The Italian Count's Command

by Sara Wood

  He kissed her long and slow. ‘You are amazing, Miranda…Generous, big-hearted, loving. I am the luckiest man in the world. We’ll be happy, us and Carlo. A proper family again.’

  He smiled, a radiance lighting his face, and she felt the doubts and burdens of the past slip away.

  ‘We have a wonderful future,’ she murmured, kissing him lovingly. Her eyes shone as he smiled down at her with such adoration in his eyes that it made her catch her breath.

  ‘I have a suggestion,’ he said, stroking her cheek with his forefinger. His lips tenderly took possession of hers. ‘Why don’t we have a second wedding, here in Bellagio?’

  Delighted, she smiled broadly. ‘With ribbons and bows and banners and flags?’ she cried eagerly. ‘And photographs by the lake and—’

  ‘All that and more. Bells, fireworks, the biggest celebration Bellagio has ever seen,’ he said with an affectionate laugh. He looked at her, bemused. ‘Mia cara! I can’t believe we’re together at last! It was hell thinking you’d been unfaithful. I kept wanting to be with you, to see you and hold you—and I couldn’t understand why. You were worthless, it seemed, and yet I still adored you! I had to fight all my instincts to remain cold and hard—’

  ‘You succeeded!’ She gave a wry smile. ‘But I know what you mean. I did my best to hate you too but my heart kept telling me otherwise.’

  ‘Perhaps we should rely on what our hearts tell us in future.’ He smiled down at her, his hands touching her face in wonder. And he held her in a tight hug, crushing her to him. ‘I look ahead and I see such happiness for us,’ he said softly. ‘The three of us—’

  ‘Ohhhh!’ she screeched suddenly, making him jump back in great alarm.

  ‘Darling! What is it?’ he demanded urgently. ‘Are you hurt? What’s the matter?’

  The future. The three of them. How could she have forgotten?

  ‘Miranda!’

  Her eyes closed. She felt herself swaying, the world whirling about. And then she was being picked up, carried lovingly until she was curled up in Dante’s lap and he was stroking her forehead, frantically asking her to speak to him.

  ‘Tell me!’ he demanded urgently. ‘Tell me what it is and I will deal with it. You must have no pain, no misery, no—’

  ‘I’ve been a fool!’ she gulped, her eyes startled and huge. ‘I’ve only just realised…’

  ‘What?’ he asked tensely. ‘Miranda, you’re not saying that we—that we’re not to be together after all—’

  ‘No! Relax. It’s something wonderful. Lovely,’ she purred. ‘Something that will make you very, very happy. I promise. A perfect ending to all of this.’

  ‘What? I don’t understand!’ he complained.

  She beamed. Kissed him till he relaxed, groaned and kissed her back hungrily. They snuggled up. She felt the warmth of his arms around her, his loving face nestled against hers.

  How could she have forgotten something so important? It had only just dawned on her.

  The child she was carrying…must be Dante’s.

  With a cry of joy, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him ecstatically. Dante held her closer still.

  ‘You’re not making sense,’ he husked in her ear.

  Laughing, she looked into his dark, inky black eyes and a huge swell of emotion rose within her. This was the man she loved and he would know that, every day of his life. Never again would she hold back. Her feelings would be given full rein because she knew how much he loved her and how much she could trust him with her vulnerable heart. Glowing with an inner radiance, she smiled up at him.

  And murmured softly, ‘I have such wonderful news for you, my darling. The best news in the world.’ Her hand went to her abdomen.

  Dante’s gaze followed the movement and he stiffened. His hand turned her face to his as it dawned on him what she meant.

  ‘Not… You don’t mean…!’

  Softly her lips pressed against his warm mouth. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘I’m pregnant. You’ll be a father again and Carlo will have a baby brother or sister.’

  Dante drew in a long, shuddering breath. She noticed that there were tears of joy in his eyes just before he drew her close with great tenderness.

  ‘A new life,’ he said huskily into her small ear. ‘My love has come back to me and she carries our child!’ His hand splayed over hers as if protecting their baby from all harm. She felt the warmth of his palm and it seemed to her that they were enveloped in a blanket of profound love. He lifted her chin and kissed her long and slow till she felt as if her head was swimming with happiness. ‘I love you more than I can say,’ he proclaimed. ‘My life will be devoted to you, and to our children. You have my entire heart. Every beat of it is for you.’

  Miranda felt a tug at her own heart. Sighing, she slid her arms around Dante’s neck and gave herself up to his impassioned embrace. They had become one again. And they would be together forever, their bodies, their souls and their lives as one. Their love had been strengthened and nothing, no one, would ever come between them.

  ‘Bed,’ he said huskily.

  ‘Bed,’ she agreed. And unsteadily they went upstairs, checking Carlo, holding hands while they watched him sleep with the sweet innocence that always clutched at Miranda’s chest and made her feel so overwhelmed with emotion. Then slowly they went to Dante’s room, where he tenderly undressed her, his hands shaking uncontrollably. The sweetness of their lovemaking obliterated the terrible recent events. It wiped out the past and sealed the future.

  They slept like babies, dreamily content and knowing that their whole lives lay ahead of them like a glittering path. And if Carlo was surprised the next morning by their mutual, almost childish exuberance, he was also delighted. His beloved mama and papa were together again and that was all he cared about. So he indulged them, playing chase and hide-and-seek and letting them hug him tightly even though he wondered if he’d ever breathe again. His mama’s eyes kept filling with tears. His papa kept kissing her. She said she was crying because she was so happy. How funny adults were, he thought. And snuggled contentedly between them by the pool, wondering if this was a good time to ask for a baby brother or sister to play with.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-5921-2

  THE ITALIAN COUNT’S COMMAND

  First North American Publication 2005.

  Copyright © 2005 by Sara Wood.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.eHarlequin.com