Harlequin Romance February 2016 Box Set

by Barbara Wallace

“I’m not surprised. Monte Calanetti loves you.”

  “No, Monte Calanetti loves you. I’m just lucky to have won approval from its favorite son.”

  “Oh, you have more than my approval, bella mia.” She’d awakened a part of him he didn’t think existed and now it belonged to her forever.

  Suddenly, his desire couldn’t wait any longer. Slanting his mouth across hers, he drank in her sweet taste. This—this—was perfection, he realized. All these years he believed his soul was incomplete, it had merely been in hibernation, waiting for his blonde American to move in next door.

  “Louisa, Louisa, Louisa,” he chanted, his lips raining kisses down her throat. “I’ve waited for so long.”

  He paused when he reached the lace neckline blocking the rest of her skin from exploration. The top button strained to be released. All it would take was a flick of his fingers.

  His hand hovered. The memory of her pushing him away at the royal wedding forced him to slow down. “Are you sure?”

  Looking up, he saw eyes more black than blue, the pupils wide with desire. Out of the corner of his own eye, he saw a shaky hand reaching toward her blouse. She smiled, and a moment later, the button was undone.

  It was all the answer Nico needed and he crushed his mouth to hers. Later, as his fingers made short work of the remaining buttons and as Louisa breathed his name, he wondered if maybe it wasn’t only Monte Calanetti that was in love...

  * * *

  “You are a lying lie-face. I hope you know that.”

  What the heck? Louisa blinked at the nightstand clock and decided it was far too early to decipher what Dani meant.

  “I just want you to know that I forgive you,” her friend continued.

  “Forgive me for what?” She brushed the hair from her eyes.

  “For telling me nothing was going on between you and Nico, of course. You’re not going to keep insisting the two of you are only friends after what we saw yesterday.”

  Louisa smiled, thinking about what Dani and the others hadn’t seen. “No.”

  “Good. Because unless you let all your friends literally sweep you off your feet, no one would believe you,” Dani told her. “By the way, Rafe and I completely understand why the two of you wanted to keep things private for a while. Especially given the circumstances.”

  “Thank you.” No sense explaining how she and Nico weren’t together until yesterday. Like Dani said, after the way she’d kissed him in the plaza, no one would believe her anyway.

  Nico had swept her off her feet, hadn’t he? In more ways than one. Her stomach dropped a little at that.

  He’s not Steven. This was a different kind of affair.

  “Louisa, are you there?”

  She yawned and pushed herself to a sitting position. “I’m here,” she said, pulling the sheet up.

  “Good. I was afraid Nico might be distracting you.”

  “Nico isn’t here. He went to see how the harvest was going.” I’ll wake you when I get back, he’d whispered upon kissing her cheek. So much for that fantasy. Maybe she could pretend to be asleep. “Is there a reason you’re calling this early,” she asked, “or did you just want to call me a liar?”

  “I have your sandals. You left them in the plaza, in case you were looking for them.” Oh, right. Now that she thought about it, Louisa didn’t remember Nico getting his shoes either. Definitely wouldn’t be able to sell the idea of friends.

  “Thank you,” she replied, sheepishly.

  “Also now that the festival is over, Rafe wants our economic development committee to start meeting in earnest. Can you ask Nico if he’s available next Tuesday morning, since you’ll probably see him before any of the rest of us will?”

  Wow, the little blonde was really enjoying this wasn’t she? Louisa shook her head, despite Dani’s not being able to see her. “I’ll try to track him down.”

  As if on cue, no sooner did she speak than the bedroom door opened and Nico strolled in wearing a shirt that should have been tossed several washes ago as it was at least a size too small. The fabric clung to his biceps and flat stomach.

  When he saw her sitting up, he gave an exaggerated pout. “Dani,” she mouthed. Her breath was too short to talk anyway. That shirt left nothing to the imagination, especially to a woman who knew exactly what lay beneath the cotton.

  She watched him putter around the bedroom only half listening while Dani talked on about the meeting. Finally, guessing that a pause meant the conversation had ended, Louisa told Dani she had to go.

  “What did Dani want?” Nico asked, when she tossed the phone aside.

  “To give me grief for not telling her about our affair.”

  “But we weren’t having an affair until...”

  “I know,” she replied. “And you didn’t think people believed the tabloids.”

  “People will definitely believe them now,” he commented. Hard to call them liars, that was for sure. “Does it bother you?”

  He looked so serious, standing there smoothing the wrinkled duvet. “Don’t have much of a choice now, do I?” she replied. “I mean, the time to object would have been before I kissed you, and if I recall...”

  She rolled onto her stomach, and hugged his pillow beneath her, grinning to herself at how the movement left her shoulders and back exposed. “As I recall, I wasn’t doing all that much objecting at the time.”

  “That is true. I did not hear an objection,” he replied. To her surprise, however, his smile didn’t last. “I hope I don’t hear one today.”

  An odd question considering she lay naked in his bed. “What could I possibly object to? That yesterday wasn’t perfect enough?”

  “This.”

  * * *

  Louisa sat up as Nico pulled a rolled-up newspaper from the back of his waistband. The pages had been folded to a gossip column. Near the bottom of the page, she saw a brief mention of her holding court at the harvest festival with her latest millionaire boyfriend. Two lines. No more. Her fifteen minutes of notoriety was fading. A weight lifted from her shoulders.

  “Looks like I’ve been replaced by bigger news.” Finally. Heaven help the poor person who took her place, whether they deserved the attention or not.

  “So you don’t mind the mention?” Nico asked.

  Honestly? She’d rather they not mention her at all, but given how bad things had been? “Two lines on page thirteen I can handle.”

  At last, a true smile broke across Nico’s face. “Good. I’m glad. I was concerned...”

  “About what? That I would freak out?”

  “You did before.” He pressed a knee to the edge of the bed, and leaning close, cradled her face in his palm. “I never want anything to hurt you that badly again.”

  “Never is a very big promise,” she told him.

  “Not where you’re concerned. If I have to buy up every newspaper in Italy to keep the paparazzi from hounding you, I will.”

  A shiver ran down Louisa’s spine. He’s just trying to make you feel safe and special. Even so, when he said things like that she couldn’t help thinking of Steven.

  “No need to do anything so drastic. I’ll settle for your arms around me.”

  “Ask and you shall receive, bella mia.” A twinkle appeared in his eye. “Is a hug all you need?”

  Well, when he looked at her like that... She grabbed the neck of his T-shirt and tugged him forward. “Now that you mention it, I might have a few other requests.”

  * * *

  Following their lovemaking this morning, he’d wanted nothing more than to burrow with her beneath the sheets and, maybe after some rest, make love again. Unfortunately, Louisa insisted they needed to make an appearance at the winery before the gossip got too out of control.

  As he leaned back against the bed watching her dress, he marveled at how light and full his chest felt. Never in his entire life could Nico remember feeling this way. It was as though overnight the entire world had grown brighter: every color more brilliant, every smell a
nd sound more pronounced. And Louisa—beautiful, beautiful Louisa—he couldn’t get enough of her. Not sexually, although making love with her was amazing, but of her. Her company, her presence, her happiness. It overwhelmed him how much he wanted to keep her close and protect her.

  Suddenly, it hit him. He was in love.

  For the first time in his life, he, Nico Amatucci, was truly, madly and deeply in love. The knowledge swelled inside him, inflating his heart until he thought it might burst.

  To distract himself from the desire to haul her down the hall and back into his bed, he pretended to check the messages on his phone. Comprehension was difficult, what with his beautiful American standing a few feet away clad only in jeans and a bra.

  “You should move your clothes into the closet,” he said as he watched her taking a shirt from her suitcase. This long under his roof, and she hadn’t unpacked? They would need to remedy that.

  “Actually,” Louisa said, “I was thinking it might be time for me to move back to the palazzo.”

  What? He sat a little straighter. “So soon?”

  “It’s hardly soon, Nico. I’ve been here two and a half weeks. This was only supposed to be until the press died down, remember?”

  He remembered. He didn’t want her to go. Her decision felt too much like her deciding to leave Monte Calanetti. How could she want to leave when they were only just were discovering their feelings.

  It took all his effort to keep his voice light and not spoil the moment with his panic. “I suppose,” he said, heaving the most dramatic sigh he could muster, “if you prefer to sleep alone in a cold palazzo than in my warm bed...”

  “I never said I preferred the cold palazzo.” She mocked his exaggerated voice with one of her own. “But I will have to go back eventually.”

  “I know. Not tonight, though?”

  “Well...” He could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that she was only pretending to hesitate. “Okay, not tonight. But soon.”

  “Soon,” he said, with a smile. He was surprised at how strongly he wanted her to stay. This new passionate self was going to take some getting used to.

  Returning his attention to his phone, he noticed a message from Rafe. Agenda Items for Next Tuesday, the subject line read.

  “Did Dani say any more about what Rafe wanted to talk about at this meeting?” he asked Louisa.

  “Just that he wanted to get plans rolling on some type of event to attract visitors now that the harvest is wrapping up.” She was buttoning the same silk blouse she’d worn when moving in. “He was thinking maybe something in February,” she said. Around Valentine’s Day.”

  “A holiday that will attract couples to his restaurant. Why am I not surprised?”

  “Well, it is a romantic time of year. What could be more romantic than candlelit dinners with fine wine?”

  “True.” No sooner did she say the words than the image of the two of them nestled together in a corner table came to mind. “Very romantic indeed,” he murmured.

  “You could relabel one of your wines for the occasion. The winery must have something bubbly. A prosecco maybe?”

  She was on to something. The winery had a very nice prosecco they produced on a limited basis. He could easily convince the local businesses to incorporate it into any plans they came up with.

  Tossing his phone aside, he got up and, giving in partially to his desire, wrapped his arms around her waist. “Beautiful and brilliant,” he said, kissing her neck. “You are definitely a prize worth keeping.”

  “Glad you think so.”

  Was it his imagination or did she tense slightly before breaking the embrace. She had a smile on her face, so he must have.

  “Isn’t Valentine’s Day when you were hoping to open the palazzo to guests?” Since she obviously wasn’t going to leave Monte Calanetti now, she could put her project back into motion.

  To his surprise, she answered his question with a very sarcastic laugh. “I’m pretty sure those plans bit the dust when Dominic Merloni canceled our appointment.”

  Dominic Merloni. That shortsighted idiot. “He is not the only financier in Italy. There are other banks. Other sources of funding,” he reminded her.

  Louisa set down the hairbrush she was using to look at him. “Who’s going to lend Luscious Louisa money? It was naive of me to think I could slide by on my maiden name. Too much of my past financial history is tied to Steven’s.”

  “There is still the investor route. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would be interested. I’ve already said I would—”

  “No.” Her refusal was sharp and sudden, cutting him off. The reaction must have shown on his face, because her voice immediately softened. “We’ve already had this conversation Nico. I can’t take money from you.”

  “Yes, but...” But that was before they became lovers. Surely, the situation had changed. Why not let him help?

  “The whole idea of the hotel was to create something of my own,” she said, cutting off his protest. “If I take money from you, then it won’t feel that way. Especially now. The papers claim I’m dating you for your money,” she added, picking up her brush.

  “I thought you no longer cared what the papers said.”

  “I said I could deal with a small mention. What I don’t want to do is give them more ammunition.”

  “So, what are you going to do? Give up on your plan?”

  “I’m not ‘giving up’ on anything. The palazzo is going to make a wonderful hotel. Just not as soon as I hoped, is all. In another year or so, maybe, when I’ve had time to build a better financial profile.”

  Hearing Louisa put her dream on hold broke his heart. It wasn’t right, her suffering another setback because of that cretin she’d married. Especially when he had the wealth and connections to make things happen.

  Maybe... He looked down at his phone. Maybe she wouldn’t have to wait too long. Wouldn’t hurt to make a few phone calls and see if he could open a few doors, would it?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  MORE THAN A few heads turned when Louisa and Nico entered the winery together. Dozens of pairs of eyes all staring knowingly in her direction.

  Suppressing the old, familiar apprehension, Louisa nodded hello to everyone. “Looks like our secret is out,” she said. The din of the machinery forced her to holler directly into Nico’s ear.

  He turned and looked at her with such concern, her heart wobbled. “Will you be all right?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine.” Even if she wouldn’t, there was no way she could tell him that when he was looking at her so tenderly. “If I was worried about discretion, I wouldn’t have kissed you in front of the whole village, would I?”

  Nico looked about to reply when one of the workers called his name.

  “Duty calls,” he said. He flicked the hair from her eyes with his index finger. While not a kiss, the gesture was still intimate enough that, if there had been any employees who didn’t suspect their affair, there weren’t anymore.

  Trying her best to look nonchalant, Louisa headed toward the back office. She was nodding hello to the women at the destemmer when she noticed the two men behind them exchanging euros.

  “They’ve been placing bets ever since the picture of you and Signor Amatucci appeared in the paper,” Mario said, appearing at her shoulder.

  Bets. Her stomach churned a little at the news. “On what?”

  “On you and Signor Amatucci. Half the staff believed the two of you were just friends; the other half was convinced the two of you had been together for months.”

  “Months? You must have heard wrong.” Up until the royal wedding, she and Nico had only crossed paths when necessary, and half the time they’d butted heads.

  The young man shrugged. “I only know what people told me.”

  “Which side were you on?” she asked.

  “I don’t like to place money on anyone who is writing me a reference.”

  “A smart man,” she replied.

  “For wh
at it’s worth,” Mario continued, following her into the office “the majority were hoping the rumors turned out to be true.”

  “They were?” Come to think of it, while people stared, nobody seemed particularly acrimonious. There were no cold shoulders like in Boston. In fact, Louisa realized, some of them had amusement in their eyes.

  “Public consensus seems to be that it was high time Signor Amatucci had a serious relationship.”

  “It is, is it?”

  “At least among the older female employees.”

  “I see.” She wondered if Nico knew he had a mothering contingent. Probably.

  Feeling slightly better, she sat down at her desk. Today’s order list wasn’t as long as previous days’ as most people had purchased their bottles in person at the festival. She counted fewer than two dozen names.

  “Those should be the last of the orders,” Mario said. “We’ll be out of Amatucci Reserve after today.”

  “Guess that means my job will be finishing soon, as well. No wine, no need to fulfill orders.” With the headlines dying down and the wine gone, it was definitely time to go home.

  “That’s too bad,” Mario replied. “You’ll be missed.”

  “I know. What will people have to bet on?”

  “I’m serious. I’ll admit, when you first arrived some of us were concerned. We didn’t know what to expect. But then we got to know you, and we realized what Signor Amatucci said at the staff meeting was true...”

  “I’m sorry.” Louisa put down the paper she’d picked up. “What staff meeting?”

  “Right after you started. Signor held a staff meeting and told us the headlines were all exaggerations and that we should make a point of getting to know you.”

  So that’s why Mario and the others had warmed up to her. Because Nico had told them to. “How very kind of him,” she replied. Inside, she wanted to wring Nico’s neck.

  “Well, like signor said, once we got to know you, we’d realize we shouldn’t believe everything we read. At least I don’t believe it.”

  “Thank you.” She did her best to keep her voice calm and kind. The young man was being sincere. Besides, her annoyance wasn’t with him, it was with his boss.