His arrest days later for criminal negligence had confirmed what sort of man she’d foolishly woven her dreams around.
She met his gaze now. ‘You got what you wanted—your name next to mine on the front page. The whole world knows I left with you last night, that I’m no longer engaged to Harry.’
His hand slipped to her nape, worked over tense muscles. ‘And how did Fairfield take being so unceremoniously dumped?’ he asked.
‘Harry cares about me, so he was a complete gentleman about it. Shame I can’t say the same about you.’
Dark grey eyes gleamed dangerously. ‘You mean he wasn’t torn up at the thought of never having access to this body again?’ he mocked.
She lifted a brow. ‘Never say never.’
Tension coiled his body. ‘If you think I’ll tolerate any further interaction between you and Fairfield, you’re severely mistaken,’ he warned with a dark rumble.
‘Why, Zaccheo, you sound almost jealous.’
Heat scoured his cheekbones and a tiny part of her quailed at her daring. ‘You’d be wise to stop testing me, dolcezza.’
‘If you want this to stop, tell me why you’re doing this.’
‘I’m only going to say it one more time, so let it sink in. I don’t intend to stop until your father’s reputation is in the gutter and everything he took from me is returned, plus interest.’
‘Can I see the proof of what you accuse my father of?’
‘Would you believe even if you saw it? Or will you cling to the belief that I’m the big, bad ogre who’s just throwing his weight about?’ he taunted.
Eva looked down at the papers on the table, every last one containing everything Zaccheo had demanded. Would her father have done it if Zaccheo’s threats were empty?
‘Last night, when you said you and I...’ She stopped, unable to process the reality.
‘Would be married in two weeks? Sì, I meant that, too. And to get that ball rolling, we’re going shopping for an engagement ring in exactly ten minutes, after which we have a full day ahead, so if you require further sustenance I suggest you finish your breakfast.’
He dropped his fingers from her nape and stepped back. With a last look filled with steely determination, he picked up the closest paper and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER FIVE
THEIR FIRST STOP was an exclusive coat boutique in Bond Street. Zaccheo told himself it was because he didn’t want to waste time. The truth mocked him in the form of needing to cover Eva Pennington’s body before he lost any more brain cells to the lust blazing through his bloodstream.
In the dark cover of her family terrace and the subsequent helicopter journey home, he’d found relief from the blatant temptation of her body.
In the clear light of day, the red dress seemed to cling tighter, caress her body so much more intimately that he’d had to fight the urge to lunge for her each time she took a breath.
He watched her now, seated across from him in his limo as they drove the short twenty-minute distance to Threadneedle Street where his bankers had flown in the diamond collection he’d requested from Switzerland.
Her fingers plucked at the lapel of the new white cashmere coat, then dropped to cinch the belt tighter at her tiny waist.
‘You didn’t need to buy me a coat,’ she grumbled. ‘I have a perfectly good one back at my flat.’
He reined in his fascination with her fingers. ‘Your flat is on the other side of town. I have more important things to do than waste an hour and a half sitting in traffic.’
Her plump lips pursed. ‘Of course, extracting your pound of flesh is an all-consuming business, isn’t it?’
‘I don’t intend to stop at a mere pound, Eva. I intend to take the whole body.’
One eyebrow spiked. ‘You seem so confident I’m going to hand myself to you on a silver platter. Isn’t that a tad foolish?’
There was that tone again, the one that said she didn’t believe him.
‘I guess we’ll find out one way or the other when the sordid details are laid out for you on Monday. All you need to concern yourself about today is picking out an engagement ring that makes the right statement.’
Her striking green eyes clashed with his and that lightning bolt struck again. ‘And what statement would that be?’ she challenged.
He let loose a chilling half-smile that made his enemies quake. ‘Why, that you belong to me, of course.’