Charlie was sitting in a booth by the warmth of the fire when Marco arrived back carrying Jack high on his shoulders. They were laughing, and both of them were glowing from the cold air outside.
She felt a jolt of surprise as she looked up at them. Marco seemed to be getting on very well with her son! But then anyone could get on with a child for a short space of time she assured herself as she watched him put Jack down. It didn’t mean anything special.
‘Mum, I saw some black potbelly pigs.’
‘Did you, darling? That’s wonderful. What else did you do?’
‘Marco pushed me really high on the swings.’
‘Did he? That’s great.’ Charlie reached to help Jack take his coat off.
She noticed that Marco only had to glance in the waitress’s direction and she came over to take their order. What was it about him that had everyone instantly running to please him? she wondered. It irritated her, and it irritated her even more that she felt warm inside as she met his eyes.
Why couldn’t she shut out these feelings for him? she wondered frantically.
‘Mum, can I go over there?’ Jack pointed towards the next room, where other children were in an indoor play area.
Charlie hesitated. ‘OK, but you’ve got to come back as soon as your lunch arrives.’
‘He’s a great kid,’ Marco said with a smile as he watched him run off. ‘His dad is missing out, not seeing him.’
The words prickled through Charlie’s emotions. ‘What are you playing at, Marco?’ she asked quietly. ‘I know you don’t want to lose me as your PA but taking me out and pretending to have an interest in Jack—’
‘I’m not pretending anything!’ He met her eyes steadily. ‘I meant every word.’
He sounded so sincere that he made her feel almost guilty for daring to say such a thing. Then he smiled at her across the table and she felt her defences start to melt away.
Hurriedly she glanced away from him and tried to compose herself. Marco was a charmer with an eye to the main chance, she reminded herself.
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said when you ended things between us the other day,’ he said suddenly.
She glanced back at him with a frown.
‘About how you have to consider the effect a casual relationship could have on Jack,’ he continued smoothly. ‘And how you have to give him stability. I admire you for that. It must be hard bearing all the responsibility for bringing up a child single-handedly.’
‘I manage very well.’ She met his gaze steadily. ‘Why are you trying to charm me?’
‘Do you have to be so suspicious? Look, before you say anything more, just hear me out. Of course I don’t want to lose you as my PA but this goes deeper.’ His voice lowered and was suddenly very emphatic. ‘The thing is, I’ve realised since coming back from Italy that I don’t want to lose you at all. I like having you in my life.’
Charlie felt her heart starting to thump painfully against her chest. She had wanted desperately to hear him say something like this but now that it was actually happening she couldn’t quite believe it.
He noticed the guarded light in her green eyes.
‘I know you’ve been through a painful divorce and you are cautious about relationships. And I can understand where you are coming from. As you know, I’m wary myself.’
‘I had noticed,’ she said lightly and he smiled.
‘And that’s one of the reasons I think we are good together. Neither of us are taken in by glib, meaningless words. We are both very down-to-earth with our expectations and are on a certain wavelength.’
Charlie felt herself starting to tense up; any minute now he was going to tell her he felt comfortable around her! ‘I don’t know if we are that similar, Marco …’ she murmured uneasily.
‘Of course we are. Didn’t you tell me once when you were internet-dating that you were looking to meet someone who would fulfil a certain criteria as a good partner?’
‘Companionship.’ Charlie said the word numbly. ‘I think that was the word I used.’ She remembered the conversation clearly and recalled her lie with excruciating intensity.
‘You were very realistic.’ Marco nodded. ‘And the more I think about it the more I realise what a good team you and I would make.’
‘A good team?’ Her voice didn’t sound as if it belonged to her. She felt slightly dazed by all of this. ‘What exactly do you mean by that?’
He looked over at her with a serious expression in his dark eyes. ‘I mean that instead of ending our relationship we should allow it to develop into something more serious. I am talking about a partnership.’ He leaned a little closer across the table. ‘I want you to move in with me, Charlie.’
Charlie stared at him in shock. Silence stretched in a long, tense moment. She wasn’t aware that her hands were clenched and her nails were cutting into her skin until Marco reached across to take both hands in his. He smoothed out her fingers and held them gently.
‘So what do you say?’ he asked softly.
Charlie pulled away from him abruptly. She couldn’t allow herself to be swayed by the feelings that his touch generated and she couldn’t afford to ignore the facts. Marco had asked her to move in with him and that was exciting and wonderful and her heart had leapt for a moment when he said the words. But there was one little word missing from the equation. And that was love.
But of course he hadn’t mentioned that word because he wasn’t in love with her, she reminded herself drily. You only had to listen to his reasoning to know that to him the emotion was of little importance, and much more vital was the fact that he thought they were suited in practical terms, that they would make a good team.
‘I realise I’ve sprung this on you and it is a big step … but I’m confident that it will work,’ Marco continued when she said nothing.
How could it work when love would never be of secondary importance to her? The knowledge swept through her painfully.
‘Well, I’m sorry, Marco, but I’m not.’ She swallowed hard on a knot that was forming in her throat. ‘The answer has to be no.’
He looked rattled for a moment. ‘Charlie, think about it! You and I get on brilliantly. For a start we work well together and that says a lot for a relationship’s chances—’
‘You are starting to sound like your book.’ She cut across him derisively. She didn’t want to hear all the calm, practical reasons why they would be good together—he was asking her to move in with him, for heaven’s sake! At the very least she wanted some sentiment, although the fact that she was being totally unrealistic even thinking like that made her all the more angry with herself and him. ‘Next you will be telling me not to allow emotion to influence my decision,’ she muttered.
‘Not a bad piece of advice,’ he said calmly. ‘You should always allow facts to influence decisions … nothing else.’
‘And what about the fact that this could be another one of your damn publicity stunts?’ she flared.
‘Is that why you are saying no?’ He relaxed suddenly and his expression softened. ‘Hell, Charlie … I admit you are a tremendous plus point when it comes to handling questions from the media but asking you to move in is no mere stunt. I wouldn’t do that!’
The gentleness of his tone made her reactions swing wildly from angry to tearful. She forced herself not to give in to that weakness, and instead to remember how he had discussed her in cool, clinical terms with Sarah Heart. ‘Wouldn’t you?’ She raised her chin a little higher. ‘I’m not so sure.’
‘Well, I assure you that is not the case,’ he said firmly. ‘I am who I am, Charlie. And if I sound like my book it’s because I believe in the theories. And I’m asking you to move in because I think that you and I will work.’
‘So I’m a kind of test case now?’ she observed mockingly. ‘How romantic!’ She couldn’t help the sudden emotional outburst.
‘Charlie!’ He frowned. ‘You are being ridiculous now! The fact is that we get on. We enjoyed Italy, did
n’t we? It was steamy and passionate. We are sexually compatible.’ The huskily compelling tone of his voice made her senses blur. ‘There is no doubt about that.’
He was right, there was no doubt about that. But to him it was just sex and to her it meant a hell of a lot more.
‘Why don’t we just give things a try?’ he continued smoothly. ‘Move in with me and we’ll test the waters. What’s the worst that can happen?’
She took a deep breath and sat back. The worst that could happen was that she would get her fragile heart well and truly smashed to pieces. And she knew what that was like all too well.
‘I can’t, Marco.’ The reminder served to make her voice calm and steady now. ‘I have my son to consider. I can’t just move in and casually test things out with you. My responsibilities won’t allow for that—’
‘I think you are hiding behind your responsibilities.’
‘I’m not hiding behind anything,’ she said firmly. ‘And may I remind you that a few moments ago you were admiring me for taking my responsibilities so seriously?’
‘I do admire you for that, but right at this moment you are hiding behind them.’
The obdurate certainty in his tone annoyed her. ‘Have you stopped to consider for one moment what it would be like having a four-year-old around? You are a confirmed bachelor, for heaven’s sake!’
‘Of course I’ve considered it! You and Jack are a package deal and that is not a problem because I like Jack.’
‘You don’t even know Jack!’
‘I know that he is a lovely little boy who could benefit from having a father figure around.’
‘Don’t you dare bring that into the equation!’ She glared at him and felt tears suddenly prickling behind her eyelashes. Angrily she blinked them away.
‘It’s true though, isn’t it?’ He held her gaze steadily. ‘You told me that yourself.’
‘I meant it would be nice to have someone who will be around for him. Not someone who has decided he wants to play at fatherhood on a whim.’
‘This isn’t a whim, Charlie. I would have thought you knew me better than that. I would like to be there for you and Jack. I’m offering you a stable, secure environment for your child. All I ask in return is that you are there for me—’
‘That I share your bed, you mean.’
‘But of course.’ He smiled and his eyes held hers with bold emphasis. ‘I’ll want you on a regular basis. That goes without saying.’
She tried to ignore the sudden flare of heat inside her at those teasingly provocative words and cut across him coolly. ‘So that you can prove your theory that love is unnecessary for a successful relationship.’
‘So that I can prove that I’m right and we are compatible for a long-term partnership,’ he corrected her with a frown.
The door opened behind them and a blast of cold air rushed into the conservatory as a crowd of people came in.
Charlie was glad of the distraction and the opportunity to compose herself. She watched the fire flicker dangerously low as the draught caught it and then flame into roaring life again as the door closed. A bit like her emotions, she thought sardonically.
‘It’s getting busy in here,’ Marco reflected. ‘Hardly the best place for this conversation.’ He looked back at her, taking in the pallor of her skin and the steel-like determination as she raised her chin and met his gaze.
He hadn’t meant to talk to her about all this in here; he’d been going to wait until later. And he now had a feeling he had pressed her too hard. If he wasn’t careful she might rebel and go in the opposite direction. He needed to take a more softly-softly approach or he was going to lose her.
‘Just give the idea some thought … OK?’ he asked calmly. ‘We can discuss it more when we get back to your place.’
‘Actually I’ve got my friend Karen coming round,’ Charlie said dismissively, ‘so that won’t be possible.’
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ‘But you will give it some thought?’
For a few heartbeats she didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer, because she knew the correct response should still have been no.
How could she move in with Marco and share his bed—share his life—knowing that the whole relationship was based on the premise of a lie … her lie. Not only that, but she’d always have the knowledge that he didn’t love her … maybe would never love her.
Could she really live with that?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘IS CHARLIE going to go to America with you next week?’ Sarah Heart asked, popping the question casually into the conversation as Marco stood up to leave her office.
‘I don’t know yet.’ Marco’s reply was terse. He glanced across at Sarah and could see she was dying to ask further questions but didn’t dare. Probably because he had told her in no uncertain terms that he didn’t like the way she had spoken to Charlie on the phone in Italy. And it was now a raw subject.
‘Time is moving on, Marco,’ she said instead, her tone cautious.
‘Yes, I’m well aware of that.’ Marco picked up his briefcase from her desk. It was just over a week since he had asked Charlie to move in with him and she still hadn’t given him her answer.
‘You’ve got two tickets for the literary dinner at the Plaza Pendinia in New York. Do you think she will join you there?’
‘I’ve told you, I don’t know. Just leave the subject alone, Sarah.’
She shrugged and looked momentarily annoyed. ‘I’m just trying to do my job. But … you know your own business, I suppose.’
He met her gaze firmly. Sarah was seriously starting to irritate him. He’d been tempted to fire her after the debacle of the way she had spoken to Charlie in Italy. Only the fact that his tour in America was imminent and the timing was wrong had held him back. ‘Yes, I do. And don’t forget that!’ There was an underlying steel-like warning in the words. ‘You work for me, not the other way around, Sarah.’
‘Yes, of course!’ Sarah backed down immediately. ‘Don’t let’s fall out. You know I only have your best interests at heart!’
‘Just don’t overstep the line, OK?’ he said heavily.
‘Scouts’ honour!’ she said with a gleam of mischief in her eyes.
He smiled. ‘You are impossible.’
‘I know!’ She batted long, dark eyelashes and looked at him coyly. ‘Look, I have a few meetings set up in NY for next week and I’ll probably attend the dinner at the Plaza myself. So if you want I can accompany you that evening. I don’t mind playing the part of your lover for a while. I can create some great spin out of it for you.’
‘Thanks for the offer, Sarah!’ Marco laughed. ‘But I don’t think it’s such a good idea.’
‘I don’t see why. I think we’d be quite believable as a couple. You can use me in your interviews …’ She lowered her voice huskily. ‘In fact, you can use me any way you want,’ she added playfully.
‘You are my agent, Sarah. Let’s keep it that way.’ Marco shook his head and turned away towards the door. ‘Besides my name is already linked with Charlie.’
‘That’s in the European papers—’
‘Sarah, I’ve said no.’
‘You are losing your sense of humour these days,’ she muttered in annoyance and then hurried after him as he walked towards the lift.
She was probably right, Marco acknowledged drily. He knew he was on a short fuse. It was all this waiting around for an answer from Charlie. He was trying to take things slowly but he wasn’t a patient man at the best of times. He’d tried a little old-fashioned courtship, by sending her flowers, and he’d behaved like a total gentleman … but it was getting him precisely nowhere. The only plus point was that he was getting to know and like Jack a lot. Which was just as well because every time he called at Charlie’s house he had ended up spending more time with him than he had alone with her.
He wasn’t used to being fobbed off where a woman was concerned. The suspense was killing him; and yet at the same time he was firml
y convinced that she was worth waiting for. He wondered suddenly if she had been deliberately testing him to see how he got on with her son …?
‘Marco?’
As they stepped out of the lift he realised Sarah was speaking about an interview in LA that she was still setting up.
‘Sorry. I’ve got things on my mind at the moment, Sarah,’ he told her distractedly. ‘I’ll phone you to get the last-minute details. I’m flying to Edinburgh for a conference later tonight. I’ll be there for five days.’
Sarah frowned. ‘Yes, I’d forgotten.’
Marco turned to look at her. ‘I know this tour in the States is important, Sarah. But the most important thing to me is my work.’
‘I know that, Marco.’
‘Good; well, just keep that in mind when you are handling the PR, OK?’
‘Don’t worry.’ She smiled and then stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. ‘I’m here to assist you in any way I can.’
‘That’s good to know,’ he said wryly as he turned away.
‘And don’t forget my offer to be the ideal prototype partner in the US is always open.’
‘I’m hoping the position is already filled.’ He looked back at her. ‘And on the subject of Charlie, try to use some discretion.’
As he stepped out onto the street Marco hailed a taxi and climbed in. He was glad Sarah had no inkling that he had asked Charlie to move in with him. If she had she would be working out a spin on it for the papers already.
He supposed that was what made her so good at her job. But he didn’t like it. He just hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in not firing her.
The traffic going out of London was gridlocked. Marco glanced at his watch. Charlie would have shut the office and gone home if this didn’t clear soon. Damn! He had been hoping he would catch her before she left. He intended to get an answer from her before he set off for Edinburgh. The time for playing this softly-softly game with her was over.
Flicking open his phone, he dialled the office number. She answered after the first ring.
‘Dr Delmari’s office.’
Mistress to the Mediterranean Male (Mills & Boon By Request) Page 42