Early next morning—so early that the light filtering through the crack in the curtains was a pale, iridescent glimmer—Jess lay still, pretending to be asleep, although in fact she was studying Drago from beneath her lashes.
He was lying on his back, staring up at the drapes of the four-poster bed. His hard-as-granite profile was not encouraging and her heart sank. Of course she had not expected to wake in his arms, or for him to kiss her tenderly as the new day dawned. She was stupid—falling into his bed last night had proved that—but she harboured no illusions that the passion they’d shared had been anything more than mind-blowing sex.
So why were tears blurring her vision? Why was she wishing with all her heart that he would pull her close and stroke her hair? She had been starved of affection all her life, so why did his indifference hurt so much?
Perhaps he sensed that she was awake, because he turned his head on the pillows. She blinked hard to dispel her tears. Pride was her faithful ally. No way was she going to act like a whipped puppy.
‘Before you say anything, I’d like to agree. Last night was a mistake that should not have happened,’ she said quickly. ‘And it would definitely be best to forget about it.’
He frowned. ‘How can you agree with me when I haven’t made a comment? Can you read my mind?’
‘I don’t need to. You look…’ Her heart lurched as she stared at his face. He looked gorgeous and incredibly sexy, with his silky hair falling onto his brow and dark stubble shading his jaw. She could not prevent the slight catch in her voice as she muttered, ‘You look angry.’
Drago gave her a quizzical look. ‘Well, it’s true that I am angry—with myself. And I admit I did make a mistake last night. But I don’t regret what happened between us and I definitely won’t forget making love to you any time soon.’
The sultry gleam in his eyes sent a quiver of response through Jess. ‘Then what mistake did you make?’ she asked uncertainly.
‘I forgot to use a condom.’ His jaw tightened. ‘I have no excuse other than that you have such an effect on me that I temporarily lost my sanity. I wanted you so badly I simply didn’t think about protection. It was crass and irresponsible of me, and I apologise. I also want to assure you that I am healthy. I don’t make a habit of having unprotected sex,’ he said roughly.
Drago’s self-respect had taken a hard knock when he had realised how stupid he had been. He had broken one of his golden rules. Dio, after what had happened with Vittoria he had always been so careful to avoid an unplanned pregnancy. He hoped that Jess took care of herself and used some method of contraception, but the knowledge that he had failed to act responsibly was a matter of bitter regret.
His frown deepened when he noticed how pale she looked this morning. In contrast to her white cheeks her lips were reddened and slightly swollen, and the faint bruises on her shoulders were shameful evidence that in his impatience to make love to her the previous night his touch had been too rough.
Guilt roughened his voice. ‘I trust you will inform me if there are any consequences?’
‘There won’t be any,’ Jess said in a quick, sharp voice.
She was painfully aware that her reply was based on wishful thinking rather than certainty. Her heart hammered against her ribs as the enormity of what she had done sank in, and she jerked upright, belatedly realising that she was naked. It was a bit late to feel self-conscious after she had spent a night of wild passion with Drago, she thought ruefully. But she could feel his gaze lingering on her breasts and she hastily pulled the sheet around her, wincing as the silk grazed nipples that felt ultra-sensitive from where he had kissed and sucked them.
She closed her eyes as memories of having sex with him flooded her mind. Not only had she behaved shamelessly, but she had been criminally stupid to forget about contraception. Dear heaven, how could she have taken such a risk again, when she had bitter experience of the consequences of having unprotected sex? Surely history would not repeat itself? Some women tried for years to fall pregnant. The odds of it happening to her again as a result of this one night must be a million to one, she tried to reassure herself.
Drago relaxed a little when he realised that Jess must be protected. She had sounded absolutely sure there was no risk she could have conceived. It did not change the fact that he was a damned fool, though. He could not believe he had allowed his desire for her to override his common sense. Even more disturbing was the fact that he was still not thinking logically. His mind was enjoying an erotic image of pushing her back against the pillows and tugging the sheet away from her body. Impossibly, he was even more turned on than he had been last night.
But she was sitting stiffly, hugging her knees, and her tension was palpable. He wondered if she regretted sleeping with him. She had been eager enough at the time, and afterwards she had curled up against him and fallen asleep almost instantly. God knew what she had dreamed about that had caused her to cry out in her sleep, he thought, frowning as he recalled the harrowing sobs that had racked her slender frame.
‘Who is Daniel?’ he asked abruptly. ‘You called out the name during the night and you seemed to be upset,’ he explained when she stared at him.
She bit her lip. ‘He was a friend…my best friend. We grew up together in the children’s home.’ Her voice grew husky. ‘He died when he was sixteen. He was hit by a car and suffered a serious head injury. He was on life support…but he never regained consciousness.’
Instinctively Drago reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said gruffly.
‘I suppose seeing Angelo in the hospital brought back memories of the last time I saw Daniel. He looked like he was asleep and I kept thinking he would wake up.’ Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. ‘But the nurse said there was no hope. I’m so relieved that Angelo has regained consciousness.’
The raw emotion in her voice tugged on Drago’s insides. Jess had known more than her fair share of pain in her young life, he thought heavily. He understood now why she had looked so pale when she had walked into the intensive care unit and seen Angelo in a coma. He felt guilty that he had not been more understanding, but he had not known about her past. He knew very little about her, he acknowledged, merely the small pieces presented to him by his private investigator.
Infuriated that he could not think straight when she was so close to him, and his senses were inflamed by the scent of her, he threw back the sheet and got out of bed. Making love to her last night had been an aberration he was determined not to repeat. Pulling on his robe, he headed for the bathroom, but paused in the doorway and glanced back at her.
‘I have to go to the office this morning. Fico will take you to visit Angelo and I’ll meet you at the hospital later.’ He hesitated, still troubled by the memory of her distress during the night. ‘You called out another name in your sleep. Was Katie also a friend from the children’s home?’
A haunted expression flared in her eyes. ‘Katie? I…I don’t know anyone with that name. I’ve no idea what I was dreaming about.’
Drago stared at her for a few moments, noting how she avoided meeting his gaze. Why was she lying? he wondered as he closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower. He felt frustrated that he knew so little about her. Jess’s strange reaction was another puzzle to add to the intrigue surrounding her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘SIX WEEKS WITH my leg in traction,’ Angelo groaned. ‘I think I’ll go mad. If only my memory would come back. I feel as though my brain is surrounded by a grey mist.’ He stared frustratedly at Jess, who was sitting beside his bed, helping herself to grapes from the fruit bowl. ‘I don’t understand why I was living in London and not Venice.’
‘Drago said you had enrolled at a college to study business. Do you remember being at college?’
‘No. And although you’ve told me I worked for your decorating company I have no recollection of it.’ He frowned. ‘To be honest, painting walls is not something I can imagine myself doing. Was
I good at it?’
‘Not very,’ Jess admitted with a grimace.
‘In that case why did you employ me?’
‘You told me you were destitute and I wanted to help you.’
Angelo shook his head, as if the action would clear the fog from his mind. ‘I lived with you, didn’t I? In a big house surrounded by lots of trees? You cooked omelettes for dinner.’
Jess felt a flicker of excitement. ‘You stayed at my flat for a few weeks. I made dinner for us the night before you disappeared. Can you remember where you were going, or why?’
‘I’m sure it had something to do with Drago, but I just don’t know what.’
‘It’s all right. Your memory will come back soon.’ Jess squeezed Angelo’s hand reassuringly. She hesitated for a moment. ‘I suppose you don’t remember why you withdrew a huge sum of money from your bank account, or who you gave it to?’
His brow furrowed. ‘Money?’
‘Yes, your inheritance fund—’ Jess broke off when a noise from behind her alerted her to the fact that someone had entered the private hospital room.
‘I’m sure Angelo will remember everything in good time,’ Drago said smoothly as he walked towards the bed.
He smiled at his cousin, but Jess sensed his anger, and when he glanced at her his black eyes were as hard as jet.
‘I think you should get some rest now.’ He spoke gently to Angelo. ‘The nurse tells me you have been playing your guitar?’
‘It’s strange that I can remember some things.’ Angelo sighed. ‘Why do I get the feeling that there is some mystery surrounding me? Something that I was going to tell you just before the accident?’
‘Try to relax. Jess has been here with you all day and I’m afraid she has overtired you.’
Bristling, Jess followed Drago out of the room. ‘Thanks a lot,’ she snapped as soon as he had closed the door. ‘I didn’t overtire him. He slept on and off during the day. I stayed because you said that talking to him might trigger his memory.’
‘Perhaps you have another motive?’ he said darkly. ‘I don’t want you to mention Angelo’s missing inheritance fund in case you put ideas into his head.’
Nonplussed, she stared at him—and then wished she hadn’t when she felt a coiling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Dressed in a pale grey suit teamed with a navy blue shirt, he looked incredibly sexy, and she could not help remembering him last night, naked and aroused as he had positioned himself over her.
‘What sort of ideas?’ she mumbled, thankful that he did not know what ideas were in her mind.
‘Ideas such as he didn’t give you a fortune. He’s in a vulnerable state at the moment, and likely to believe anything you tell him.’
Drago’s arrogant expression ignited Jess’s temper like a flame set to tinder.
‘For the last blasted time—I know nothing about Angelo’s missing money,’ she hissed.
She felt unbelievably hurt that although he had slept with her he clearly did not trust her. What had she expected? she asked herself miserably. He regarded her as good enough to have sex with but he did not respect her, and by falling into his bed so wantonly she had lost respect for herself.
‘Where are you going?’ he demanded.
‘Anywhere so long as it’s a long way away from you.’ She marched along the corridor without having a clue where she was heading.
‘The exit is in the other direction.’ Drago caught hold of her arm and swung her round to face him, feeling a stab of guilt when he saw tears shimmering in her eyes. ‘I’ve had a difficult day,’ he owned gruffly. ‘I appreciate that you’ve given up a whole day to spend it with Angelo. Shall we go back to the palazzo…?’
‘You mean you’re giving me a choice of whether or not to return to my prison?’ she said sarcastically.
‘Madonna!’ He raked a hand through his hair and glared at her in exasperation. ‘You would test the patience of a saint. If you hate my home so much we’ll go to a restaurant and get something to eat. Who knows? Perhaps a good meal will improve your temper.’
The restaurant was not scarily sophisticated, as Jess had feared, but a charming little place tucked away down a side street with tables set out on the terrace overlooking a narrow canal. The waiters were quietly attentive and seemed to know Drago.
‘Trattoria Marisa is the place I come to when I want to chill out,’ he admitted. He did not reveal that he never brought the women he dated here. In truth he did not know why he had brought Jess to the restaurant which he regarded as a sanctuary away from the stresses of his hectic life.
‘What did the waiter say to you?’ she asked curiously. ‘And why did he keep looking at me?’
‘He said that you are very beautiful and I am very lucky,’ he said drily. He met her startled gaze and his mouth curved into a sudden smile. ‘I agreed with him. You look stunning in that dress.’
Flustered, Jess glanced down at the white silk dress covered with a pattern of pink roses. Like all the clothes from the Cassa di Cassari collection it was pretty and elegant and made her feel very feminine. She studied the menu, which was in Italian and could have been written in hieroglyphics for all the sense it made.
‘You had better order for me,’ she murmured, and was even more disconcerted when Drago moved his chair closer to hers and patiently translated the choice of dishes. She found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying when she was achingly aware of the sensual musk of his aftershave. Her eyes seemed to have a magnetic attraction to his mouth. If he turned his head their lips would almost touch.
Her breath caught in her throat as he trapped her gaze, and she felt his warm breath feather across her lips. Kiss me, she willed him. She wanted him to so badly that she trembled, and her disappointment when he drew his head back from her felt like a knife through her heart.
His eyes darkened, and he gave a ragged laugh as he moved his chair back around the table. ‘Sexual frustration is hell, isn’t it, mia bella? You are driving me insane.’
Thankfully the waiter returned with the wine list and Jess did not have to reply.
The food served at Trattoria Marisa had been excellent as always, Drago mused later as he sipped his coffee. He had declined dessert but Jess had opted for an exotic concoction of chocolate ice-cream and whipped cream, which she had eaten with undisguised enjoyment. Had she any idea how much he was turned on by seeing the tip of her pink tongue lick the last morsel of cream from her spoon? he wondered with wry self-derision.
‘Explain how you were set up to be accused of fraud,’ he said abruptly.
Jess stiffened and gave him a rueful glance. ‘I don’t suppose you’ll believe me.’
‘Try me.’
She sighed. ‘In a way I suppose it started with Daniel dying. He was the closest thing I had to a brother and I missed him terribly. I had to leave the children’s home when I was sixteen. My social worker helped me find a bedsit and I got a job as a waitress in a café.’
She watched a gondola glide along the canal, her expression unknowingly wistful.
‘I was lonely and grieving for Daniel. The highlight of my day was when a handsome businessman would come in to the café for his regular coffee. He would chat to me and ask me how I was, and he sounded as though he really cared. His name was Sebastian Loxley. He told me he had just set up an internet company selling tickets for pop concerts and festivals, and he needed someone to work in the office. I couldn’t believe it when he offered me the job. I was such a naïve fool,’ Jess said bitterly. ‘Seb must have found it so amusing to seduce me. I fell desperately in love with him, and when he invited me out to dinner on my seventeenth birthday and then took me back to his flat—well, let’s just say he didn’t have to try very hard to get me into his bed.’
‘Santa Madre! You were a child,’ Drago said harshly.
She shrugged. ‘Not in legal terms. Unfortunately the law does little to protect vulnerable young adults. At my new job I faithfully followed the instructions I was given by Seb. Ev
ery time I took a credit card payment I made a separate record of the card details, including the security code, and passed the information on to Seb’s accountant because apparently it was needed for tax purposes. I didn’t question what I was doing.’
She blushed with embarrassment.
‘I was bullied at school, so I didn’t go very often, and I left without any qualifications. I didn’t understand about credit cards, and I had no idea that Marcus, the so-called accountant, ran an illegal business cloning cards, or that he paid Seb for the information I was passing to him. Eventually the police discovered the cloning scam, but Marcus must have had a tip-off and he disappeared abroad before they could arrest him. The trail led back to Seb’s company and to me.’
Drago swore beneath his breath. ‘Go on,’ he encouraged when Jess hesitated.
‘I was stunned when Seb told the police he was unaware of what I had been doing. I thought he would explain that he had instructed me to pass on the card details, but instead he put all the blame on me. The police believed him and decided that I had been working with Marcus. I was arrested. At the trial, Seb gave evidence against me.’ Her voice shook. ‘I thought he loved me. He’d even said we’d get married one day. But it was all lies. He didn’t care about me. He didn’t even want…’
‘He didn’t want what?’ Drago prompted. He felt a curious pain in his gut when he saw the misery in her eyes. The feisty Jess he had come to know looked crushed. The idea that she had been preyed on by an unscrupulous crook when she had been so young filled him with rage, and a longing to smash his fist into Sebastian Loxley’s face.
Jess shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said dully. Seb’s scathing response when she had told him she was pregnant with his baby was too painful to talk about. She glanced at Drago, searching for some sign that he believed her story, but his hard features were unreadable.
‘What happened after the court case?’
‘I felt I had hit rock-bottom,’ she said huskily. ‘I had no job, nowhere to live, and no self-respect. I met my social worker from the children’s home, and she arranged for me to stay with a couple who’d had experience fostering troubled teenagers.’ A soft smile lit her face. ‘Ted and Margaret were wonderful people. It’s no exaggeration to say that they changed my life. For the first time ever I felt part of a family. Ted ran a decorating business and he took me on as an apprentice. I discovered a natural talent for woodwork, and I went to college and trained in carpentry before Ted took me on as a business partner. The T and J in the company name stands for Ted and Jess.’
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