The Italian Marriage. Kathryn Ross

are renting is up for sale,’ he said casually.

      ‘How do you know about that?’ She stared up at him in confusion and then the mist cleared. Obviously, her mother had contacted him this morning, had gone ahead and asked for his help. Was that why he had rushed around here now, because he thought he could use this to his advantage? Furiously she shook her head. ‘Look, Marcus, I don’t know what Mum has told you, but…’

      ‘Your mother hasn’t told me anything.’

      ‘So how do you know the house is for sale? It hasn’t even gone on the market yet.’

      He leaned on the back of the chair and stared at her, a wry look on his face as he watched her perplexity. ‘Oh, come on, Gemma, you didn’t honestly think you could rent a house like that for what you’ve been paying?’

      ‘You mean you’ve been paying my rent?’ She struggled blindly to comprehend what was going on here.

      ‘I’ve waived your rent,’ he said nonchalantly. ‘The house belongs to me. You see, I know you have been determined not to accept my help in any way but I have been doubly determined that you should.’

      ‘Well, you had no right!’ All colour drained from her skin and she stood up to face him on legs that were decidedly shaky. ‘I told you I didn’t want you interfering in my life—’

      ‘I wasn’t interfering and I didn’t do it for you, I did it for my son,’ he said calmly.

      ‘And now, when it suits, you’re throwing us out…’ Her tone was icily cold. ‘And you wonder why I didn’t want to accept any help from you in the first place.’

      ‘I’m not throwing you out. You can continue to live there for as long as you like. I’m just giving you a wake-up call. I’ve tried to tell you nicely, now I’m telling you clearly. I won’t allow you to shut me out of Liam’s life for a moment longer.’

      ‘Well, here’s a wake-up call for you,’ Gemma retorted furiously. ‘I wouldn’t want to live in that house now if it was the last one left standing in London. Liam and I will be moving out at the end of the month.’

      ‘When Liam moves out of that house he will be accompanying me back to Italy,’ Marcus replied calmly.

      ‘Not while there is a single ounce of strength left in my body.’

      Marcus walked slowly around the desk until he was standing very close to her, then reached out and touched her face. Considering the fact that they were both intensely angry it was a strangely tender caress and it made her shiver deep inside. ‘I can think of better ways for that beautiful body of yours to expend energy,’ he murmured.

      Her eyes locked with his and she felt her breathing quickening, her pulses racing in disarray. She tried to tell herself to move back from him, but it was as if he held her under some kind of spell and she was unable to break free. Her body was a whisper breath from his and she felt the electric magnetism of him invade her very soul.

      ‘I don’t want to fight with you, Gemma. We both have Liam’s best interests at heart,’ he continued softly. ‘And I am willing to compromise.’

      Somehow she managed to take a step back from him. ‘You’ll allow me to come to Italy for my holidays, you mean?’ she murmured shakily. ‘No thank you, Marcus. I’ll pass on that.’

      ‘And I wouldn’t blame you for passing on that. I don’t want to be a part-time parent in the holidays, myself.’

      ‘Then don’t leave England.’ Her voice held a husky tremor that made it sound more of a plea than an ultimatum.

      ‘I have to.’

      ‘She must be some woman if you are choosing her over your son.’

      ‘I’m not choosing anyone over my son,’ he said firmly. ‘I’m hoping I can have it all.’

      ‘Nobody can have it all, Marcus,’ she said quietly. ‘Not even you.’

      ‘When I’ve made up my mind to something, I usually get what I want.’

      The quiet confidence of that last remark made Gemma’s heart thud heavily and unevenly in her chest.

      ‘Look, I haven’t got time for this,’ she murmured. She glanced beyond him towards the office and noticed that Henry Perkins was looking directly at them. ‘I can’t afford to slack today. In case it’s escaped your notice, things are pretty hectic in here. The managing director is in and there’s an important board meeting.’

      ‘Yes, I know.’ Marcus glanced at his watch. ‘I’m going to have to go.’

      ‘Well, don’t let me detain you,’ she muttered sardonically.

      His dark eyes seemed to sear through her. ‘So I’ll pick you up tomorrow night, seven-thirty.’

      Gemma made no reply. Arguing with Marcus was getting her nowhere. Maybe the best way to deal with this was to allow him to think he’d won and then just phone his secretary tomorrow and cancel.

      ‘Good.’ Marcus seemed to take her silence as acquiescence. ‘I’ll see you later.’

      Gemma felt like collapsing in a heap as he turned to leave the room. She felt as wrung out as if she had just been through the spin cycle of her washing machine. But she wasn’t going to let him win, she told herself firmly. She would hold her nerve and refuse to meet him tomorrow and hopefully he would realize that if he left the country he would be leaving his son as well.

      ‘By the way.’ He turned suddenly and looked at her. ‘Now that I’ve taken over, you can be assured that your application for the position of editor will be treated with fairness and impartiality.’

      ‘Taken over?’ She repeated his words in confusion. ‘What do you mean, taken over?’

      But she was alone in the room now and he had closed the door quietly and firmly behind him, leaving her with a slowly dawning sense of horror.

      Marcus nearly walked straight into Richard Barry, who was still hovering outside Gemma’s office door, this time minus the coffee, Marcus noticed.

      He was younger than Marcus had imagined. In fact, he looked even younger than Gemma…probably about twenty-four or twenty-five. He had an unruly shock of thick blond hair and a worried expression in his grey eyes.

      So this was the man who had started trying to play dad to Liam, started to hang around Gemma. Marcus instantly disliked him. He wasn’t Gemma’s type at all…was he? Despite the dark suit he looked like he’d just escaped from some trendy boy band.

      ‘You’re Liam’s dad, Marcus Rossini, right?’ he said, extending his hand. ‘I’m Richard Barry—’

      ‘Features editor, yes. I know who you are.’ Marcus shook his hand.

      ‘I’ve heard about you, too,’ Richard said with a grin. ‘Liam mentions you quite a bit.’

      He had a weak handshake, Marcus noted.

      ‘He’s a great little chap, isn’t he, I’m very fond of him,’ Richard continued brightly when Marcus made no reply.

      ‘Yes, he’s quite a character.’ Marcus felt like gritting his teeth. ‘You can go on into Gemma’s office now if you want. We’ve finished our discussion…for now.’

      ‘Thanks.’ The younger man smiled and moved away from him. ‘See you around, then.’

      ‘Oh, you can count on it,’ Marcus replied with soft emphasis.