by Day Leclaire
“I just got off the phone with them. If you choose not to try and recover the diamond, the rest of us will go along with your decision.”
No question. No hesitation. “Let it go. If the Romanos want to track it down, let them. But my opinion is, no one should benefit from that rock.”
After helping himself to a drink and refreshing Lazz’s, Sev settled on the couch and waved his brother toward a nearby chair. “Next order of business. Now that all the secrets are out in the open, what do you plan to do about Ariana?”
“What we agreed from the beginning. End the marriage.”
Compassion tarnished Sev’s gaze. “She made a mistake, Lazz.”
“She betrayed me.”
“She was protecting her family. No doubt it’s been drummed into her the same way it’s been drummed into us. That doesn’t mean she’s not your soul mate. That doesn’t mean you didn’t experience The Inferno with her.”
“Don’t.”
“You still don’t believe, do you?” Sev leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “Why, Lazz? You’re the most logical of us all. How can you deny its existence when the evidence is all around you?”
“You’re forgetting one vital piece of your so-called evidence.” Lazz’s mouth compressed. “You’re forgetting Dad and I share similar personalities. You’re forgetting The Inferno didn’t work for him and Mom.”
Sev tilted his head back and swore. “Of course. I am such an idiot. I had no idea you thought that or I’d have set you straight years ago. But you were only a teenager when our parents died, and I didn’t want to destroy your memories of them.” He released his breath in a sigh. “Dad absolutely believed in The Inferno. But he and Mom never felt it toward each other.”
Lazz froze. “What?”
“After they died, I found letters indicating Dad had experienced The Inferno with one of his designers. He chose to ignore what he felt, despite Primo’s warnings. He married Mom for her business contacts, and regretted it for the rest of his life. That’s why he drafted that contract with Vittorio. He saw an incipient form of The Inferno spark when you and Ariana first touched as children, and wanted to be certain the son who most shared his logical bent wouldn’t make the same mistake he made.”
“How do you know this?”
“From the letters. And I’ve spoken to Primo and Vittorio about it.” Sev paused. “And because you’re sitting there attempting to rub a hole in your palm.”
Silence reigned for five solid minutes before Lazz spoke again. “I don’t know if I can let go,” he confessed. “I don’t know if I can choose the possibility over the reality.”
Sev took a second to gather his arguments. “I understand what you’re going through. So do Marco and Nicolò, since we’ve all been there. We’ve sat right where you’re sitting now and faced the same decision. You have two choices, Lazz. You can forgive your wife, surrender to The Inferno and have a life fuller and richer than you can possibly imagine. Or you can make the same mistake our father made and die in perpetual regret. I suggest you choose fast, before it’s too late.” He stood. “Now get the hell out of here before I beat your decision into that ugly mug of yours.”
Lazz had no memory of returning to his apartment. When he opened the door, he could feel the lack of connection, the sense of emptiness that signaled his wife’s absence. Even so, he called to her, praying she’d respond with an enthusiastic volley of Italian. Of course, there was no answer. But he did find a message from Vittorio.
I’ve collected all of Ariana’s belongings except her paintings. Will return later tonight for those.
At a loss, Lazz wandered through the empty apartment. He couldn’t help but notice the bits and pieces that Ariana had contributed to his home—and his life—had been stripped away, leaving it cold and sterile. He fought against a pain he had no hope of easing. Had he really lived like this before Ariana? How the hell had he survived it?
Eventually, he found himself in the Mrs. Pennywinkle room. He glanced around, absorbing the beauty and whimsy of his wife’s artwork. It was a beauty and whimsy that had slipped into the other areas of his apartment and into all aspects of his life. Into his heart and mind and body. And straight into his soul.
Sev was right. He could reject it, reject The Inferno, along with his wife. Or he could embrace the true meaning of the legend. He could embrace the love Ariana had given him so unstintingly. The joy and laughter and passion. And he could give it back to her just as unstintingly. He could have love, or he could cling to his common sense and reason and return to the barren existence he’d known before.
It didn’t take any thought at all.
He bent down and picked up a piece of paper that had missed the trash can, realizing as he started to ball it up that it was a letter. Aaron Talbot’s name leapt off the page and Lazz stiffened as he read. Son of a bitch! He pulled out his cell phone and punched in Penelope’s number. She answered on the first ring.
“Talbot rejected Ariana?” he asked tersely.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Ever since Aaron took control of his father’s publishing firm, he’s been fanatical about preserving the sanctity of Mrs. Pennywinkle. Young fool. At least Jonah would have been more open to change.”
“I can fix this,” he offered. “I just need time.”
There was a brief pause. “What’s the point, since Ariana’s returning to Italy? Your marriage is over, isn’t it? Isn’t that what you told her?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Not by a long shot.”
“It took you long enough to come to your senses,” she said with a touch of acid. “Now, what are you going to do to straighten out this mess?”
He grinned as he glanced around the room at his wife’s paintings. His gaze narrowed as an idea came to him. Maybe. Just maybe . . . “First, I need you to delay Ariana for a day or two,” he said. “Assuming you’re willing.”
“I could be talked into it,” she graciously conceded.
“Next, I’m going to take a few pictures on my phone. And then you’re going to tell me how to get in touch with Aaron’s father.”
“Ma’am?” The bellboy hovered by the open door to the hotel room. “Your grandmother is waiting in the limousine. She asked if you’d come now.”
Ariana gathered up her handbag and gave the suite a final check. “I’m ready.”
Lazz stepped into the room. “Actually, she’s not. Tell the limo driver he can leave now. I’ll escort Mrs. Dante to the airport.”
It took Ariana an instant to react, just long enough for Lazz to hand the bellboy a bill and jerk his head toward the door. With a cheeky grin, the boy snagged the Do Not Disturb sign and hung it on the outside handle before closing the door behind him.
“You can’t do that,” she protested. “I have a plane to catch.”
He crossed to the sitting area and dropped his briefcase onto the coffee table. “There will be other flights if you miss this one. But there might not be another opportunity for us.”
She wanted to resist. Wanted to turn and run before he hurt her again. But something kept her from leaving. Maybe it was the sincerity in his eyes and voice. Or maybe it was something else. Something that caused a fragile seedling of hope to blossom with new life. “Okay, I’m listening.”
He opened the briefcase he carried and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “I assume you recognize this.”
“Is that the contract our parents signed?”
He nodded. “As well as the list of conditions we agreed to.”
“That is why you’ve come?” she demanded, outraged. “You are going to throw those in my face? Try and bind me to you with a pile of documents that never should have been drafted in the first place? You think you’re going to keep me here with rules and logic and paper?”
“Not even a little.” In one swift motion, he ripped the papers in half and tossed them to the carpet in a flurry of black and white. “I’m hoping to keep you here because of a marriage. Our marriage.”
/> The seedling that had taken root unfurled, its roots grappling to anchor into good, strong soil, while its leaves reached toward the warmth of the sun, toward an Inferno of light and heat. “Go on.” She couldn’t contain the smile flirting with her mouth. “I am back to listening.”
He reached into his briefcase again and pulled out more papers that reeked of “contract.” “And then there’s this,” he said.
She was tempted to follow his example and rip those apart, as well. “What is it with you Dantes and contracts?” she muttered.
“I think this is one contract you’re going to like. It’s for a new Mrs. Pennywinkle book.” He held it out. “It’s yours, if you want it. All you have to do is sign.”
She shook her head, stunned. “I don’t understand. Aaron rejected me as my grandmother’s replacement. How did you manage this, Lazz? What have you done?” Her eyes widened in dismay. “Tell me you didn’t bribe him.”
He chuckled, the sound deep and rich, causing tendrils of desire to slip through her and grab hold. “I didn’t bribe him with anything more than your own artwork.”
“How?”
He removed the mockup of the book he’d created and handed it her. “With this.”
She took it from him and flipped through it. Tears filled her eyes. “You made this and showed it to Aaron? It must have taken you forever to put together.”
“It didn’t take forever. Just a very long twenty-four hours.”
It took her a moment before she could speak through her tears. “And it convinced Aaron to give me a contract?”
“There might have been a tiny bit of prodding from Aaron’s father. But you got the contract through your own hard work and talent. Your illustrations sold you, not me. They just needed to see the evidence in a more recognizable form. And now that they have, they’ve realized what I did from the start. You, Mrs. Pennywinkle, are amazing.” He took the book from her and set it aside. Then he gathered her close. He ran his thumbs along her cheekbones, brushing away tears. “Does this give you enough reason to stay in San Francisco, instead of returning to Italy?”
She shook her head. “I can be Mrs. Pennywinkle in Italy just as easily as here,” she pointed out. “If you want me to stay, give me a better reason.”
“I thought you might say that. And my response is . . .” His voice altered, softened. The words were filled with unwavering certainty and a passion she couldn’t mistake. “Stay because of me. Because of us. Not because of a diamond, or a contract, or family obligations. Let’s start over, for the right reasons this time.”
“And what reasons are those?”
He didn’t hesitate. “Because we belong together. We have from the very first touch. My world exploded around me that day and it’s never been the same since.”
“Exploded?”
The expression that swept across his face dazzled her. “Burst into flames?” he dared to tease.
She stilled. “Are you telling me you believe in The Inferno now?”
“I believe in this.” He threaded his fingers through hers until their palms met and the warmth came. “If this is The Inferno, then yes. I believe in The Inferno.”
It took her a moment to gather herself enough to respond. “Even though it defies logic and common sense?” she managed to ask.
His smile turned tender. “I sacrificed those the moment we first joined hands. And I would much rather have what I found as a replacement.”
“And what’s that?” she whispered, daring to hope. Daring to believe.
“Love. I love you, Ariana Dante.”
It was all she wanted him to say and everything she needed to hear. “And I love you.”
Her arms tightened around his neck and she kissed him. Kissed him until the fires burned and they were consumed in the flames. He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He lowered her into a nest of down and butter-soft cotton, his weight a delicious dichotomy to the smoothness beneath her.
He feathered a kiss across her lips, just a quiet, fleeting pressure that still managed to push her ever closer to that delicious edge between reason and insanity. Between need and desperation.
“I can’t imagine my life without you,” he admitted between kisses.
“But if I’d left . . .”
He smoothed her hair back from her face. “I’d have come after you. You are—” He lowered his head, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder. He inhaled her scent before pressing a string of kisses along the length of her neck. Then he found her mouth again, his hunger for her taking on a sharp edge. “You are everything to me. You are my life.”
“Oh, Lazz.” She cupped his face. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? Don’t you realize that it is the same for me?”
“I’d hoped,” he admitted gruffly.
They moved in concert, their clothing slipping away in a slow, sweet process interrupted by kisses and filled with intimate laughter. When nothing remained between them, she reached for him, surprised when he stopped her at the last moment.
“I didn’t come prepared. Is it safe to make love?” he asked.
“Not even a little,” she warned.
Satisfaction swept across his face. “I was hoping you’d say that. Do you mind?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Not even a little,” she repeated softly.
They didn’t speak again for a long, long time. This time when they came together it was different. It was as if those other occasions had been mere shadows of the real thing. Preludes to a song as yet unsung. As though they’d experienced only the disparate parts without ever knowing the whole. This time all the pieces came together, locking into place and creating a union of intense color and light and rightness. This time they surrendered everything they had, giving themselves up to love.
And in that ultimate joining, the Inferno had fulfilled its promise. The last Dante man fell. In fact, the last Dante man didn’t just fall into the flames.
He leapt.
I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to read Lazz’s Contract Marriage. It’s because of you that I can spend my days writing more stories for your enjoyment. If you liked the book, would you consider leaving a review? Reviews help authors gain new readers on Amazon and that in turn allows me to continue writing more books. Thank you!!
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Other Titles by Day Leclaire
The Dante Inferno: The Dante Dynasty Series
Some blazes, once ignited, can’t be extinguished.
Just one burning touch connects a Dante with his soul mate.
The Inferno … curse or blessing?
Sev’s Blackmailed Bride, Book #1
One scorching touch connects Sev Dante with lovely jewelry designer, Francesca Sommers. One passionate night together changes their lives forever. One painful secret will tear them apart and destroy both their lives.
As the powerful, take-charge CEO of Dantes jewelry empire, Sev never believed in The Inferno until it sweeps through him like wildfire. According to family legend, to ignore The Inferno guarantees disaster. To succumb, a life of bliss. But what happens when the woman The Inferno chooses works for his competitor and creates a stunning jewelry collection that threatens to destroy his plans to rebuild his family’s empire? The only option available: blackmail her to work for him and become his bride.
Francesca Sommers has her dream job, working for her father, even if he’s unaware of her existence. Her life is almost perfect … until Sev changes her with a single touch. She can’t resist him or his relentless seduction. Has no choice but to surrender to his raw passion. To give him everything and anything he demands. Even to be forced into marriage.
But surrendering to Sev means losing both her budding relationship with her father and her career. And when Sev discovers what she did to even the scales and protect her father’s business from his hostile takeover, she
will lose him, too.
Will The Inferno be enough to save them? Or will its relentless fire consume them both?
Click to Purchase Sev’s Blackmailed Bride!
Marco’s Stolen Wife, Book #2
A fierce contest between twins…
One scorching touch between sexy international businessman Marco Dante and gorgeous Dantes CFO, Caitlyn Vaughn and The Inferno explodes. Until Marco’s twin brother, Lazz, parts them, planning to make Caitlyn his own. But he hasn’t counted on The Inferno or Marco’s determination to win his Inferno mate, no matter what.
Posing as his brother, Marco switches identities and sweeps Caitlyn off for a romantic weekend, seducing her first into becoming his wife and then into his bed for a night of passion unlike any other. The weekend is perfect … until a fatal mistake on Marco’s part reveals the truth.
She married the wrong man.
Or did she? Marco claims it’s some bizarre family myth called The Inferno, where soul mates connect with a single touch. But she couldn’t possibly love a man she only met one time, for all of five minutes. How can the lust she feels for a relative stranger far outstrip the chaste relationship she had with his brother? And yet, that’s exactly what’s happened.
Now Caitlyn finds herself married to Marco for better or worse. The better, she finds in his arms and bed. The worse occurs when their marital mix-up is leaked to the press.
Can she find a way to prove both the existence of The Inferno … and that Marco is the only man for her? Or is their relationship doomed if The Inferno is demonstrated to be nothing more than a myth?
Click to Purchase Marco’s Stolen Wife!
Nicolò’s Wedding Deception, Book #3
A liar and a thief … or his Inferno mate?
When Kiley O’Dell claims to own half the mines that contain Dantes legendary fire diamonds, the family sends the most ruthless and cynical of the brothers, Nicolò Dante, the family troubleshooter, to negotiate with her. Neither expect the legendary Inferno to strike, sending both up in flames.
Nicolò suspects Kiley’s claim is a con. And he’ll do whatever necessary to get to the truth, even chase a panicked and fleeing Kiley. To his horror, she darts into traffic and is hit by a cab before he can save her. After she wakes, she insists she has amnesia. Now he’s certain she’s conning him, and he has a way to prove it.
