Max shrugged lightly, wearing his mantle of privilege easily. Darcy sighed. She couldn't even fault him for that, though. It wasn't as if he hadn't earned it.
'Darcy...' he said carefully. 'What happened earlier-'
She sat up and said quickly, 'It was nothing, really. It's just been a lot to take in.'
Max's hands clenched on the steering wheel and he said after a long moment, 'Do you know I've never really said thank you?'
She looked at him and his jaw was firm. He glanced at her, and then back to the road. 'Thank you, Darcy, for doing this. I don't underestimate how big a favour it is.'
Darcy felt herself weakening, any residual tendrils of anger fading. She knew Max well enough to know that he rarely said thank you unless it really meant something to him.
She was about to say something in response when an insidious suspicion occurred to her and her eyes narrowed on Max, taking in his oh, so benign expression in the half-light of the car. She folded her arms. 'I'm not sleeping with you, Max.'
He glanced at her again and that mocking look was back on his face. 'I wasn't aware I'd asked the question.'
'You don't have to. It's there between us... But I just can't.'
Because you'll hurt me.
Darcy sucked in a breath, the truth finally revealing itself to her. She was in way too deep with Max already. If they slept together his inevitable rejection would crush her. The thought was utterly galling, but it was a fact.
Max's jaw was firm again in the low light of the car. 'I said before that I don't play games, Darcy. It's your choice.' He slid her a darkly wicked look. 'But I won't promise not to try to change your mind.'
In a firm bid to ignore that disturbing promise, Darcy changed the subject. 'Who owns the villa we're going to?'
'A good friend of mine and his family-Dante D'Aquanni.'
'I've heard of him,' Darcy said. 'He's in construction?'
Max nodded, negotiating a hairpin turn by the lake with skill. 'He and his family are living temporarily in Spain while he works on a project.'
'How do you know him?'
Max's hands tightened momentarily on the wheel. 'We go back a long way... He was one of the first clients I had who trusted me to invest his money for him.'
Precluding any further conversation, Max turned into a clearing where huge ornate gates loomed in the dark, with stone walls on either side. When the gates swung open Max drove in and a stunningly beautiful villa was revealed, with stone steps leading up to an impressive porch and door.
Golden light spilled from the doorway when it opened and a housekeeper came bustling out. A younger man joined the old woman who met them and took their bags. Max greeted the housekeeper warmly and introduced Darcy to the woman, who was called Julieta.
The D'Aquannis' housekeeper led them inside, chatting to Max easily, and Darcy guessed he'd been there before. The interior was awe-inspiring, with high ceilings, an impressive staircase, and huge rooms visible off the stone-flagged reception area.
One room, when Darcy peeked into it, seemed to have a blue glass ceiling. Murano glass? she wondered.
Max turned to Darcy after Julieta had offered some refreshments and Darcy seized the opportunity to reply in front of a witness, saying in Italian that she was tired and would like to go to bed. She ignored Max's undoubtedly mocking look.
It was with a feeling of mounting dread, however, as they followed Julieta upstairs, that Darcy wondered if they were going to be shown to one bedroom...
To her abject relief Julieta opened a door, motioning to Max, and then led Darcy to the next door along the wide corridor, opening it to reveal a sumptuous bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room.
Julieta bustled off again, after pointing some things out to Darcy and telling her that breakfast would be ready at nine a.m.
Darcy's relief lasted precisely as long as it took for Max to appear in an adjoining doorway, with a wicked glint in his eye.
Arms folded across that broad chest, he leaned gracefully against the doorframe. 'I told Dante about the true nature of our marriage...needless to say I'm regretting that impulse now.'
Darcy put her hands on her hips. 'Well, I'm not. Goodnight, Max.'
Max said musingly, almost as if she hadn't spoken, 'You know, I've never really had to woo a woman before-I'm looking forward to it.'
Her belly exploded as if a hundred butterflies had been set free. Of course Max Fonseca Roselli Fonseca had never wooed a woman before, because they always fell into his lap like ripe plums.
She started walking towards the door, prepared to shut it in his face. 'I'll save you the trouble. I'm really not worth it.'
Max's gaze dropped down over her body with explicit directness. 'On the contrary...I think you'll be very worth it.' He stood away from the door then, and said, 'Goodnight, Darcy.'
And then the adjoining door closed in her face, before she could make a smart retort, and she looked at it feeling ridiculously deflated, curbing the urge to open it again and follow Max into his room.
What had she expected? That Max would ignore a challenge? She was very afraid that she'd handled this all wrong. Max would accept nothing less than total capitulation, and his tone of voice said that he didn't expect it to take all that long.
Darcy stomped around the thickly carpeted room, getting unpacked and ready for bed, and muttered to herself, 'Do your worst, Roselli. I'm stronger than you think.'
* * *
Apparently she wasn't as strong as she thought after all. When she emerged for breakfast the following morning and saw Max sitting at the table which had been set up on a terrace at the back of the villa she immediately felt weak.
She studiously ignored the spectacular view of the lake-she had a very old fear of any expanse of water, no matter how scenic it was.
Max was wearing worn jeans and a dark polo top, his hair dishevelled by the breeze. When he lifted his hand to take a sip from a small coffee cup his well-formed bicep bulged and Darcy went hot all over.
As if sensing her scrutiny, he looked up and smiled. 'Good morning...sleep well?'
She fixed a bright smile on her face and moved forward, avoiding direct eye contact. 'Yes, thank you-like a baby and all people with a clear conscience.'
Max made an ouch sound and said dryly, 'Then I hate to inform you that I must be on the side of the angels as I slept well too.'
Darcy snorted inelegantly, helping herself to some pastries and pungent coffee, closing her eyes for a moment to savour the smell. Heaven.
When she opened them again it was to find Max giving her a leisurely once-over. His gaze stopped at her breasts and Darcy looked down, aghast to see the hard points of her nipples pushing against the thin material of the light sundress she'd put on, in the absence of anything remotely businesslike.
She resisted the urge to fold her arms over her chest and took her time over eating the delicious pastries and some fruit, avoiding Max studiously. When she did glance at him he seemed fixated on the corner of her mouth, and then he leaned forward to reach out and touch it with his index finger.
When he sat back she saw some jam on it, and he proceeded to lick it off the top of his finger-which had a direct effect on the pulse between Darcy's legs and abruptly made her appetite fade to be replaced by a much earthier one.
Not willing to sit there like a mouse, while Max the predatory cat played with her, Darcy stood up and said briskly, 'I'll find out where the study is, shall I? And check e-mails and-'
Max stood up too and reached for Darcy easily, taking her hand. 'You're doing no such thing. I've got plans for today and they won't be taking place in a study.'
Darcy pulled free and stepped back, panic fluttering along her nerve-endings at the thought of Max devoting all his attention to her. 'I don't mind. We should really make sure that-'
Suddenly Max dipped out of sight and Darcy's world was upended. She found herself in his arms, clinging onto his neck in fright.
'What the hell-?' she got out in a choked voice.
But Max was saying something to Julieta over her head about being back later for dinner. The woman smiled at them benevolently, as if she saw this kind of thing all the time. It made Darcy wonder about the owners.
Max finally let her down once they were outside, in order to open the passenger door of the car. Darcy tried to make a dash for it, back to the villa, but he wound an arm around her waist, practically lifting her into the passenger seat.
Darcy fumed as she watched him come around the front of the car, his eyes on hers warning her not to defy him again. When he swung in and quickly locked the doors from the inside Darcy sputtered, 'This is tantamount to kidnap...and you're blatantly taking advantage of my size... You're a...a sizeist!'