The Sicilian's Innocent Mistress

Her eyes blazed deeply green. ‘You can’t,’ she accepted. ‘But I certainly can!’

Luc returned her gaze frustratedly. ‘My mother didn’t see anything—’

‘She didn’t need to see anything,’ Darci came back emotionally. ‘It had to be pretty obvious even to the most casual observer—which your mother most certainly isn’t!—exactly what we were doing.’

When Chantelle Gambrelli had interrupted the two of them, Darci’s reaction had been to turn and run through and from the room where the party was being held. She had been made all the more desperate because, having come back to reality with the suddenness of being dunked in a cold shower, she had been completely unnerved by the realisation of the intensity of her own hunger.

Her life had been so structured up to this point—with her goals and ambitions not quite set in stone, but close enough. She had wanted to be a doctor, the very best doctor she could be, and personal relationships of any kind had necessarily been put on hold until she had achieved that goal.

The fact that none of that had seemed important while Luc was kissing and caressing her, that she had forgotten everything but him and the feel of his mouth and hands on her body, everything but touching him as intimately, shook her to the core.

She loved Luc. She had already known that before she’d agreed to come away with him this weekend, but until a few minutes ago she hadn’t realised the depth of that love, how it nullified, made less of everything that made up the fabric of her life.

The love she had for Luc was mind-consuming, as well as emotion-consuming; he possessed and captured her to the exclusion of all and everything else.

But Luc had no intention of returning that depth of emotion. He had made it clear that he totally denied love in his life.

Oh, Darci had no doubt that after this evening Luc might consider offering her an affair. But just the thought of becoming one of those needy, clinging women who only lived for the intermittent visits of her lover made Darci feel cold inside.

Loving Luc as she did, she didn’t think she could ever settle for so little of him….

Luc looked down at Darci as the emotions flickered across her expressive face far too quickly for him to read, let alone analyse. ‘Darci, talk to me!’ he urged as he held her gently in front of him.

She shook her head, her gaze no longer meeting his. ‘Just now was a mistake. An embarrassing mistake,’ she recalled with a quiver. ‘And I really can’t face your mother again after—after that.’ She sighed wearily. ‘Could you please make my excuses to the rest of your family?’

It was only ten-thirty—far too early, in all politeness, for Luc to absent himself from his own mother’s birthday party. And, after the intimacy of the scene his mother had witnessed a few minutes ago, only one construction could be put on both Darci and himself disappearing now!

He didn’t want his family to think those things of Darci, of all women….

She already looked what she was: a woman who had just reached the peak of sexual arousal. Her eyes were still slightly misty from her release, her mouth kiss-swollen, her dress slightly crumpled from where he had pushed it out of the way with impatient hands, so that he might touch and caress her naked breasts.

None of which would have been missed minutes ago by his over-interested family as Darci had made her hasty exit, closely followed by a darkly scowling Luc!

He released her to nod abruptly, knowing the reception area of the hotel wasn’t the place for this discussion. ‘I will tell my family that you have a headache and have retired to bed.’

Darci looked up at him with shadowed eyes. ‘Do you think that what your mother witnessed just now will convince her to back off with her matchmaking?’

He shrugged broad shoulders, his face an expressionless mask. ‘Let’s just say that your presence tonight has—served its purpose.’

She gave a tight smile. ‘Thank goodness we’re due to leave early tomorrow morning! I don’t think I could face any of your family again after tonight,’ she added, at Luc’s questioning look.

‘Don’t worry about that just now, Darci.’

‘Don’t worry about it?’ she echoed with a pained wince. ‘I’m never going to be able to forget it!’