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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      Nina stared at him in silent horror for a moment. How could she let him change Georgia’s nappy with the faint smudge of bruises still on her tiny chest?

      ‘No,’ she said flatly.

      Something came and went in his eyes and she knew she had offended him. He wanted to be a father to Georgia, a real and involved father who would feed and change a baby without rearing away in distaste as some men would do. But until those bruises were gone she had no choice but to keep him well away from Georgia without the shield of her clothes.

      ‘There is a bathroom two doors down,’ he said, moving from behind the desk. ‘Do you have what you need with you?’

      Nina gave him an imperious look as she held up the well-stocked nappy bag. ‘I have done this before, you know.’

      Marc didn’t answer but he held the door open for her as she stalked past him with her head held high. He watched as she made her way down the corridor to where the bathroom was situated, Georgia snuggled on one of her slim hips, the baby’s tiny hands buried in the length of her shiny blonde hair.

      His own fingers itched to do the same, to see if it was really as silky as it looked, but with a silent curse he thrust his hands deep into his trouser pockets and let the office door click shut as he went back his desk.

      He ignored his chair and instead turned to look out of the window as he had done thousands of times before, but this time he saw nothing of the harbour.

      All he could see was a pair of smoky grey eyes.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      NINA took as long as she could in the bathroom seeing to Georgia’s needs. She needed time to think. So much was happening and happening so fast she hadn’t had time to get her head into gear.

      She felt a fool for not anticipating people such as Marc’s receptionist having met her sister previously. And no doubt there would be other people she’d have to pretend she knew. And that little slip about the allowance— Oh, God! Her stomach clenched with tight fingers of fear as she thought of her charade coming unstuck in such a way.

      She daredn’t even think about Marc’s reaction.

      He turned from the window when she returned to his office and, in spite of her determination to keep cool and calm under pressure, she couldn’t help a tiny flip-flop in her belly at the sheer height and presence of him as he came towards her.

      ‘It has occurred to me that there are quite probably things Georgia needs, such as new clothing or toys,’ he said, taking the baby from her with gentle hands. ‘I have some time available now, so we could go shopping if you like.’

      Nina stared up at him, uncertain of how to answer.

      Georgia was in desperate need of clothes as she was growing so fast, but shopping with Marc as if they were any normal couple …?

      She lowered her gaze and pretended to be re-sorting the changing bag to avoid looking directly at him as she hunted her brain for some sort of excuse.

      ‘Since your own clothes are designer labels, surely your child is entitled to the same?’ A hard edge had crept into his voice.

      Nina tensed as she pushed the lid back down on the baby wipes container. She’d picked up one of Nadia’s cast-offs thinking it was one of the more conservative of the collection she’d left behind, never dreaming it was actually haute couture.

      ‘This old thing?’ she quipped with a disdainful glance down at the cashmere she was wearing.

      Marc’s mouth curled. ‘I suppose you only wear an outfit once before it is thrown to the back of the wardrobe?’

      Nina almost laughed at how close he was to describing her sister’s attitude to clothes. She could have afforded designer wear herself if she’d been given a dollar for every time she’d picked some discarded article up off the floor after one of Nadia’s wild nights out.

      She tossed her long hair behind one shoulder and smiled up at him saucily. ‘Is it my fault I get bored easily?’

      ‘You know something, Nina Selbourne?’ He gave her a cutting look. ‘I am almost looking forward to being married to you so I can teach you how to behave. You are the shallowest young woman I have ever had the misfortune to meet. I think it will be a great pleasure to bring you to heel as someone should have done a very long time ago.’

      Nina pretended to shudder in trepidation. ‘Oh! I am sooo scared of you, Mr Marcello.’

      His black eyes glittered with contempt. ‘If I was not holding Georgia right at this minute I would be tempted to begin lesson one right here and now,’ he bit out.

      Nina’s eyes flashed at him with false bravado. ‘You lay one finger on me and you will be the poorer for it.’

      ‘It would be worth it, I can assure you,’ he shot back.

      ‘You think?’ She tilted her chin at him. ‘Your brother certainly thought so.’

      Nina knew the only thing that saved her at that point was the fact that Georgia was in his arms. Her tiny starfish hands were clutching at the stark whiteness of his business shirt, her little elfin face looking up at him as if in wonder, her brown-black eyes so like his own with their thick fringe of lashes.

      Nina saw the struggle he had to control himself playing out on his features as he stood before her. The line of his mouth was grim, his jaw tight with suppressed anger and his eyes sparking at her as if he wanted to torch her to the ground right then and there.

      The intercom on his desk broke the brittle silence.

      ‘Mr Marcello?’ Katrina’s cheerful tone entered the room like a light being switched on in pitch blackness. ‘Your father is on line two.’

      Marc handed Georgia back to Nina without meeting her eyes. ‘Excuse me.’ He turned his back to attend to the call.

      Nina reached with one hand for the baby pouch where she’d left it earlier when she heard the first few words of Marc’s conversation with his father. Even though he spoke his native tongue rapidly she had studied the language long enough to pick up on the general gist of the exchange.

      ‘Yes,’ Marc said. ‘I have found a solution. I am marrying her on the fifteenth.’

      Nina couldn’t hear what his father said in response but she could more or less piece together the rest on Marc’s reply.

      ‘No, she insists she does not want any money or anything to do with Andre’s estate … I am not sure but I suspect she is trying to butter me up by pretending to be a changed person. Yes, I have arranged an allowance but it will not take her long to work her way through that, I am sure. Yes, I know she is everything that Andre said and more. I know, I know … she is an unprincipled whore …’

      Nina had trouble keeping her reaction disguised. She silently fumed and vowed revenge on his insulting assessment of her as she eased Georgia back into the pouch.

      ‘Yes … I know, I will watch my back, and yes.’ Marc gave a distinctly male chuckle ‘… my front as well. Ciao.’

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