Captive in His Castle(17)

But she was sitting stiffly, hugging her knees, and her tension was palpable. He wondered if she regretted sleeping with him. She had been eager enough at the time, and afterwards she had curled up against him and fallen asleep almost instantly. God knew what she had dreamed about that had caused her to cry out in her sleep, he thought, frowning as he recalled the harrowing sobs that had racked her slender frame.

‘Who is Daniel?’ he asked abruptly. ‘You called out the name during the night and you seemed to be upset,’ he explained when she stared at him.

She bit her lip. ‘He was a friend…my best friend. We grew up together in the children’s home.’ Her voice grew husky. ‘He died when he was sixteen. He was hit by a car and suffered a serious head injury. He was on life support…but he never regained consciousness.’

Instinctively Drago reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said gruffly.

‘I suppose seeing Angelo in the hospital brought back memories of the last time I saw Daniel. He looked like he was asleep and I kept thinking he would wake up.’ Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. ‘But the nurse said there was no hope. I’m so relieved that Angelo has regained consciousness.’

The raw emotion in her voice tugged on Drago’s insides. Jess had known more than her fair share of pain in her young life, he thought heavily. He understood now why she had looked so pale when she had walked into the intensive care unit and seen Angelo in a coma. He felt guilty that he had not been more understanding, but he had not known about her past. He knew very little about her, he acknowledged, merely the small pieces presented to him by his private investigator.

Infuriated that he could not think straight when she was so close to him, and his senses were inflamed by the scent of her, he threw back the sheet and got out of bed. Making love to her last night had been an aberration he was determined not to repeat. Pulling on his robe, he headed for the bathroom, but paused in the doorway and glanced back at her.

‘I have to go to the office this morning. Fico will take you to visit Angelo and I’ll meet you at the hospital later.’ He hesitated, still troubled by the memory of her distress during the night. ‘You called out another name in your sleep. Was Katie also a friend from the children’s home?’

A haunted expression flared in her eyes. ‘Katie? I…I don’t know anyone with that name. I’ve no idea what I was dreaming about.’

Drago stared at her for a few moments, noting how she avoided meeting his gaze. Why was she lying? he wondered as he closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower. He felt frustrated that he knew so little about her. Jess’s strange reaction was another puzzle to add to the intrigue surrounding her.





CHAPTER SEVEN



‘SIX WEEKS WITH my leg in traction,’ Angelo groaned. ‘I think I’ll go mad. If only my memory would come back. I feel as though my brain is surrounded by a grey mist.’ He stared frustratedly at Jess, who was sitting beside his bed, helping herself to grapes from the fruit bowl. ‘I don’t understand why I was living in London and not Venice.’

‘Drago said you had enrolled at a college to study business. Do you remember being at college?’

‘No. And although you’ve told me I worked for your decorating company I have no recollection of it.’ He frowned. ‘To be honest, painting walls is not something I can imagine myself doing. Was I good at it?’

‘Not very,’ Jess admitted with a grimace.

‘In that case why did you employ me?’

‘You told me you were destitute and I wanted to help you.’

Angelo shook his head, as if the action would clear the fog from his mind. ‘I lived with you, didn’t I? In a big house surrounded by lots of trees? You cooked omelettes for dinner.’

Jess felt a flicker of excitement. ‘You stayed at my flat for a few weeks. I made dinner for us the night before you disappeared. Can you remember where you were going, or why?’

‘I’m sure it had something to do with Drago, but I just don’t know what.’

‘It’s all right. Your memory will come back soon.’ Jess squeezed Angelo’s hand reassuringly. She hesitated for a moment. ‘I suppose you don’t remember why you withdrew a huge sum of money from your bank account, or who you gave it to?’

His brow furrowed. ‘Money?’

‘Yes, your inheritance fund—’ Jess broke off when a noise from behind her alerted her to the fact that someone had entered the private hospital room.

‘I’m sure Angelo will remember everything in good time,’ Drago said smoothly as he walked towards the bed.

He smiled at his cousin, but Jess sensed his anger, and when he glanced at her his black eyes were as hard as jet.

‘I think you should get some rest now.’ He spoke gently to Angelo. ‘The nurse tells me you have been playing your guitar?’

‘It’s strange that I can remember some things.’ Angelo sighed. ‘Why do I get the feeling that there is some mystery surrounding me? Something that I was going to tell you just before the accident?’

‘Try to relax. Jess has been here with you all day and I’m afraid she has overtired you.’

Bristling, Jess followed Drago out of the room. ‘Thanks a lot,’ she snapped as soon as he had closed the door. ‘I didn’t overtire him. He slept on and off during the day. I stayed because you said that talking to him might trigger his memory.’

‘Perhaps you have another motive?’ he said darkly. ‘I don’t want you to mention Angelo’s missing inheritance fund in case you put ideas into his head.’

Nonplussed, she stared at him—and then wished she hadn’t when she felt a coiling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Dressed in a pale grey suit teamed with a navy blue shirt, he looked incredibly sexy, and she could not help remembering him last night, naked and aroused as he had positioned himself over her.

‘What sort of ideas?’ she mumbled, thankful that he did not know what ideas were in her mind.

‘Ideas such as he didn’t give you a fortune. He’s in a vulnerable state at the moment, and likely to believe anything you tell him.’

Drago’s arrogant expression ignited Jess’s temper like a flame set to tinder.

‘For the last blasted time—I know nothing about Angelo’s missing money,’ she hissed.

She felt unbelievably hurt that although he had slept with her he clearly did not trust her. What had she expected? she asked herself miserably. He regarded her as good enough to have sex with but he did not respect her, and by falling into his bed so wantonly she had lost respect for herself.

‘Where are you going?’ he demanded.

‘Anywhere so long as it’s a long way away from you.’ She marched along the corridor without having a clue where she was heading.

‘The exit is in the other direction.’ Drago caught hold of her arm and swung her round to face him, feeling a stab of guilt when he saw tears shimmering in her eyes. ‘I’ve had a difficult day,’ he owned gruffly. ‘I appreciate that you’ve given up a whole day to spend it with Angelo. Shall we go back to the palazzo…?’

‘You mean you’re giving me a choice of whether or not to return to my prison?’ she said sarcastically.

‘Madonna!’ He raked a hand through his hair and glared at her in exasperation. ‘You would test the patience of a saint. If you hate my home so much we’ll go to a restaurant and get something to eat. Who knows? Perhaps a good meal will improve your temper.’

The restaurant was not scarily sophisticated, as Jess had feared, but a charming little place tucked away down a side street with tables set out on the terrace overlooking a narrow canal. The waiters were quietly attentive and seemed to know Drago.

‘Trattoria Marisa is the place I come to when I want to chill out,’ he admitted. He did not reveal that he never brought the women he dated here. In truth he did not know why he had brought Jess to the restaurant which he regarded as a sanctuary away from the stresses of his hectic life.

‘What did the waiter say to you?’ she asked curiously. ‘And why did he keep looking at me?’

‘He said that you are very beautiful and I am very lucky,’ he said drily. He met her startled gaze and his mouth curved into a sudden smile. ‘I agreed with him. You look stunning in that dress.’

Flustered, Jess glanced down at the white silk dress covered with a pattern of pink roses. Like all the clothes from the Cassa di Cassari collection it was pretty and elegant and made her feel very feminine. She studied the menu, which was in Italian and could have been written in hieroglyphics for all the sense it made.

‘You had better order for me,’ she murmured, and was even more disconcerted when Drago moved his chair closer to hers and patiently translated the choice of dishes. She found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying when she was achingly aware of the sensual musk of his aftershave. Her eyes seemed to have a magnetic attraction to his mouth. If he turned his head their lips would almost touch.