A Devilishly Dark Deal by Maggie Cox Page A

feet to chastise her playfully. For a woman to have such a hold over him that she made him doubt his powers of persuasion, the fact that he could have anything he wanted and not be refused, was dangerous , he reflected. A genuine first for him …
    To Marco’s intense relief she nodded, shrugging the slender shoulders exposed by her sleeveless dress. ‘Of course. I am feeling rather hungry come to think of it. Cindy can come with us. By the way, Cindy is Lincoln Roberts’ daughter—perhaps you two have met before?’
    ‘No. I have not had the privilege.’ He turned to smile at the auburn-haired girl with the bright green eyes that she must have inherited from her mother. None of her dainty features remotely resembled her father’s. She was moving warily towards them. When she was level he lightly shook her hand. ‘I’m very pleased to meet you Cindy. My name is Marco.’
    ‘Marco Aguilar?’
    He frowned in amusement. The child had sounded much older than her years when she’d asked that. ‘That’s right.’
    ‘My daddy told me to mind my manners if I spoke to you. He said that you’re a very important man … very rich too.’
    Forming a nonchalant smile, nonetheless Marco was irritated. The child’s innocent remark had once again brought home the sobering fact that he only seemed to be of interest to people because of his wealth and success— not because they enjoyed his company. For years now he’d been okay with that. He was a realist like he’d told Grace. But lately, for some reason, his wealth and success didn’t seem to be enough to fill the sense of emptiness inside him.
    ‘Grace and I are going to get some lunch. Would you like to join us?’ Deciding that it was probably best to ignore the child’s comments—after all, she wasn’t responsible for her father’s mercenary attitude—he chose to press on with his own plans.
    ‘No, thanks. I’m going back to my room for a while. Thanks for playing catch with me, Grace … even though you can’t catch! Will you be okay with Mr Aguilar?’ The green eyes flashed suspiciously as they turned back to Marco.
    He shrugged ironically as he glanced from her over to Grace. ‘Think you’ll be okay with me?’ he asked lightly, praying he would never see that haunted look of fear in her eyes ever again.
    ‘Of course I’ll be okay,’ she settled her gaze confidently on Cindy. ‘Mr Aguilar is a friend … a friend that I trust ,’ she told her.
    Warmth cascaded into his insides at her unhesitating reply.
    ‘Bye, then.’ With a brief wave, the small girl danced away.
    ‘She acts a bit like a prickly pear, but underneath she’s a sweet little thing,’ Grace murmured, colouring a little as she bent down to the grass to slip her sandals back on. ‘She just needs her father to show her a bit more love and affection—that’s my guess.’
    The observation made Marco feel a little hollow inside, because he knew that it was most likely true. ‘You certainly looked as though you were enjoying yourselves.’
    ‘It’s always good to remind yourself what fun it can be to behave like a child again. It helps us grown-ups not to be so serious, don’t you think?’
    ‘I’m sure that’s true—if you were lucky enough to experience having fun as a child. Not everyone is so fortunate.’ The words were out before Marco had the chance to check them. Feeling awkward, and annoyed that he’d inadvertently revealed something about his past that he normally took pains to conceal, he felt hot, embarrassed colour sear his cheeks.
    ‘Marco? I’m sorry if I—’
    ‘Let’s go and get some food, shall we? And you ought to get out of this heat for a while. You look hot and flushed after your exertions, Grace. We’ll go and find some shade.’
    Grace couldn’t honestly have recounted what she’d eaten that day if anybody had asked. The food that had been laid out so abundantly and extravagantly onto the white linen cloths at the buffet tables had been a