The Sicilian's Innocent Mistress

He gave a terse inclination of his head. ‘I think that might be advisable—for now.’

‘For now?’ she echoed warily.

Luc gave a humourless smile. ‘I don’t like mysteries, Darci—and I find your behaviour a puzzle verging upon an enigma!’

‘I can’t imagine why.’ She gave an impatient shake of her head. ‘Just accept that there’s one woman who doesn’t go weak at the knees just looking at you—’

‘All evidence is to the contrary, Darci,’ he drawled mockingly, and was rewarded by a flash of fiery anger that coloured her cheeks and made her eyes sparkle accusingly.

He knew he was behaving like a complete bastard by reminding her of her weakness a short time ago, but that interlude, pleasuring her, was the only evidence he had that Darci was keeping something from him—something that made her deny even her own response to him. A response she would dearly have liked to pretend had never happened, if that mutinous glitter in her eyes was anything to go by.

But, at the same time, she knew that even if she could forget it, Luc had no intention of doing so….

He grimaced. ‘I don’t believe we will achieve anything by discussing this…situation any further this evening, Darci—’

‘We aren’t going to discuss this any further at all!’

‘We will have dinner together tomorrow evening—’

‘We most certainly will not!’ she assured him incredulously.

‘Oh, yes,’ he asserted, ‘we will. But not in a restaurant this time,’ he stated forcefully. ‘Instead I will bring the makings of our dinner here, leaving it to you to ensure that your flatmates have gone out.’

‘I said we aren’t having dinner together, Luc,’ Darci told him frustratedly. ‘Not tomorrow or any other time!’

He quirked one blond, arrogant brow. ‘You would rather that we continue this…discussion…in front of your flatmates?’

‘I don’t intend continuing this discussion at all, let alone in front of any third party,’ Darci snapped impatiently.

He gave an arrogant smile. ‘Nevertheless, I will be here at seven-thirty tomorrow evening. It is your choice whether or not your flatmates are present.’

‘Flatmate,’ Darci corrected him sharply. ‘I told you that one of my flatmates is away at the moment,’ she reminded him.

Mellie—the woman this man had used and then so callously discarded, Darci reminded herself vehemently.

As Luc would no doubt discard Darci herself once he had satisfied his curiosity about her….

‘So you did.’ He nodded unconcernedly. ‘Until tomorrow evening, then, Darci.’ He bent to pick up his jacket, shrugging his broad shoulders into it before turning to look at her from between narrowed lids. ‘My advice, despite what you may feel to the contrary, is for you not to absent yourself tomorrow evening,’ he told her hardly. ‘That would only involve my having to contact Grant again in order to ascertain your whereabouts…’ he explained.

Darci stared at him impotently. All Kerry’s warnings about the wisdom of attempting to inflict retribution on Luc Gambrelli for hurting Mellie seemed to have come true.

Grant was going to be curious enough about her date with Luc Gambrelli this evening, and would no doubt tease her mercilessly about not confiding in him about it. She had to avoid adding fuel to that fire by allowing Luc to talk to Grant about her again.

She glared. ‘I dislike you intensely, Mr Gambrelli!’ she told him fiercely.

He gave a slow, deliberate smile as his gaze moved slowly up the long length of her bare legs, over her thighs and slender waist, before coming to rest warmly on the firm thrust of her breasts.

Breasts that instantly betrayed her when her nipples hardened against the material of her top!

‘Yes, I can see that you do,’ he observed knowingly, before strolling unconcernedly to the door. ‘Until tomorrow evening, Darci,’ he repeated over his shoulder, before quietly letting himself out of the flat.

Darci stared after him.

She wanted to throw something.

Wanted to hit something.

Wanted to scream and shout.

And all to no avail. She knew doing any of those things would make absolutely no difference to the outcome of her conversation with Luc Gambrelli. She had no choice—unless she wanted Grant to become even more involved than he already was, which she most certainly didn’t!—but to prepare herself for Luc Gambrelli to arrive back here at seven-thirty tomorrow evening….