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Mistress To A Millionaire
HELEN BROOKS
When a sexy Italian tycoon offered Daisy Summers a job as live-in nanny, her first instinct was to refuse. How could she share a secluded villa with Slade Eastwood without becoming involved intimate with him?Only, Slade wouldn't take no for an answer. His power and wealth bought him most things except a mother for his young son. Slade wanted Daisy. Her sweetness would make her the perfect nanny for little Francesco; her sultry innocence would make her the perfect mistress for himself!
“I want you, Daisy,” Slade whispered against her lips.
“I want you in every way possible,” he continued, “and ‘being friends’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. And don’t say you don’t want me, because I know you do.”
Why had she ever let herself get into this? Slade was her boss—she was paid to look after his child!
Then, with absolute clarity, Daisy knew what was going to happen next, and she knew she wasn’t going to fight it.
Slade’s head dipped slowly toward hers….
HELEN BROOKS lives in Northamptonshire, England, and is married with three children. As she is a committed Christian, busy housewife and mother, her spare time is at a premium, but her hobbies include reading, swimming, gardening and walking her two energetic, inquisitive and very endearing young dogs. Her long-cherished aspiration to write became a reality when she put pen to paper on reaching the age of forty, and sent the result off to Harlequin.
Mistress to a Millionaire
Helen Brooks
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
DAISY breathed in and out very slowly to steady her quivering nerves and surreptitiously glanced at her reflection in the shop window. She looked good—she did—and she could do this. She had to do it. This was the start of the rest of her life, and she didn’t intend to begin it hiding in the shadows.
She took one more quick glance at the tall, slender image which—courtesy of a new hairstyle and new wardrobe—still didn’t look like her, and then dived out into the surging mass of humanity that populated the crowded London pavement.
Afterwards she told herself it was because she was concentrating so hard on appearing to be like everyone else—self-assured and poised and quite sure of where they were going—that she stepped straight off the pavement without looking, but that was much later.
For now there was a terrific squeal of brakes which made her lift up her head in horror just in time to see the car almost upon her. And there was nowhere to go. Nowhere. She just had to wait for it to hit her, her head up and her eyes wide with fear and shock. And then there was…nothing.
‘Daisy? Can you hear me, dear? Try and open your eyes, there’s a good girl.’
Daisy could hear the soothing, faintly motherly voice somewhere above her head, but it was remote, unreal, smothered by the enormous lead blanket that was weighing her down and making even opening her eyes impossible.
‘She is beginning to come round but it will be a slow process, you understand? And it’s quite likely she will have no recollection of the accident or even who she is at first. The mind tends to retreat in the aftermath of a nasty accident like this one.’
No recollection of the accident or who she was? Daisy wanted to tell them she remembered everything as a small surge of indignation made her fight against the heaviness in her body, but she was too tired. Much too tired.
‘Have you managed to trace her family yet? Or a friend, anyone? Someone must know her.’
This voice was male, deep and very masculine, with a slight twang of an accent that lifted it out of the norm. She knew she hadn’t heard it before; it was the sort of voice you remembered.
‘The police are working on it, Mr Eastwood, but her handbag contained very little in the way of identification, as you know. We aren’t even sure her name is Daisy; we only have the inscription on her bracelet to go by.’
‘I thought all women carried enough paraphernalia around with them to sink a battleship.’
His voice was slightly irritated now but the woman’s tone was quite unruffled when she said, ‘Well, this one doesn’t. She seems to be the original mystery woman, but I’m sure the police will get to the bottom of it soon.’
‘Your faith in their powers is stronger than mine.’ The last remark was deeply sarcastic, and for some reason she wasn’t quite sure of Daisy felt a surge of dislike well up in her. What business of his was it anyway, what she did or didn’t carry in her bag? she asked herself silently. And then she thought, as she slipped back into unconsciousness, He’s got a cheek, that man, whoever he is…
When Daisy next surfaced out of the thick fog all was quiet, and as before she lay for some time without moving or opening her eyes, wrapped in a feeling of inertia that was paralysing. But then gradually, through the exhaustion, she became aware that she was hurting. In fact it was painful just to breathe.
She opened her eyes slowly, very slowly; the light was bright and seemed to send a hundred little arrows shooting into her brain as her eyelids rose.
She was in hospital? Subconsciously she must have been prepared for it because it wasn’t a surprise to see the nurse sitting by the side of the bed, or to find herself attached to a drip which was positioned just within her eye range.
She moved her head slightly and immediately the action brought a groan from her lips, causing the nurse to raise her head sharply from the papers on her lap which she immediately put to one side as she rose to her feet. ‘You’re awake at last.’ It was the same motherly voice she had heard earlier. ‘How are you feeling, Daisy? It is Daisy, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’ Her mouth was so dry it was difficult to get the word past her tongue which was sticking to the roof of her mouth. ‘Could…could I have a drink of water, please?’
‘Course you can, dear, but just a little sip at first, all right?’ The nurse helped her sit up in bed and adjusted the pillows behind her back before handing her a tiny glass, barely bigger than a thimble. The cold water tasted like the nectar of the gods and Daisy couldn’t remember tasting anything so heavenly before, but then she had never felt so thirsty before either, she reflected dazedly.
‘You had a little accident; do you remember?’ The nurse was talking as though Daisy were five years old.
‘Yes—yes, I do. It was my fault.’ Daisy winced as she tried to settle herself more comfortably; besides every muscle and bone in her body aching like mad, there seemed to be an army of little men inside her head using her brain as a drum.
‘You were very lucky,’ the nurse said brightly as she busied herself tucking in the bedclothes at the foot of the bed. ‘It could have been a lot worse. As it was you got away with grazed arms and legs, a couple of fractured ribs and concussion. And, of course, cuts and bruises,’ she added as an afterthought.
Funny, but she didn’t feel very lucky. ‘How long have I been here?’ Daisy asked weakly. And where was here?
‘You were brought in yesterday morning, so that’s over twenty-four hours now.’ The nurse had finished with the covers and moved back to stand at the head of the bed, looking down at her with a sympathetic smile for a moment before she said, her tone enquiring, ‘We’ve been trying to trace your family, Daisy.’
‘They live abroad.’ And then, before anything more could be said, Daisy continued quietly, ‘I’ve only just moved to London, actually, so I don’t know anyone here yet. I…I was on my way to a job interview yesterday morning.’
‘Oh, dear.’ The sympathy became tangible. ‘Well, I’m afraid you won’t be able to think of working for two or three weeks, but don’t worry about that for now. You’ve got to concentrate on getting well. And Mr Eastwood is covering any expenses whilst you’re here, incidentally,’ she added briskly.
‘Expenses?’ Daisy wrinkled her brow and then stopped when it hurt too much.
‘This is a private hospital, dear.’
Of course, she should have known. Daisy’s bewildered glance took in the large room, the matching covers and curtains, the television in one corner and the easy chairs and small coffee table in another at the side of an internal door which obviously led to the en suite bathroom. She gulped audibly, and then managed to ask, her voice very small, ‘And Mr Eastwood is…?’
‘The poor guy you gave the fright of his life to when you decided to fling yourself under the wheels of his car.’ The deep, dark voice from the doorway brought the nurse jerking round and Daisy stiffening in the bed. Neither of them had heard the door to the corridor outside open.
‘Falling at my feet is one thing.’ A pair of black glittering eyes held Daisy’s wide, honey-brown gaze with a power that was formidable. ‘I might even have enjoyed that, but as it was…’
‘I…I’m sorry.’ Daisy stared at him, her head swimming, but whether it was weakness due to her condition or the result of being pinned by that piercing gaze she wasn’t sure.
The man in the doorway was tall, very tall, with hair like a raven’s wing and the sort of arrogantly handsome looks that were as disturbing as they were attractive. He radiated power and vitality, but not in a comforting or reassuring way—or at least Daisy didn’t find it such. The chiselled cheekbones in the cruel, aesthetic face, the dark straight brows and finely moulded mouth were quite devastating but altogether overwhelming.
Daisy watched him as he crossed the room and she wasn’t aware she had shrunk back against the pillows, but the night-black eyes holding hers missed nothing, and the lazy smile which had been hovering at the corners of the firm mouth straightened.
‘Slade Eastwood.’
He held out a large hand and in the brief few seconds that his warm, strong fingers enclosed Daisy’s small paw she felt the impact right down to her toes.
‘Daisy Summers,’ she returned shakily.
‘Daisy…’ His lips lingered on her name, and the ebony gaze stroked over the delicate young woman in front of him, her beautiful golden-brown eyes set in a face that was hauntingly lovely and surrounded by a soft cloud of silky silver-blonde hair. ‘An unusual name but most apt,’ he drawled slowly.
‘Apt?’ The dizziness had gone but she was so tired she couldn’t put any strength in her voice, much as she wanted to.
‘Your eyes are the gold at the heart of a daisy and your hair its petals.’ The dark, husky voice caused a shiver to pass over her skin, and then, as she continued to stare at him with huge eyes, his tone changed as he turned to the nurse and said, ‘When did she regain consciousness?’
‘Just a short while ago, Mr Eastwood.’
He nodded, turning back to Daisy. ‘Then I’ll let you get some rest,’ he said smoothly. ‘It’s still early days.’
‘Oh, please?’ He was already halfway to the door when her voice stopped him, and as he turned to face her again Daisy summoned up all her courage and said tremblingly, ‘I…I can’t stay here any longer, Mr Eastwood; I understand you are paying for me? I…I can’t reimburse you immediately, but of course I will do so when—’
‘Reimburse me? There is no question of that.’
‘Oh, yes, I must, but I can’t afford to stay— I mean I must leave today—’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ There wasn’t the slightest touch of a bedside manner as he rapped out the words, and then, as she flinched back against the covers, he said more quietly, ‘It was my car which put you in here so it is only right I take the responsibility for your recovery. Please don’t give the matter another thought. And the name is Slade.’
‘But the accident was my fault; you didn’t have a chance of missing me,’ she stated weakly. And then, as the thought occurred to her, she asked, ‘Did I damage your car?’
He stared at her as though she were mad for a long moment and his voice reflected the expression on his face when he murmured, ‘Did you…? What the hell does the car matter?’
‘I did, didn’t I?’ she whispered miserably.
He wasn’t about to tell her that his severe braking, added to a wild swerve to avoid hitting her head-on, had resulted in the rear of his Aston Martin Volante coming into unfortunate contact with a lamppost, and now he shrugged easily. ‘The car is fine but you are not—end of story. And you will stay in here until the doctors are satisfied you are well enough to leave.’
It was authoritative and cool and acted like a shot of adrenalin straight into Daisy’s wilting frame. She sat up straighter, ignoring the jabs of red-hot pain the mild movement caused, and now her voice was much stronger when she said firmly, ‘I’m sorry but I can’t do that, Mr Eastwood.’
For crying out loud, what was the matter with the woman? Slade Eastwood called on his meagre store of patience and willed the exasperation out of his voice. ‘Yes, you can, Daisy,’ he said with measured stoicism. ‘You gave me the fright of my life yesterday morning—’ his stomach muscles tensed at the memory ‘—followed by a very anxious twenty-four hours. The financial side of things is nothing, nothing, okay? At the risk of sounding crass I can afford for you to live here for ever if necessary, so please, indulge me? You owe me that at least.’
Put like that it completely took the wind out of Daisy’s sails and he sensed it immediately, following up with, ‘I’m sure we’re talking about a few days, a week at the most, and it will mean I sleep easy at night.’
Oh, this was awful, awful; what should she do? Daisy stared at him, her honey-gold eyes enormous in the wan paleness of her face, and then, as he returned her look steadily, his face now betraying nothing but friendly concern, it was all suddenly too much. She felt too ill and too exhausted to argue with him, and all she wanted to do was to sleep.
‘All right.’ She heard the words with a pang of self-disgust at her feebleness. ‘But I insist on paying you back eventually. It just might take a while.’
‘We’ll discuss that when you’re feeling better.’ He glanced at the gold watch on one tanned wrist, and now it struck her that his suit alone must have cost a small fortune. ‘I have an appointment; I must go. Goodbye for now.’
She nodded her farewell, her eyelids already closing, and she was asleep before he had even closed the door behind him.
For the rest of the day Daisy alternately woke for a few minutes and then slept again, but the next morning, after a solid night’s sleep, she awoke properly. The muzziness which had clouded her thinking was gone, her mind was her own again, and she was ravenously hungry even though it still hurt just to breathe.
It appeared Slade Eastwood had called a few times the day before for reports on her progress, but it wasn’t until that evening, and after a delicious dinner of chicken and mushrooms in a white wine sauce with fresh vegetables, that the man himself made an appearance. Daisy had just scraped the last remnants of chocolate mousse from her dish—a process made more difficult by the fact that her right arm was now as stiff as a board and she was using her left hand—and as a sharp knock sounded at the door she knew immediately who it was.
‘Come in.’ She was pleased how firm and controlled her voice sounded; she wasn’t feeling a bit like that inside. Melted jelly, more like, she thought irritably as she took as deep a breath as her ribs would allow and pushed the tray aside as the door opened.
‘Hello again.’
This time the lithe, lean body was dressed in black denim jeans and a heavy black leather jacket, and his dark presence seemed to fill the room as he came towards the bed. But Daisy was prepared this time—just—for the impact he had on her.
‘Hello.’ She even managed a relatively normal smile, which faltered slightly as he presented her with a beautiful little posy of pink rosebuds and small perfect daisies enclosed in lace and silk ribbons. ‘Oh…thank you, they’re lovely,’ she said quickly as the delicate perfume of the roses touched her senses.
‘My pleasure.’ It was deep and sardonic and the black eyes swept over her with something in their depths that brought a flush to her cheeks. And then he hooked the upholstered straight-backed chair the nurse had left by the side of the bed with one hand, sitting astride it with his forearms resting on its back as he said, ‘How are you feeling?’
How was she feeling? Up to a minute ago she’d been feeling as though she’d made enormous progress, but now she felt as dazed as when she’d first regained consciousness! But she wasn’t about to betray that to those piercingly astute eyes.
‘Much better, thank you.’ She forced another bright smile. ‘I’m sure I’ll be well enough to leave tomorrow and—’
‘The nurse tells me your immediate family live in the States?’ he interrupted lazily, one dark brow raised enquiringly. ‘So does that mean you’ve got no one to look after you when you leave here?’
Daisy looked at him for a long moment without answering, but her brain was working rapidly. Her nurse had spent almost an hour chatting that afternoon about this and that, and she had felt at the time that some of the questions the woman had asked were inspired by more than casual interest. But the uniformed figure had been persistent, and although she had fielded quite a few of her carefully worded questions by the time the nurse had left Daisy had felt uneasy about how much she had revealed. And she felt doubly uneasy now.
She shrugged lightly. ‘I don’t need anyone to look after me,’ she said evenly. ‘I’m a big girl now.’
‘A big girl who is lucky to be alive and must be feeling as though she has been run over by a steam engine,’ he countered smoothly. ‘And if your family live in the States and you have only just moved down here from Scotland—’ she was right, Daisy thought sharply, the nurse had been gathering information for Slade Eastwood ‘—the city can be a pretty lonely place,’ he finished quietly.
Lonely? Lonely she could take, Daisy told herself silently. In fact in the last hellish sixteen months there had been times she would have welcomed it with open arms. She kept her voice very steady when she said, ‘It’s not a problem; really it isn’t.’
‘Yes, it is.’ It was cool and calm and imperturbable.
The black eyes were holding hers effortlessly and in spite of herself she found it impossible to break the brilliant gaze. She gathered her scattered wits about her and tried for firmness. ‘Please don’t think I’m not grateful for all you’ve done, Mr Eastwood—’
‘Slade. I told you before.’
It was the second time he had interrupted her in as many minutes and it was irritating, especially as the cold, arrogant face was watching her with a faintly patronising expression that caught her on the raw.
Daisy took a long, silent breath and continued tightly, ‘But I am perfectly capable of looking after myself when I leave here.’
