Irresistibly Exotic Men: Bed of Lies / Falling For Dr Dimitriou / Her Little Spanish Secret

Nine

As she drove to work the next day, Beth made a firm decision. Avoid Luke whenever possible. There was way too much at risk, a risk that could have the potential to end in disaster.

With new resolve, she got through the day with barely a stray thought to the night before. Yet when she returned home and found dinner warming in the oven and Luke nowhere to be seen, it took all of a few seconds to realize he’d come to the same conclusion.

She wasn’t disappointed. No. That would be ridiculous. And anyway, she still saw him later that night, even if it was just in passing, where she couldn’t meet his eyes as she awkwardly thanked him for the meal. He nodded with a brief smile and kept right on going, gently closing his door with a soft click.

Still his presence overwhelmed, from the faint cologne that made her senses growl, to the cooked meals and painfully clean state of her kitchen. And with each passing day, the tension wound inexorably tighter until she was itching for something—anything—to happen.

Then it was Sunday night and they were both on their way to the Corellis’ in Beth’s car.

“Dylan called.” Luke finally broke the silence as they drove south on the Gold Coast Highway. “Looks like Foster withdrew big at a Coolangatta ATM then flew down to Melbourne.”

“Is he still there now?”

“As far as I know. He’s looking into it.”

Her stomach swooped, hope fluttering, but with a firm swallow Beth reined it in. Things were far from over. She shifted gears, trying to ignore the brush of her knuckles along Luke’s thigh. Her small car did nothing to maintain that distance she’d so determinedly forged these last few days. More irritating, the closer they got to the Corelli estate, the more her body hummed at the thought of Luke in touchable distance for the night.

They’d taken the Ashmore turnoff and were driving along Cotlew Road when Luke pointed to a parked news van ahead.

“Reporters. Take a left at the next corner.”

She did, and they passed a few double-storied houses, then a few gates until the road curved again.

“Here.” Luke nodded.

They parked on the side of the road and switched off the lights. The street was quiet, streetlamps casting a dim glow in the evening’s warmth as upper-class suburbia sprawled on the opposite side. Next to the car, a long, high, brick wall stretched down the road, flanked by trees that swayed and rustled, a ghostly whisper as the wind picked up. All around, the vegetation muttered and moved in the night. Above, black clouds rolled in like waves on a beach. A storm was brewing.

“This is the back end of the estate. We can get in over there.” Luke pointed to a large tree. “But we need to climb. Feel up to it?”

Beth looked down at her tailored pants and soft sparkly shift top and nodded.

As they picked their way through the grass and uneven ground, Luke automatically took her hand, tightening his grip when she stumbled. She barely had time to catch her breath before he let her go and began boosting himself up into the tree.

She looked up skeptically at the outspread branches. “You sure this is safe?”

“Who do you think hammered the wooden rungs into the trunk? Frankly, I’m surprised Marco hasn’t chopped the tree down. Or at least taken the steps off.”

He held out his hand, wriggling his fingers in encouragement.

It seemed perfectly natural to put her trust in him. They climbed the tree slowly, finally reaching a branch that overhung the wall. He placed one foot on the brick surface then turned to her.

“Come on,” he gestured. “Come over.”

Beth took a deep breath and went for it.

Her heart pounded as she broke out in a sweat. Then she took that step into thin air, just before he grabbed her and pulled her tightly to him.

She took a couple of gulping breaths.

“You okay?”

Beth nodded into the warmth of his chest, breathing in his smell. His arms were a reassuring harbor and slowly her panic petered out.

“I’ll go down first, then you jump and I’ll catch you.”

Beth glanced around, seeing a large estate with glowing night-lights sprawled on the crest of the hill, the perimeter dotted with security lamps. Then she looked down and choked out a nervous laugh. “I’d like to see you try that one.”

“You and me both, sweetheart.”

A man stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by two beefy security guards.

Luke, to his credit, looked unflappable. “Be a sport and help us down, Marco.”

The man laughed sharply then took a drag of his cigarette. “I don’t think so. I want to see you manage this one.”

Luke gave Marco a scowl, muttered something under his breath then said to Beth, “Hold on. I’m going down.”

He lowered himself until his legs were dangling over the edge, then tested the brick and concrete below with his foot. Finding a hold, he settled his toe into the worn hole and slowly picked his way down until he was nearly to the ground. With one push, he jumped the rest of the way.

Beth released her held breath as he landed solidly with both feet. He gave her a grin and a thumbs-up. “Jump down and I’ll catch you.”

She shook her head. “No. You can’t.”

“I will,” he said, exasperated. “Just jump.”

“Come on,” Marco said as he ground his half-finished cigarette underfoot. “We haven’t got all night.”

Beth sighed. “I warned you.” And she squatted on her heels, took a breath and jumped off the wall.

With a whoosh and a grunt, she landed on Luke. He stumbled, wavering, and she tightened her arms around his neck.

His legs buckled and they ended up sprawling on the grass.

Marco roared with laughter and gave a slow clap. “Well done, Luke! Super catch!”

Beth had a death hold on Luke’s neck, her eyes squeezed shut.

“You can look now,” Luke murmured.

Her eyes flew open. “Thanks.”

“You got a problem with the front door?” Marco was asking as Luke helped Beth up.

“No. Just a problem with the reporters.” And he started toward the house.

Marco nodded a dismissal to the security guys then followed Luke, matching him stride for stride. “So the press are finally getting to you.” His voice held the gruff resonance of frustration. “Now you know how it feels.”

Luke gave a noncommittal grunt. Marco, meanwhile, slowly turned to peruse Beth with hooded eyes.

The eyes and height were Luke’s, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Marco Corelli was dressed in a light linen suit and cotton shirt, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail that emphasized a stunningly beautiful angular face, complete with sharp cheekbones and sensual mouth.

Beth blinked, frowning. “You look familiar—have we met before?”

“Pretty sure I’d have remembered, bella.” Marco winked.

At Luke’s sharp look, Marco laughed. “Relax, mate. I’m just winding you up.” He turned back to Beth and grinned, offering his hand. “Marco Corelli. And you are …?”

“Beth. Beth Jones.”

“Marco plays football for Manchester United,” Luke said.

“Played. I’ve retired.”

Luke’s eyebrows rose. “Since when?”

“Four weeks ago. Too many injuries.” He shrugged and kept right on walking, his expression neutral.

“No, that’s not it,” Beth insisted, frowning. “Have you been on TV or …?”

Luke snorted, choking back a sudden grin. “Underpants.”

“Sorry?”

“Marco’s the face of Skins. You know, the expensive guy’s underwear?”

Of course! She stared at Marco, who was now scowling at Luke in earnest. Tanned, ripped abs, seductive smile, stacked set of y-fronts. He totally sizzled on that huge Gold Coast Highway billboard.

Marco stuck his hands in his pockets. “So where did you two meet?”

“None of your business,” Luke retorted before Beth could open her mouth.

“Huh. Always secretive, especially where women are concerned,” Marco said. “Ever since Gabrielle—”

“Don’t.” Luke stopped dead in his tracks, the air crackling with sudden tension. “Don’t go there, Marco.”

Marco’s expression turned dark as he met Luke’s angry glare with one of his own. With an inaudible mutter, he shrugged and resumed walking.

“How’s Rosa?” Luke finally said.

“Better.” Marco kept right on walking, and Beth could just make out the tightening line of his jaw. “Not that you’d know. You’ve avoided her calls for days.”

They emerged from the line of trees, and whatever response Luke gave was lost on the coastal breeze.

The gleaming three-story mansion, all cream-colored pillars, shiny glass and strategically placed downlights, screamed wealth from every nook and cranny.

The immaculate gardens were resplendent with palm trees and native gums. A gently cascading fountain sat in the middle of the circular driveway and behind that, a stucco path led to a pair of huge glass-and-oak doors.

She stood there, admiring the beautiful simplicity, until Luke’s gruff voice broke through her thoughts.

“I didn’t start this,” he was saying.

“But you could stop it.”

“No, I can’t. I’ve been suspended, remember?”

Marco snorted. “Last time I checked, you were flavor of the month at Jackson and Blair. Today you can do nothing?”

“It’d only make things worse.”

“How in hell could it get any worse?” Marco growled. “Gino is dead, for chrissakes, Luke! He can’t defend himself and you won’t defend him.”

“I. Am. On. Suspension,” Luke enunciated clearly.

Marco snorted. “That didn’t stop you from barging in to see Gino the night he died.” At Luke’s look, he said, “Yeah, I know all about that.”

There was a long pause before Luke said cautiously, “What do you know?”

“Employees talk. And you were there when the medics arrived, so you can’t deny it.”

“So?”

“So I got to thinking—”

“Marco …”

“I wondered why you would risk your precious reputation that night of all nights.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?” Marco’s eyes narrowed, his hands going to his hips. “It was the same day Gino’s story hit the papers. You went to give Gino a piece of your mind, didn’t you? You were furious, that I know. You’ve always had a problem hiding your anger, Luke. My bet is you and Gino argued, Gino had a heart attack and Lucky Luke hides behind his precious reputation.”

“Marco! Lucio! That is enough!”

They all turned in unison to the small round figure framed by the huge glass doors. And when she stepped outside, into the full light of the patio, Beth gasped.

“Oh, my God … Connie?”

“Beth?”

Luke frowned. “You two know each other?”

“Yes.” Beth shoved her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed as a whirling dervish of questions and suspicion started to swell. “She’s one of my clients and her name is Connie Lisone.”

Ten

“What?” Stunned, Luke stared at Beth then whipped back to his aunt.

“What are you doing here, Beth?” Rosa said, her face full of bewilderment. “What—”

“What’s going on?” Marco said behind them.

“I have no idea—Connie? Or—it’s Rosa, right?” Beth retorted.

Rosa took a sharp breath, her eyes rounding. “The house. Caro dio, the house!”

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Marco yelled behind them.

Luke glared from Rosa to Beth, his jaw tight. “Go on then. Let’s hear it.”

Rosa pushed the doors wider with a shaky hand. “Come in. Please.”

Unbelievable. Un-fricking-believable. The anger in Luke simmered as they followed Rosa down the plush hallway, past the familiar blue-washed walls, the classic works of art, the stylish furnishings, before they stopped in the living room.

“Please, sit.”

Beth perched on the edge of an elegant Louis XIV chair and crossed her arms. Luke chose to stand.

“Stop glaring at me, Lucio, and sit.” She waved to the sofa. With a soft snort, he finally sat.

Rosa sighed, smoothing back her salt-and-pepper hair. “You all know the kind of attention the Corelli name attracts. So for many years I’ve been using a fake one—for appointments, for bookings.” She shrugged. “It allows me a small freedom I wouldn’t normally have.”

“And what’s your connection to Beth? Besides being a client?”

Rosa clasped her hands and turned to Beth. “Remember when you first started your business, bella? You mentioned that awful shared apartment you were renting?”

Beth nodded.

“You didn’t say much, but I could see how tough things had been for you.” She tapped her cheek with a small smile. “It’s the eyes, bella. All your emotion is locked away behind those green eyes.”

“So you set her up?” Luke interrupted.

“No.” Rosa looked offended. “I just steered her toward Crown Real Estate. That house had been empty for years and needed a little love and attention. A word in the right direction and you had yourself a new home.”

“So the story about the owners living overseas was a lie?”

Rosa shrugged. “Just a little one.”

“You were the ‘family friend’,” Luke interjected tightly. “And Costas Holdings is one of Gino’s?”

“Yes.” Rosa turned back to Beth. “You needed help, but were so proud and determined. You’d never have taken charity—” She raised a hand as Beth opened her mouth. “Yes, in your mind my offer would have been exactly that. And I also knew you’d never take the house if you knew who I was.” Her lined face creased in a gentle smile. “You reminded me so much of Lucio’s mother, in a scary new world and in desperate need of help. How could I not help you?”

“Hang on,” Luke interrupted with a frown. “How do you know what my mother needed?”

She gave Luke a tender, sad look. “Every month I drove two hours to see Melina and gave her a little something to meet the monthly bills. Your father never knew.”

In stunned silence Luke tried to digest this new revelation. But no matter how many times he played it out in his head, he came up with the same answer.

More lies. More secrets. Dammit, when would they ever end?

His gazed remained unwavering, fixed on Rosa. “So let me get this straight,” he said calmly—almost too calmly. “Instead of one simple phone call, both of us ended up racing all over town thinking it was some kind of conspiracy theory?”

“You are such an ass, Luke.”

Luke whipped around to face Marco’s bristling anger. “You’ve been ignoring our calls,” he continued tightly. “And then Gino’s PR guy advised us to lay low for a few weeks but that obviously didn’t cross your mind after you were spotted—”

“Boys, please …” Rosa interrupted, her expression torn with concern. “No fighting.”

Luke sprang to his feet and began to pace.

Rosa glanced helplessly at Beth, then back to Luke. “I know you are pazzo at me, Lucio—”

Angry? If only it were that clear. But Marco was right. Damn guilt got him every single time.

When he finally turned to face his aunt, the soft love mingled with abject worry on her familiar features hit him like a runaway train.

Rosa had tried to be a mother to him, but he’d rebuffed her time and again. Oh, there’d been times when he’d allowed small intimacies—a hug on his birthday, a kiss at Christmas. She’d also mediated the blazing fights between him and Marco and had encouraged him in his studies.

And remained loyal when the reporters had come clamoring for a quote.

He knew she would never deliberately hurt him, just as he had total faith in the honor code he lived by.

The power of that thought stole away his accusations, turning them to dust on his tongue. With a barely audible groan, he sank to the couch and rubbed his temples.

“You know how hard I’ve worked to get where I am, Rosa.” He glanced up, frustration clouding his voice. “How I’ve fought for every promotion, made sure I was beyond reproach, because of Gino’s reputation. So why did he drag me into this?”

“Lucio. He did not do this to hurt you,” came Rosa’s soft declaration. “Things have been so crazy around here and I completely forgot about the rental, Gino’s bequest to you.

“He had always planned to give it to you,” she continued. “It was the house he originally offered your parents when they first came to Australia. Your father turned us down flat.”

Luke’s gut twisted at the barely hidden grief. The woman had lost her husband, the man she’d loved for over forty years and here he was getting all worked up about a bunch of misunderstandings.

Death had a way of putting everything into perspective.

Rosa’s dark eyes, creased with years of life and love, now holding only concern and worry, humbled him. He flushed. She wasn’t to blame for the inquiry, or the way the press had focused so thoroughly on him.

“I am so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Rosa went to Beth and took her hands. “You must have been so confused, thinking you’d been kicked out onto the street.” Just as Beth opened her mouth, Rosa added, “I would never do anything to hurt you, Beth. You know that. Don’t you?”

As Beth sat there, staring into the earnest woman’s big brown eyes, she remembered the moments they’d shared—the laughter, the little gifts on her birthday, the snippets of life advice Rosa had offered. Beth had liked talking to her, had liked her.

“You warm this old Italian woman’s heart, Beth,” Rosa continued. “You, bella. You’re smart. You’re good here—” she put a hand on one expansive bosom “—you deserve to have someone look after you.”

Beth gently extricated herself. “You lied to me, Rosa.”

“And what would you have me do, eh?” Rosa’s brows shot up. “Sit back and watch you struggle every day? Pah!” She snapped her fingers. “You’d never take money from me, so I did the only thing I could.”

“After all this time why didn’t you say something?”

Rosa shook her head. “I was going to. But you were so happy to finally have a place of your own, and I know how you feel about lying. What if you’d never speak to me again?”

But my lease is up in three months, she was about to say. I will be out on the street. But the look on Rosa’s face had her choking back the words. Her issue was with Luke, not Rosa, and she sure as hell wasn’t about to add to the woman’s already heavy guilt.

Suddenly, Beth’s heart wasn’t in it. She sighed and glanced up at Luke, who had remained oddly silent.

Rosa straightened and turned back to Luke. “Lucio, I know Gino had his faults and you and he never really got along. But he was so very proud of you. As am I.” She blinked as her eyes began to tear.

“Rosa …”

“No.” She put up a silencing finger, “Your uncle was a proud man and those terrible accusations hit him hard, but he understood what you had to do. He loved you so much.” She grasped his hand and squeezed, a bittersweet smile hovering on her lips before she pulled a key from her pocket. “He left you something in his desk drawer. Please, go take a look.”

Luke closed the office door firmly behind him and scanned the room. Everything was still in its place, from the large antique desk to the rows of books lining the walls. The faint aroma of expensive cigars and brandy still lingered on the air. He almost expected Gino to be sitting behind that desk, puffing quietly away. Instead, the empty chair matched the hole in his heart.

Quickly, he shoved the key in the desk drawer and unlocked it. The white envelope was addressed to him and the contents yielded a DVD.

A frown furrowing his brow, Luke slowly closed the drawer, went over to the DVD player that sat in the bookcase, shoved in the disc then picked up the remote and clicked on the TV.

He took a seat behind the imposing desk, his finger hovering over the play button.

A clean blotter sat square in the middle, a fountain pen perfectly one inch from the top. Luke picked up the pen and twirled it idly in his hand, a small smile hovering on his lips. Gino was old school, preferring fountain pen and ink for all his correspondence.