Kristen was unbearably moved by the pain she heard in his voice. ‘You have already shown yourself to be a brilliant dad and I trust absolutely that you will always take care of him.’
‘Then why are you hesitating about accepting my proposal? The quicker we get married the quicker Nico will settle into his new life here at Casa Camelia.’
Sergio’s statement set off alarm bells in Kristen. ‘That’s a very big assumption you have made. Why would we have to live in Sicily? I have a life in London, a career that I enjoy and a wide circle of friends, many of whom have children who are Nico’s playmates.’
He shrugged. ‘He would make friends here.’
‘Probably, but that’s not the point.’ Frustration surged through Kristen. ‘You told me you’ve changed from the man you were four years ago, but I can’t see much evidence of that. You still want everything to be your way. If we were to marry, why couldn’t we live in England?’
‘I need to live here because the Castellano Group is based in Sicily.’
As soon as the words left his mouth Sergio knew he had made a mistake. The flash of anger in Kristen’s eyes warned him he was in danger of losing any headway he had made with her.
‘So, just as it did four years ago, the company comes first in your list of priorities, and if I agreed to marry you I would have to change my whole life to fit in with yours.’
Her scathing tone riled him. ‘You make it sound as though Casa Camelia is a hovel, and moving here would be a terrible hardship. But it’s a hell of a lot better than the rabbit hutch you call home in London. As for your job—you would not need to work and you could spend more time with Nico. Perhaps you could even take up gymnastics again.’
Sergio had played his trump card, Kristen acknowledged. Much as she enjoyed her job, she would love to be a full-time mum to Nico, at least until he started school. And she had often thought she would like to become a gymnastics coach, but she had never had time to attend the training courses while she worked full-time.
But marriage was such a massive step.
‘I’m not convinced that a marriage of convenience would be right for us or for Nico. What if we were to divorce in a few years’ time? That would be more painful for him than if we organise how we can both be a part of his life while leading separate lives of our own.’
The conversation was not heading in the direction Sergio wanted. It struck him forcibly that he hated the idea of Kristen living a separate life from him in London. She was so beautiful that she would undoubtedly attract a lot of male attention, and there would be nothing to stop her having lovers, maybe even marrying some other guy. Jealousy burned like acid in his gut. He was tempted to seize her in his arms and kiss her until she was mindless with desire, prove that the blazing passion they shared was special—just as she was special to him. But the determined tilt of her chin reminded him that she was not a pushover, and so he dropped his hands from her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes.
‘Nico’s well-being is not the only reason I want to marry you, Krissie. And I am not contemplating us getting divorced. I’m talking about making a long-term commitment to you and to the future that I very much hope we will share. I would also like us to have more children. It would be good for Nico to grow up with siblings.’
Her sharp intake of breath warned him that he was going too fast. ‘But I understand your concerns,’ he said quickly, ‘and I think we should put the idea of marriage on hold for a while and spend time getting to know each other again.’
Sergio smiled suddenly, breaking the tension and causing Kristen’s heart to perform a somersault as he worked his sensual magic on her. ‘What do you say, cara? Will you give me a chance?’
What could she say? she thought ruefully. She was still reeling from his statement that Nico was not the only reason he had suggested they get married. What on earth had he meant? With a helpless shrug she said huskily, ‘I guess so. Yes.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
SPENDING A DAY on Sergio’s luxury yacht, which boasted a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and cinema on its list of amenities, promised to be a relaxing experience. Spending a day on Sergio’s yacht accompanied by an inquisitive, daredevil three-year-old boy was rather less relaxing, but it had still been a wonderful day, Kristen mused as the Dolphin dropped anchor in a small bay close to a private beach belonging to the Castellano estate.
‘This is as close to the shore as we can go,’ Sergio said as he strode across the deck. Wearing cut-off denim shorts and a fine cotton shirt left open to reveal his darkly tanned torso, he was one gorgeous sexy male and Kristen felt a delicious coiling sensation in the pit of her stomach at the thought that tonight he would make love to her. He had been away on a business trip the previous week and after five nights of aching frustration she was impatient to feel him inside her. Just the thought of his hard arousal nudging between her thighs was enough to make her breasts grow heavy, and she was glad that the sarong she had wrapped around her hid her pebble-hard nipples.
‘We’ll have to take the motor launch across to the beach. I’ll hang on to Nico because he’s as wriggly as an eel.’ Sergio grinned as he swung his son into his arms. ‘I want you to promise me that you will sit still when we go in the little boat, piccolo.’
‘I will, Papà,’ Nico said earnestly.
‘Good boy.’
Watching her son rest his head on his father’s shoulder, Kristen acknowledged that the bond between them grew stronger with every day. Nico hero-worshipped his daddy, and Sergio’s love for his little boy shone in his eyes and was evident in the tenderness of his voice. It was wonderful to hear Nico laughing again, she thought. He was no longer the sad little boy he had been in London, and his grief over his nana’s death had been forgotten in the excitement of getting to know his father.
Nico obediently sat still on Sergio’s lap as the motor launch skimmed towards the shore and only once did he lean over the edge to try to catch the spray, causing his parents a few moments panic.
‘He’s utterly fearless,’ Sergio said with rueful pride in his voice when they reached the beach and he set Nico down on the sand. ‘I think we’ll have to postpone another trip on the Dolphin until my nerves have recovered.’ He smiled at Kristen as they strolled along the beach after Nico, who had shot off in front. ‘What did the two of you get up to while I was away?’
‘I took him swimming in the pool every day. He’s only been learning for a few weeks since we arrived here, but he’s almost ready to try without his armbands.’ She gave him a quick glance. ‘He really missed you.’
‘The business trip to Hong Kong was booked months ago and I couldn’t get out of going,’ he said quickly. ‘But I won’t go away again or, if I do, I’ll take Nico and you with me. I missed both of you.’
Sergio caught hold of her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers as they continued to walk towards the beach hut. Kristen let out a soft sigh. The day had been perfect so far, but then every day that she spent with Sergio was wonderful. The easy companionship that had developed between them reminded her of the early days of their affair. When they had first met he had been recovering from a sports injury which had meant that he’d had to take time off work. They had quickly become lovers, and she remembered they had spent lazy days on the beach and nights of incredible passion back at Casa Camelia. His commitment to the Castellano Group had not been a problem at first, but once he’d returned to his role as head of the property development side of the company their time together had been limited to nights of wild sex, and Kristen had felt hurt that his only interest seemed to be in her body.
Would the same thing happen again if she agreed to marry him? The evidence so far was that he had changed from the man he had been four years ago, she acknowledged. He only went to his office for a few hours a day, and was always home by mid-afternoon to play with Nico. She had come to love the ho
urs that the three of them spent together almost as much as the nights when Sergio made love to her so beautifully that sometimes she had to blink back her tears before he saw them.
She suddenly realised that he was talking to her, and quickly dragged her mind back to the present.
‘Did Rosa come over to play with Nico?’
‘Yes, Salvatore brought her so that she could swim. He says Rosa has come out of her shell a little since she has had Nico as a playmate.’
Sergio frowned. ‘I’m surprised my brother brought her, rather than the nanny. Perhaps Salvatore enjoyed being with you while the children played.’
Something in his tone made Kristen stop walking, and she turned to face him. ‘I like your brother, and it was nice to chat to him. He is frustrated that he is still suffering from amnesia and can’t remember anything of the accident. He blames himself for Adriana’s death.’ She watched Sergio’s frown deepen and shook her head. ‘Surely you can’t be jealous of my friendship with Salvatore?’
‘I am jealous of any man who looks at you,’ he growled. While she was digesting this statement he jerked her against him and tangled his fingers in her long hair. ‘I guard my possessions fiercely, cara.’
He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her with a savage hunger that triggered an instant reaction in Kristen. She had long ago given up trying to resist him, and wound her arms around his neck while she kissed him back with all the pent-up passion that had built to an intolerable level during the five nights that he had been away.
‘Dio! If we were alone I would take you right here on the sand,’ he muttered when he eventually lifted his head and dragged oxygen into his lungs. ‘I wish we weren’t hosting a dinner party tonight. Maybe we could cancel it?’
Kristen wasn’t sure how she felt about Sergio regarding her as one of his possessions. There was something very primitive about the idea of being owned by him. But, for all his effort to be a ‘new man’, he was at heart a hot-blooded Sicilian male, she thought ruefully, and she could not deny a little thrill of pleasure when he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against his chest so that she could feel the strong beat of his heart.
‘Of course we can’t cancel. I’m looking forward to meeting your friends, Benito and Lia, and I really liked Gerardo and Flavia when we had dinner with them last week.’ Kristen gave an impish smile that made Sergio catch his breath. ‘I promise the anticipation will be worthwhile,’ she murmured, trailing her fingertips down his chest and abdomen and stopping at the waistband of his shorts.
‘Witch,’ he groaned, and kissed her again. From along the beach they heard Nico calling for his papà. ‘I have to go,’ Sergio said regretfully.
‘Go away on another business trip, do you mean?’
‘No. Go and build my son a sandcastle like I promised him.’
She laughed. ‘You’d better hurry up then.’
As she watched father and son digging in the sand Kristen’s thoughts returned to the phone call she had had that morning from Steph, her boss at the physiotherapy clinic in London. Steph had asked when she planned to return to work.
‘I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know in a couple of days,’ Kristen had replied. She appreciated that over the last few weeks Sergio had made a lot of effort to allay her concerns about marrying him. Steph’s question had been lurking in the back of her mind all day, and the conclusion she had reached was frightening and yet glaringly obvious.
* * *
It was almost midnight before the dinner party guests departed. The evening had been fun, Kristen mused as she walked into the master bedroom that she had shared with Sergio for the past weeks. The two married couples they had dined with had young children, and Kristen had arranged play-dates so that Nico could make new friends. He had settled at Casa Camelia amazingly quickly and, although she seemed to spend her life chasing after him to cover him in sun-cream, his arms and legs were already nut-brown and he looked much more Sicilian than English.
Returning to their old life in London was not an option. It wouldn’t be fair to uproot Nico and it wasn’t what she wanted either, Kristen acknowledged. She walked over to the dressing table and stared at the reflection of the slender, elegant woman wearing a stunning designer gown of black taffeta that was a perfect foil for her blonde hair, which was caught up in a loose chignon on top of her head. The dress was strapless, floor-length and showed off her tiny waist, while the low-cut neckline revealed the pale upper slopes of her breasts.
Sergio had brought the dress back from his trip especially for her to wear tonight. With it he had given her a diamond necklace, and she had caught her breath when he had fastened the single strand of exquisite glittering stones around her neck. But her heart had raced faster still when he had stared into her eyes and told her how beautiful she looked. There had been something in his expression that she could not define, but it gave her hope that the decision she had made was the right one.
Perhaps it was natural that she felt nervous, she thought, as she wandered restlessly around the room. She wished he would hurry up and come to bed. Unlike four years ago, it was unusual for him to take a business call late at night, but an urgent problem had needed his attention.
Her gaze fell on the photograph of the dark-haired young woman on Sergio’s desk. He had loved Annamaria and, recalling the soft tone of his voice when he had spoken about her, it seemed very likely that he still did. Biting her lip, Kristen did a reality check. Sergio had asked her to marry him for various reasons, number one being that he believed it would be best for Nico and number two because he desired her, but he had never mentioned love.
She sighed. After the way his mother had treated him as a child, it was understandable that he found it hard to show his feelings and perhaps it was unrealistic to hope that he would fall in love with her. She couldn’t blame him for guarding his emotions. But she had sensed over the past few weeks that he did care for her, and maybe in time his feelings would develop into love.
Maybe, if she told him how she felt about him...? Kristen’s heart lurched at the prospect of opening herself up to being rejected once again. Sergio had ripped her heart out four years ago, and she was still haunted by how her stepfather had let her down when she had needed his support.
She had two choices, Kristen realised. She could be a coward and carry on hiding her feelings for Sergio, or she could take charge of her own destiny and find the courage to tell him she loved him. Yes, she risked being hurt, but she had been hurt before and survived. Honesty was the best policy, but did she have the nerve to offer her heart to Sergio?
* * *
‘You look very pensive. What are you thinking about?’
She turned her head at the sound of his voice and watched him close the bedroom door. He looked incredibly sexy in black tailored trousers and a black silk shirt, and she was reminded of when she had seen him at the Hotel Royale in London. It seemed so long ago, but it was only a matter of weeks since she had gatecrashed his party and he had crashed back into her life.
‘I have something to tell you. I found out while you were away that there are no repercussions from our carelessness a couple of weeks ago. I’m not pregnant.’
‘I see.’ Sergio’s tone gave nothing away and Kristen had no idea if he was as disappointed by the news as she was.
He strolled over to her and she saw a familiar glint in his gaze as his eyes roamed over the sexy black dress. ‘Did I tell you how stunning you look tonight, mia bella?’
‘Several times.’ She knew she couldn’t allow herself to be seduced by the sensual promise in his voice, at least, not yet. ‘Sergio—I...I have decided to marry you.’
Sergio smiled widely, revealing his white teeth. ‘Fantastic!’ He felt elated. He had spent the past few weeks trying to win Kristen’s trust without putting her under pressure, and it seemed that his patience had paid o
ff. ‘I’m glad that you want to be my wife, cara.’
He wanted to sweep her into his arms and carry her off to bed so that they could celebrate by making love. He had missed her like hell while he had been away and the news that she was ready to commit herself to him suggested that she had missed him too. Although she had not actually said so. Sergio’s elation dimmed a little as doubt crept into his mind. Kristen had said that Nico had missed him when he had gone to Hong Kong, but she had made no reference to her feelings.
‘It will be good for Nico to grow up with both his parents,’ he murmured. ‘I’m glad we have been able to resolve matters without a judge having to decide who should have custody of him.’
‘Y...yes,’ she agreed faintly. Sergio’s words were an unwelcome reminder that he had been prepared to fight her for custody of Nico, an unwelcome reminder that the only reason he had asked her to marry him was because he wanted his son. Kristen’s determination to admit her love for him faltered. ‘Of course our marriage will be for Nico’s sake,’ she said quickly. ‘He adores you, and he is so happy living here in Sicily. I’ve realised that it would be unfair of me to take him back to London. Also...’ a soft flush stained her cheeks ‘...I think it would be nice for him to have a brother or sister. He’s three, and already there will be a big age gap between him and another child, even if I fell pregnant straight away.’
A lead weight settled in the pit of Sergio’s stomach. Why did he feel so damnably disappointed that Kristen’s reasons for deciding to marry him were sensible and coldly logical? he asked himself irritably. Four years ago he had sensed that she had been falling in love with him, and he had hoped over the past weeks that he might have revived her feelings for him. The realisation that she regarded him as a stud was bitterly hurtful.
His Unexpected Legacy Page 15
