “It’s Bonfilia or Bonnie for short. She’s seventeen and fed up of her older brother stalking her on dates. If he paid more attention to his own love life, he might live up to his name.”
“You have an interesting family.” Gwen took a sip of the ruby wine which slipped down her throat deceptively well. “Oooh, that’s nice. Why is there no label on it?”
“It’s Italian hooch. My uncle, Luigi makes it in his garage. Do you like it?”
“I want to marry Uncle Luigi,” Gwen giggled.
“I think Aunt Edda might have something to say about that.” Rob leaned onto the heavy wooden table, his eyes caressing Gwen’s attractive face. Without the scowl she usually wore, she was the prettiest little thing ever. Her eyes, a pale blue, reflected the flickering of the candles around them. Her cheeks flushed with the unexpected warmth of the rich wine and her lips danced in soft smiles inviting a man to kiss them. “She’s five foot nothing of pure Italian passion. I pity anyone who thinks they’ll get the better of her.”
“Maybe I won’t marry Uncle Luigi. I’ll keep him as a lover. You’ll keep my secret, won’t you?” Gwen’s smile dropped as though her own words tainted the fun in the room. Rob watched the change in the emotion as her eyes became shadowed, haunted. This lady held her own secrets.
“Come, I promised you dancing.” He snatched hold her hand, tugging her off her chair and into the middle of a dimly lit room. “Don’t move.”
Gwen waited in the dimness, watching Denning’s shadow move easily through the shade before a haunting voice resonated all around her.
“That’s beautiful,” Gwen gasped, the man’s voice sang of lost love and a hope of eternity together. “Don’t tell me that’s you.” She whispered as Denning gathered her into his arms and moved her gently into a slow dance. Rob’s chuckle in his chest echoed through the room as the man sang of his love.
“I wish. That’s Uncle Zeno. My childhood was filled with his singing. Everywhere you went in this house, you could hear him. I miss him a lot.”
“I’m so sorry. It sounds so wonderful,” Gwen mused. Rob’s childhood sounded idyllic compared to the loneliness of hers.
“It was, but I don’t want to put a damper on the evening. Do you want me to change the music?”
“Don’t you dare.” Gwen relaxed in Rob’s arms which were close enough to ensure she felt safe but so tight she’d feel trapped. He seemed to know exactly what she needed at that moment. “I could fall in love with a voice like that.”
“Many women did; Doro had to beat them off with a broom.” Rob sighed, remembering the women who had fallen in love with the handsome man with the beautiful voice, but the only love of his life was his wife, Dorotea. Luckily, Doro seemed to understand why her husband attracted the attention, but dealt with it in her own way. Not one of those delusional women ever returned.
“Doro sounds like a formidable woman,” Gwen sighed. She wanted to be like Denning’s brave aunt but she couldn’t remember a time when she wasn’t afraid. She kept people out of reach for fear they would reveal her for a fraud, would mock her work and humiliate her. The incriminating photos she’d received in the post that week did little to reassure her.
“Doro is kind and loving and everything a mother should be. She and Zeno were never blessed with a child but they were mother and father to me and I thank God for them.” As the music died, Rob led Gwen back to the kitchen and the glasses of red wine. He picked up their plates and cutlery and rinsed them off under the tap before leaving them in the sink.
“I can wash those,” Gwen stood.
“Not in that dress.” Rob’s hand bade her to return to her chair. “Besides, Doro will go mad if I don’t leave her something to clean. She likes to think she’s looking after me until I find a wife.”
“But, instead you’re looking after her by letting her live in your house?” Gwen asked, as Rob’s expression changed.
“This is Doro’s house, but when Zeno died, there wasn’t enough money to pay off the mortgage. They were in debt with the restaurant so I paid it off and arranged with the lawyer to say the mortgage was settled. I begged Doro to let me move back in. I didn’t like the idea of her alone in this house. She always thought she was doing me a favor.”
Gwen sat back in the chair, her estimation of this man had just risen six million percent. She’d thought him to be an arrogant imbecile, but this evening revealed him to be a kind, caring man. She felt safe in his company despite her overreaction earlier that evening. She knew she was short-tempered and strove to keep anyone from getting too close. She worried they were after her money and couldn’t believe anyone could like her just for herself. It was her name that attracted most people to her and the prospect of her wealth. Jeremy courted her in the public eye only because it concealed his true nature, and while it worked for them both, Gwen was content to let it continue.
“I was raised by my aunt too. My parents were killed in a car crash.” Gwen’s head dropped; she’d never spoken of this to anyone before. Her aunt was a practical woman and believed that the least said the better.
“You were in the car too?” Rob asked softly. It hadn’t been mentioned in the file he’d read. Did Janis know?
“I was asleep and don’t remember much about it at all. I was woken by flashing lights and people leaning in to get me out. My parents were already dead, but I can remember looking down at myself because my pretty white dress was scarlet with their blood. I think I screamed.”
“I’m so sorry,” Rob laid a hand over hers, needing to express his sympathy. She looked like a small child wearing her mother’s dress. His family was so tactile, hugs came from every quarter no matter how small the upset. He couldn’t imagine how she had coped without that.
“You lost your parents too?” It was a plea, one that swam out of her tear-filled eyes. Rob sighed, wanting to lie to strengthen the link between them but it wouldn’t be fair to her.
&nb
sp; “Not in the same way. Mama and Dad were an accident in the making. They married because I was on the way and it only lasted a few years. Mama was Italian, Dad Irish, but both were Catholic which obviously didn’t help with the divorce.”
“That’s where you got the coloring from,” she grinned, a soft bend of her lips.
“Oh yes, the hair is Italian but these eyes are pure Irish. Dad’s are the same.” Rob glanced down; she hadn’t moved her hands away nor seemed to have noticed that he held them. “Both remarried. I have half-brothers and sisters all over the place. Mama moved back to Italy, Dad to Ireland and they wanted me to choose between them but we’d lived in this house all my life.”
“You chose Doro and Uncle Zeno.”
“Spot on, and I will always be grateful for the chance to grow up under their roof.”
“It sounds idyllic.”
“I grew up in an extended family; there were always cousins popping over. The house was always full.”
“What about the lovely Melissa ? Did Doro approve of her?”
“I’ve never brought her here. You’re the only woman I’ve ever brought back,” he confessed.
“Should I feel honored?”
Rob laughed again, his smile flashing.
“You needed somewhere safe to be, and this is the place I’ve always felt the safest.”
Gwen looked down when she realized the warmth on her skin was his hand, and although she enjoyed the comfort he offered, she slowly pulled her hand away.
“It is nice. Anyone would feel safe here.”
“Before you ask, I wouldn’t inflict Melissa on my aunt. She isn’t what you would call a ‘bring home’ kind of girl.”
“And I am?” Gwen froze. Why had she asked that? She was his employer, not his girlfriend.
“I’m sure any man would be honored to show you off to his family. Hasn’t Mr. Winters done that yet?”
