Too Cold To Love (26 page)

Jennifer's mask dropped then.

"He can't, I mean, he would never have… he
would never let you near Mimi after that."

Marco stepped out from behind that fern, his
eyes only on Elise. He smiled at the mixture of relief and surprise on her face
when she spotted him.

"Seems to me, you don't know me very well
at all, Jennifer."

****

Elise's knees turned to jelly seeing Marco come
towards her.
 
His eyes locked with hers
as though he was looking right down into her soul. He pulled her into his hard
frame, and his voice showed his amusement.

"Hey,
angelo mio
, remind me never to
cross you when there's a frying pan around."

"How long have you been there?" Elise
had to ask.

Oh no, how much of this had he heard?

"Long enough,
cara mia,
long
enough."

"Oh, how touching."

Jennifer's sarcastic and slightly panicky voice
made Elise look back at her. Marco's arms tightened around her a bit more when
he addressed his ex-wife.

"Are you still here, Jennifer? Your plan
didn't work, so get lost already."

Tension radiated off him. He purposefully turned
his back on Jennifer, and his eyes once again locked with hers. She was dimly
aware of Jennifer rambling on in the back ground, over the rushing in her ear,
and that crazy rabbit which seemed to have taken up residence in her chest
again.

"Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you? But you
can't get rid of me that easily. I can make your life very difficult for you.
I'll fight you every step of the way. Damn it, are you listening to me,
Marco?"

Marco was still looking at Elise, as though he
had never seen her before. She wasn't at all sure her legs would be able to do
their job, were it not for Marco holding her so tightly.

"Oh this is ridiculous. You're making me
feel sick. Do you honestly think she's going to stay with you?
 
The woman was a nanny, for God's sake. She
isn't going to settle for a man who's firing blanks. I told you before, Marco;
no woman ever would."

That
got through
to Elise's mush for brains, that being looked at as though she was the most
precious thing ever, had reduced them to. Oh the nerve of that sorry excuse for
a woman. Her heart clenched painfully seeing Marco stood stock still, his eyes
shut, that awful dejected slump back to his shoulders, and Elise saw red.

"How
dare
you, Jennifer.
 
Enough! Do you not have an ounce of
compassion in your body? Some of us are not as shallow as you. For heaven's
sake, anyone can use their dick to impregnate someone. Big woohoo. That's not
what makes you a man, much less a dad. Sticking around and fighting for those
you love, no matter what happens is what does that. Marco is a brilliant daddy
to Mimi, and we are very lucky to have him. Now get the fuck out!"

She wrenched herself out of Marco's tight
embrace, dimly registering his stunned expression, before she grabbed the
frying pan and narrowly missed a white-faced Jennifer. It was with grim
satisfaction that she chased the woman down the garden path swinging that heavy
pan like a demented thing. She slammed the garden gate shut and promptly burst
into tears.

Oh shit
, what had
she done. She hadn't lost her temper like that in ages. Knowing Jennifer, she
was going to run straight back to her solicitors.

Fanbloodytastic, you've given the witch yet
more ammunition to use against you. Marco is going to explode.

Marco's warm hand closed over the frozen grip
she still had on the pan. His deep voice in her ear soothed her overwrought
nerves.

"Let it go. She's gone,
cara mia.
"

"I'm sorry, Marco, she just got me so
angry, and oh hell… I've made things ten times worse, haven't I?"

Marco just shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing
Robert can't deal with."

"Perhaps I ought to just go. It will be
better for everyone. She will leave you alone, and you and Mimi can be happy
together."

Marco's furious string of Italian swear words
made Elise take a step back.

"Have you lost your mind, woman? What on
earth makes you think we could ever be happy without you?"

"But I thought..."

He pulled her to him. His mouth came down hard
on hers. His hands dug into her arms, before he released her so abruptly she
almost fell.

"If you want to leave us, then go. I won't
stop you. But do it for your own reasons, not because of anything that bitch
said."

Another soft curse made Elise's toes curl under,
and she almost didn't hear the whispered words that followed.

"
Amore mio
, if you feel anything at
all... for me ...then
Dio Santo
... stay...please."

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Elise stood frozen to the spot, held in place by
the heated intensity in Marco's eyes. Her heart gave the odd erratic bump.
Marco's uncertain smile had her finally drawing a shuddering breath into her
screaming lungs, and her heartbeat returned to normal.

Had she just imagined him saying that? It almost
sounded as though he cared about her and wanted her to stay for him.

"Marco...I..."

"Papa, Papa here!"

Mimi's excited voice stopped her from
responding, and Marco turned slowly to scoop his daughter up mid run, his eyes
seeking hers over Mimi's darklocks. Elise felt that look all the way down to
her curling toes, her feelings overwhelming her. She loved them so much, but
how could she stay, when it could mean that Marco lost Mimi? The mere
possibility filled her with such icy dread she had to rub the goose bumps off
her exposed forearms. Jennifer was clearly unhinged and would stop at nothing.
Elise would never forgive herself if she was the cause of hurting Marco more,
even if leaving him meant cutting out her beating heart and living with the
empty shell left behind.

"Ach, how lovely. Yae've come hame for
lunch again, Mr Marco. Anyone would think yae've missed us."

Agnes chuckled to herself and was about to
return to the kitchen when her gaze fell on the abandoned frying pan on the
floor.

"Now whit's that doing there, I wonder?"

Mimi giggled, and Marco threw an imploring look
at Elise.

"I'm so sorry, Agnes, I used it to chase
away a...a rat. Didn't know what else to use."

"A rat yae say? Was it a big heavin' rat,
by any chance? Of the female kind who should've kent better than tae snoop
around here?" Agnes looked between Marco and Elise, shaking her head and
murmuring to herself, and Elise had to smile at the expression on her face.

"Well, yae best give me that, so I can
scrub it. Hope yae got the ... rat! Come on, Mimi; help me make lunch for yer
ma and pa!"

Mimi skipped off with the still muttering
housekeeper,and Marco's amused chuckle chased the goose bumps off Elise's skin.

"I get the feeling,
cara mia,
that
Agnes knows exactly who the rat was you chased away. Brilliant thinking on your
part. I would hate for Mimi to know that the wicked witch of the East was
here."

His warm, tender gaze warmed Elise up even more,
and she gratefully stepped into his open arms.

"You are so good for her,
angelo mio
.
I can never thank you enough." His low whisper in her ear, coupled with
the soft kisses on her neck made Elise melt into his embrace. She reveled at
the feel of the strong, hard arms, cradling her. She could happily stay like
this forever. No one had ever made her feel as safe as Marco did just at this
moment, whispering more words in Italian which she didn't understand. If only
she could voice her love for him which was setting her on fire from the inside
out. The knowledge forever branded on her heart and soul, scorched her with their
need to be said. But how could she with the whole custody thing hanging over
them. What was he saying to her?

"Hey, you were going to teach me, not fair
you're rambling on like this."

Marco's arms tensed for just a second, before he
sighed.

"I was saying that I could not..."

"Papa, Mamma
here
now!"

Mimi's loud, insistent, foot-stomping
interruption made them both groan before smiling at each other. "Okay,
okay, we're coming."

Marco threaded his hand through hers, his other
holding Mimi's, and together they went to the kitchen as one.

"There yae are. Sit, sit. We stopped by
Giovanni's pizza, so just had tae warm these up. Mimi helped make the
salad."

Agnes looked at the three of them with a warm
smile whilst she dished out steaming slices of pizza with Italian salad. Elise
made herself busy cutting up Mimi's pizza, whilst Marco filled the little
girl's glass with water. Mimi made them all laugh, making yum, yum noises with
her mouth full whilst trying to sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Throughout
it all, Marco's emotionally charged glances towards her left Elise tingling
from the inside out unable to eat much at all. How many times had they done
this in the past, a normal everyday meal, yet the air was thick with tension,
the ripples of change as noticeable as the light breeze coming in through the
open doors.

Mimi's loud yawn had Marco picking his daughter
up with a smile. "Time for your nap,
bambina piccola
. Give Mamma a
kiss."

Mimi curled into her dad's broad chest with
another yawn, and Elise leaned across to brush a tender kiss across her
slightly sticky forehead.

"Hang on, Marco, she'll need a wash."
She grabbed a cloth from the side to wipe Mimi's face clean.

"Euwww, mamma, nincompoop," was her
reward, and Elise shared another amused look with Marco before he took his
daughter upstairs.

Elise looked after them for the longest time,
her emotions in turmoil until Agnes's loud throat clearing made her aware of
the housekeeper looking at her curiously.

"Everything ok with yae? That rat hasnae
unsettled yae too much, has it?"

Elise shook her head making herself smile at
Agnes. "No, everything's fine.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

"Good. I ken it isnae any of mah business,
but that rat, well, ah hope yae chased her away fir good. Her kind are like bad
smells, hanging around, tryin' tae make trouble fir you and the wee yin, but
Mr. Marco, he'll get rid of the sleekit wee creature, you'll see."

"I'm not so sure, Agnes."

"What a piece of nonsense! The three of yae
are a proper wee family now. It's time this hoose got some permanent laughter.
Go on, off yae go, up they stairs. I reckon he wants yae. Coulda saved mahsel'
the lighting of thon oven wae those looks he gave yae. Now away, and dinnae you
worry, I'll turn the radio on nice an' loud."

"
Agnes
!"

But she had turned her back on Elise, chuckling
to herself. Sure enough, by the time Elise reached the top of the stairs the
radio was blaring in the kitchen.

Marco stuck his head out of Mimi's bedroom and
raised his eyebrows at Elise. He pulled the door shut. Agnes started to sing
along to the radio very off key.

"What has gotten into her,
cara mia
?
We will have the neighborhood cats howling at the back door. Elise, what's
wrong?"

Elise made herself look at him, the concern in
his eyes her undoing.

"Nothing's wrong, she's making sure she
can't hear us, that's all. She seems to think that...urm... well..."

Marco chuckled low in his throat interrupting
her with a wicked smile.

"I'm going to drag you off to the bedroom
the minute you get up here?" Marco asked. "Hmm, the idea has merit.
After all, we wouldn't want her poor vocal cords to be exercised for nothing
would we,
tesoro
?"

"Marco, Mimi—"

"Is fast asleep. She was exhausted after
all the excitement of the market, so unless you can come up with any other
objection?" Before Elise could say anything she found herself drawn into
his body. His lips claimed hers, and she was lost in her own, immediate
response which was as instinctive as breathing.

"
Mia bella moglie, amore mio..."
Marco whispered in between tender kisses which made Elise feel cherished, and
her heart rejoiced as her own doubts took leave. When she couldn't help but
kiss him back, Marco picked her up with a low grunt. He kicked their bedroom
door shut before he put her down slowly, the heat in his eyes melting her
bones.

Her voice was a breathy whisper. "Marco,
but what about Jennifer?"

"What about her,
amore mio
? I told
you Robert will deal with her." Marco kissed down her neck setting her
whole being alight with pure sensual awareness.

"Marco, stop, please, this is serious. She
won't just go away, will she?"