Da Silva's Mistress by Tina Duncan Page A

anger evaporate in a puff of smoke, exposing the raw pain underneath. ‘Why, Luca? Why did you do it?’
    ‘You know why.’
    Yes, she did. Even though he’d suggested they pretend the past didn’t exist, Luca couldn’t forget it. ’You brought me here deliberately because you knew Olivia was going to be here, didn’t you? You wanted her to see us together because you know she’ll tell Joseph—just as she obviously told you she’d seen me with Joseph.’
    He inclined his head. ‘That is correct,’ he said, his accent thickening.
    ‘You bastard!’
    He shrugged. ‘I can assure you that my mother and father were married—even if it was unhappily—at the time of both my conception and my birth.’
    She ignored that. ‘What I still haven’t figured out is what you hope to achieve. Why do you want Joseph to know we’ve been out together?’
    ‘Because he will never touch you again—not after you have been with me,’ Luca replied calmly.
    Morgan inhaled sharply. She’d known Luca was ruthless, but had never understood just how ruthless until now. ‘You haven’t believed a word I’ve said, have you? I’m just wasting my breath even trying.’
    The realisation angered her.
    But she also felt incredibly hurt.
    With the strength of pent-up emotions, she tore herself out of his arms and stormed off into the night.
    Luca watched her march away from him, spine rigid, head held high. He’d hurt her. Really hurt her. He’d seen the shadow of pain cross her face as she’d ripped herself out of his arms.
    His chest felt tight. Once again he considered whether he’d made an awful mistake believing Olivia’s suspicions. Hadn’t he chosen Olivia as the person who would see him with Morgan tonight because he’d instinctively known she’d use the information to her advantage?
    But so what?
    That didn’t mean anything.
    She hadn’t fabricated what she’d seen. She hadn’t lied.
    Olivia had seen Joseph and Morgan together. Morgan had confirmed that by admitting to thoselunches at The Minstrel. Olivia had merely seen an opportunity to benefit herself by revealing what she knew.
    Still, Luca couldn’t forget the look on Morgan’s face just before she’d turned away.
    Morgan.
    His head snapped up. He’d been so distracted by his thoughts he’d lost track of her in the crowd. ’Dio!’
    He looked frantically around, and was pleased to see Gino already waiting at the kerb. He flung himself into the back seat and stared through the front windscreen. ’Did you see where she went?’
    Gino nodded as he pulled away. ‘Round the corner, boss.’
    ‘Step on it.’ Luca kept his eyes trained on the pavement, looking for the black flyaway hair, the proud tilt of her head. Finally he saw her. Relief flooded through him. He pointed. ‘There she is.’
    Gino swerved, ignoring the blast of car horns behind him. Luca leapt from the vehicle before it stopped moving. He planted his feet in the middle of the pavement, barring her way.
    Morgan saw him and stopped. She still had that haunted look on her face and his heart wrenched in his chest. ‘Get in the car, Morgan.’
    She didn’t answer him. Instead she turned on her heel and went back in the other direction.
    ‘Damn it, Morgan! It’s not safe for you to be wandering the streets at night on your own.’
    Frustration drew his shoulders up towards his ears when she kept right on walking. ‘If I have to, I’ll pick you up and put you in the car myself.’
    She stopped and stared at the pavement. She made no move to get in the car.
    Luca took a step towards her.
    Her head shot up. The look she threw at him as she brushed past him on the way to the car would have frozen the Sahara Desert.
    She was so different from the women he’d been involved with in the past, Luca thought, getting in beside her.
    Each and every one of them had been keen and eager to please—to the point where he’d soon grown bored with them.
    Morgan was the exact opposite.
    She wasn’t afraid