Mistress By Blackmail(39)

“Piccolo.” He paced to her side, slid down on the ancient, uncomfortable couch beside her and gathered her into his warm arms. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. All right. She could define one thing he’d become to her during the last day: her rock. “I hope so.”

“I know so,” he said with authority. “I have been assured your father has the best surgeon. He will have the best care after the operation is done. On that, you have my word.”

Marc had taken immediate control as soon as they’d arrived at the hospital. In moments, the hospital staff was in a flurry. Her father was no longer waiting in a queue for the next available surgeon. As a substitute, a top flight doctor was flying in from Edinburgh to take charge. A private room instantly became available. Over a fussy nurse’s objections, Darcy had been allowed a few private moments with her father before he’d been wheeled into surgery.

Tough odds, the surgeon had intoned to Marc in her presence.

The Great Man had given him a frosty glare. Make it happen, he’d commanded.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed and shivered. “It’s been almost six hours.”

“These surgeries take time.” His arms tightened on her.

She peeked at him. His gaze was as clear as iced glass and filled with certain knowledge. Hope mixed with fear wrapping around her throat. “How do you know?”

“I had my staff do some research. I want to have all the facts before me going forward.”

“Why?” The haze of disbelief and fear surrounding her for these last hours blew aside. Why would he do this? It wasn’t his problem. It wasn’t his father.

Dark brows lowered. “I had to know what the possible outcomes were before I made plans for when your father comes out of surgery.”

The haze diminished some more. “But why? Why are you doing this? It isn’t part of our deal. It isn’t something you’re obligated to do.”

The big body beside her stiffened. “It is nothing.”

She creased her brow. “It’s going to cost thousands. Maybe more.”

“Carita.” His grey gaze turned silver in warning. “Leave it.”

“But—”

“I said, leave it.” Tugging her closer to his side, he slipped one hand into his jacket pocket and out came his most formidable weapon at ending any conversation he despised.

Darcy hid her affectionate grin by snuggling into his shoulder. For a moment, the worry for her father lifted. In its place came the memory of what had been happening right before the bad news hit her between the eyes.

She’d been about to make love to this man.

She’d been about to become his real mistress.

She’d been about to claim him as hers.

Glancing down, she admired the long length of his legs, the hardness of his thighs beneath the linen of his slacks. She allowed herself to sink into the lovely swamp of lust and relish the thought of actually being with him. The warm burn pulsed inside her and the agony of waiting and worrying diminished. For a moment.

He scrolled through his emails apparently oblivious to her presence.

Ha! The man didn’t have enough acting skills to carry it off.

Amazingly, astonishingly, she knew he was vitally aware of her beside him. The heat of his arm still wrapped around her back and side. One bold, masculine hand cupped her hip, keeping her close. She also knew, instinctively, he was hoping and praying she’d drop the conversation and sit beside him completely complacent and compliant.

Double ha! The man did not have a clue who he was dealing with.

“I’m not going to let you do it.” Her cheek rubbed on the warm leather of his jacket.

“Mmm.” He ignored her. Or appeared to. His thumb danced across the screen of his phone.

“Dismiss me. Ignore me.”

A dimple showed on the side of his mouth. Then he threw his head back and laughed. The rich, redolent sound swirled through her and she let herself relax in his comforting, warm presence.

The man could laugh.

Comforting. Warm.

Safe.

Something inside her stirred and shivered.

“Piccola carita.” Wry humor filled his words and his amused grey gaze swerved to her face. “There is not a second since we met that I have been able to get you out of my mind.”

His words touched her heart. The warm, comforting feeling blossomed inside her, blanketing the shiver in a blissful bath of happiness.

Then she looked at him.

His face abruptly tightened and his body went taut along her side. The amusement in his eyes faded, to be replaced with a cool chill.

The shiver sliced through the happiness, trailing a cold frost down her spine.