Her Ruthless Italian Boss

by Christina Hollis

  Beth had always thought it would be impossible for her to love anyone else the way she loved Luca. But as she sat there in her suite a subtle change started to creep over her. She loved him just as much as ever, yet powerful emotions built up as she thought of the new life growing inside her. Her baby was part of Luca. He would hate it, but it was something she would protect and nurture for as long as she lived. She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of everything. When she opened them again, the first thing she saw was the beautiful rug Luca had bought her in Paris. It was laid out in front of the reception room hearth, replacing a far more expensive antique. It’s totally out of place here, like me, Beth thought.

  She looked around the rooms that had been hers for such a short time. When Luca hears about this, memories will be all I have, she told herself, trying to relive every moment. She wanted them printed on her mind for ever. This room was where she had made that first, tentative move on him, the day he had first shown her around. He had been rigid with scorn then.

  Only a few minutes ago she had left him stretched flat out in his own bed, fast asleep. He looked totally relaxed today, like a lion at rest. Beth had been able to kiss him and ruffle his hair, with no response.

  She stifled a sob. It would be her last moment of intimacy with him. He wouldn’t want her now.

  The more she tried to hold back her tears, the more pain rose up in her chest. It threatened to burst out in a wail of anguish. Every second she spent in this rose-scented hell made the agony worse. She had to get away.

  Cramming a few things into a case, she ran downstairs and slipped out into the damp, dark, early morning. Leaving the palazzo meant losing Luca for ever, but she owed it to his child to be strong, and do it. All her life she had expected other people to take care of her. Now it was up to Beth to take responsibility for something—her baby. Luca wouldn’t want to support her, and she didn’t intend cramping his style. They had both been free spirits, once upon a time, but that was over for her.

  Beth had to hope two things would eventually soften the pain of losing Luca. One was the thought he would be able to go on living this life he had chosen, without needing to worry about her. The other idea that kept Beth running was that she would be protecting his unborn baby. Until now, she had always managed to pass the responsibility for her actions onto someone else. That time had passed. She knew it was far better to hide her heartache for ever than to see it reflected every day in Luca’s face.

  Venice was already filling with wintry smells: weeds, water and sodden wood. Beth’s trip to the airport passed in a dismal, rain-spattered blur. Even the sky is crying, she thought, dragging herself into the shelter of the airport building. It took her a long time to make any sense of the departure information. Her mind was too full. All she could see was Luca’s expression, if he ever found out about their child. She wanted to save him that, but it was killing her.

  She went over and over his warnings in her mind. He never wanted to be tied down. He had enough commitments already. He had no time for marriage. Beth had known all that from their earliest days together. When their first relationship had collapsed, she had accused Luca to his face of not being the marrying kind. He had agreed. This time around, she had signed up to his idea of an arrangement based on sex without strings. And yet somehow, knowing what she knew and doing what she had done, she had still let this happen!

  Memories gouged pieces from Beth’s heart. As she paced around the departure lounge dangerous thoughts began to form in her mind. She had been mad to walk away from him the first time. Perhaps pregnancy had altered her state of mind again? Luca was a proud man. Perhaps she should have forced herself to tell him the truth from the first moment they had met at FFA. If she had explained straight away she had always loved him, and wanted to stay with him for ever, it might have changed things. The worst that could have happened was that Luca threw her out straight away. Instead, she had tried to hide it and they had grown closer once more, like new skin meshing across an open wound.

  This baby was sure to burst them apart again, with no hope of any repair. Ever.

  Beth’s heart began to pound, dragging her breath in great silent sobs. If only she could open her heart to Luca now, bloody and battered as it was—he might take pity on her. Was it too much to ask? She couldn’t bear to think of the endless longing. His unborn baby was the only thing she had left in the world. What chance would the poor child have if she turned her back on its father? Only a little while ago, the thought of exposing her deepest feelings to Luca like this would have been unthinkable. Now it was far too late. Beth knew she should have done whatever it took to keep him. But now she could never go back. She would never see him again—

  ‘Beth?’

  Nobody spoke her name as beautifully as Luca did. It was the last place she expected to hear his voice, but it was unmistakable. She stopped, and whirled round.

  There he was. His midnight-dark hair glistened with raindrops, and he was breathing fast as though he had been running.

  ‘Luca?’ His name whispered from her lips, then jumped out in a shout that turned every head for metres around. ‘Luca! What are you doing here?’

  ‘You forgot something.’

  They stared at each other.

  Say: Me! You forgot me! Beth willed, but he didn’t. Instead, he trapped her with the magnetism of his gaze. He watched her wordlessly for a long time, as he had done so often before. He looked to be on the brink of making some great speech, but no words came out. Eventually, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled something out. Handing it to Beth, he waited for her to supply the words.

  ‘It’s the necklace you made for me!’ she said in amazement. ‘But—where did you find it? I thought that was long gone. I tore it off and threw it away.’

  ‘In Balacha, yes,’ Luca said. ‘I picked it up.’

  Beth stared at him in wonder. ‘And you’ve kept it safe for me, for all these years? But…why wait until now to hand it back?’

  His expression hardened as she tucked the souvenir away in her bag. He looked around, and caught the attention of a uniformed man standing nearby.

  ‘Please could you arrange for someone to retrieve Miss Woodbury’s luggage?’ he called.

  The man grimaced. ‘That’s not my job. Luggage is nothing to do with me. You’ll have to—’

  ‘I am Luca Francesco, Managing Director of FFA.’ Luca silenced him with deadly intent. ‘You will have Miss Woodbury’s things loaded into my Mercedes immediately, or I’ll want to know why.’

  The man blanched and scuttled away. Luca took hold of Beth’s arm, and escorted her towards the exit.

  ‘I don’t like pulling rank, but this is a special case. The alternative is to pay bribes, which I despise.’ His face was impassive. ‘You are coming back home with me, Beth. Now.’

  His words tore strips from her heart. ‘Oh, Luca…I—I can’t…’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘I—I need some time alone. You’ve always been so keen on keeping your independence. My time in Venice has made me realise how important that is to you. I’ve started to feel I need it too. Emotional space is something neither of us will have while we’re both living under the same roof.’

  It was all lies. She had to gulp down air to stop the truth screaming out.

  He stopped. He looked her up and down. Then he let go of her arm and began prowling around her. His relentless dark eyes scrutinised her. Beth felt a shimmer of fear. Could he sense it wasn’t only the hormones of desire fuelling her now? Did she look different already?

  ‘I’ve noticed you’ve been quiet for a while,’ he conceded. ‘But this running away is such a drastic move—and so sudden. Why didn’t you mention these feelings last night?’

  ‘They come and go.’ Her voice sank, like her spirits.

  ‘But they were particularly bad, first thing this morning? Bad enough for you to drop everything, abandon me and leave a letter on our breakfast table?’ His brows knitted together in a thundero
us frown.

  He must be about to guess. I can’t let him know! Beth thought in a mad panic. Summoning up all the courage she had, and some she’d never known she possessed, she rose to his challenge.

  ‘No…’ Beth began hesitantly, but managing to say that single word gave her enough nerve to look up at him directly again. ‘No—actually, it was last night when I decided we were getting too close.’

  A lump rose in her throat. She choked back her pain and battled on. ‘I kept it to myself, put a brave face on things and thought it all over. Then I got a good night’s sleep. Things usually look better by daylight, but today, for me, they didn’t. I decided a clean break would be best for both of us. My idea was to cut out all the awful argument and agonising that went on in Balacha. But now you’ve followed me here, and spoiled everything. I didn’t want this, and neither should you. So let me go, Luca!’ she finished defiantly.

  He stopped pacing around her, and stood silent for a moment. If Beth hadn’t known better, she would have thought he was cranking up the tension to see how much more she could take. Was he determined to see her collapse in a tearful confession? It was starting to feel like that. Beth balled her hands into fists. Digging her nails into her palms, she willed herself to be strong. She had to—for the sake of the little life growing between them.

  While Luca scrutinised her Beth’s eyes darted about, looking for the quickest escape route when he decided to release her from his gaze.

  ‘No. That explanation doesn’t convince me at all, Beth. Why do I get the feeling you aren’t being entirely honest with me?’

  His expression was fierce. His lips were a narrow, angry line. She shrank beneath his stare. They stood in the middle of the concourse, two individuals trapped in time. Luca’s watchful silence went on and on. And on. Beth felt a trickle of perspiration run down between her breasts. She knew how single-minded Luca could be. He would stand there for as long as he thought she was hiding something from him.

  She had to get away. Even if it meant losing one of the mementos of him she had been determined to keep.

  ‘All right. You’ve beaten me again, Luca. I confess.’ She opened her bag and took out a small, heavy object care fully wrapped in tissue paper. ‘You’ve given me back my necklace, so you ought to have this in return.’ Handing it over to him, she stood back, out of his reach, as he peeled back the tape.

  ‘My Rolex.’ Hefting the watch in his hand as though estimating its value, he shot a look at her.

  He shook his head, puzzled. ‘How did you get it back?’

  Beth rolled her lip. ‘It was never lost. Watching the street kids at work in Balacha taught me a lot. While you were distracted at that crowded newsstand in Paris, it was the easiest thing in the world to take it off your wrist.’ She hung her head in shame.

  ‘You stole it? But why?’

  ‘Luca, you were killing yourself! You were working too hard, and too stressed out to look after yourself properly—I had to stop you being such a slave to time. And it worked, didn’t it?’

  He smoothed down the front of his new suit, and considered what she’d said. His tailor had been the first to notice the change in him, but now it was obvious to everyone. Luca had put on some of the weight he had lost, he was spending less on prescriptions, and his last health check had been nothing but a formality. He couldn’t remember the last time his back had seized up, or he had been flattened by a migraine. That left more time for exercise, which in turn made him feel better about indulging occasionally. It was something he had only just started doing again. So, yes, he had Beth to thank for all that.

  ‘I’m sorry I stole your watch, Luca,’ she muttered. ‘It’s been preying on my mind ever since I did it.’

  ‘But you didn’t think to leave it behind with your note, when you left the palazzo?’

  She shook her head. ‘I wanted to hang onto it. As a keepsake of you—as if I needed a reminder.’

  His expression changed. Instead of accusation, his gaze became searching. It threatened to strip out the last of her secrets, exposing her very soul.

  ‘And is that your last guilty confession?’

  She nodded, eyes downcast. Despite everything, she could not feel any guilt about their baby. The poor little thing hadn’t asked to be conceived.

  ‘There’s nothing else you want to tell me? Nothing that might make me stop you getting on your plane?’ Luca persisted.

  ‘No—no, Luca…you must let me go…’ She tried to turn away, but he caught her firmly by the arms and pulled her back.

  ‘Not this time.’

  His face was alive with conviction.

  Beth looked down, conscious of an unusual feeling. His fingers were working into the skin of her arms, but that wasn’t the reason for it. Luca saw her grimace. Thinking he was the cause, he released her instantly.

  ‘You are not leaving my country unless you can look me straight in the eyes and tell me that you want to go. That you want to leave me.’

  His words wrung another confession from her, but it was not one either of them expected to hear. ‘Oh, Luca, I’m leaving because I do love you, and I always have! I’ve never stopped loving you, not for a second. That’s the truth—but I know it’s the last thing you want to hear, so now you’ll have to let me go. Please…’

  His hands moved to her shoulders and for long, agonising moments he held her at arm’s length, searching her face. It was as though he was making up his mind about something. Then in a characteristic flash of impetuosity he pulled her into his arms and kissed all the breath out of her.

  Hungry for all the kisses she would miss, Beth responded. People milled past, but the two of them were alone in each other’s arms. Nothing else mattered. The sheer power of their love pulsed through them again like a wave, but it was interrupted by a pang of pain. It clutched Beth where she should have been feeling only pleasure, and made her break away from him with a gasp.

  Luca was not about to let her go. ‘Beth…I’ve come to take you home,’ he whispered into her hair, his voice husky with passion. ‘And this time, no arguments.’

  The spasm passed. ‘Yes, Luca,’ she managed, because she could say nothing else.

  ‘It doesn’t sound as though you’ll put up much of a fight.’

  ‘No, Luca.’

  Beth knew there was no way she could get onto a plane now, feeling the way she did. I’ll try again tomorrow, she told herself. I’ll be better then.

  She was unable to think straight. Only the feel of Luca’s hand beneath her elbow gave her enough strength to stay upright.

  He led her all the way through the building, but Beth was in such turmoil she was hardly aware of the journey. She would not have been able to deny him if she had wanted to. He looked magnificent. His jaw was set, and he strode through the airport as though absolute mastery was as natural to him as breathing. As they reached the main doors Beth began shivering uncontrollably. Luca’s flinty expression instantly softened with concern.

  ‘You’re cold.’

  ‘I’m dressed for a flight, not a kidnapping!’ She tried to laugh, but had to quickly press a hand to her side.

  He shook his head. ‘I’m not doing anything I shouldn’t have done the instant you walked back into my life, Beth.’

  Her heart was so full she pulled his hand up to her lips and kissed it. In reply he put an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. They walked over to where his Mercedes was waiting. When Luca spoke now, he was holding her so tightly she felt his words resonate through her body.

  ‘Marco! Miss Woodbury is feeling the cold. Turn the heater right up—oh, and find your own way home, would you?’

  He pulled a bundle of notes from his pocket and peeled off a sheaf, which he handed to the chauffeur. Marco responded with a broad smile, saluting smartly as he opened the passenger door for Beth.

  Unable to bear a second’s separation from her, Luca slid into the driver’s seat before she had finished fastening her seat belt. His next words were whispe
red between simple, reverent kisses.

  ‘I’ve wasted far too much time, Beth. I sent you away from Balacha because your happiness meant more to me than my own pain. When you left me again this morning I knew I had to get you back, no matter what…’ His voice died. He turned away from her and began concentrating on backing his car out of its parking space. When his attention went back to Beth, it was his turn to gasp. She had fallen forward, her arms wrapped protectively around her waist. A faint sheen of perspiration glittered on her brow.

  ‘Beth? What is it?’

  When she could answer, she spoke without looking at him. ‘I have a pain.’

  ‘Where?’

  She couldn’t reply. Something was squeezing all the life out of her. The only thing she could do was draw her hand back and forth, low down over her groin.

  ‘Mio Dio!’ Luca hit the accelerator like a man possessed.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  BETH sat in the car, shaking with cold and fear and anguish. Luca parked his Mercedes crazily in a forbidden zone outside the hospital. Rushing round to the passenger side, he bent to take Beth in his arms.

  ‘Thank goodness,’ she panted. ‘I don’t think my legs can carry me.’

  ‘Put your arms around my neck, tesoro.’

  He reached into the car and gently lifted her out. He winced in pain momentarily but was quick to mask it so Beth didn’t notice. Within seconds he was rushing her down a corridor that smelled of disinfectant and disaster.

  ‘Luca, no…you’ve taken a wrong turning. The sign said it’s this way to maternity and gynaecology. I must be an emergency—’

  ‘Exactly.’

  He rapped out the word. Before Beth could react, a woman doctor rushed out of a side room and greeted Luca by name. She was still pulling on her white coat, but made time to smile at Beth. The orderly with her brought a wheelchair for Beth.