“What? Stay with you? I don’t think so. I have a life here, a job, things I need to do. ”
He ignored her. “I have an apartment. It’s big enough for both of us. We hardly even need to see each other. And Lia,” he added almost gently, “it doesn’t really matter what you want. Besides, it will be safer.”
Her brows drew together. “Safer? Why do I need to be safe?”
“You said yourself, you didn’t know your father well, but why do you think he’s stayed away all this time?”
Actually, she didn’t know; she’d never really considered his reasons, just presumed that maybe he’d gotten bored with his family, taken the money, and run. Was Luc suggesting that somebody was after her father, might use her to get to him? That her father was some sort of mob guy? Like Luc. What the hell was going on?
When she didn’t answer, Luc lounged back against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest. “Besides, I have a few ideas for flushing out your father, and they include us appearing close.”
“What ideas? And how close are you talking?” she asked. It was clear from his behavior that he really disliked her, and had no more interest in her that way. Why should that make her feel strangely deflated?
A tentative knock sounded at the door, and Lia glanced up. It was one of the stable girls.
“Lia?” She peered into the room, her eyes flickering nervously from Lia to Luc. “Your ten o’clock lesson is here.”
Lia nodded, and the girl hurried away.
“You teach horseback riding?” Luc asked her.
“Yes. Look, I’ve got to go. I need to get changed. I’ll call you, okay?”
Not waiting for an answer, she hurried into the bathroom. She took her time changing into the cream jodhpurs and white shirt she wore for teaching, pulling on black knee-high boots. Hopefully, he’d be long gone. But when she reopened the door, he was standing in the same spot.
“You’re still here?”
He didn’t answer her rhetorical question, just stared at her, as his hot, hungry gaze drifted down over her body. “Madre del dio.”
“What?” she snapped.
“I like your outfit.”
He was watching her, an intent expression on his face, almost predatory, and Lia had a sudden urge to run. Her instincts were screaming danger, but her body refused to move as he strolled over to where she stood, halting a mere foot away. His eyes were no longer cold, they were smoldering, and it occurred to her that she had been wrong; he might not be pleased about it, but he was definitely still interested.
“Lia,” he murmured, before reaching out to drag her toward him until the heat of his long body burned into hers. His mouth came down and she melted against him, opening her mouth to the slide of his tongue, letting him fill her with the hot, wet heat of him. One hard hand slid down the length of her back, cupping her bottom, pulling her against the rigid length of his rapidly hardening erection. Heat flooded her, turning her insides molten and her nipples to hard, painful nubs. She wanted nothing more than to forget everything, let him take her clothes off, lie naked with him.
Her mind jerked to an abrupt halt. Naked? With him? No way! Wasn’t this the man who minutes earlier had threatened to blackmail her? How could she let him kiss her? Touch her?
Dragging herself out of his arms, she took a step back. “I don’t want this.”
“But I do.”
“And what will you do if I say no?” Lia didn’t try to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “Threaten to publish those pictures again?”
He studied her, his lips pursed; he picked up his glasses and slid them on, once again hiding his expression. “You’ve got two days. I’ll be in touch.”
Chapter Seven
“Mike, why don’t you go and play outside for a while?”
Mike didn’t argue, and that worried her—he’d been very subdued since their mother’s death. It wasn’t unexpected, but that didn’t stop her worrying. The door slammed shut behind him, and Lia stared at it.
“He’ll be okay,” Sally said. “He just needs time.” She left the dishes in the sink, wiped her hands, and came and sat next to Lia. “So, what do you want to talk about that you don’t want Mike to hear?”
“Have you ever heard of a man called Luc Severino?”
“No.”
Lia had been doing her best to forget that Luc even existed, but that was impossible. Even though the guy could be a real jerk, he made her feel things, things she’d never known she could feel. Now, her time was up, and she’d spent all day on edge, expecting him to show at any moment.
So far, nothing. No Luc. No blackmail. No nothing.
Maybe he’d forgotten all about her, but instinct told her she wouldn’t be that lucky. Then during supper, it had occurred to her that maybe Sally might know something about him, something that might help her work out what he really wanted. “My mother never mentioned him? It would have had to do with my father.”
Sally’s face took on that closed expression she always adopted when Lia’s father was mentioned. “You know your mother never spoke to me about him. She knew I wouldn’t listen.”
“But you’ve been with us forever, Sally, you must know something.”
Sally had worked for them since Lia was a baby, and had moved in five years ago after her husband’s death. Now she stayed with them by choice, and was part of the family rather than an employee.
“I know your mother was better off without him. I was glad when he went, but she would never listen to me.” Sally sighed. “I know you think you need to find him. Make him pay back the money from the house. But what makes you think he’ll go along with that plan even if you do find him? He may just laugh in your face. Forget him, Lia.”
“I’m going to. Pete’s offered to buy the piece of land that runs next to his. It will solve our problems, at least for the moment.”
“That’s great. So if you don’t need to find your father, why the questions about this Luc Severino?”
Lia pursed her lips and did her best to look innocent. “No reason. I heard the name, that’s all.”
After Luc had gone, she’d thought long and hard. He was using the threat of those pictures to blackmail her. But into doing what? What did he really want?
With the threat of losing her home gone, she wanted to forget all about her father; instead, Luc was forcing her to continue the search. And she hated to be forced.