by Maggie Cox
It was lucky that she’d had the presence of mind to bring her swimsuit, she thought, even though Marco had informed her that there was a large selection of swimming costumes in one of the guest rooms upstairs—just in case any visitors were bereft of one. But Grace was very glad of her one-piece suit. She’d bought in it in last year’s spring sale, from a local department store that was part of a popular UK chain. The colour was a deep royal blue, and it had a bodice that wasn’t cut too low and a high back. In truth, she felt safe in it. She certainly hadn’t bought it because it was fashionable or might attract attention to her figure. Just the thought was anathema to her.
When Inês had briefly appeared at the poolside to tell Marco that he had an important phone call, Grace had been relieved, because it had meant she’d been able to get changed in private behind the poolside screen and quickly slip into the water before he got back.
After a while she stopped swimming, preferring to float on her back, her hands lightly paddling the azure water to keep her buoyant.
‘You look like a mythical mermaid that’s floated up from under the sea to grace the world with her beauty and remind us that magic still exists.’
The captivating male voice not only startled Grace, but made her turn upright in a hurry. She spluttered a little, because the sudden uncoordinated movement had sent a wave of water splashing into her face and she’d accidentally swallowed some.
Marco dropped to his haunches by the side of the pool, with his elbows resting on the knees of his elegant chinos and his long fingers loosely entwined. His dark hair gleamed bronze in the late-afternoon sunshine, and the strongly defined contours of his handsome face looked relaxed … amused, even. All of a sudden Grace was terribly self-conscious. How could she not be, in comparison to that vision of perfectly sculpted masculine beauty gazing back at her?
‘I’m sure I look more like a drowned rat after that,’ she quipped, as some sopping wet strands of hair strayed into her eyes and her long bedraggled ponytail plastered itself heavily against her shoulder.
‘Don’t put yourself down. You look nothing of the sort.’
‘Well, you always look so effortlessly turned out and perfect. It’s bound to make even the most confident girl feel a little insecure!’
‘So I look perfect, do I?’
Before Grace even had an inkling of what he was going to do, Marco stood up, kicked off his shoes, then jumped fully clothed into the pool. Even as she stared at him in abject disbelief he started swimming towards her in an easy front crawl. Stopping in front of her, he smoothed back his seal-wet dark hair and disarmed her even more with the sexiest smile she’d ever seen.
‘You’re crazy …’ she husked.
‘If I am it’s because that’s how you make me feel when I’m with you.’
By the time his hands had settled round her hips under the water Grace’s blood was already on fire with the need to have him touch her. When his beautiful mouth hungrily and a little roughly claimed hers she became a little bit crazy too …
CHAPTER SEVEN
AS MARCO’S hands followed the slim yet curvaceous lines of Grace’s body in the clinging wet swimsuit he didn’t care that a moment of sheer uncharacteristic madness had prompted him to jump into the pool like that. All he knew was that expecting him to be further away from this woman than touching distance was akin to expecting him to comply with the near impossible.
Kissing her was the greatest sensual delight he had ever experienced, he’d discovered. She had a mouth that was made for long, drugging kisses that suspended time … could even make him forget his own name if he’d let it. Being with her, knowing that she had such a pure and giving heart, honestly made Marco feel like a better man. Instead of making him tread water in a pool of sharks, as he’d done for so long to make it in business and elevate himself far above his humble beginnings, fate had unexpectedly gifted him with the most beautiful golden-haired mermaid to remind him of other very important human needs. Needs such as the company of a woman whose presence and beauty he genuinely enjoyed and appreciated. And those qualities had become even sweeter now Marco knew he desired her too.
Twisting his mouth away from hers, he tugged down the soaking wet straps of Grace’s swimsuit to expose her pert, duskily tipped breasts. The river of flame that was already flowing straight to his loins ensured that he didn’t have a prayer of resisting the erotic temptation they presented. His mouth captured one, drawing the rigid velvet nipple deep inside, whilst his hand cupped and stroked the other. His heart leapt when, with a soft moan, Grace slid her fingers through the damp strands of his hair to keep him there.
Several mindless seconds later, when Marco honestly thought he might explode with the longing to be inside her, to join his painfully aroused body to hers in the most uninhibited and feral way, he lifted his head to capture her lips in another ravenously hungry kiss. His heart started to gallop in alarm when he sensed her stiffen, just as if she wanted to draw away, and gazing down into her shimmering blue eyes he saw a reticence he hadn’t expected. The panicked look of dread that he’d witnessed earlier at the garden party, when he’d grabbed her up from the grass to tease her playfully, had not resurfaced—thank God—yet neither was she totally at ease.
He hadn’t guessed wrongly about her intentions. She was already pulling her costume’s straps back over her shoulders and tugging up the front of her suit to cover herself.
‘What’s wrong?’ His fingers fastened round her chin to lift it higher and make her look at him.
‘I just—I just need us to take things more slowly.’
Marco swore. He couldn’t help it. It was his own damn fault, but he was in a near agony of lustful need.
Then he saw the glitter of moisture in Grace’s eyes—saw one lone teardrop hug the side of her cheek as it tracked slowly down her face. He took in a deep, steadying breath. She was afraid, he thought incredulously. His chest welling with compassion—because it dawned on him that a man must have treated her badly, perhaps even hurt her physically somewhere along the line—he followed the trail of moisture with the pad of his thumb. What he wouldn’t give to meet the bastard that had hurt her and teach him a lesson that he’d never forget!
‘It’s all right, my angel,’ he soothed. ‘I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do or aren’t ready to do. That’s a promise. I guess that something happened before with a guy? Will you tell me about it?’
Her hand resting lightly against the hip of his sodden chinos under the water, Grace stared back into Marco’s arresting and compassionate dark gaze, knowing without a doubt that—aroused as he undoubtedly was—he wasn’t the kind of man who would dream of taking cruel advantage of a woman … not like her drunken ex had tried to do.
It was only fair that she gave him an explanation. She hadn’t exactly tried to stop him from becoming amorous—not when she had been equally turned on. It had only been when she’d realised where his passionate kisses and inflammatory touches were leading that Grace had suddenly felt overwhelmed. She wasn’t afraid of Marco mistreating her, but after Chris’s brutal assault it had become increasingly hard to trust a man to be tender with her feelings and wishes where her body was concerned … any man. Even a man she found she desperately wanted.
She sucked in a breath, smoothing back her hair with a tremulous hand. ‘My ex-boyfriend tried to rape me.’
Marco’s eyes glowered with fury as he bit out a curse in Portuguese. ‘Did you call the police? Was he punished for such an assault?’
‘He was drunk at the time, much more drunk than I realised, and—no … I didn’t call the police. I was just so relieved that I was able to stop him.’
‘How long ago was the attack?’
‘About two years ago now.’
‘And you have not been with a man since?’
Her cheeks flushed pink. ‘No … I haven’t.’
Marco reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek. ‘You are young and beautiful, Grace.
Please don’t let the actions of one insensitive and unintelligent animal like him spoil your right to intimacy … nor your enjoyment of it.’
Entranced by his desire to console her, she nodded. Instead of being angry—perhaps believing that she’d led him on—Marco had reacted to the halting of their lovemaking with understanding and kindness. Deep inside she sensed the spell he’d already cast on her senses and on her heart becoming even more compelling, like a silken web it was hard to disentangle herself from.
‘I’m doing my best to forget what happened—I really am … But it’s not easy.’
For a long moment he stayed quiet, his hands lightly firming on her arms. ‘I understand that,’ he began, ‘and I want you to know that whilst it is hard for me to be patient … when I find myself so passionately attracted to you … I will learn to be, because I believe that you are worth the wait.’
‘Maybe—maybe we could try again later?’ she suggested softly. The deeply carnal ache inside her was flaring more strongly now he was being so chivalrous and understanding of her hesitancy.
He nodded slowly, lowered his head towards her, then took possession of her surprised open mouth with a teasing erotic kiss, his tongue dancing with hers. As he started to withdraw, his teeth trapped her plump lower lip and nipped it slightly.
‘Maybe we could,’ he agreed, with a husky catch in his voice that sounded like smoke and whisky. ‘But right now I should get out of these wet clothes and dry myself. I am expecting a visit from my secretary very soon, to drop off some mail and give me an update on things. It shouldn’t take long, as I’ve told everyone I’m taking a break, but we will have to confer in private for a while. There is a pile of towels over there on the lounger, and a robe. Behind those trees—can you see that low white roof?—is a changing facility for guests. You should be able to find everything you need in there, including a shower and hairdryer. When you’re ready go and sit out on the patio outside the drawing room and Inês will get you a drink. Whatever happens we will have an enjoyable evening together, I promise.’
Turning away and swimming back to the edge of the pool, he hauled himself out, padded across to the lounger in his sopping wet clothes and, without so much as a backward glance at Grace, still treading water, stripped off in front of her without a care. He dried himself roughly with one of the towels, wound it round his lean, hard middle, then strolled back across the grass to the archway that led outside the garden to the back of the house.
Knowing the arresting sight of his bronzed and toned naked body was likely going to be imprinted on her memory for ever, and remembering the hotly carnal sensation of his mouth suckling at her breast, Grace released a long, stunned breath and then swam slowly across to the other end of the pool.
Dressed once again in the red and white maxi, she dried her hair and re-did her light make-up. By the time she started to walk barefoot back across the white marble flagstones surrounding the pool the sun was setting. It was a given that she had to stop to view one of the world’s most breathtaking displays of natural beauty—especially when the dazzling globe so dramatically dominated the horizon, its siena rays bleeding hauntingly into the darkening blue sky. She felt a near-overwhelming desire for Marco to be standing beside her, so that they might enjoy the sight together, and there was a strange emptiness inside Grace because he wasn’t.
After a time she walked on, idly wondering what his secretary was like and hoping that she wouldn’t deprive Grace of his company for long.
She was heading down the long marbled corridor to the drawing room when she heard Inês open the front doors to invite Marco’s visitor inside. It surprised her to hear an English accent. The woman who spoke to the housekeeper greeted her with affection and pleasure in her tone. Her voice sounded cultured and kind, and the little knot of anxiety at the pit of Grace’s stomach blessedly unravelled. After sitting amongst the snobbish guests at Francesca Bellini’s garden party it was nice to know that Marco’s secretary was not cut from the same superior and condescending cloth.
Curious to put a face to the lovely voice, she slowly retraced her steps to the other end of the corridor and, rounding it, stole a peek at the attractive middle-aged woman with dark blonde wavy hair cut flatteringly just above her shoulders. Dressed in a smart but understated dove-grey linen suit, she carried a slim dark brown briefcase down by her side, and although she was clearly having a meeting with Marco she might have just as easily been meeting friends for coffee or dinner, such was her relaxed and amiable yet undoubtedly elegant stance.
She was still smiling and talking to Inês when she registered Grace’s presence. Her initial look of surprise turned to another pleased smile as she skirted round the housekeeper to walk towards her. She held out her hand. ‘You must be Grace. I’ve been so looking forward to meeting you. I’m Martine—Marco’s secretary.’
Her warm clasp was just as friendly as her manner, and Grace gave her an unreserved smile back. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Martine. Have you had to travel very far to get here?’
She laughed, ‘Good heavens, no! I’m staying at one of my boss’s hotels just up the road. Wherever he is in the world Marco likes to have me nearby. The man is constantly working, and invariably so am I. But now that he’s told me he’s actually taking a short holiday, after our meeting I’ll have a few days off to take a break myself. I’m going to pop back to London, to my little house I very rarely get to see, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it!’
‘I’m from London too,’ Grace volunteered.
‘I know. Marco told me. He also tells me that you’ve been out to Africa to help take care of orphaned children?’
‘That’s right. I work for a charity that’s dedicated specifically to that cause.’
‘I’m in admiration of you doing that, Grace. There’s not many beautiful young women like you who would choose such a worthy but distinctly unglamorous career … which is a great shame, in my opinion.’
‘It wasn’t a hard choice, believe me. The unconditional love that those children radiate—even in the worst of circumstances—makes it easy.’
‘Well, now that I’ve met you I can see why Marco has decided to take a holiday at last. I owe you a big thank-you for that. You know he almost never takes a break?’
Grace was still smiling at the other woman when the pair of twin doors to the side of the vast reception area opened and Marco appeared. She didn’t miss the quizzical little frown that creased his brow when he saw that she was chatting with his secretary.
‘Martine. I didn’t know that you’d arrived. How are you? Do you have everything that you need at the hotel? They’re looking after you?’
‘Hello, Marco. I’m fine, thank you. And although they shouldn’t the staff at the hotel are waiting on me hand, foot and finger. I couldn’t want for anything. I’ve just been introducing myself to your lovely friend.’
He only spared her the briefest glance in acknowledgement, but for Grace it was like being touched by living electricity and she tingled all the way down to the edges of her toes.
‘Good,’ he replied perfunctorily, pushing one of the twin doors opened a little wider. ‘Why don’t you come into my study and make yourself comfortable? Inês, can you please bring us some coffee?’
‘Of course, senhor.’
As the housekeeper turned to go about her duties, and Martine bade goodbye to Grace and went through to the study, Marco immediately came over to join her. It hit Grace just then that he looked much more like the quintessential movie star than Lincoln Roberts could ever aspire to look. With his bronzed skin, sexy dark eyes and fitted black shirt and jeans, he exuded an effortless and brooding sexuality that made Grace’s stomach clench and her legs go weak.
‘You found everything that you needed poolside?’ he asked, his cool fingers gently tilting her chin towards him.
‘The changing room couldn’t have been better fitted out than a suite at the Ritz! Not that I’ve ever been to the Ritz,’ she added qu
ickly.
Marco chuckled. ‘One day I will take you to stay there, if you like?’
‘I wasn’t suggesting that I wanted to—’
‘I know you weren’t. But just indulge the fantasy that I might take you there one day, hmm?’
‘I’d better let you get to your meeting with Martine. She seems like a very nice woman, by the way.’
‘She is. She’s also very efficient and intuitive when it comes to what I need at work. I told you—I only ever employ the very best people.’ He deliberately let his gaze fall into Grace’s eyes.
Transfixed, she stared back at him, more than a little excited that soon they would be alone together, with no one to think of or to please but themselves.
Marco lowered his voice. ‘Wait for me out on the patio. This shouldn’t take very long.’
As Grace returned to the elegant drawing room and walked out onto the patio she couldn’t help praying and hoping that it really wouldn’t be too long before Marco was able to join her. She was more at ease now that she had met the very warm and down-to-earth Martine, and she had been quietly gratified when she’d told her that her boss rarely took a break from work—her observation definitely suggesting that he was taking one now because of Grace’s influence.
She breathed in the sultry evening air and breathed out again, jettisoning any further worries and concerns that might prey on her peace of mind to concentrate instead on enjoying the last few minutes of the spectacular sunset …
Soft lighting dotted at various strategic points round the patio automatically illuminated the area as the sun went down, and at the same time made the quarter-moon that hung in the sky seem magically brighter. The slightly chill caress of a passing breeze made her shiver. The air was no longer quite so sultry. Grace wished that she’d brought a wrap or a stole to drape round her shoulders. But that morning—along with the straw hat that she’d left behind—it had been the furthest thing from her mind.
