by Maggie Cox
‘Hi!’ she called out, absently fingering the keys in her pocket and shivering as a blast of cold March air suddenly whipped her hair across her face. ‘I’m sorry if I worried you when I wasn’t here to answer your phone calls.’
His long legs making short work of the flight of steps, Luca planted himself in front of Kate with such a look of fear and apprehension in his eyes that for a moment it took her aback.
‘Why were you at the hospital, Katherine?’ he demanded, hands curving possessively round the tops of her arms in the thin navy raincoat she wore. ‘I have been going out of my mind ever since you rang!’
‘We’ll talk inside shall we? It’s not something I particularly want to discuss standing here outside in the rain.’ Squinting up at the sky as icy droplets of moisture started to fall, Kate gave him a wobbly smile.
Reluctantly releasing her, Luca broodingly accompanied her back to the entrance of the house. Once inside the high-ceilinged Victorian hallway of her flat, Kate unwound the pink mohair scarf she wore from round her neck and looped it over one of the hooks on the coat-stand. Then she removed her now dampened raincoat to accompany it.
‘Do you want to give me your coat?’ she asked Luca as he stood there, his enviable Mediterranean tan appearing somehow less vibrant this morning.
‘You should have called me!’ he said accusingly, completely ignoring her outstretched hand. ‘You were at the hospital, you said? What is the matter? Is it the baby?’
‘Why don’t we go and sit down?’ Trying to stay as calm as possible, even though her stomach was churning, Kate led the way into the comfortable living room that she’d decorated with such loving care in the five years she’d lived there. Approaching the plain oatmeal couch, with its sunburst of brightly coloured cushions, she almost jumped out of her skin when Luca’s authoritative tone rang out behind her. He was clearly at the end of his rope.
‘Dio! Why won’t you tell me what is wrong? Do I have to stand here in ignorance all morning until you finally decide to explain?’
Tucking her hair behind her ear, Kate struggled with the sudden giant wave of embarrassment that washed over her. Confessing to Luca that she was pregnant was one thing—discussing the intimate facts of that condition with him was entirely another, she was discovering. Especially when he stood there looking so devastatingly gorgeous, and not a little intimidating.
‘I had some vaginal bleeding this morning that worried me. I rang my doctor and he told me to go straight to the hospital to have things checked out.’
The tension in Luca’s enigmatic features had definitely increased. Something in Kate was genuinely moved and surprised that he seemed to care so much. At least about the baby…
‘They told me that there’s nothing to be alarmed about. Apparently it’s very common in the first twelve to fourteen weeks of pregnancy for women to experience some bleeding. But they did an ultrasound scan as an extra precaution.’
‘And what did the scan reveal?’ Luca all but demanded.
‘That everything was fine and the baby is growing perfectly normally inside the womb. The ultrasound can show if a woman is having an ectopic pregnancy, for example—that’s when the baby is growing outside the womb.’
‘And are you still bleeding now?’
‘No.’ Kate smiled a little self-consciously. ‘I’m absolutely fine.’
Her calm reply belied the sheer panic that had swept over her earlier that morning, when she had gone to the bathroom and discovered the bleed. Until the idea of possibly losing her baby had presented itself, Kate had not fully realised to what extent she truly wanted the child. If her relationship with Luca was destined not to last then at least she would retain the most wonderful gift from their passionate union in which to always remember him. And she would have someone to love and cherish as her own. The ultrasound had shown her the first pictures of the baby in her womb, and Kate had been both awed and ecstatic at the sight of them. Not to mention emotional. A big part of her had wanted to phone Luca from the hospital and ask him to meet her there. But, unsure as to how he would react, she’d decided against it and asked him to meet her at home instead.
‘And you are not in any pain or discomfort?’
‘No.’
‘We shouldn’t have made love last night!’
Seeing the corners of his sensuous mouth tighten in bitter regret, Kate was shocked. ‘What?’
‘Maybe I was a little too passionate.’
‘What happened was nothing to do with us making love, Luca!’ Hastening to reassure him, Kate saw straight away that he wasn’t going to be easily convinced—and her heart went out to him.
When he lifted his chin, his compelling blue gaze captured her in its dazzling and forceful lights.
‘And what did the doctors at the hospital advise you to do now this has happened? Did you tell them that we were just about to fly out to Milan?’
‘Yes, I did.’
‘And?’
‘They told me that it was perfectly okay and to carry on as normal, really. I just need to make sure I don’t overdo things and keep physical and mental stress to a minimum—as well as eat sensibly and rest whenever I can.’
‘Now I am certain I have made the right decision to take you back to Milan!’
Kate was magnetised by the hypnotic ocean of azure blue that stared back at her with such unarguable authority and intensity.
‘The sooner we get away from these shores the better! I cannot guarantee the weather in Milan at this time of year, but I can ensure that when we are there you will have the opportunity to rest and relax properly. I will make sure of it! No doubt you have been under more stress than you realize, Katherine!’
Crossing the room, Luca glanced outside at the now teeming rain and Kate thought she saw him shiver.
‘Perhaps…’
‘There is no “perhaps” about it!’ He shook his head in dismay, and his expression was resolute when he turned back to face her. ‘I am very relieved that I got you to stop working when I did! I only hope that the stress you were already under has not had a detrimental effect on the child. I personally do not want to take the risk that anything else might go wrong, so when we get to Milan I will arrange an appointment for you with a top obstetrician and gynaecologist to make sure everything is absolutely as it should be with your pregnancy. In my view it makes absolute sense to get a second opinion, and you can rest assured we will be taking no more chances where this baby or yourself is concerned!’
‘You sound as if you finally believe that the baby is yours.’
The statement was out of Kate’s mouth before she realised. The man who dominated her suddenly inadequate front room with his imposing presence and arresting good looks did not flinch—but he gazed at her with a glance that was unwavering and direct.
‘I do.’
‘What—what changed your mind?’
‘Last night.’ Those impressively broad shoulders of his lifted in a tense little shrug, as if his short comment needed no further explanation.
Kate’s blood zinged with hope. Suddenly she found that the prospect of going to Milan with Luca was not so daunting, and after the worrying scare she had had this morning a holiday was growing more and more appealing by the minute. It would also be a perfect opportunity for him to get to know her and for her to get to know him. Maybe if they spent some proper time together he would begin to see that she really was a woman he could trust. A woman who would fight tooth and nail to protect and take care of the people she loved and would never betray them! To have a family of her own was all she’d ever dreamed of. All Kate needed was a chance.
‘Will we still fly out to Italy today?’ she asked.
Checking the time on his watch, Luca nodded. ‘I rang the airfield just before I arrived here. They have managed to give us another couple of hours before we need to be there. Have you packed yet?’
‘I made a start late last night, but because of what happened this morning I’ve still some to do.’
<
br /> ‘Then why don’t you go and carry on with it now? As soon as you are finished we will drive to the airfield.’
Feeling suddenly weary, as well as relieved that the planned trip was still going ahead, Kate nodded. ‘Okay. Sit down and make yourself at home while you wait for me.’
‘Do you need any help? I do not want you overdoing things.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Why do I get the feeling you have been saying that for a long time, Katherine? Too long, perhaps?’
Smiling awkwardly, Kate moved to leave the room before she gave way to the tears that were already stinging the backs of her lids and threatening to fall. She’d had a genuine shock and it was only hitting her now.
‘Katherine?’
For the most knee-trembling moment, as Luca walked towards her, Kate thought he was going to kiss her. The idea of him holding her close and being tender with her was heavenly. She realised she’d been craving just that since the moment she’d seen him waiting on the doorstep.
‘What is it?’ She dashed away a tear with the back of her hand.
‘This is the right thing we are doing…going to Milan. I do not want you to worry about a thing. It will all be all right, little one.’
As if trying to control the impulse to be closer to her, for reasons known only to himself, Luca gently grazed the back of his hand across her cheek instead of drawing her into his arms, and Kate could not deny she was bitterly disappointed.
‘I’d better get on with my packing.’ This time she moved with real purpose, and closed the door swiftly behind her….
During the flight to a private airfield near Milan Luca had barely been able to take his eyes off Katherine. She had dozed for most of the journey, but that had hardly reassured him. Ever since he had learned of the scare she had had that morning his stomach had been twisted with knots that yanked harder and harder, and filled him with a stark, cold terror that she might lose the baby.
Could fate really be so pitiless as to allow him to build up his hopes for a child—only for those hopes to be cruelly crushed all over again?
And what of the effect losing the baby would have on Katherine herself? Luca was certain her attempts to convince him everything was all right hid a genuine fear that it might not be. His instincts were naturally to offer her some comfort, but this thing that sometimes overtook them both knew no bounds—and surely after the scare she had had they had to be careful? That was why he had not followed through on his impulse to take her into his arms when she came back from the hospital. He was genuinely fearful that his desire for her might again consume and overwhelm him.
Sighing inwardly, Luca shook his head. Sometimes he sensed such strength in this fascinating woman. She could give as good as she got, certainly. But at other times there was a fragility there that made him see that Katherine was vulnerable too. And finding out that she was pregnant by a man she’d shared only one passionate night with in a foreign country—a man she knew nothing about—must have made her feel intensely vulnerable and scared, given her history. Even more so after the situation she had described with her faithless ex-fiancé.
Where before Luca had had to wrestle with feelings of anger and jealousy at the thought of her being with another man after she’d left him that morning in Milan, now new sensations were definitely taking over where she was concerned. And if he chose not to scrutinise those sensations too closely, then he told himself he had the right—given his own tumultous past. Undoubtedly there was still a great need in him to protect himself. But what was becoming only too clear to him also was that Katherine was now his responsibility, and he had a duty to look after her. The coming baby sealed that incontrovertible fact! So…not only would he be insisting that she move in with him permanently while they were away, but just as soon as Luca could arrange it she would become the next Mrs De Rossi. Whether that suited her plans or not!
CHAPTER EIGHT
LUCA had left Kate alone in the sumptuous bedroom where he had first made love to her all those months ago to unpack. The memories of that night submerged her, and filled her with feelings that she barely knew what to do with. Erotic, but also tender, loving feelings. They had conceived their baby in this amazing Emperor-sized bed with its luxurious satin counterpane and silk cushions…
Catching her breath as she smoothed her hand over the lush materials, Kate breathed out deeply. One thing was for sure. She was relieved to find out that they would be sharing a bed!
It had definitely disturbed her that since her scare that morning Luca had seemed to somehow distance himself from her a little bit. Almost as if he was wary of touching her. Yet at the same time his gaze followed her, as though he was fearful she might suddenly have taken ill and…worse…lose the baby. If only he would talk to her about his fears! Then she might be able to allay them. But talking might lead to his becoming closer to Kate emotionally, and she guessed instinctively that Luca was definitely still keeping his guard up where emotions were concerned.
What had happened to make him so guarded? Had there been a woman in his past who had left him or treated him badly, perhaps? If they shared a bed together, maybe intimacy would give Kate the chance to try and get past some of those high walls Luca seemed to surround himself with. She smiled wryly at herself. Frankly it amazed her that she was thinking on such lines. She had, after all, vowed she would never trust another man again after what had happened in the not too distant past. But knowing that she was going to have Luca’s baby and being with him again was slowly changing all that.
Firmly returning her focus to the present, Kate mused how strange it was to be back in this magnificent house…particularly in this room. The setting was familiar, yet it was almost like a scene from a dream. Her heart skipped a beat and a fierce longing for Luca arrowed straight to her womb. With a soft gasp she laid her hand on the gently rounded swell of her stomach, as if to reassure both herself and the baby that everything would be all right. Somehow they would find a way.
If she was brave enough to reach out to Luca and stop feeling so insecure perhaps he would also take a risk and open his heart to her as she yearned for him to do? He must need love as much as she did, she was sure. If something in his past had hurt him and left him emotionally scarred then Kate wanted to know about it. Once or twice she’d seen the shadows of an encounter so painful and disturbing in his sky-blue gaze that she’d wanted to hold on to him and never let him go. In those moments she would have traded every bit of insecurity and fear of rejection to comfort him.
Hugging herself, she glanced round at the magnificent art on the walls, at the exquisite furnishings that enhanced the room’s elegant Italianate beauty, and couldn’t help but feel confronted with the wealth and experience that made Luca’s everyday existence so distant from hers. Such a confrontation easily provoked old and unhelpful feelings of not being quite good enough. But Kate couldn’t let them sabotage the hope she’d started to nurture in her heart that she and Luca might have a real future together.
Squaring her shoulders, she determinedly willed away the discomfort. If Luca didn’t want to be with her, she silently contested, then he would hardly have brought her to Milan with him, would he?
‘Buongiorno, Signorina Richardson!’
A smiling, full-figured woman with threads of iron-grey in her black hair, wearing a white apron over a charcoal-grey dress, approached Kate as she reached the bottom of the elegant winding staircase. She extended her hand in greeting.
‘I am Orsetta Leoni—Signor De Rossi’s housekeeper. I have been with his family for a very long time, and since they are all sadly gone…now I just look after him! I am very pleased to meet you, Signorina Richardson.’
Her smile was engaging, and as Kate put her hand in hers she silently acknowledged that it was very pleasant to be greeted so warmly. But she was anxious too. She’d waited so long for Luca to return to their bedroom that she’d worried he must have forgotten she was there! As lovely as the beautiful room was, she had wa
nted to go out on the terrace and sample some of the surprisingly warm, blossom-scented afternoon air.
‘Buongiorno.’ Kate smiled back. ‘It’s very nice to meet you too. I was just wondering if you could tell me where I can find Signor De Rossi?’
‘Sì! Of course! Follow me, Signorina Richardson. I will take you to him.’
Reaching the opened French windows that led out from the drawing room onto the large, fragrantly scented stone terrace, with its bushes of pink and white camellia starting to bloom, Orsetta dropped her hands to her ample hips and tutted.
‘He works too hard! I am always telling him!’ she announced. ‘His mamma would turn in her grave that he does not look after himself better!’
Kate’s surprised gaze fell upon Luca’s sleeping form, stretched out on a rattan sofa. He had removed his jacket, she saw, but was still wearing the suit that he’d worn to travel in. His tie was pulled away from his open collar—as was his habit—and his dark hair flopped boyishly onto his tanned brow. Kate mused that he looked like a delectable male equivalent of the Sleeping Beauty. But Orsetta’s words about him not taking better care of himself had wrung at her heart, and she turned briefly to the older woman in acknowledgement.
‘You’re right. He does work too hard,’ she agreed.
‘Go and sit down, signorina. I will bring you something nice to drink. Some fruit juice, perhaps?’
‘That would be lovely…grazie.’
Gazing out over lush green gardens, with the rooftops of the city clearly visible in the distance, Kate sighed with pleasure at the warm kiss of the sun on her face. Luca might not have been able to guarantee constant sunshine at this time of year, but it was certainly far warmer than she had expected.
Rising to her feet, she removed the light pink cotton cardigan she wore over a navy linen dress, spreading it over the back of her chair. As she did so Luca stirred, murmuring something in his sleep, and once again Kate’s glance was riveted by him. Unable to help herself, she moved nearer to better appreciate the full wondrous sight that was Gianluca De Rossi. He was so handsome, with those beautiful carved features and sweeping dark lashes, that she was certain he must have driven all the girls crazy even as a young boy.
