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Straight black brows rose and dark, dangerous eyes locked into hers.
He didn’t believe her and she could hardly blame him. She felt like an idiot now and pushed herself swiftly to her feet. ‘I was actually just thinking of coming down to see you. You said you needed to talk?’
‘That is correct,’ he answered brusquely. ‘But we may as well do it here.’
Before she could even bat an eyelid he had taken the companion chair next to hers. The two armchairs in the room were overstuffed and not entirely comfortable and she almost smiled when she saw Santo’s expression.
‘How can you sit in a chair like this?’ he asked, shifting his large frame. ‘I’ll get them changed immediately.’
Penny guessed that all the rooms in the house had been furnished by an interior designer with no thought for comfort, only aesthetic beauty. And they were beautiful chairs. But…
‘Come, we’ll talk downstairs. I can’t sit here.’
He strode from the room and Penny had no choice but to follow. She devoured him with her eyes as she did so, noting the way his shirt stretched across his broad, muscular back, the way his trousers were similarly taut over his behind and hips, emphasising once again his athletic physique.
Was she crazy for noticing all these things about her new employer? Was she heading for danger? Ought she to get out while the going was good? Or could she be strong enough to hide her feelings?
They were so out of character. She had never, in the whole of her twenty-seven years, felt like this about a man she hardly knew. A man who—according to her friend—had a fierce reputation for eating females for supper. And he certainly wouldn’t appreciate such feelings from his daughter’s nanny.
He led her into what had to be his private sitting room, a fairly small room with lovely deep black leather armchairs and French windows opening out on to a patio area filled with tubs of begonias in every shade of apricot imaginable. To one side was a hedge of honey-suckle and the sweet scent of it filtered into the room.
Penny inhaled appreciatively as she sat down. ‘What a beautiful smell.’
‘I enjoy this time of night,’ he agreed. ‘Everywhere’s so peaceful. Would you care for a drink?’
Much as she would like one Penny shook her head. She most definitely needed to keep it clear. It was intoxicated enough with the sheer sight of him. ‘You have a beautiful daughter, Mr De Luca.’
He nodded and gave a faint smile. ‘Thank you. How did you get on with her?’ He stretched his long legs out, crossing them at the ankles, looking totally relaxed for a change.
‘We hit it off straight away. She liked me, I think; I like her. You have nothing to fear. I will look after her well.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. She means everything to me.’ He picked up his drink, which he must have left on the table when he had come to seek her, and Penny couldn’t help noticing what beautiful, long fingers he had, how well-manicured his nails were. And for a very brief second she wondered what it would feel like to be touched by those fingers, to have them stroke her skin.
Simply thinking about it created a storm and it took an extreme effort to dash the thought away. Fantasising about this man was a dangerous occupation. One she would do well to steer away from.
‘I need you to tell me exactly what my responsibilities are,’ she said, stiffening her spine and hoping she sounded efficient and businesslike. ‘I expected to have to cook for Chloe but it would appear your housekeeper does that.’
‘Emily does all the cooking and washing,’ he agreed, ‘and I have cleaners who come in on a weekly basis. Obviously I’ll expect you to cook for my daughter when Emily has her day off. To be quite honest with you, Miss Keeling, I’m not entirely sure what a nanny’s duties are. I—’
He pulled up short, deciding against whatever it was he’d been going to say. ‘Naturally I wish you to take care of my daughter’s welfare, but when she’s at school your time is your own. Which in effect makes up for your early mornings and late evenings. Do you have a boyfriend? Will you be needing time off?’
‘Needing it, Mr De Luca?’ questioned Penny, her blue eyes sparking dramatically. ‘It’s my right. No one works seven days a week.’ Her tone was sharper than she’d intended. Possibly because of the way her senses were still all over the place.
‘So let’s say your hours are flexible,’ he agreed. ‘And if you do have a boyfriend I must ask that you do not bring him back here.’
Penny looked at him boldly, her chin high. ‘As a matter of fact there is no one. But surely that was something you should have queried before you took me on?’
He gave a very slight lift of his shoulders. ‘I’m new to this game.’
‘So you’re making up the rules as you go along?’ she asked.
Dark eyes narrowed and a muscle jerked dangerously in his jaw. ‘Are you questioning my values?’
Penny drew in a swift breath. ‘Not if my job depends on it. But I’m sure you see my point?’
To her surprise he threw his head back and laughed. ‘Touchе, Penny. I may call you Penny?’
Oh, goodness, the way her name rolled off his tongue! He said it like no one else. Made it sound different and—dared she say it—incredibly sexy. Of course, he didn’t mean it that way, it was his accent that did it, but heaven help her, the inference was there.
‘Yes,’ she agreed but she didn’t look at him. She looked out through the open doors instead, where she could see a myriad of dramatic colours in the sky. The sun had disappeared but its aftermath was other-worldly. As was the situation she found herself in.
Santo’s male hormones were behaving badly. And it annoyed him because he didn’t want to be attracted to Penny. He’d had girlfriends, yes, in plenty, in the years he’d been alone after his wife had left him. But nothing serious. They all knew it was just a game to him.
But Penny was different. For one thing she was his employee—and it was a cardinal rule of his to never mix business with pleasure. And for another, he sensed that she wouldn’t be into casual affairs. He couldn’t quite weigh her up yet but he had the feeling that she wouldn’t settle for anything less than a serious relationship. When she met the man of her dreams it would be an all-or-nothing affair.
And what a lucky man he would be. She had to be every man’s dream. Beautiful, smart, capable, interesting. He could think of plenty of adjectives to describe her. Sexy, provocative… He stopped his thoughts right there and tossed the rest of his whisky down his throat.
Standing up, he said, ‘It’s warm in here, don’t you think? Shall we continue our talk outside?’ Where there was more air to breathe! Where he could put more space between them.
Penny smiled her consent and jumped to her feet. ‘You have an incredible place here, Mr De Luca. I’d love to explore your gardens.’
‘Santo. Please call me Santo,’ he suggested softly.
‘I’d rather not; it’s a little too informal for our situation,’ she answered swiftly.
He noticed that her eyes had turned from blue to amethyst in the changing evening light. They looked softer and more vulnerable—and, dammit, he didn’t want to notice these things. She was here to work, nothing else, and he’d be as well to remember it. ‘I can’t have you calling me Mr De Luca when we’re on our own.’
‘How about Signor De Luca?’ she asked cheekily, and he was taken again by the flash in her eyes. She was so beautiful, all woman, teasing and flirtatious, whether she knew it or not. He guessed she didn’t; she would probably be horrified if she knew what he was thinking. How he was interpreting her behaviour.
‘Tell me about yourself,’ he said, conscious his voice was even gruffer than usual. ‘I really know very little—except that you come with impeccable credentials, and that you have no boyfriend,’ he added with a twist to his lips. ‘Where do you live, for instance?’
‘I share a flat with a friend in Notting Hill. Or at least I did, I moved out today.’
‘I see. Would that be a female friend?’ The question was out before he could stop it. Even though she’d said that she didn’t have a boyfriend.
‘Are you prying into my private life, Mr De Luca?’
He was startled by her question until he saw the twinkle in her eyes again and managed a smile himself. ‘I’m very curious. Do you have any family? Of course you do not have to tell me if you don’t want to. But I always take an interest in my employees’ private lives; I always enquire about husbands or wives or partners, because if there’s a problem at home it can sometimes affect their work and then I can make allowances. I believe my interest helps improve working relationships.’
She looked at him disbelievingly for a few seconds and then she laughed, and it was such a musical sound that he felt like laughing too. He wanted to pick her up and twirl her around. He wanted to kiss her; he wanted to… He stopped his thoughts right there, berating himself for being fanciful. And he was grateful when she spoke.
‘In that case, if it will improve our relationship, the answer to your question about my flatmate is that she is female.’ And she slanted him another glance to see how he would take it.
He pretended not to notice.
‘Do I have family?’ she went on. ‘My father died when I was Chloe’s age. And my mother died a couple of years ago; she’d been ill a long time. But I have a twin sister who has a six-year-old and a new baby. I visit her often. I love the kids.’
All the time she’d been speaking they had been walking along a flagstoned path that led to the lake. It was a favourite place of his to sit and meditate—especially at this time of night. And he was looking forward to Penny’s reaction.
It was not what he expected. When the vast expanse of water came into sight she gave a squeal of horror. ‘Mr De Luca, you never told me about this. It’s not exactly safe for Chloe. It really should be fenced.’
Never before could he remember feeling so deflated.
And horrified. It had not occurred to him that it could be dangerous. He hoped none of the other nannies had ever let Chloe out to play on her own. He went hot and cold at the thought of what the consequences could have been.
‘It will be done,’ he declared. ‘Immediately. Mio Dio, sono un idiota.’
‘Otherwise,’ said Penny, and he swore he could hear a hint of mischief in her voice, ‘it’s beautiful here.’
‘It is especially beautiful at this time in the evening,’ he answered. But he wasn’t looking at the water, he was looking at Penny instead, and when she looked back at him with eyes so wide and so incredibly lovely he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her—regardless of the consequences.
Penny saw the intent on Santo’s face and knew that she had to act swiftly, or she too would give in to temptation. And how dangerous would that be? Her job would be gone and she’d never find another like it.
It had to be the incredible patterns of colour in the sky, reflected so perfectly in the water, that had done it. It was a place for lovers. It was a magical evening, everything still and hushed—and temptation was everywhere.
Not a place for an employer and employee. Unless she’d got it wrong and he hadn’t been going to kiss her, but she couldn’t be sure and she dared not take the risk. It would ruin everything, even though he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever met.
He wouldn’t be after a serious relationship, just a bit of fun. And she wasn’t up for that. She had many friends who would be—Louise, for instance. Friends who would tell her she was stupid not to go for it. Millionaires, billionaires, whatever, always lavished their girlfriends with expensive gifts. That way they didn’t feel guilty when they dumped you.
Well, this girl wasn’t for dumping. This girl wasn’t going to enter into any kind of a relationship with him—except a purely professional one.
‘Have you lived here very long?’ she asked, deliberately moving a few feet away from him, pretending to watch a pair of ducks who’d broken the silence by squabbling on the other side of the lake.
He didn’t answer her question. ‘Why don’t you have a boyfriend?’ he said instead. ‘A beautiful woman like you, I would have thought you’d have a whole string of them knocking at your door.’
Penny lifted her shoulders. ‘I’m not interested in men. I’m a career girl.’
‘You intend to be a nanny for the rest of your life?’ he questioned, making it sound as though it was the worst thing she could possibly do.
‘Why not?’ she demanded.
‘I cannot see it happening,’ he declared dismissively. ‘You’re too beautiful to become an old maid. That is the right expression, is it not?’
Penny smiled and nodded. An old maid! It sounded so old-fashioned and not what she had expected from him.
‘One day the right man will come along and you’ll be swept off your feet. And before you know it you’ll be married with a lot of little children of your own to look after. I’m sure that would be far more satisfying than looking after other people’s children.’
‘And you consider yourself an expert on that subject, do you? A man who needs a nanny to look after his own child.’
Penny saw him frown and knew she was out of order but for some reason the words wouldn’t stop. He’d caught her on a raw nerve. She did want children; she’d thought once that she’d met the right man to give them to her. And ever since that disastrous affair she’d had doubts that there ever would be a Mr Right.
‘Tell me, Mr De Luca, if we are being open and honest with each other, what happened to your wife? Did she leave you because of the long hours you work?’
The instant the words were out she regretted them. And when he spoke, when he answered her question, she wanted to turn and run. She wanted to wave a magic wand and make herself disappear. This was the worst moment of her life.
CHAPTER TWO
‘MY WIFE is dead,’ Santo told Penny coldly. ‘And for your information I have no intention of ever marrying again.’ Without more ado he began walking back to-wards the house.
For a few seconds all Penny could do was stare after him. She saw shoulders that were hunched and a stride that was not his usual determined one. She felt like hell. What a stupid, inconsiderate question to have asked. What must he be thinking?
She really had overstepped the mark and wouldn’t be surprised if he told her to pack her bags and go. And she didn’t want to do that. She must make amends. Hurrying after him, she said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have asked if—’
Abruptly he stopped and faced her. ‘And you didn’t think it would be wise to get your facts right before passing judgement?’ His tone was harsher than she had ever heard it, dark eyes unfathomable. A tall, proud man, incensed at the way he had been spoken to.
Penny guessed he was still grieving. It must have been fairly recent. Maybe that was why he worked such long hours, why he didn’t seem to be giving his daughter the love and attention that she needed. He wanted to blot everything out and the only way he could do it was to work himself into the ground.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said again, feeling her heart bounce in her chest, feeling a raw kind of pity for him. She wanted to hug him—how ridiculous was that? She wanted to tell him that time would heal. She knew how heartbroken she’d felt when her mother had died.
But he didn’t want to hear those words. He wanted someone responsible to look after Chloe. He had a business to run, he couldn’t look after her himself. He didn’t know how. He’d never had to do it. He was the breadwinner. The man of the house. The provider.
‘Forget it,’ he growled, and headed back to the house.
Penny didn’t follow this time. She waited a few minutes before retracing her steps and then ran swiftly up to her room.
She couldn’t help wondering what Santo’s wife had been like. There were no photographs anywhere, nothing to remind him of her. Was that deliberate? Was he the sort of man who couldn’t cope with death? Pretended it didn’t exist? So many questions with no answers.
When Penny got up the next morning, not surprisingly Santo had already gone to work. She’d not slept well with thoughts of the way she had upset him last night, and as she got Chloe ready for school she gave the girl an extra-big hug.
Chloe looked so much like her father, with jet-black hair and big brown eyes—which were sometimes sad. Penny knew that the little girl must be hurting deep down inside, bewildered as well, because how could you really explain to a child of her age that her mother would never be coming back?
It wasn’t for her to say anything, though. If Chloe wanted to talk, fair enough, but she had no intention of bringing up the subject.
After dropping Chloe off at school she did some shopping and visited her sister before going back to De Luca Manor—as she had privately named Santo’s house. It was hard to believe that one man lived in such a huge mansion. Why? Unless he entertained a lot, or had done when his wife was alive.
At the back of the house was a row of garages—she’d been allotted one for her tiny car—and Penny was surprised to see Santo’s sleek black Aston Martin already parked there. He was home! At this time of day? She glanced at her watch. It was scarcely lunch time.
‘Where have you been?’ he growled the second she entered the house. It looked as though he’d been waiting for her. His black hair was ruffled and she could imagine those long fingers running impatiently through it.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, jutting her chin, resenting the inference that she should have been in when he arrived home. ‘I didn’t realise I had to keep you informed of my movements. Actually I’ve been to see my sister. You did say my free time was during the day.’
‘I thought I’d take you out to lunch.’
Penny couldn’t hide her shock. ‘Me? Why?’ A nanny lunch with her boss? It was unheard-of, especially with a man such as Santo.
‘Because we didn’t finish our conversation last night,’ he answered. ‘But if you’d rather not, then…’ He lifted his wide shoulders in a careless shrug.
‘I’m sorry about last night; I—’
Santo cut her short. ‘The subject’s closed. Go and get rid of your bags. We’re leaving in ten minutes.’
Meaning he didn’t want to talk about his loss. And she could hardly blame him. People dealt with their grief differently. Santo clearly wanted to shut his away.
Penny scurried to her room. It didn’t seem right lunching with him, but who was she to argue? She ran a comb through her hair but didn’t bother to change. She was already wearing a long brown skirt and a pretty peasant blouse, both fairly new purchases and perfectly suitable. All she did was change her sandals to a pair of high heels and with a touch of lip gloss and a splash of perfume she was ready.
Was her heart racing because she had rushed? Penny wondered as she ran lightly down the curved flight of stairs towards Santo, standing in the huge hallway. Or was it racing because she was about to dine with him?
The hall below was elegant and beautiful with a polished wooden floor and a centre table holding a bowl of sweet-smelling roses cut straight from the garden. There was a rocking chair in one corner and ornately framed mirrors on two of the walls.
