by Maggie Cox
But although he was missing Tia already, they would all eat dinner together this evening, and he was appreciative of having some free time with Anna. This morning when they’d returned to bed she had surrendered everything to him. It had been as though she’d let all her carefully erected barriers down at once—even perhaps her fear of being controlled. She had simply accepted his sometimes too passionate loving with equal ardour and longing, her breathless sighs and eager exploring hands on his body letting Dante know that she was right where she wanted to be…no question.
Honestly, he had never known a woman so generous and giving—in bed and out of it. If he thought about losing her or letting her go his heart missed a beat. Frankly, it frightened him to realise how much she had come to mean to him. Would she ever agree to marry him? He almost felt sick at the idea she might not.
Stopping suddenly beside him, Anna pushed her huge sunglasses back onto her head to study him. ‘I can hear a lot of wheels grinding and turning.’ She grinned.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked, perplexed.
‘I mean the wheels in your busy mind, Dante. What have you been thinking about?’ Her brown eyes crinkled at the corners against the bright sunlight.
Pushing aside the sudden fear that arose inside him like a malevolent cloud blocking out the sun, Dante made himself smile. ‘Nothing very interesting, I’m afraid. I was merely enjoying holding your hand and us being able to have this time together.’
‘You weren’t worrying about work? About what’s going on at the Mirabelle or what million-dollar deals you’re going to be making next? ‘ Her tone was gently teasing.
‘You believe all I think about is work when I’m with you? ‘ He frowned, but then, when he might have descended into feeling guilty or frustrated that she could have such perception, he stroked his fingers across her soft cheek and followed it up with a playful pinch. ‘Let me assure you, innamorata…my thoughts are definitely not about work when I’m with you. Could you doubt that after what happened this morning? There are still places on my body that throb and burn from making such uninhibited love with you. It’s a wonder I can walk at all!’
Hot colour seared her cheeks and Anna lowered her gaze.
Dante chuckled softly. It was such a delight and also the biggest aphrodisiac to see her blush.
‘You said there was a park that was a century old not too far away,’ she commented, determinedly meeting his glance again, even though her cheeks still carried the heated evidence of her embarrassment. ‘Can we go there?’
‘We’ll need to jump on the ferry, but why not? ‘ he agreed, secretly delighted that he could give her such a simple pleasure.
‘A ferry?’ Anna beamed. ‘Oh, I’d love that!’
And she did love it.
Her excitement was charmingly contagious. Dante received vicarious pleasure from travelling over the glinting blue lake on the passenger ferry with her, viewing the stunning homes that hugged the shoreline and the glimpses of medieval walls and towers in the background, even though the trip was hardly new to him and he had seen the sights many times before.
Seated on a slatted wooden bench half an hour later, in a park on the waterway that was full of Linden trees as well as a plethora of pink and red rhododendrons and white camellias, Anna swivelled round to observe Dante more closely. ‘Tell me something about you that I don’t know,’ she urged smilingly.
Knowing there was no way of ducking out of the question, Dante sighed, then answered quietly, ‘I’ve been married before.’
Her beautiful smile vanished. ‘Married? Not when we first met?’
‘No.’ His throat felt a little tight, and his voice sounded rusty. ‘It was a long time before we met, Anna. I’d been divorced for about three years before I stayed at the Mirabelle that night.’
‘Oh…’ The relief in that breathless exhalation was tangible. ‘What was her name?’
‘Her name?’ It never failed to astonish Dante how women always wanted to know the most inconsequential details. Another time it might amuse him. But not right now. Not when it had suddenly occurred to him that Anna might have strong reservations over marrying a man who had been divorced…especially when he told her the reason why. ‘Her name was Marisa.’
‘Was she Italian? ‘
‘No. She came from California. I met her when I was living in New York. She worked at one of the financial establishments I dealt with there.’
‘How long were you married? ‘
Reaching round a hand to rub the back of his neck, Dante sighed. ‘Three years. She left me for someone else, if you want to know. But our marriage had hit the rocks long before that.’
‘Why?’
Anna was twisting her hands together in her lap, and he sensed her definite unease. He cursed himself for bringing up the subject in the first place. To her question, ‘Tell me something about you that I don’t know,’ he could just as easily have replied, I’m a big fan of the opera, fine art and Italian football. Telling her anything along the lines of the personal interests or hobbies he had would have been fine. Not that he’d ever had time for anything as normal or mundane as a hobby.
‘She resented my extreme devotion to work. Whilst she loved what the rewards of that work could buy, she craved my attention too—and to be fair I wasn’t as attentive of her as I could have been.’
‘But it must have hurt when she left you for somebody else. Were you in love with her?’
Dante could hardly believe that he was seeing sympathy reflected in Anna’s lovely dark gaze. He couldn’t attest to understanding it, and was momentarily confused.
‘No,’ he answered honestly, ‘I wasn’t in love with her. Although when we first met I probably fooled myself that I was. She was vivacious, attractive and clever, and I had a couple of friends at the time who were also interested in her.’ Ruefully, he shook his head. ‘I suppose it was the thrill of the chase. That was the kind of thing that obsessed me then. Who could win the best deal, buy the best property, woo and win the most unattainable woman? Anyway, Marisa decided I didn’t need to do much chasing after all. The wealthy lifestyle I could give her was a great incentive, you understand?’
His laugh was short and harsh. ‘For a time we shared similar aims. I was driven to succeed more and more, and so was she. She definitely wasn’t the kind of woman who hankered after having a family. I suppose I kidded myself that the superficial interests we shared were enough to make our partnership work. That was until she met the young designer who came to remodel our New York apartment and had an affair with him.’
‘And where is she now?’
‘As far as I know she’s remarried and living happily in Greenwich Village in New York, but it doesn’t really concern me.’ Standing up, he reached down a hand to help his silent companion to her feet. ‘Let’s walk on, shall we?’
Had he cared enough for his ex that he really had been hurt when she’d had an affair and then left him? Anna sucked in a breath, suddenly believing she knew why he seemed to have this need to take charge and control situations. Both his father and his wife had left him—it didn’t matter that their marriage hadn’t been a union made in heaven—and that had to have left some deep emotional scarring. It also must have pained him to learn he was married to a woman who’d seen his wealth as his greatest asset. To not be loved for yourself but instead to be wanted because of the lifestyle you could provide must be shattering.
Refusing to be downhearted because Dante had revealed he’d been married before—with his confession about his past the other night, at least now he was opening up to her a little bit—Anna smiled, sincere and relaxed. ‘Yes, let’s walk,’ she agreed.
Walking along beside this broad-shouldered handsome man, in his sexy designer shades, with every passing female no matter what her age glancing helplessly at him, she returned her attention to the beautiful sights and scents of the park, with its plethora of flowers, ornate water fountains and sculptures. No matter what transpired between them she w
ould never forget her month’s sojourn in this magical place, nor its matchless, timeless beauty, she vowed. Even now, on only the second day into her visit, she hated the thought of leaving.
‘And Paolo says I can visit him again any time I want. He speaks Italian, but his mummy told me what he said. He’s so nice, Daddy. I really, really like him! ‘
His little daughter had scarcely paused for breath since Ester had brought her home. She’d been talking so excitedly about her visit with Ester’s son that she had hardly touched the wonderful food that Giovanna had prepared for them. She’d made spaghetti Bolognaise especially because Tia had requested it.
Seated at the rectangular oak table in the wooden-beamed dining room with its huge marble fireplace, Dante had never enjoyed a meal more. Never in his life had anything felt more right than being here in Italy with Anna and his daughter.
‘Well, sweetheart,’ he said, beaming down into Tia’s bright eyes, ‘I’m sure you will see little Paolo again very soon. But now you should try and eat something, eh?’
She took a mouthful of food, chewed it thoughtfully, then gazed back at him. ‘Paolo said his daddy was dead.’
Opposite him, Anna put her fork carefully down on her plate. Dante sensed her concern. ‘I know, piccolina,’ he replied gently, laying his hand over Tia’s. ‘He was a friend of mine, and it was very sad when he died.’
‘Does that mean that you’re going to die soon, Daddy?’
Swallowing hard, Dante felt the question hit him like an iron fist in the belly. Just the thought of being separated from his child and her mother any time soon made him want to hold them in the circle of his protection with all his might—and woe betide anyone who tried to rip him away!
‘Nobody knows when they are going to die, my angel… But I’m sure that heaven is not ready for me yet—especially not when I need to be here to take care of my girls!’
His throat was cramped and sore as he lifted his glance to Anna’s. Just when he wanted to say more, his mobile phone rang. Glancing down at the caller ID as he took it from his shirt pocket, he saw it was from the Mirabelle.
‘I’m sorry, but I really should get this. It’s from Jason at the hotel,’ he explained, swiftly moving away from the table and out into the corridor.
‘Is everything all right?’
It wasn’t the Mirabelle that was her topic of choice, Anna reflected as Dante came back into the room. What he’d said about needing to be here for her and Tia had touched her heart as nothing had ever done before, and now, setting eyes on his incredible sculpted features and winter-coloured gaze, she had an almost painfully irresistible desire to touch him and hold him. But he was holding out his phone to her, looking slightly perturbed.
‘Everything at the hotel is fine. He just wanted to update me on the latest developments. Jason would like to speak with you.’
‘Oh…’
Getting to her feet, and uncomfortably sensing Dante’s disapproving gaze as he handed her the mobile, Anna followed his example and went out into the imposing corridor with its wall-mounted chandeliers and softly glowing lamps to take the call.
‘Hi, Jason…what’s up?’
‘A couple of things.’ His voice was friendly, but concerned. ‘I heard that you were in Como with Dante. How’s it going?’
‘You know about me and Dante? ‘
‘Mum and Dad told me yesterday. It was a shock, but I’ve had a funny feeling something’s going on between the two of you ever since he showed up. Is it true that he’s Tia’s father?’
‘Yes, it’s true.’
Jason was a great colleague, and a friend, but she braced herself for his possible condemnation and hoped that if and when it came she could stay calm.
She heard him sigh. ‘It must have been so hard for you, raising Tia all alone and not feeling able to contact Dante to let him know that you were pregnant. If I loved someone that much I could no more keep it to myself than fly to the moon!’
Mentally, Anna did a double-take, but her gaze was caught by the shining disc of the full moon reflecting off the dark lake outside the open casement window where the scent of heady Mediterranean blossoms floated in. Her heart squeezed with the magic of it all.
‘What do you mean “if I loved someone”?’
‘I can see now that you’re crazy about him, that’s all. You wouldn’t be in Como with him if you weren’t. I’m glad for you—so glad. There’s nobody I know who deserves to have a happy ending more than you!’
‘I do love him, Jason…you’re right.’ Acceptance and acknowledgement of her deepest feelings lapped through her like a warm velvet wave, and she crossed her arm over her waist as if to hug herself.
‘So…when will the happy day be?’
‘What?’
‘If the man hasn’t asked you to marry him then he needs his head tested.’
Chewing anxiously down on her lip, Anna glanced towards the not quite closed heavy oak door of the dining room and moved a little bit farther away from it. ‘He did ask me to marry him, but I suggested we have a trial period of living together first.’
‘What on earth for? ‘
‘It makes sense, doesn’t it? ‘
‘When did loving someone ever make sense?’
To Anna’s amusement, Jason sounded almost exasperated with her.
‘If you love him and he loves you, and you already have the most adorable little girl together, then what’s the point in having a trial period? You should be beating a path over the sun-baked cobblestones to the nearest church and sending us all invitations to the wedding quicker than I can say la dolce vita!’
‘Should I?’ she smiled. This new enthusiasm she was hearing in his voice was infectious. ‘You said there were a couple of things. What else did you want to say?’
‘I just wanted to let you know that included in the hotel modernisation your flat is to be converted too. I hope I haven’t put my foot in it by telling you that—maybe Dante’s told you about it already? ‘
Anna frowned. ‘No, he hasn’t. This is the first I’ve heard about it. What about all my stuff? I don’t want all my belongings just thrown somewhere!’
‘Don’t be daft. I’ll make sure everything is stored away safely—you know I will. There was just one other thing before I go.’
‘Not another bombshell, I hope?’
‘It’s a surprise more than a bombshell. You know we were talking about romance just now…?’
The joy in his voice was hard to mistake, and Anna’s curiosity grew.
‘Don’t keaep me in suspense, Jason—tell me!’
‘I think I’ve found my soul-mate.’
‘You have? Oh, my God!’ She squealed into the phone in sheer delight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
DANTE waited until Tia was in bed before confronting his fears about Anna’s phone conversation with Jason Cathcart. She was sitting in front of the ornate dressing table mirror in her robe, brushing out her long fiery hair, when he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her slender shoulders. The material of the robe was thin enough for him to feel the shape of her bones, and beneath his touch he sensed her stiffen.
He wanted to say something like, You sounded happy when you spoke to Jason, but instead the words that came out of his mouth were sharp, bordering on accusing. ‘What did Jason want? He had no business wanting to talk to you about work while you’re on leave.’
Watching her expression in the dressing table mirror, he saw the satin-smooth skin between her brows pucker. ‘Not even to tell me that my flat is being converted while I’m away and all my stuff is being put into storage?’
His hands reluctantly fell away as she turned to accusingly look up at him. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get round to talking to you about that. With so much going on I—’
‘Slipped your mind, did it? I can’t pretend I’m not cross about this, Dante, because I am. That’s my home that’s being dismantled while I’m away.’
The subject really had slipped
his mind since they’d arrived, and now Dante could have kicked himself. He knew how important her own place was to Anna, but there was something else he’d planned without telling her too.
It seemed now was the time to confess all.
Shaking his head slightly, he moved away across the floor. ‘I owe you an apology…a big one, I know. But with the extensive refurbishment and modernisation going on at the hotel you couldn’t expect your flat not to be included. However, I also want to tell you that I plan to buy a house for you and Tia—independent of whether you agree to move in with me permanently or not. A real place of your own that will come with no conditional strings attached and will be yours to do exactly what you like with.’
Without a doubt Anna was taken aback. Coiling her hair behind her ear, she didn’t reply straight away, but seemed to be collecting her thoughts. When she did finally speak her expression was as touched and surprised as a small child upon whom a gift she’d never dreamt would be hers had been bestowed. ‘You don’t have to do that. It’s an extremely generous gesture—too generous, really—but—’
‘I want to do it for you, Anna.’ Returning to stand in front of her again, Dante knew he meant it in earnest. ‘I never want you to feel that your home is dependent on anyone ever again—either your employers or even me.’
‘I don’t—I don’t know what to say.’
He grinned. ‘Just say thank you and we’ll forget about it.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Was the flat being converted all that Jason wanted to talk to you about?’
For some reason the question made Anna smile. ‘It wasn’t, actually.’
‘No?’ Dante sensed his irritation return. ‘Then what else did he want to talk about? ‘
‘It was a personal matter.’
‘And you’re his only confidante? ‘ He was tunnelling his fingers through his hair and pacing the floor in a bid to contain his temper.
