Christina Hollis - The Ruthless Italian's Inexperienced Wife

Cheryl swallowed hard. She couldn’t even bring herself to think the word. She would just have to put a lid on her lust. If she didn’t, it was sure to lead to disaster.

Thinking back to the tour she had been given earlier in the day by his chef, Cheryl followed Marco out of the nursery suite. Only then did she remember the laundry room was in the same direction as his suite. It might have been better to give Marco a head start. But it was too late now—he must have heard her close the door. She could hardly hang around in the corridor. It would seem suspicious. Keeping her head down, and without looking in the direction he had gone, she put on her most efficient voice.

‘I’ll put some towels out for you in your suite…Marco.’

His name was the only informality she could manage.

‘Fine.’

She expected to see him stride off. That would have given her a good excuse to hang back. She was so much shorter than him, and the distance between them would stifle her embarrassment—or so she thought. Instead, Marco waited for her to catch him up. Shortening his stride, he fell in step beside her. He was close enough for her to sense the musky, warm male smell about him. It tantalised her nostrils until she had to glance at his face. As usual he was smiling, but it was to himself now, not her.

‘I never thought it would be a relief to find a woman whose eyes don’t light up every time she says the word Marco !’ he murmured.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not unique. Graduates from the academy for advanced childcare professionals I attended are trained to deal with celebrity parents at close quarters,’ Cheryl replied, glad he had hit on a bland subject. ‘Our illusions soon go. We stop noticing people like you as individuals. In my experience, they all treat their children the same way in any case,’ she finished, managing a barb.

‘Oh? And you’re so much better than they are, I suppose?’ he probed.

‘That’s why they employ top-class nannies like me, yes,’ Cheryl retorted, but regretted it straight away. Marco Rossi’s expression had hardened. She knew then it was a mistake to go on digging in the knife over Vettor.

Luckily, they reached the door to Marco’s suite before either of them could react to her words. Cheryl stood aside. It was a good excuse for another change of tone.

‘I’ll go and fetch you some towels and pyjamas—’

He exploded with laughter. ‘I don’t need pyjamas ! I haven’t worn those since I left home as a teenager!’

‘Then what—’ Cheryl began, and stopped. What else would Marco Rossi wear to bed, apart from that crooked smile of his? Flustered, she looked down at the toes of her shoes and blushed.

He stopped laughing the moment she realised her mistake. ‘Just towels will be fine.’

Only gentle amusement tinged his words now. It gave Cheryl the confidence to look up and carry on.

‘I’ll be as quick as I can, although I must look in on Vettor every few minutes. He’ll be so pleased to know you’re here when he wakes up properly!’ she said, hoping it was true.

‘When are the electricity people turning up?’ Marco strolled past her into his room, already peeling off his sodden jacket.

‘They wouldn’t give me an exact time.’

‘In that case, you concentrate on Vettor. I’ll tackle the workmen when they get here.’

‘But you haven’t had any sleep!’

‘Don’t worry about that. A shower and something to eat will keep me going for a while longer.’

Cheryl gazed at him, half afraid to see how much more he might take off while she was standing on the threshold. ‘I hope there’s something in the kitchen for you to eat. Things went a bit haywire when the staff left, and with Vettor being ill…’

Marco nodded. ‘I’m glad you were here to look after him, Cheryl. I’m grateful. Your glowing references weren’t exaggerating, were they? You really are a remarkable woman.’

Cheryl took a second step back, away from him. It was another compliment. This could only mean trouble. She began to wonder if perhaps her instincts were right—that only a split second had separated Marco’s silver tongue from feeling so sweet against her lips. The next time they were alone together her resistance might crumble altogether. She could not afford to fall under his spell again.

‘That’s why you pay staff like me such good rates,’ she said, emphasising the social divide between them on purpose. ‘People who only offer peanuts get the monkeys they deserve. And now I really must go and look for those towels.’

Her excuse was as feeble as her will-power. The only reason she had to get away was to escape the torment of his presence.

CHAPTER FOUR

CHERYL cooled down for long enough to remember where the airing cupboards were. She half hoped time away from Marco would allow her mind to clear properly. When she was in his orbit he filled her senses and turned her to marshmallow. While he was out of sight she wouldn’t have the distraction of those clean-cut features and his sinuous movements. She could concentrate and become efficient, dependable Cheryl again.

Arriving back in Marco’s suite, she found it almost silent. The only sound was the faint hiss of running water, coming from his en-suite bathroom. What Cheryl should have done was march straight into his dressing room, deliver the towels and go. But Marco would be busy in the shower for as long as she could hear the water run. That reassured her, and the temptation to explore his kingdom was too great.

This master suite was one of the few completed parts of the Villa Monteolio. Marco’s chef had showed her around earlier in the day. Greatly daring, Cheryl risked taking another quick look. The rooms were practically empty of furniture, but they were full of sweet fragrances. All the woodwork was freshly painted in white, and the walls had been given coats of pale, neutral colours. There were no drapes at the windows yet. Chef had told her in hushed tones that they were still being made—in Milan, of all places. A single large abstract painting hung over the reception-room fireplace. Its organic shapes in shades of copper and gold picked up the colours of the original light fittings and the hearth. It put a contemporary twist on gracious living, and Cheryl decided Marco Rossi’s craftsmen and interior designers must really know what they were doing.

Still the shower powered on. She edged farther into the suite. There were built-in wardrobes along one whole wall of Marco’s dressing room, and a door had been left open, giving her a glimpse into a walk-in space the size of a small bedroom. She could see designer suits in every weight from linen to wool, and dozens of shirts.

Looking nervously over her shoulder, she took a few more steps. A chest stood against the back wall of the massive cupboard. Its drawers had been pulled out from the bottom upwards in his search for clothes. They had been left open like steps, burglar fashion. Craning her neck, Cheryl could see casual tops neatly folded and laid out according to type, style and colour. It was hard not to wonder how much it had all cost. The rich certainly are different , she marvelled, then realised she should be making her escape.

Alert to the still crackling patter of water from the shower room, she walked over to deliver the warm towels she had brought. She would leave them just inside the door. As long as she was quick, she could be in and out without him knowing. But the moment she entered she saw his wet clothes, discarded in a heap. Her mind began to work, and those strange feelings started tormenting her again. He

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