The Billionaire's Gentle Rescue (The Sisterhood) (15 page)

Zoe’s heart went out not just for Darcy, but for the man walking beside her who had taken personal responsibility for a little girl when he should have been out running around and playing baseball with his friends instead of trying to protect his baby sister from a nightmare of a father.

“It wasn’t so bad. My dad didn’t mean to hit her, he was just a bit passionate when he spoke and forgot to be gentle around Darcy who had always been small for her age. And when he hit her, he simply dismissed her tears, telling her she needed to toughen up because it was a cruel world.”

“Did he tell you the same thing?”

Marco looked down at the woman with tears in her eyes for two children she’d never known. “I ran faster,” he said with a half smile.

“And then you went away to college, became your own man and resisted your father’s threats to bring you into the family business, huh?”

Marco sighed. “Sort of. I wanted the same things he did, we just went about our goals in different ways.”

Zoe sensed that he wasn’t willing to talk about that right now so she let the issue drop. He led her through the woods with the dogs running around and barking at squirrels, birds and any kind of leaf that fell from the trees. By the time they arrived back at the house, Sergei had arrived and Darcy was happily sitting in his lap on the patio, completely oblivious to their return.

Marco cleared his throat and Darcy rolled her eyes as she turned around. “Don’t you want to go on another walk?” she suggested, but with a teasing glint in her eyes.

“Not a chance. I want to talk business with that stupid man you married, teach him how to do things right,” he countered.

Darcy sighed and stood up, straightening her sweater which Sergei had obviously messed up. “Come along, Zoe. That’s man talk for boring stuff.”

Zoe laughed and followed Darcy inside again. While the two of them pulled out lunch meat and sliced cheese for lunch, Zoe snuck peeks through the kitchen window at Marco as he discussed something with Sergei.

“He’s a really great guy,” Darcy said, looking out the window herself as they stood at the sink.

Zoe sighed. “Yes. He’s really wonderful. And a great help to me in my business.”

Darcy laughed. “I’m sure you would have succeeded even without Marco’s help.”

Zoe shook her head. “Actually, my accountant embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars just a few weeks ago and disappeared. If it weren’t for Marco, I’d be out of business and probably owing a huge amount of money to people I couldn’t pay back.”

“That’s just like my brother,” she said as she pulled some artisan bread out of a cabinet. “He really loves helping people. He was my savior when I was a kid,” she said softly.

“He told me about your dad,” Zoe replied.

“It wasn’t so bad. But Marco hated our father for being who he was. I’m glad Marco didn’t follow in his footsteps though. That would have been horrible and I wouldn’t be here if he was part of the mob.”

“You would have remained hidden?”

“Of course. My dad was a truly horrible person when it came to building up his empire. It wasn’t until after his death a few months ago that Marco convinced me to give up the night clubs and come out of hiding. And Sergei of course,” she said, smiling as her eyes shifted to her handsome husband. “He helped as well, protected me against Marco for a while but he didn’t know it at the time. They’re both made of the same stuff, and I can guarantee that you won’t go wrong in giving your heart to Marco.”

Zoe’s eyes snapped over to Darcy’s. “I’m not…we’re not…”

“Of course you are. And I’m glad. I’ve seen some of the women Marco has dated in the past and he’s never been like this with any of them.”

Zoe looked down at the bread in her hands, her heart squeezing painfully. “How many has he brought down here?”

“None. I’ve only seen them in New York when I’ve visited. And they were all just in passing. He’s never introduced me to any of them.”

Zoe tried not to make too much of that comment but it did ease the tightness in her chest slightly. She knew she couldn’t keep Marco forever, but it would be wonderful to bask in his warmth for a bit longer.

The men turned and caught them staring through the window, Sergei winking at his wife while Marco smirked. Zoe simply shook her head and turned away, then laughed as all the dogs raced into the house ahead of the men.

“Have you fixed us lunch?” Marco demanded, putting on a caveman attitude.

In response, Zoe tossed him a bread roll, which he caught easily in his left hand. “I’m taking that as a no, huh?” he walked over and kissed her neck, causing shivers to fly down her arms and spine. “I’ll have to train you better then.”

The afternoon was spent visiting wineries in the area, sampling their vintages and enjoying the gorgeous sunny afternoon. That night was a delicious meal that was delivered at the perfect temperature to simply be put on the table and served. Amid laughter and stories, the four of them dined well into the evening, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

Chapter 8

Zoe raced through the last of her meetings, feeling as if she were on cloud nine. She loved the excitement of meeting Marco for dinner and he’d even suggested that she pack a bag and stay at his place this weekend. She’d only seen him this week when he’d picked her up for the two events he’d taken her to this week but whenever she’d opened the door, he’d swept her into his arms and kissed her until she was clinging to him, desperate to have him ignore the night’s obligations and just take her up to her bed so she could have him all to herself for the night. But off to the opera or fundraiser they went. By the end of the evening, both nights she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder during the ride back to her loft. He’d carried her up the stairs and left her with a gentle kiss and an admonishment to sleep in the next morning.

She didn’t, having too much to do now that Marco was directing the business side of things. It was hard to keep up with his energy level and he had so many ideas, all of which were wonderful and she was eager to implement, it just took time.

But Friday night had finally arrived and he’d promised her that they’d have a quiet evening at a restaurant, after which he’d take her back to his place for the rest of the weekend with no interruptions.

She wore a soft wool dress with a wrap around design, one that hugged her figure so perfectly that it looked like she wasn’t wearing any underwear. And what little she was wearing, didn’t really count in the underwear category anyway. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction to her dress and felt decadent as she stepped into the cab and gave the driver the name of the restaurant.

Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the cab and paid the driver, pulling her coat a bit closer to her so others couldn’t see, besides there was a distinct chill in the air as autumn slowly gave way to winter.

Marco stepped into the restaurant and nodded to several acquaintances, but his eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Zoe as his hand closed around the small box in his pocket. A week ago, he would have thought it was too soon to propose but after last weekend with his sister and brother in law, and then the nights this past week with her on his arm, he knew that she felt the same way about him as he did for her. She melted in his arms each time he kissed her, she was an absolute joy to talk with and was so ingenious about her designs that he wanted nothing more than to put his ring on her finger and declare to the entire world that she was his.

He grimaced inwardly as he saw several people that he didn’t want to talk to so he stepped into the bar area, ordering a scotch while he waited for Zoe. He was about fifteen minutes early, too eager to see her to wait in his office any longer. This had a good vantage point anyway. He could see the front door from outside, so he’d be better able to catch her as soon as she stepped out of her cab.

He should have insisted on picking her up but she had said it didn’t make sense for him to drive all the way down from his office to get her, only to drive all the way back uptown to the restaurant. He didn’t really care about driving as long as he was heading towards her, he thought. If he’d gotten to her place early, perhaps they could have ordered in instead of eating at a restaurant. He didn’t really want to share her with anyone anyway but he’d thought that a restaurant would get them fed faster so he could then take her home and spend the rest of the night making love to her.

“Marco!” a female voice said from father inside the bar.

Marco turned to see who was calling to him, prepared to tell them to simply bugger off. He groaned when he saw the seductive blond walking towards him, dressed in what could barely be called a dress. Zoe would be disgusted, he thought as he stood up, prepared to leave the bar as quickly as possible. “How are you, Denise?” he replied, showing his disinterest and unconcerned that she’d notice how rude he was being.

“Is that any way to greet a long, lost lover?” she asked, leaning in to kiss him.

Marco wanted to pull away but manners dictated that he at least acknowledge her presence. His father had been rude to whoever he hadn’t wanted to talk to, no matter the place or reason. Marco worked hard to be the complete antithesis of his father and if that meant bearing a slimy kiss from a viper, so be it. “We weren’t ever lovers,” he said as she pulled back, his eyes scanning the room one more time for Zoe.

“We could be,” she said softly, her hands sliding up around his neck as her body pressed against his. “I’d love to find out what all the talk is about where your bedroom is concerned.”

Marco reached up to pull her hands off, but her comment arrested him and he looked down at her. “What are you talking about?”

She smiled and her overly glossed lips looked like they might slide off her face at any time. “I’ve heard some of the rumors. You’re an excellent lover,’ she said seductively. “So am I. Maybe we could trade secrets on technique.”

Marco stood up and stepped back, but a flash of red caught his eye. “Zoe! Wait!” he called out and ripped the woman’s hands off him. But Zoe was smaller, and more easily able to slip through the other diners waiting for their table. By the time Marco was out on the sidewalk, Zoe had already stepped into a waiting cab and was driving off. But not before he caught the tears in her eyes and the devastating hurt visible on her face.

Swinging around, he tried to locate the valet but both of them were busy. One was running back from wherever the lot was where the cars were stored and he whipped out a hundred dollar bill. “Get me my car as fast as you can,” he ordered.

The teenager’s eyes bugged out as he took in the denomination, then he turned and sprinted down the sidewalk, disappearing behind the building. Possibly thirty seconds later, Marco heard the sounds of screeching tires. He didn’t even cringe as the teen turned the corner with barely an inch to spare from the brick wall and the side of his car. The boy popped out of the car and Marco dove in, heading towards Zoe’s loft as quickly as he could.

At her building, his tires squealed to a stop. He slammed out of the car and took the stairs to her loft two at a time. “Zoe! Let me in honey. It’s not what you think.” He waited a moment, trying to hear any movement. “Please, baby! Don’t do this. I can explain even if it looks bad.”

He knocked several more times, then cursed himself for not making a set of keys for himself that first night he’d found her drowning her sorrows in red wine. If he had, she’d be in his arms right now and he knew he could make it better if she would just listen to him for a moment.

Sighing, he knew she wouldn’t let him in, not while she was this hurt and angry. He didn’t blame her. If he’d seen the same thing, he’d be furious right now. He stopped and thought for a moment and then shook his head. No, he wouldn’t be furious, he’d be knocking some guy on his ass for touching Zoe but he knew she wouldn’t betray him. He didn’t have that episode ten years ago though. He’d deliberately hurt her back then, arranging to have that woman on his arm when he knew Zoe would be walking into the party. He’d had to do it. The scene had been the only way to protect her. But his father wasn’t around to hurt her this time and there was no way in hell he would let her go again. She loved him and being this hurt about seeing him with another woman, even though he hadn’t done anything and had in fact been trying to push Denise away, only proved that she had very strong feelings for him. He had to fight for those feelings now, for both of them.

Tomorrow morning, he’d come back and try and talk to her. He’d break down her damn door if he had to but hopefully she’d just let him in once she’d calmed down.

He was just about to get back into his car when he noticed the door to her work area wasn’t closed properly. His mind worked quickly as he looked around, suddenly worried about an intruder. It was either that, or Zoe had come down to her office to hide out, knowing that he would come looking for her.

Stepping into the room, he listened quietly for a moment, trying to hear if someone was inside. It took several moments, but eventually he heard a sniffle and his stomach clenched when he realized that his Zoe was crying.

He pushed the door closed more firmly, uncaring if she heard him or not. When he found her, she was curled up on top of several crates, her head buried in her hands and her shoulders heaving with her sobs of misery.