She turned her head from where she had been staring dreamily at the sun as it sank below the horizon, streaking the indigo sky and the vast expanse of water beneath it with crimson and gold. ‘I lost contact with many of my friends when I moved from London to Cornwall,’ she explained. ‘My closest friend Alice would have come, but she’s tied up in a big court case and can’t get away.’
Raul was puzzled that she made no mention of her mother, but refrained from asking about her. He knew that Libby had had an unconventional childhood, living in the commune, and in his opinion her mother had been an irresponsible parent. He wondered if Libby had fallen out with her, but decided that it was none of his business.
She seemed to confirm his suspicions when she said cheerfully, ‘There’ll just be me and Gino on the Maynard side of the church. I hope you don’t have hundreds of relatives, because I’ll feel totally overawed.’
Beneath her breezy tone Raul heard the loneliness in her voice, and something tugged in his chest. Libby might act tough, but underneath she was achingly vulnerable. Perhaps she had sought a relationship with Pietro, who had been so much older than her, because she had hoped he would give her the security she had never had during her childhood? He brooded, startled by the unexpected surge of protectiveness he felt for her.
He had come to realise that, far from being the gold-digger he had first assumed, she had no interest in money. Indeed, his insistence that she should buy a wedding dress had resulted in a furious row, with Libby arguing that it would be a waste of his money and that she would wear one of the outfits she had bought when she had first arrived in Italy. Eventually, after much bullying, she had reluctantly agreed to choose a dress, but the bill she had presented him with had been small change compared to the forty thousand pounds his first wife’s designer wedding gown had cost.
‘If you have no close family members who did you appoint as Gino’s guardian in the event of your death?’ he asked her.
Libby gave him a startled look. ‘I didn’t. I mean, I’m twenty-two and perfectly healthy…’
‘I appreciate that, but nothing in life is one hundred percent certain. I assumed you would have planned for Gino’s care?’
It hadn’t even occurred to her, Libby thought guiltily. And her oversight was all the more unforgivable when Liz’s failure to appoint her as Gino’s guardian was the very reason she had deceived Raul into thinking that she was the little boy’s mother. Raul was right: life did not come with a guarantee. Supposing she had been killed in an accident? she thought, feeling sick. Gino would have been left all alone in the world and reliant on Social Services to care for him. The idea was too awful to contemplate, but fortunately she did not have to—because she was going to marry Raul, and he was going to adopt Gino, and whatever happened in the future he would be safe.
Libby clung to that thought a few days later, when she stepped into the dress she had chosen to get married in. It was not remotely bridal, she acknowledged as she twirled in front of the mirror and admired the way the multi-coloured silk skirt, overlaid with layers of chiffon, swirled around her legs. Aware that Raul disapproved of her favourite purple tie-dyed skirt and her penchant for green and orange, preferably worn together, she had planned to buy something elegant and sophisticated in a pastel shade, but the moment she had seen the dress she had fallen in love with its jewel-bright colours.
It was not as if theirs was a conventional marriage—there was no reason why she should wear a conventional wedding dress, she reassured herself. Raul was marrying her for the same reason that she was marrying him—for Gino. In all probability he would not care what she wore.
But despite her bravado her heart was thumping when she walked out of her bedroom for what, she realised shakily, was probably the last time. Her clothes had already been moved to the master bedroom that she would share with Raul, whilst another room further along the first floor corridor had been turned into a new nursery for Gino.
They might not be marrying for conventional reasons, but Raul had insisted that their marriage would be a real one, which meant that tonight he would expect her to join him in his huge bed and then he would—her imagination came to an abrupt halt. She only had a school textbook knowledge of what would happen next, and the realisation that she was going to have to act as if she knew what she was doing weighed heavy on her mind.
She rounded a corner and halted at the top of the great sweeping staircase which led to the marble floored hall below. Raul was there, looking so breathtakingly handsome in a dark, expertly tailored suit and white silk shirt that her heart thudded harder. He was unaware of her presence, and she studied him greedily, noting how his jet-black hair gleamed like raw silk in the sunlight, and how he moved with lithe grace for such a big, powerful man. He was holding Gino, who looked gorgeous in his new blue and white sailor suit, but when the baby squirmed restlessly in his arms he set him on his feet and hunkered down beside him, holding Gino’s hands to help him balance.
Walking was Gino’s new discovery, and although he could not yet take any steps unaided he loved being on his feet. He gurgled in delight as Raul patiently guided him across the floor, his little face alight with pleasure and trust in the man who was supporting him.
A lump formed in Libby’s throat as she watched them. During the past two weeks she had become convinced that Raul would be a fantastic father. Every day he had visited the nursery to play with Gino, and the incongruous sight of him crawling around the floor with the baby, or patiently stacking bricks for him to knock down, had left her deeply impressed. There was genuine affection in his voice when he spoke to the little boy, and Gino patently adored Raul.
She moved to the top of the stairs just as Raul scooped Gino back into his arms, laughing as he said, ‘Up you come, piccolo, before you wear those little legs out.’ He glanced up and fell silent as Libby walked down the stairs, his expression unfathomable as he studied her appearance.
He hated her dress, she thought miserably. Why hadn’t she chosen that cream silk suit that had made her look ultra-sophisticated?
‘I realise it’s probably not what you had in mind,’ she burst out when she reached the bottom stair and he still made no comment.
‘No,’ Raul conceded, wondering what it was about this woman that caused fire to surge through his veins, not to mention other pertinent areas of his body, he thought derisively, supremely conscious of his rock-solid erection. ‘But you never fail to surprise me, cara.’
‘I did try on a cream outfit in the bridalwear shop, but it just wasn’t me,’ she told him earnestly. ‘I love bright colours.’
‘I realise that.’ Raul swept his eyes over her, taking in her glorious red curls and the brilliantly coloured dress that moulded her full breasts and emphasised her tiny waist, while the floaty layers of the chiffon skirt drew attention to her slender legs. She was vibrant and intense, and he was climbing the walls with his ferocious need to take her to bed and enjoy the fiery passion she exuded from every pore. ‘You look very beautiful,’ he said deeply. ‘You would not be you without your rainbow colours. And I have to admit that orange and green are growing on me.’
Startled by the serious note beneath his amused comment, Libby’s eyes flew to his face, and she felt a curious fluttering feeling inside at the warmth of his gaze. A silent message seemed to pass between them, as elusive as a wisp of smoke. It drifted away before she could grasp it or comprehend it, but the fluttering feeling grew stronger when his mouth curved into a sensual smile.
‘I made the mistake of thinking you would wear a conventional wedding dress and so I ordered flowers to match,’ he said, taking a bouquet of pure white rosebuds from the dresser behind him and handing it to her. ‘I hope you like them.’
The arrangement was starkly simple and yet exquisitely lovely, with the petals of the mass of rosebuds just beginning to unfurl to release their delicate perfume. Tears stung Libby’s eyes and she dared not look at Raul in case he should see them. She had never expected flowers on
her wedding day. ‘They’re perfect,’ she said quietly. ‘Thank you.’
His smile widened. ‘Come,’ he invited, holding out his hand to her. ‘I believe we have a wedding to attend, Ms Maynard.’
Raul’s mobile phone rang as they walked out of the villa. He frowned, knowing that it was likely to be a business call, and was tempted for the first time ever to ignore it. But the ringing persisted, and when he took his phone from his jacket he saw that the caller was his lawyer, Bernardo Orsini.
‘I’m sorry, but I need to take this,’ he apologised to Libby as they reached the car where his driver, Tito, was waiting to take them to the wedding hall in the nearby town.
‘Bernardo?’
‘I just wanted to let you know that everything is in place for you to be confirmed as sole chairman of Carducci Cosmetics once Elizabeth Maynard is married.’ The lawyer laughed softly. ‘I assume that is the reason for your hasty trip down the aisle? I congratulate you, Raul, for acting so swiftly. I presume you will allow a suitable amount of time to pass before you file for divorce? I hope the duration of your marriage will not be too disagreeable.’
Raul watched Libby as she bent over to strap Gino into his baby seat in the back of the car and felt an uncomfortable tightening in his groin as he studied the rounded curves of her bottom, moulded so enticingly beneath her silk dress. ‘I’m sure I’ll survive,’ he assured the lawyer dryly.
But as he climbed into the car beside her and inhaled the delicate, floral fragrance of her perfume he was shocked to realise that his desire for control of CC had not been uppermost in his mind for days. It was his desire for Libby which dominated his thoughts.
The day passed in a blur, leaving Libby with a kaleidoscope of images that she knew would remain with her for ever. First there had been the ornate wedding hall in a beautiful palazzo overlooking Lake Bracciano, where she and Raul had made their vows. The ceremony had been witnessed by Tito and Silvana—who had somehow persuaded Gino to sit quietly on her lap—and Raul’s close friends Romano and Flaviana Vincenti. Libby had met the couple and their two cherubic little daughters a few days before the wedding, and assumed Raul had told them that he was marrying her so that he could be Gino’s father. But to her surprise they clearly believed that it was a love match.
‘We never thought Raul would marry again after what he went through with Dana,’ Flaviana said at the end of the ceremony, when she kissed Libby’s cheek and offered her congratulations to the newlyweds. ‘You must be very special to have stolen his heart.’
‘Oh…But…’ Libby was prevented from replying when Raul’s dark head swooped and he claimed her mouth in a long, fiercely passionate kiss that left her dazed and hot-cheeked. When he finally released her she realised that a photographer had been busily snapping them.
‘The reason for our marriage is a private matter between us,’ he murmured as they filed out of the wedding hall. ‘Flaviana is an incurable romantic, and I see no reason to shatter her illusions.’
And that, presumably, was the reason why Raul was so attentive throughout the wedding reception: a celebratory dinner at a charming little restaurant, followed by a cruise along the lake, during which the adults drank pink champagne and the Vincentis’ little daughters ran excitedly up and down the boat, much to Gino’s entertainment.
It had been an unexpectedly beautiful day, Libby mused as she crept out of the nursery after checking on Gino later that night. She stood in the doorway and listened to the regular sound of his breathing for a few moments, relieved that he no longer made the horrible rasping noise in his chest. A few days ago she and Raul had taken him to see a top specialist, who had given him a thorough check-over, sent him for X-rays, and finally assured them that the pneumonia had not caused permanent damage to his lungs.
‘You have a fine son, and I am confident he will grow up to be a strong, healthy boy,’ the doctor had said with a smile as he handed the baby back to Raul.
As soon as the adoption process was complete Gino would have a father and would grow up with the love and security of two parents, Libby thought as she walked down the corridor towards the master bedroom. It was what she wanted—the reason why she had married Raul. But now their wedding day was over and their wedding night was about to begin. She felt sick with nerves, yet at the same time she was conscious of a frisson of anticipation at the thought of Raul making love to her.
The chemistry between them was almost tangible; every time they were in the same room she was aware of the simmering sexual tension that made his eyes darken and evoked a restless ache deep within her. Her fear was not so much of losing her virginity, but the knowledge that she must fool him into believing that she had had sex before.
Perhaps she should tell him the truth? Her steps slowed and she gnawed on her bottom lip. Wouldn’t honesty be the best policy now that she and Raul were married? Surely he would understand why she had pretended to be Gino’s mother if she explained her fears that he might be taken away from her?
But what if Raul didn’t understand? What if he was so angry at her deception that he had their marriage annulled, claimed custody of Gino, and banished her from the Villa Giulietta? The gamble was too great, she decided. She was not prepared to risk losing Gino, and so her secret must remain. Tonight she must play the part of sensual seductress and convince Raul that she was sexually experienced.
She pushed open the bedroom door. The bedside lamps had been switched on and the crisp white sheets turned back, but the room was empty. Grateful for the reprieve, she stepped out onto the balcony and took a shaky breath of the scented night air. The velvet darkness pressed around her, with stars shimmering like diamonds in the inky sky and the moon casting its silver gleam across the black waters of the lake.
‘To me, this is the most beautiful view on earth.’ Raul’s deep voice broke the silence, and Libby stiffened when he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her against his chest so that she was conscious of the warmth of his body and the steady thud of his heart.
‘The…the lake is especially lovely in the moonlight,’ she agreed, her own heart thumping so hard that her voice emerged as a whisper of sound.
‘I was not referring to the lake, cara.’
Hot, pulsing need coiled in Raul’s gut as he pushed Libby’s fiery curls aside and pressed his mouth to her slender white neck. He had wanted her the moment he had set eyes on her, and even the shocking discovery that she had been Pietro’s mistress had not lessened his desire. He refused to dwell on the image in his head of her and Pietro together. She was his wife now, and he would make her forget all her previous lovers, he vowed fiercely, feeling the tremor that ran through her when he slid the zip of her dress down her spine.
Libby could hear the blood pounding in her ears, and trepidation and a fierce excitement corkscrewed through her when Raul pushed her dress over her shoulders and drew it lower and lower, until he had bared her breasts. She swallowed when he cupped each soft mound in his palms, and could not restrain a little gasp as he took her nipples between his fingers and tugged gently, so that they swelled and hardened into tight, aching peaks.
‘Please…’ The pleasure was indescribable. Arrows of sensation shot from her breasts to her pelvis and molten heat flooded between her legs, her arousal so swift and so shockingly intense that her nervousness was swept away by a tidal wave of need for him to touch her where she ached to be touched.
‘You are so responsive, cara, and your eagerness is such a turn on,’ Raul said thickly as he spun her round and lowered his head to capture her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss, sliding his tongue between her lips and exploring her with such erotic skill that Libby’s legs buckled and she clung to his shoulders for support. ‘I will please you; do not doubt it. I have never wanted any woman the way I want you,’ he admitted harshly. ‘The chemistry between us is too powerful to deny any longer.’
He swept her up into his arms and in a few strides had carried her from the balcony to the bed, scorching d
esire in his eyes as he dropped her onto the mattress and quickly removed her dress and shoes. His hand rested lightly on her stomach, and Libby caught her breath when he trailed his fingers down and hooked them in the waistband of her knickers. This was the first time any man had seen her naked, and she suddenly felt acutely vulnerable, her nervousness flooding back when she faced the fact that she was about to give her virginity to a man who believed she was sexually experienced. She had convinced herself that she could hide her innocence, but as he drew her knickers down her legs she instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands, her heart beating like a trapped bird in her chest.
Raul laughed softly. ‘I see your red hair is natural,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t hide yourself from me. Open your legs, cara. I want to look at you as I touch you. Do you enjoy oral sex?’
He watched her cheeks flood with colour, and was puzzled by the shocked expression in her eyes. She responded with such wild fervour when he kissed her that he had expected her to be impatient for sex. Instead she suddenly seemed shy and uncertain, and he was frustrated that she had made no attempt to touch him.
‘I…I don’t know,’ she stammered in a panicky voice.
‘Really? You’ve never…?’ He couldn’t hide his surprise—but nor could he deny a feeling of satisfaction that he would give her an experience she had never enjoyed with any of her previous lovers. ‘Oh, cara mia, we must do something about that.’
Libby jerked as if she had been stung when Raul slipped his hand between her thighs. He frowned, and she forced herself to relax so that he would not guess that this was all new to her. Heart hammering, she spread her legs a little, and bit her lip when he pushed them further apart and ran his finger up and down the outer lips of her vagina in a butterfly caress that sent a quiver of pleasure through her. Heat unfurled inside her and built in intensity until she felt the wetness of her arousal flood between her legs. Nothing had prepared her for the exquisite delight of him gently parting her and sliding his finger a little way into her, and she moaned softly when he brushed his thumb pad lightly over the sensitive nub of her clitoris.
Untouched Until Marriage Page 10
