Read Online Da Silva's Mistress by Tina Duncan - Free Book Online Page A

clenching thebauble was caught between their two bodies and the chain finally gave out, collapsing like a strand of overcooked spaghetti between them.
    ‘Oh!’ Morgan looked down, clearly surprised. In doing so, she revealed the curve of her neck.
    ‘Dio!’ Luca lifted a hand to the red welt around her throat. ‘You’ve hurt yourself.’
    Morgan lifted a hand and winced as she touched the tender flesh.
    Luca released her waist, but kept hold of her hand. ’Do you have a first-aid kit?’
    ‘Yes. In the bathroom.’
    Following her pointing finger, Luca led her down a short corridor to a brightly tiled bathroom. Opening the cabinet she indicated, he located the first-aid kit. Flipping open the lid, he riffled through the contents until he found a tube of antiseptic cream.
    ‘Hold your hair up,’ he instructed.
    Morgan dutifully gathered the thick swathe of her hair between her hands and held it above her bent head. Luca watched her breasts lift in the mirror, then dropped his eyes to the back of her neck and frowned at the swollen red skin.
    Twisting the top off the tube, he squeezed a small portion of cream onto his fingertip. ‘This might hurt.’
    She nodded.
    He heard the hiss of her breath as he gently applied the cream along the length of the wound. ‘That was a stupid thing to do,’ he remarked grimly.
    She shrugged. ‘I didn’t realise I was doing it,’ she mumbled, confirming exactly what he’d thought at the time.
    Which rather exploded his idea of manipulation, didn’t it?
    It was also an indictment on him. He’d put her in such a stressful position she’d been unaware of damaging herself.
    Screwing the cap back on, he tossed the tube onto the marble vanity unit and stared at their twin reflections in the mirror. ‘What if I say no?’ he asked quietly.
    Her head shot up, her hands dropping her hair, which fell around her shoulders like black silk. Their eyes met in the mirror. ‘Then the deal is off!’
    Luca knew Morgan possessed many talents, but he decided bluffing wasn’t one of them. He could see the resolution in her eyes. Could see the resolve squaring her shoulders.
    Sighing heavily, he asked, ‘How long do you want?’
    ‘One month,’ Morgan answered, squeezing the words out through numb lips.
    She didn’t know what surprised her more. The tender way Luca had attended to her neck or the fact that he was prepared to negotiate a reprieve with her.
    ‘One month?’ Luca repeated incredulously. He shook his head. ‘That’s too long. What about forty-eight hours?’
    Morgan’s heart sank. She frowned and unlinked the fingers she’d automatically crossed behind her back. ’No. The whole idea is for me to get to know you better. I can’t do that in two days.’
    ‘I’m not waiting a month.’
    The stubborn tilt of Luca’s jaw told her she’d be wasting her breath trying to convince him to wait for that length of time. She’d known it was a long shot, but it had been worth a try. ‘Two weeks. How about two weeks?’
    A long minute passed while Luca just stared at her. Then he cupped the side of her face and rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb. ‘Forget it!’
    ‘A week,’ she gasped out. ‘How about a week?’
    Luca took his time answering. Finally he sighed and nodded. ‘OK. Agreed.’
    ‘Good,’ Morgan said briskly. ‘I would suggest—’
    She broke off as Luca swept an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. She pressed her hands against his chest and leaned back as far she could, away from the heat and the potent male smell of him.
    ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
    ‘Sealing our arrangement.’ Luca smiled a slow, sexy smile that made her heart somersault in her chest and liquid heat pool in her belly. ‘What better way to do that than with a kiss?’
    ‘But—’
    ‘But what? If you’re suggesting we do nothing more than hold hands for the next week, then you’re out of your mind. I’m a man, not a boy. If you want to get to know me then you