She felt a rush of love fill her at the happy sound and, leaning forward, pressed a soft kiss to the baby’s downy head, her eyes misting over with sudden emotion.
‘One day I hope you will marry a man for all the right reasons, Georgia, a man who will love you to the ends of the earth and back. The way every woman deserves to be loved.’
She straightened and, spreading her voluminous skirts around her, turned to face her reflection in the mirror. The magnolia creamy white of the gown made her eyes a bottomless grey and the tone of her skin like velvet smooth cream. She knew it was quite possibly as close to stunning as she was ever going to get.
Too bad it wouldn’t be appreciated, she thought with a little sigh.
Nina was still settling Georgia for the night when she heard the sound of Marc’s car returning, the low growl of the powerful engine as it pulled into the sweeping driveway making her stomach turn over in reaction.
In less than twenty-four hours she would be his wife. She would share his name and his life but not his bed.
She heard him enter the house and the sound of his tread on the marble staircase as he approached the nursery where she stood watching Georgia drift off to sleep.
Marc met her eyes in the soft light. ‘Hello.’
‘Hi.’
She stepped away from the cot so he could check on his niece but in the small space she felt the brush of his body against hers and her pulse instantly quickened. She stood to one side and watched as he gazed down at Georgia, his features softening as he listened to the snuffling sound of her breathing.
He looked tired, Nina thought. His eyes were slightly bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept well for days and his jaw looked as if it hadn’t been near a razor for over twenty-four hours. She longed to run her fingers over his face to feel the rough raspy growth through the soft sensitive pads of her fingertips. She wanted to press her lips to the line of his mouth, to make it soften in desire. She wanted to feel him reach for her and…
She jerked away from her wayward thoughts as he turned his head to look at her, his dark gaze tethering hers.
‘Is something wrong?’
‘No.’
‘You look…flustered.’
‘I’m not.’
‘Have you settled in?’
‘Yes.’
‘I would like to talk to you about our trip to Italy,’ he said, moving across to hold the door of the nursery open for her. ‘I will meet you in my study in twenty minutes. I would like to shower and shave first.’
Nina moved past him and made her way downstairs, taking the portable baby monitor with her. Lucia had left for the day so she set a tray with coffee and some cake the housekeeper had baked and carried it through to Marc’s study to wait for him.
He came in a short time later, his black hair glistening with dampness, his face cleanly shaven and his casual jeans and long-sleeved close-fitting black T-shirt making Nina’s pulse start to race.
‘How was your trip?’ she asked, disguising her reaction to him by concentrating on the coffee tray.
He took the cup she had handed him, his eyes meeting hers. ‘Am I to presume you are rehearsing your role as my wife by serving me coffee and asking me such solicitous questions?’
She turned away from the cynicism she could see in his eyes. ‘You can presume what you like. I don’t care how your stupid trip went. I was just being polite.’
‘Do not exert yourself trying to be polite to me, Nina. It does not suit you.’ He took a sip of his coffee but when he met her slightly wounded expression he instantly regretted his terse words. He put the cup down and came across to where she was standing and, taking one of her hands, slowly lifted it to his mouth and pressed a barely there kiss to her fingertips.
She stood transfixed, her heart thudding behind her breast as she held his mesmerizing gaze.
‘Why did you do that?’ she asked.
‘I am not sure,’ he answered somewhat gravely. ‘To tell you the truth, Nina, I sometimes feel when I am with you that I am dealing with two different people.’ He paused for a moment, his dark eyes boring into hers before he added musingly, ‘I wonder which one I will be marrying tomorrow.’
Nina pulled her hand out of his and put some distance between them as she tried to stem her rising panic.
‘I can’t imagine what you mean by that. You make it sound as if I have some sort of multiple personality disorder.’