Page 51 of Tempted to the Billionaire's Bed

“What the hell is this?” Dante demanded, placing a wad of A4 paper on the kitchen counter. Marco took another sip of his coffee before reaching for the papers and skimming them with a sense of panic he worked hard to conceal from Dante.

“You have to be kidding me.”

“Would you care to explain why Portia’s ex-fiancé is suing you for assault?”

Marco continued to read, the report damning, when read from an outsider’s perspective. It did however outline enough of the truth of the situation—that Marco had been at Portia’s early in the morning, for instance—to make clear the nature of their relationship.

“Because he’s an arrogant, entitled piece of shit.”

“That may be the case. But Marco,” Dante leaned closer, something like desperation in his face. “Please tell me this isn’t true.”

“I didn’t hit him.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

Marco stared back at his brother, all of his concern for Portia. He didn’t care about himself—he had every right to see whomever he wanted.

“Some things are not your business,” Marco said quietly.

“Jesus Christ. You’re sleeping with my PA?”

The crude description angered Marco, because it no longer felt accurate. But hadn’t they promised each other, all along, that their relationship was defined by sex?

“Holy hell, Marco. I mean, comeon,man. Portia? My assistant?”

“She is notyours,” Marco responded. “She’s an adult woman who has every right to make her own choices in life.”

“Sure, of course, butyouare not the right choice, and we both know it. What the hell were you thinking?” Dante fumed. “No, you weren’t thinking, were you?” Dante’s eyes swept shut as he evidently recalled the last few months. “I kept sending her here. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes late at night. That’s how this happened?”

“It wasn’t her fault.”

“I know it wasn’t her goddamn fault. IknowPortia. She’s worked for me a long time, I get her. I see who she is and that’s not someone who can be toyed with by you. She’s not one of your time-wasting, shallow sexual conquests.”

“That’s not how I would describe them,” Marco replied grimly, as anger stoked in his belly. “But I agree, Portia is different to any woman I’ve ever known.”

That stopped Dante in his tracks. “So what is this, then? Are you saying you’re actually in a relationship with her?”

Marco flailed. “I—no.”

A muscle jerked in Dante’s jaw. “So it’s just sex?”

“With respect, I’m not going to talk about this with you. Portia would hate that.”

Dante braced his palms on the counter. “How long has it been going on?”

“Not long,” Marco responded, counting back the dates in his mind, surprised to realise it was five weeks. “We both know it’s temporary.”

“Do you?” Dante demanded. “Do youbothknow that? Or have you both justsaidthat?”

“What do you mean?”

“Portia is the last woman on earth to sleep with a guy and not let her feelings get involved.Cristo,Marco. This is a monumental cock up.”

“You don’t know her as well as you think you do.”

“No,youdon’t know her as well asyouthink you do. I know her in a way that’s not clouded by having slept with her; I see her as she really is, and always have. You’re going to hurt her and I’m going to kill you for it.”

“I amnotgoing to hurt her.”

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