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He closed the distance between them in two strides, grasping her upper arms in his strong fingers, his eyes glittering with fury as they clashed with hers.
‘You think you can get off that easily? I will not let you escape unscathed. I am going to do everything in my power to make you pay for the destruction you have brought to my family,’ he snarled down at her, his fingers tightening cruelly.
Nina did her best to appear unfazed by his anger but beneath the fabric of her tracksuit pants she could already feel the betraying wobble of her legs.
‘I hardly see how marriage to me is going to help your cause. Not unless you’re going to lock me up in some tower and feed me nothing but bread and water,’ she said with a flippancy she was far from feeling.
She felt the bruising strength of his hold as his eyes bored down into hers and, unable to withstand the hatred burning there, she dipped her gaze to the harsh line of his mouth, her tongue snaking out to nervously anoint her lips.
‘Damn you!’ he growled and hauled her roughly against him, his mouth crashing down on hers for the second time that day.
Nina’s gasp of shock and surprise was silenced by the assault. She tried to use her hands to push against the hard wall of his chest but it was impossible to remove that punishing mouth from hers. She was imprisoned by his hold, his body rammed up to hers, imprinting its maleness on the soft feminine curves of her frame.
His kiss became arrogantly intimate, the full thrust of his tongue through the seam of her lips taking all the fight out of her. She felt her legs begin to buckle beneath her and the hands that had pushed him away began curling into the fabric of his T-shirt to keep her upright.
His tongue roved the interior of her mouth in a search and destroy mission that left her floundering in an unfamiliar sea of sensation. She felt the feathering of need run down her spine to render her legs useless, the solid press of his muscled thighs against hers reminding her of his indomitable strength and power.
Her breasts felt heavy and full where they were crushed against him, her lower body on fire where his hard length probed her blatantly, unashamedly.
He deepened the kiss even further, the pressure of his mouth eliciting a response from her she had not intended giving. She reprimanded herself even as she brushed her tongue along the stabbing length of his: he was the enemy, he was danger—but it did no good. Her body was on automatic pilot and acting independently of her common sense.
Suddenly it was over. He stepped back from her so abruptly that she almost stumbled, her body not quite up to the task of standing without his solid support.
His dark eyes glittered dangerously as he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth in an action that intended to inflict shame and embarrassment.
Nina refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how close to the mark he’d come. Instead, she schooled her features into contempt and, reaching for a tissue from her sleeve, lifted it to dab at the swollen tenderness of her bottom lip where her tongue had tasted blood.
She saw his eyes follow the movement of her hand and was surprised to see a dull flush slowly ride up over his cheeks.
‘Forgive me,’ he said heavily. ‘I did not intend to go so far as to hurt you.’
She sent him a scathing look as she tucked the tissue away once more. ‘How far did you intend to go, enough to double my allowance?’
His mouth hardened. ‘I have no intention of handing you anything more than the sum we agreed on. I told you before—our marriage will not be consummated.’
‘Fine by me,’ she snapped. ‘But I suggest you run that past your body for clearance first.’ She gave his pelvis a pointed look before returning her eyes to his. ‘Somehow I don’t think it’s quite got the message.’
His eyes locked on to hers, the air between them crackling with palpable tension.
‘I would advise you, Nina, not to push me too far. You might not like the consequences.’
She lifted her chin defiantly. ‘You’ll have to try a little harder if you want to frighten me. Don’t forget I’m well used to dealing with ruthless men.’
‘I could ruin you,’ he reminded her. ‘One exclusive from me and even a city as large as this will not be big enough to hide your shame.’
Nina felt the pinpricks of fear at his chilling threat. If only she knew what her sister had been up to she might have been able to call his bluff. But she daredn’t risk it, not with Georgia’s welfare to consider.
‘I hardly see what benefit it will be to you to assassinate the character of the woman you have just married,’ she pointed out.
‘I will not act on my threat unless your behaviour falls short of the mark.’
‘How very gracious of you,’ she taunted. ‘But what about your behaviour? Does that, too, come under scrutiny?’ She touched her fingertip to her bottom lip and gave an exaggerated wince.
‘You have my word it will not happen again,’ he said, dragging his eyes away from her full mouth. ‘Not unless you ask me for it, of course.’
Nina’s eyes widened in defiance. ‘How absolutely typical! You can’t control your impulses so you blame me for inciting them!’
‘You were being extremely provocative.’
‘Oh, yeah? Well, you were being a complete and utter barbarian!’ she threw back. ‘It’s no wonder your brother had all the ladies after him. Unlike you, he at least had a certain level of finesse.’
She stalked past him towards the door, but before she could open it his hand came from over her shoulder and slammed against the door to keep it shut.
She could feel him behind her, the heat of his body seeping into hers as surely as if he were touching her again. She kept her gaze fixed on the woodwork in front of her, unwilling for him to see the bright glitter of unshed angry tears in her eyes.
‘Let me go, Marc. I want to check on Georgia.’ To her dismay her voice sounded defeated, nothing like her usual defiant tone.
His hand left the door to touch her on the shoulder, the gentle but firm pressure turning her to face him.
He was so close she wasn’t game enough to draw in a deep breath in case the expansion of her lungs brought her breasts into contact with his chest once more. She raised her eyes to his, doing her level best to control the tremble of her chin as she fought to bring her wayward emotions under control.
‘Don’t make me hate you any more than I already do,’ she said, her voice not much more than a thin whisper of sound.
He held her gaze for so long that Nina felt as if he were seeing right through her flesh to who she was underneath.
To whom she really was.
To what she really felt.
Just as her composure was threatening to crack he dropped his hand from her shoulder and stepped away from her. She watched in silence as he turned to his discarded drink and, tipping back his head, downed the contents in one deep swallow.
Nina took an unsteady breath and eased herself off the flat plane of the door.
‘Marc?’
He turned to look at her, his eyes unreadable as he removed a piece of paper from the pocket of his jeans and silently handed it to her.
She took it with nerveless fingers, unfolding the paper to find it was a bank receipt documenting that several thousand dollars had been deposited in her account that day.
Her allowance.
She stared at it for a long time without speaking, not even noticing when Marc left the room, shutting the door with a soft click behind him.
CHAPTER TEN
NINA had not long returned to her bedroom when she heard her mobile buzzing from inside her bag on the floor. She lifted it out and stiffened when she saw her sister’s name flashing on the screen. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she cupped her mouth around the phone and answered it warily. ‘Is that you?’
‘Of course it’s me,’ Nadia trilled. ‘How soon can you send me the money? I’m in a bit of bother with some bills.’
Nina clenched her teeth. ‘What about your boyfriend? Isn’t he turning out to be the dream ticket you thought he’d be?’
‘Cut it with the sarcasm, Nina. We had an agreement, remember? If you don’t follow through I will come and collect Georgia and begin the adoption process and you will never see her again. It’s your choice. You can phone bank the money to me right now or you know what will happen. Don’t forget, I only have to make one little phone call to that new husband of yours and your secret will be out.’
Nina knew she was caught in an impossible situation. It was too late for explanations to Marc about who she really was. How would he deal with the news of her deception so soon after tying himself to her in order to give Georgia her father’s name?
‘How did the wedding go, by the way?’ Nadia asked with a hint of mockery. ‘Was it everything you dreamed of?’
‘You know it wasn’t,’ Nina bit out. ‘I felt like a complete fraud the whole time.’
Nadia laughed. ‘But not for wearing white, darling. You’re one of the few brides entitled to wear virginal white. What a pity your husband doesn’t fancy you. I bet I could get him into my bed if the tables were turned.’
Something in her sister’s tone irked Nina enough to respond. ‘Actually, he does fancy me.’
Nadia’s mocking chuckle grated on Nina’s nerves. ‘Only because he thinks you’re me. If you were acting in your own personality he wouldn’t take a second look. You’re too boring.’
Nina held on to her temper with an effort. ‘I don’t think it’s such a good idea for you to call me. If someone other than me picks up my phone—’
‘I’m going to keep calling you until the money is in my account,’ Nadia threatened. ‘And if I don’t get you on this phone I’ll try the land line.’
Nina let out a sigh of resignation. ‘All right, I’ll do it. I will transfer the money.’
‘Atta girl,’ Nadia cooed. ‘I knew you’d see sense in the end. Ciao!’
Nina waited until her fingers had stopped shaking before pressing in the necessary digits to process the transaction. Once it was done she did her best to settle for the night but she found it impossible to relax enough to get to sleep. But, strangely enough, it wasn’t the money and what she had just done with it that was keeping her awake. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the feel of Marc’s mouth out of her mind, the way his tongue had darted with male urgency into the soft recesses of her mouth, making a mockery of every single kiss she’d ever had bestowed upon her in the past.
Marc didn’t kiss tentatively or even in an exploratory manner. He kissed with ferocious intent, setting her blood instantly alight. She could still feel the pounding of it as it ran through her veins, making her heart skip as if it just couldn’t keep up with the pace of her pulse.
It was impossible to ignore her growing awareness of him, the way he made her feel when he so much as looked at her with the dark censure of his eyes. She felt her skin rise in reaction every time, the soft hairs at the back of her neck standing to attention as if waiting for his hand to reach out and touch her there.
She couldn’t believe her own foolishness. She had fallen in love with a man who had nothing but hatred for her. Even if he found out the truth about who she really was, she knew he would never forgive her for deceiving him. How could he? She wasn’t Georgia’s mother. She could not give him what he wanted because what he wanted wasn’t hers to give.
She gave the pillow another frustrated thump before flopping back down. This was hopeless. What she needed was exercise and plenty of it. She glanced at the bedside clock and grimaced when she saw it was well past midnight. Too late for a walk around the block. Then she thought about the gym and pool downstairs, and her legs were already over the side of the bed when she hesitated.
Could she risk it?
What if Marc heard her?
She rummaged for her faded bathing suit before she could change her mind. A long swim in the heated lap pool was just what she needed. It was a huge house, and besides, Marc was probably already deeply asleep.
She didn’t bother with turning on the lights; instead she put the baby monitor remote on top of her towel on one of the comfortable-looking loungers and slipped into the warm silvery moonlit water.
Her tense muscles began to unfurl as the water held her in its liquid embrace, the slip and slap of the water against the sides of the pool the only sound as she carved her way through length after length.
She stopped to re-tie her loosened hair and, blinking the water out of her eyes, looked up to see a pair of very male tanned legs standing on the pool deck. She slowly lifted her head and locked gazes with Marc.
He stood looking down at her for a long moment while the silence crawled around them.
‘What’s wrong, Nina?’ he asked. ‘Are you finding it difficult to get to sleep alone?’
She tilted her chin at him. ‘No, are you?’
His eyes dipped to where the water was lapping against her breasts and she felt a shiver of reaction pass through her as if he had just brushed her there with his fingers. She felt her nipples begin to push against the worn Lycra of her bathing suit, the bare skin of her arms and legs prickling in awareness. She tried not to stare at his lean tanned body but it was incredibly difficult to ignore the flat plane of his stomach, the rippling muscles of his abdomen and the dark trail of hair that disappeared into his black shorts.
She craned her neck to maintain eye-contact, her stomach giving a little startled moth-like flutter when he began to lower himself into the water.
‘W-what are you doing?’ She shrank away.
‘What do you think I am doing?’ he asked.
She turned to get out but her foot slipped on the steps and she went under instead. She felt Marc’s hands on her waist as he steadied her, his body so close behind her she could feel every ridge and plane as she came upright.
The air she desperately needed in order to take her next breath stopped somewhere in the middle of her throat as he slowly turned her around so she was facing him. She could feel the magnetic pull of his body, drawing her closer and closer, even as the rational part of her brain insisted she step out of his hold. His fingers spanning her waist tightened fractionally, and one of his hard muscled thighs came between her trembling ones.
‘I don’t think this is such a good idea,’ she said, hoping he wouldn’t notice the nervous up and down movement of her throat.
‘What is not a good idea?’ he asked, his eyes burning into hers.
‘Th-think of what it could cost you …’ Her eyes skittered away from his as she felt his hard thigh press even closer.
His hands slid upwards from her waist to hold her shoulders so he could secure her shifting gaze, his voice low and deep as if it had been dragged across gravel. ‘Do you think I give a damn about the money?’
She moistened her lips and then wished she hadn’t when his gaze dipped to her mouth and lingered there.
‘It’s a l-lot of money … and if it was doubled …’ She stared at the line of his mouth, wondering if he was going to allow himself to kiss her. Just one kiss. That wouldn’t be breaking his vow to keep the marriage unconsummated, would it?
His head came down slowly, his mouth stopping a mere breath away from the tingling surface of hers. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she felt herself rock towards him, her body seeking the hard warmth of his like a small iron filing did a too-powerful magnet.
At the first touch of his lips on hers heat licked like a hot tongue of flame, igniting her senses into a blazing roaring fire of need. He plundered her mouth, sending her head snapping back as his tongue thrust determinedly into her moist warmth, his arms pulling her into him where his body pulsed and throbbed.
Her hands went around his neck, her fingers plunging into the thickness of his hair, her breasts tight against his chest, their aching points nothing to the storm that had just erupted between her thighs. She could feel the dampness of need he’d awakened, the silk of sensual desire that called out for him with silent but fragrant pleas.
His hands came to her breasts, shaping them through the worn fabric, his warm palms covering her possessively, his mouth still determined on hers. He pushed the shoulder straps aside and uncovered her, the roughened edge of his fingertips running over her nipples until she ached to feel the rasp of his tongue there as well.
As if she had spoken her need out loud, he lifted his mouth off hers and bent his head to her exposed breasts, moving his mouth and tongue in tightening circles until she became unsteady on her feet.
He came back to her mouth, taking it with renewed pressure as if in tune with the fire of need he was fighting to control.
Her hands slipped down to his waist, her inexpert fingers skating over his shorts where they were distended, his erection reaching towards her, as if seeking her feathering touch.
He groaned into her mouth as she shaped him, and again, even more deeply, when her fingers slipped inside to where he pulsed with increasing urgency.
He tore his mouth off hers and stared down at her, his dark eyes burning with unrelieved need, his chest rising and falling against hers as he struggled to rein in his galloping breath.
‘This is exactly what you planned, is it not?’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘You wanted to make me eat my words, every one of them.’
‘No!’ Her hands fell away from his body with a little splash. ‘No, of course not.’
He gave a rough grunt of derision. ‘It’s another of your tricks. You like to play the innocent now and again to put me off the scent of your real motives.’ He dropped his hold and stepped back from her, his eyes still scorching her with contempt.
