Married By Christmas Bundle: Anthology

by Carol Marinelli

  ‘Is he very ill?’ Marco asked softly.

  Claudia nodded, biting her lower lip as if to stop it quivering. ‘He won’t get better—there’s no hope of that. It’s just a matter of time.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, lifting one hand to cradle her cheek gently. She might be a consummate actress, who had wheedled her way dishonestly into Bianca’s life and then into his. But that did not mean she wasn’t capable of loving her father—and her distress looked genuine.

  Hearing Marco’s voice so deep with sympathy and feeling the tenderness of his touch was suddenly too much for Claudia. She burst into fresh tears and buried her face in her hands, wishing she could shut out the misery that overwhelmed her when she thought about her father.

  A second later she felt Marco’s arms close around her. He was strong and warm and she found herself clinging to him, sobbing in earnest.

  ‘I want to go and visit him,’ she wept. ‘But I’m scared of how much worse he’ll be since I saw him only last week. I’m not strong enough to hide how I’m feeling, but I can’t let him see me like this—it wouldn’t be fair to upset him.’

  ‘It will be all right, dolce mia. I’ll take you to see your father tomorrow,’ Marco murmured against her hair. ‘And you will be strong when you need to be. But it doesn’t matter if he sees you’re upset—it shows how much you care.’

  She clung to him, thinking how much like the old Marco he suddenly seemed. Part of her didn’t want to accept comfort from him—not after everything that had happened between them. But another part wanted to believe that the man she had fallen in love with four years ago was still there. That man would have comforted her. That man would have moved heaven and earth if it made her feel better.

  ‘He doesn’t know he’s dying.’ Claudia heard the strangled tones of her own voice, but now she had started confiding in Marco she couldn’t stop. It was such an overwhelming relief to share the awful burden. ‘My stepmother and his doctors thought it was best to keep it from him. If he gets upset his heart couldn’t take it.’

  ‘Don’t you think he deserves to know?’ Marco sounded shocked. The thought flashed through Claudia’s mind that Marco would never forgive anyone for keeping such news from him. But then she couldn’t imagine Marco ever being frail enough to warrant such considerations.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she replied, feeling utterly helpless. ‘My stepmother told me it would kill him to find out.’

  The idea that Marco might disapprove of her actions suddenly made her feel cold and bleak, undermining the grip she had been slowly regaining on her emotions. She burst into renewed tears and hung her head miserably.

  ‘I apologise. It wasn’t my place to say that. I don’t know the whole situation,’ Marco said, pulling her close to him once again. ‘We’ll talk to his doctors. Maybe his condition has stabilised.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Claudia pressed her face against the soft merino wool of his sweater, feeling the reassuring strength and warmth of his body radiating through the garment. ‘That would be wonderful. I couldn’t seem to make the doctors talk to me properly—I think my stepmother told them I didn’t understand Italian well enough.’

  ‘Where is he?’ Marco asked.

  ‘In a hospital in Turin,’ she replied.

  ‘Is your stepmother there with him?’

  ‘I don’t know. I doubt it,’ Claudia said, resting with her face against his shoulder and her hand flat against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her and at that moment she felt totally safe, cocooned in his embrace. ‘Francesca divides her time between London and Turin, but even when she’s in Italy she doesn’t visit him much, even though she has an apartment in the city. She never liked the countryside—she won’t go to the Piedmont house unless she has to.’

  She spoke sadly, wishing that her father could have fallen in love with someone who cared for him more than her stepmother did, when suddenly she felt an almost imperceptible ripple of tension pass through Marco. She pulled away from him slightly, sitting upright so that she could look into his face. The hardness in his eyes startled her, making her heart skip a beat.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, wondering if he disapproved of Francesca’s lack of devotion. Or maybe he was judging her for not dropping everything to remain at her father’s bedside.

  ‘Nothing.’ He softened his expression at once. But his blood was boiling at the discovery that Francesca Hazelton didn’t even like the country estate she had taken from his family and moved into only days after his father had died. ‘I was just thinking how hard it must have been on you, being tied to London by your work when really you just wanted to be in Italy with your father.’

  ‘I would have given up my job in an instant,’ she said, ‘but my father wouldn’t let me. I was furious with Francesca for telling him my plan to quit work, but he got so upset at the idea of me putting my life on hold while he was ill that I simply couldn’t go against his wishes. I’ve flown back to Turin almost every weekend.’

  ‘No wonder you look tired,’ Marco said, lifting his hand and sliding it through her hair to cup the side of her head.

  ‘I must look a state,’ Claudia gasped, all of a sudden feeling awkward about how she had let herself weep with such undignified abandon. ‘My face must be blotchy and I can’t bear to imagine how red my eyes are.’

  ‘There are no blotches.’ Marco raised his other hand so that he was holding her head on both sides, his fingers buried deep in her hair. ‘And your eyes are not red—they are simply luminous, glowing with the emotion you feel inside.’

  ‘You’re just saying that to make me feel better.’ She smiled, knowing he must be lying. But it was a kind lie and his words had lifted her spirits.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ he said, gazing at her in a way that suddenly made her heart beat faster. He was still holding her head captive in his gentle hands, and he began to pull her slowly towards him.

  She gazed at him, thinking he seemed more devastatingly good looking than ever. The firelight was casting a gorgeous glow over his face, his dark eyes were glinting with reflected amber lights and his black hair was gilded with gold.

  He was going to kiss her—she knew it with absolute certainty. But then he paused, letting his mouth hover only a fraction away from hers.

  At the back of her mind the voice of reason cried out for her to take this chance to back away from him. She knew she shouldn’t get involved with him again. Nothing had changed—he was still the man who had discarded her without a backwards glance. The man who had broken her heart.

  She drew in a long shuddering breath and closed her eyes, struggling with her inner turmoil.

  Her lips were tingling in expectation of his kiss and her whole body was quivering with the desire that was rising within her, but she knew she shouldn’t give in to it. In a few days time she had to travel to the Caribbean to marry Primo Vasile. That was the hard reality of her life.

  Her idyllic time with Marco was a distant memory. It had happened—but it wasn’t real. Not in the way that she remembered it. She had fallen in love with him but although he might have enjoyed spending time with her for a while, it was obvious that he had not felt the same way.

  Now he was back in her life and he seemed very different—harder, angrier. She’d never intended to turn to him for comfort over her father. But after the stresses of the last couple of days, looking at the photograph had really got to her. And, although she’d tried, she hadn’t been able to hold back her tears. But just because he had offered her sympathy over her father’s illness did not mean that she had to fall into his arms.

  ‘I can’t do this.’ Her voice was small, but resolute. She sat up straighter and tried to pull away from him.

  ‘Yes, you can,’ he said. ‘You want this as much as I do.’

  A moment later Marco’s mouth closed over hers.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CLAUDIA clung to Marco, giving herself over to his kiss completely. She wanted to lose herself in his arms for a few
blissful minutes and forget all the worries that had been weighing so heavily on her. There was no going back now—she didn’t want to go back. She couldn’t let herself think about what she was doing—that might give her rational mind time to protest.

  ‘I’m going to make you mine again.’

  His voice was unbearably sexy—dark and chocolaty, it rippled through her flesh like a physical sensation, making her yearn for him even more.

  His hands slipped under her top and moved across her back, his fingers spread wide and his palms hot and smooth against her skin. A deeply expressive sigh escaped her as she felt him caressing her. But she needed more. She needed to feel his naked skin under her fingertips.

  It was as if he had read her mind, because he quickly stripped off his sweater.

  ‘You feel so good,’ she murmured, running her hands up his sides and across his ribs to his chest. She felt his pectoral muscles flex under her fingers and his nipples tighten into small hard points.

  Then, Marco took hold of her waist and a split second later they were both standing. The open fire was warm beside her and she couldn’t help running her eyes over his half naked body.

  The golden light flickered on his bronzed skin, highlighting the well-defined muscles of his athletic physique and making the fine tangle of black hair on his chest seem more powerfully masculine than ever. Her stomach fluttered with anticipation and she felt a warm wave of desire rolling over her body.

  Suddenly the sound of Claudia’s mobile phone ringing jarred through the air.

  Marco stiffened, feeling the mood shatter. He turned away and picked up the intrusive item from the coffee table.

  He glanced at the caller display and another jolt stabbed through him.

  Primo Vasile.

  He handed Claudia the phone and walked out of the room.

  Marco stood in front of the sink and splashed cold water on to his face. Powerful emotions had surged around his body, taking him completely by surprise. But now he was determined to regain control.

  He’d followed Claudia to Wales with the ruthless intention of bedding her out of revenge.

  They’d made love many times in the past—but every time she’d laid in his arms she had been deceiving him. That knowledge was unbearable.

  Marco had instinctively known the only way he could expunge the anger that gripped him when he realised how he’d been duped was to turn the tables on her. He would take her to bed on his own terms, for his own satisfaction—and then he would discard her.

  He hadn’t been prepared for how badly he still wanted her. His desire for her had burned through his veins like wildfire—consuming every rational thought in his head.

  Then, when Claudia’s mobile phone had rung and he’d seen that it was Primo Vasile, an overwhelming surge of possessiveness had stormed through him. He hated Vasile and was determined to thwart his plans in any way he could. But once again he had been shocked by the strength of his feeling towards Claudia.

  He gritted his teeth and opened the bathroom door. He would control his emotions—just like he always had. And, when he had bedded Claudia one last time, she’d be out of his system. Then he would cast her aside.

  Claudia sat on the sofa, looking into the fire. Her body was buzzing with unfulfilled desire, but she kept telling herself she’d had a lucky escape. She hadn’t answered the phone call—she’d been too lost in the moment with Marco to bear to talk to Primo Vasile—but it had given her a chance to get a hold of herself.

  She stood up and walked across the room in agitation. What was wrong with her? Why would she even think of letting Marco make love to her?

  He’d broken her heart and there was no reason to assume he would treat her any differently if she got involved with him again. Except, a little voice inside her said, apart from the terrible way he’d finished their relationship, he’d always treated her with incredible respect and tenderness.

  But it didn’t matter anyway—because, even if she wanted to be with Marco again, she couldn’t.

  Suddenly a heavy band of panic wrapped around her, constricting her throat, making it hard to breathe. She’d had no choice when she’d agreed to marry Primo, but she clung desperately to the fact that it was to be a marriage in name only. Later, after her father could no longer be hurt, she would leave him.

  Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes and she knew she was about to burst into tears. It was awful—truly awful—to have to think about her escape from Primo at the same time as thinking about her father’s death.

  She blinked desperately, determined not to let Marco see her cry again. That was what had made things so complicated in the first place. She didn’t want to talk about her father’s illness any more—she couldn’t bear it. And she also knew that if she got upset again she might end up telling Marco everything—about her stepmother and Vasile blackmailing her. That was the last thing she wanted.

  Deep down inside she knew that someone as self assured and strong as Marco would never understand what she was doing for her father. He’d be convinced there must be another way to save him. He was used to being in control of his life and he had power and money.

  But Claudia had no power. And the only way to get money was to marry and release her trust fund. There was nothing she could do to change that, without causing great distress to her father on his deathbed. And she would never, ever do that.

  She turned and paced across the room, determined to think about something else. She went to the window and pressed her nose to the glass, cupped her hands round her face to block out the light from the lamp and stared out into the night.

  Then a sound from behind her made her turn round.

  ‘Come and join me,’ Marco said, setting down two fresh glasses of wine on the coffee table.

  ‘I was looking at the fog,’ she said, reluctant to sit with him. As soon as she’d laid eyes on him, her earlier feelings of attraction had started to resurface. ‘It’s still so thick you can’t see a thing.’

  Marco crossed the room and joined her at the window. He had not put his sweater back on and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. His movements were fluid and athletic, but everything about his stance made her think about the sheer strength contained within his powerful masculine form.

  ‘It’s as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist,’ Marco said. ‘The cottage is completely cut off. For a city dweller, that’s a strange feeling.’

  As soon as he’d said the words a shiver ran through her. It truly was as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

  Then, to make matters worse, he lifted both hands to gently cradle her head, letting his fingers slip between the silky tresses of her hair. A whisper of electric desire tingled between them, but Claudia felt herself tense and she tried to step away.

  ‘It’s…it’s just that my life is so complicated,’ Claudia stammered. ‘I can’t do this…I mean I can’t get involved with you again.’

  ‘Everyone’s life is complicated,’ Marco said. ‘But there’s one simple fact that matters right now—tonight we are here, alone, unable to leave even if we wanted to.’

  Claudia lifted her face to meet his gaze and, as she looked into his eyes, the familiar feeling that she was the only woman in the world came over her. And in a way that was true. Cut off from everything by the thick fog, they were alone. He was the only man, and she was the only woman.

  CHAPTER SIX

  MARCO stood by the window, watching Claudia walk away from him. Even dressed in her shapeless garments she still looked as hot as hell. When she bent down to pick up her glass of wine, a renewed blast of desire fired through his body.

  He wanted her badly.

  He frowned, his eyes following her as she walked over to the fireplace and started looking at the Christmas ornaments that had been arranged on the mantelpiece.

  ‘I can’t believe it,’ she said suddenly. She picked up a couple of little figures and carried them across the room to show him. ‘My grandmother had these exact same ornaments!
’

  Marco watched her walking towards him, captivated by the bewitching sway of her hips and the gentle bounce of her full breasts beneath the wool of her sweater as she moved.

  ‘I suppose it’s not so much of a coincidence really,’ Claudia was saying. ‘I guess Grandma and Gwen went shopping at the same local craft fairs.’

  ‘They’re interesting pieces,’ Marco said, forcing his raging libido under control. ‘I haven’t seen anything like them before. Do you think they were made locally?’

  ‘Probably,’ Claudia said, holding the figures in her cupped hands next to her breast, in a totally natural gesture of happy affection. ‘Oh, they remind me of my Grandma. And her decoration box.’

  A strange feeling tightened inside Marco as he looked at her. He’d heard her talk about her grandmother before. But, now that he knew what kind of person Claudia was, it was strangely discomfiting to hear her talk with such animation about her past.

  ‘Tell me about the box,’ Marco said, interested in spite of the voice inside his head telling him he didn’t need to hear any more of her childhood tales.

  ‘There’s nothing much to tell,’ she said. ‘It contained the tree ornaments that Grandma had collected over the years. She had a different story to tell about each one.’ She smiled, momentarily lost in her thoughts. ‘I loved to imagine my own mother helping her to hang those decorations on the tree. And every year Grandma would buy just one more—usually from a local craft fair.’

  ‘Did you help your grandmother to decorate?’ Marco asked.

  Claudia looked at him and hesitated, wondering whether she wanted to share any more personal memories with Marco. He seemed to have remembered every detail of every single thing she’d confided in him that summer four years ago.

  She found her gaze fixed on his gorgeous face. He really was breathtakingly good-looking. And when he looked at her like that, giving her his undivided attention, it felt as if she was somehow more important than usual. He seemed genuinely engaged in what she had to say. And the very fact that he remembered what she’d told him so long ago was proof that he listened properly and was interested.