Vieri's Convenient Vows (Harlequin Presents)

by Andie Brock

  She cast her eyes down the long table. Leah was sitting about halfway down, next to Vieri’s friend, Jaco. Harper had to admit it was lovely to have her here, and secretly she was touched that Vieri had gone to the trouble of arranging it. She couldn’t hear what they were saying but under Jaco’s instruction Leah was swilling the wine around in her glass, then holding it to her nose to inhale the bouquet. Jaco was laughing.

  At the far end of the table, Alfonso was holding court with a couple of elderly friends. Feeling Harper’s eyes on him, he looked up and smiled, raising his glass.

  ‘Look at him.’ Vieri leant in closer and immediately Harper’s senses leapt about in response. ‘I can’t remember the last time I saw him so happy.’ Raising his own glass in return, he waited for Harper to do the same. ‘We did the right thing, you know.’

  Harper nodded. For the first time this whole crazy venture made sense. For the first time she could see why they had done it. To give pleasure to a kind and generous man who deserved happiness at the very end of his life. For the first time it felt as if they had done something good.

  ‘Yes, we did, didn’t we?’ She turned and smiled at Vieri, clinking her glass against his, and as their eyes met Harper felt her stomach somersault inside her.

  ‘I’m glad you agree.’ Holding her gaze, Vieri studied her face intently before covering her hand with his own. ‘You have a lovely smile, by the way. You should use it more often.’

  Harper quickly looked away, battling against the crippling effect of the unexpected compliment. Gripping the stem of her glass, she took a sip of the velvety wine. If her smile was lovely, his was deadly, used for the sole purpose of killing his prey.

  She had been fighting his devastating attraction all day, since the moment she had come to stand beside him in the chapel. Dressed in an immaculate grey suit, with matching waistcoat, and a blue silk tie that mirrored his ultramarine eyes, Vieri was the embodiment of sheer masculine perfection. His dark hair was pushed back from his forehead, curling behind his ears. When he was clean-shaven, his thick sideburns appeared more obvious, as did his square jaw and that oh-so-sensuous pink mouth. A mouth that brought back the memory of how it had felt against her own. That begged to be felt there again.

  Setting down her glass, Harper took a shaky breath. Today, more than any day, she needed to be careful. She had to be on her guard, protect herself from the deadly onslaught of Vieri’s charm. And step one was to try and steady the traitorous thump of her heart right now.

  In true Sicilian style, the meal went on for hours. Course after course of delicious food was served, accompanied by freely flowing wine that ensured all the guests had a good time. Day soon turned to night, and as the more elderly guests started to leave Alfonso eventually announced that he was going to retire. Calling Vieri and Harper over, he embraced them warmly as they bent to kiss his cheek, taking hold of Harper’s hand as she straightened up and patting it affectionately.

  ‘Thank you so much, both of you. This has been wonderful.’ He smiled up at them but as the smile faded a seriousness crept into his eyes. ‘I hope you know how much it means to me.’

  ‘We do, padrino.’ Vieri squeezed his shoulder. ‘And we are very glad that you have enjoyed the day.’

  ‘I don’t just mean the day.’ A hint of impatience crept in as Alfonso gripped Harper’s hand with surprising force. ‘I’m talking about the two of you being officially married.’ He paused and Harper could see just how tired he was. ‘I must admit, I had my doubts. You might even call them suspicions.’ His bushy eyebrows lowered over eyes that flicked between Harper and Vieri. ‘In fact I did wonder at first if the two of you had cooked this up between you. A well-intentioned but misguided plan to fool an old man.’ Harper froze, her gaze locked on Alfonso’s hand so that she wouldn’t have to meet Vieri’s eye.

  ‘But then I saw the two of you together and my mind was put at rest. Because I could see it in your eyes, feel it here, in my heart.’ He banged his chest with his fist. ‘I could see that you loved each other. And that was all that mattered. Which was why I hurried things along a bit.’ He gave a low chuckle.

  ‘You mean it wasn’t because you are dying!’ With a leap of hope, Harper blurted out the words.

  ‘Oh, bless you, my dear. I’m dying all right.’ Alfonso kissed her hand. ‘But now, I can die in peace, safe in the knowledge that my godson has finally found the happiness he deserves.’

  Harper forced down the lump in her throat, fighting the tears that pricked the backs of her eyes.

  ‘Anyway, enough of my old-man ramblings. I hope that you young people will continue to celebrate long into the night. Oh, I nearly forgot.’ Reaching into his inside jacket pocket, he withdrew an envelope and passed it to Vieri. ‘A wedding present. Open it later.’

  ‘Thank you, padrino.’ Vieri put the envelope into his pocket. ‘You are very kind.’

  ‘And you are very dear to me, both of you, I want you to know that. Come, one last embrace.’ Holding out his arms, he pulled them down into a long hug before kissing them in turn on the cheek. ‘Now it is time to say goodbye.’ His voice wavered. ‘Addio, miei cari!’

  He signalled to Maria, who had returned to the castello just in time for the wedding. Taking hold of the handles of his wheelchair, she waited for Alfonso to release the brake before slowly wheeling him out of the room. As Harper and Vieri watched him go, he raised a shaky hand of farewell above his head.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘WELL, GOODNIGHT, YOU TWO.’

  Always the last to leave a party, Leah finally got to her feet and moved unsteadily around the debris-strewn table. She kissed Harper, and then, rather more awkwardly, Vieri.

  ‘Thank you so much for inviting me, Vieri, and for paying for my flight and everything so I could be here. That was very generous of you. Especially after what I did...letting you down like that.’

  ‘Forget it.’ Vieri waved his hand in a dismissive gesture but Harper noticed there was no rancour in his voice. He looked and sounded positively mellow.

  ‘And can I just say...?’ She paused, a smile spreading across her face. ‘You two make a lovely couple.’

  ‘Leah!’ Harper shot her sister a warning glare.

  This was typical of Leah, stirring things up. They had had very little time to talk but during a hushed conversation in the privacy of the bathroom Harper had made sure that her sister knew the score, that this was a marriage in name only. Except, of course, Leah refused to believe it.

  ‘I can’t help it if that’s what I think.’ Leah refused to be silenced. ‘And I’m not the only one. Everyone has been saying so all day.’

  Had they? Even though Harper knew that that was just what people said at weddings, she couldn’t help but feel a little surge of pleasure. Because somehow, despite everything, even though it shouldn’t have, today had been lovely. It had felt right.

  She put it down to the fact that she and Vieri had achieved their aim—they had made Alfonso happy. In fact, he had appeared positively delighted, a beaming smile across his face for most of the day. Which in turn had made Vieri relax. Harper had seen a new side to him as he had chatted to the guests, laughed with Jaco, clearly enjoying himself. Even now, at this late hour, he appeared to be in no hurry to end the day; instead he cradled a glass of brandy in his hand, absently swilling the liquid around as he watched the sisterly exchange going on. If Harper wasn’t mistaken, there was the tug of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

  ‘Go to bed, Leah.’ Sitting up straighter, Harper shooed Leah away. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’

  ‘I’m going, I’m going.’ Blowing them both a kiss, Leah tottered off, her feet bare, her strappy shoes held over her shoulder by one finger. ‘Have a good night, you two.’

  Alone at last, a dangerous silence settled over the room. Harper cleared her throat.

  ‘Well, I guess I had better be thinking about going to bed too.’

  ‘Yes, it’s been a long day.’

 
; ‘A successful one though.’ She looked across at Vieri for confirmation but immediately found herself caught in the midnight blue of his eyes. Pulling her gaze away, she only made it as far as the long length of his body lounging back in his chair. With one leg crossed over the other, he appeared completely at ease and even more dangerously handsome than ever. The jacket had gone, the fitted waistcoat emphasising his broad shoulders, his narrow waist. He had loosened his tie and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal tanned forearms, covered in a liberal dusting of dark hair. He looked casual, relaxed, but most of all deeply, heart-wrenchingly sexy. Harper felt her chest tighten.

  ‘No regrets, then?’ Lightly asked, his question nevertheless demanded an answer.

  ‘No. I’m glad that we were able to do this for Alfonso.’

  ‘Good.’ He took a sip of brandy. ‘That makes me feel less guilty.’

  ‘Guilty?’ Harper laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you ever feeling guilty about anything.’

  ‘Then that shows how little you know me.’ Suddenly serious, Vieri leant forward in his chair.

  Harper blinked. ‘That’s true.’ She really did know very little about this enigmatic man who was now, remarkably, ridiculously, her husband.

  ‘Then perhaps we should do something about it.’

  ‘Like what?’ Her words came out as a gasp.

  Vieri shrugged his elegant shoulders. ‘I would be lying if I didn’t admit that a few things were coming to mind.’

  Their gazes clashed, the few things he was referring to all too clear in the swirling depths of his eyes. Harper felt the frantic beat of her heart in her throat.

  ‘You are a very special person, Harper.’ The sincerity of his gaze held her captive. ‘I really mean that.’

  ‘Well, thank you.’ Harper gave an embarrassed laugh but it was silenced by a fingertip pressed against her lips.

  ‘And I would very much like to make love to you.’

  Shock ricocheted through her, swiftly followed by a clench of lust, deep in her groin. It was the way he had just said it, as if it were so easily possible, as if it could just happen. Which of course it could. Harper swallowed hard. But it shouldn’t, should it?

  Fighting to find some logic, some reason in this swirl of madness, Harper stood up, gazing at the vaulted ceiling as if the answer had to be hiding there somewhere. ‘But this was never part of our agreement.’ Her voice sounded husky, as if it belonged to someone else.

  ‘Hang the agreement.’ Suddenly up on his feet, Vieri came and stood before her, cupping her chin in his hand. His cool façade had slipped, revealing the dark passion beneath. ‘Right now I want you, Harper. You have no idea how much.’ His breath feathered across her heated face, his words sending spasms of yearning right through her. ‘And I believe you want me too.’

  ‘Yes.’ Harper stared into his eyes, suddenly unable to hide the truth any longer.

  A smile curved Vieri’s sensuous mouth. ‘Bene. So what do you say? Will you let me take you to bed tonight?’

  Oh, God. Harper had never wanted anything more in her life. But she couldn’t just say yes. Could she?

  ‘I...I don’t know, Vieri.’ Still she tried to rationalise her thoughts that now only drummed with one, sensuous beat.

  Reaching forward, Vieri picked up a stray tendril of hair and, after a moment’s hesitation, tucked it behind her ear. ‘One night together, Harper, that’s all I’m asking, all I’m offering. One night of pleasure.’

  It was so tempting. He was so, so tempting.

  ‘I think we deserve that.’

  Did they? Harper had no idea what they deserved. But as Vieri’s face came towards her she felt her eyelids flutter closed and when his lips touched hers she knew she was powerless to resist. The kiss deepened immediately, the tidal wave of sensation kicking in again until the pleasure was so strong she couldn’t feel her feet any more, didn’t know which way up she was. With his lips moulded against her own, firm and tight, yet silky and persuasive, their hot possession left no room for doubt or thought of any kind, and she could do nothing but let herself be pulled into the swirling abyss, dragged under by the current, left gasping for air. It was suffocating. It was drowning. And it was impossible to fight.

  She wanted him! And even though a quiet voice told her to be careful, warned her of the consequences, a much louder one was screaming at her to do this. To let go, to live for the moment. That if she didn’t, she would regret it. The sort of regret that would stay with her for the rest of her life.

  Breaking away from the kiss, she felt for his hand, tipping her head to look up at him, still needing that final confirmation. And there it was. With his pupils dilated until his eyes were almost black, Harper had her proof. She could see that he was hanging onto the very last threads of his control and that was all she needed to know. He wanted her every bit as much as she wanted him. And that was the most empowering feeling ever.

  ‘Let’s go.’ With a confidence that surprised her, she tugged on his hand, leading him out of the dining room. But by the time they had reached the echoing hallway, Vieri was beside her, one arm around her waist, hurrying them both up the long flight of stairs as if the very devil were on their heels. They flew down the corridor together until they reached their bedroom door.

  Or at least the bedroom that they supposedly shared. In fact, as far as Harper knew, Vieri had never so much as set foot in there. True to his word, from day one he had found himself another room in the castello, Harper didn’t know where. She had told herself she didn’t care. So she alone had used this bedroom, slept in the ornate ‘marriage’ bed, dressed in front of the fancy gilt mirror. And even though she had told herself it was a relief, that the last thing she had wanted was the awkwardness of sharing a room with Vieri and all the mixed emotions that would have stirred up, in truth it had only made her feel more alone.

  But tonight all that was going to change. Opening the door, Vieri pulled her in behind him but the sight that met Harper’s eyes stopped her in her tracks. The bedroom had been filled with candles, burning low now that several hours had passed. In the flickering light, Harper could see a trail of rose petals leading to the bed, the four posts of which had been decorated with winter foliage and long-stemmed red roses, twisting up and around and over the canopy, giving it a wonderful, Sleeping-Beauty-like quality.

  ‘It seems the wedding planners have been busy.’ She gave a light laugh, intended to show that she knew this ridiculously romantic setting had no real heart behind it, had nothing to do with Vieri.

  ‘So it would seem.’ He looked around him, puzzled.

  ‘I think we can probably guess whose idea this was.’ She raised her eyebrows, giving Vieri a neutral smile.

  ‘Alfonso!’ They spoke his name together.

  With a low laugh Vieri took hold of her hand and navigated them along the path of petals towards the bed. ‘He is completely shameless. He will stop at nothing to bring us together.’

  ‘I know.’ They sat down together on the bed, Harper’s heart banging loud enough to wake the entire castello as she looked at their hands clasped together in Vieri’s lap, thought of where they might soon travel. ‘And it seems he has succeeded.’

  ‘Yes.’ The air between them thickened, vibrating with desire. With his fingers stroking against her palm, Harper felt her eyelids close, her whole body tingle with erotic awareness.

  ‘You want this?’ His breath whispered softly against her face.

  ‘I want this, Vieri.’

  She had never wanted anything so much in her entire life. It was an all-consuming yearning that obliterated all doubt, took all reason and turned it into so much dust. The need for him to be hers, to possess her, as no man ever had, was so strong, so overwhelming, that it didn’t matter that she knew they had no future together. Tomorrow didn’t matter. Hell, an hour’s time didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Vieri took her in his arms and made love to her right now.

  Opening her eyes, she gazed at the chiselled
features of his handsome face, registering the slash of heat beneath the olive skin, the determined set of his jaw showing his restraint, the way he was holding back. But most of all she saw the swirling depths of desire in his eyes; she saw how much he wanted her. And that was all she needed.

  Her hands flew to his chest, rapidly unbuttoning his waistcoat and pushing it over his shoulders before pulling his tie undone. She moved to start on the buttons of his shirt but Vieri took over, sweeping her effortlessly from the bed and setting her onto the floor where his hot gaze swept over her, scorching her flesh from head to toe. Kicking off her shoes, Harper stood on tiptoe to reach for him, linking her arms behind his head, suddenly aware of the difference in their heights, how very tall he was. But feeling for her hands, Vieri released their grasp and took her arms above her head, so that her breasts tugged upwards. Their eyes met.

  ‘Stay like that.’ It was a hoarse demand, a whisper of promise.

  Bending down, he took hold of the hem of her dress, bunching the slippery fabric in his hands and starting to lift it up, revealing her ankles, then her calves. As he rose to standing he took the dress with him until it had slithered past her bottom and her waist and, with a final flourish, like a triumphant matador, he pulled it up and over her head.

  ‘Molto bella.’ Tossing the dress to one side, Vieri took a moment to look at her, his eyes travelling hungrily over the white silk stockings, the matching panties, and then to her breasts, naked and heavy with need. But Harper felt no shyness as his gaze raked over her, no embarrassment or awkwardness. Instead his intense gaze empowered her, made her feel beautiful, as if she could do anything. She tingled with a glorious heat that spread to every cell in her body, finding its way to her core where it burned hot and bright and insistent.