by Trish Morey; Day Leclaire; Natalie Anderson; Brenda Jackson; Ann Voss Peterson
“Ready?” David asked.
“All set.”
“Will the entire family be there?” The question held a certain edginess that had her wincing. David often found her family a bit overwhelming. “Will I finally get to meet Lazz and Ariana, or are they still in Italy?”
The question caught her by surprise. But then, he’d acknowledged a distant, passing acquaintance with the Romanos, so maybe it wasn’t all that odd. “They’re still on a working holiday for another couple months.”
“A shame,” he murmured, though she suspected a certain insincerity in the comment.
After locking the door of her elegant row house with its pretty gingerbread trim, they crossed to his Jaguar. As always, he opened the door for her, his courtesy an innate part of his personality. They drove to Dantes’ corporate office building, chatting about inconsequential matters along the way. They’d almost reached their destination when David steered the conversation into more turbulent waters.
“I have to fly out to New York next week for a meeting,” he announced after a momentary silence. He flashed her a quick grin. “A very boring meeting.”
He’d mentioned the trip the previous week. “I understand.” She spared him a sympathetic glance. “How long will you be gone this time?”
“Four days. Friday through Monday.”
“Well, that’s not too bad. And at least it isn’t overseas.”
“No, it’s not.” He pulled up to a red light and spared her a brief, meaningful glance that didn’t sink in until he added, “I’d like you to come with me. My business won’t take long. This particular meeting is more of a formality than anything else.”
“Oh, I don’t know, David,” she began.
The light turned green and he continued through the intersection. “I’m not finished.” A single glance at the determined set of his jaw and she fell silent. “I was thinking we’d get a suite at the Ritz.”
The offer came so out of the blue that it took her a moment to switch gears. “The Ritz?” Wow. Then the rest of his comment filtered through. “Wait a minute. Do you mean…share a suite?”
“I mean a romantic weekend.” His mouth compressed. “As in, no family breathing down our necks.”
Gianna stiffened and she swiveled in her seat. “You feel as though my family is breathing down our necks?” she asked, excruciatingly polite.
He didn’t take notice of the warning in her voice. “In a word, yes. You’re twenty-five, Gianna. We’ve known each other for six months, been dating for three, but you’re still holding me at arm’s length.”
“And you think my family’s to blame for that?”
He still didn’t seem to realize that he’d wandered onto extremely thin ice. How could he have dated her for even a week and not picked up on the fact that family meant everything to her? With the Dantes, family came first and foremost, just as she thought it must with the d’Angelos, despite David’s more cosmopolitan lifestyle. La famiglia, right?
That also extended beyond blood ties. There was nothing the Dantes loved better than finding someone new to add to the fold. If David weren’t so suspicious of their intent, right down to insisting that they keep their relationship on the down low until the past month when he’d finally agreed to be introduced to everyone, he’d have discovered that for himself. But for some reason, David’s attitude caused her family to hold him at a cool, polite distance, except for her Nonna.
She saw the Dantes’ corporate headquarters come in to sight. “I don’t blame your family for the way you’ve held me at arm’s length. Not exactly. I understand that some of it is probably the old-fashioned way you were raised.”
Oh, this just kept getting better and better. “Is that right?” she murmured. “Let me take a wild guess here. You consider me old-fashioned because I haven’t jumped in the sack with you like every other woman you’ve dated.”
“Again, being blunt here. Yes. The rest of the world has moved forward, Gia, but the Dantes are still living in a different century, with all the rules, social mores and restrictions that entails. As you know, I was educated at Oxford and enjoy a very sophisticated lifestyle. My entire family actually lives in the twenty-first century.”
“Unlike mine.” She didn’t give him time to respond, instead smiling sweetly. “And for some reason you think a trip to New York will leapfrog me into the current century?”
He countered her smile with a warm, sensuous one of his own. “Hoping, sweetheart. Seriously hoping. Your family is protective. I get that. But still… You’re a grown woman, Gia, with emphasis on the woman. Why shouldn’t you live your life the way you see fit instead of by a set of antiquated rules?”
“Did it ever occur to you that I’m fully aware that I’m a grown woman and that, rather than caving to the old-fashioned dictates of my family, I’ve deliberately chosen to live by some of those antiquated rules you regard with such disdain?”
He released a sigh. “You’re forcing me to spoil the surprise I have planned.” He shot her a swift, smoldering look before lifting her left hand and kissing it, his thumb stroking across her bare ring finger. “A surprise that will give everyone cause for celebration and allow your family to turn a blind eye to our little romantic escapade. What do you say to that, sweetheart?”
Gianna’s breath caught. Okay, it didn’t take a mental genius to add up those clues. He planned to propose. She chose her response with care. “There’s nothing I can say, is there? I mean, it’s still a future surprise, not an actual proposition.” She hesitated. “Is it?”
“Not yet. But I’m hoping to hear a loud, excited ‘Yes, David, I will’ in the very near future.”
Gianna bit down on her lower lip. Gently disengaging their hands, she glanced out the passenger window at Dantes’ corporate offices while she fought for control. Why now? Why tonight of all nights? She strongly suspected Constantine would be at the gala. In fact, knowing her family, she could pretty much guarantee it. How could she possibly consider starting an affair, let alone an engagement, with another man while he stood in the wings watching with that fierce, predatory hunger?
Gianna shivered at the thought. She could pretty much guarantee that if she and Constantine had been dating for three months their relationship would have been consummated long ago, whether they’d planned to wait or not. They wouldn’t have been able to help themselves. No doubt, he’d have hustled her to the altar at the earliest moment, considering his family was as “old-fashioned,” not to mention “antiquated,” as hers.
She spared David a brief glance. She always knew this moment would come, when David would force her to make a choice between settling for second best or being alone. She hoped she’d have more time. That her feelings for him would change. But they hadn’t and she’d have to make a decision about him—and soon.
He pulled into the parking garage beneath Dantes and slipped into the space reserved for VIP guests. Unbuckling both their seat belts, he surprised her by pulling her into his arms. Then he leaned across the console and kissed her, his warm lips wandering across hers. She allowed the embrace, attempted to lose herself in it.
More than anything, she wanted to fall for David. Wanted The Inferno to strike with someone who wanted her as much as he did. Who would put her first in his life instead of picking her up when he found time—an afterthought that he could discard whenever he tired of her. And why, when David kissed her with such hunger were her thoughts consumed by Constantine? She pulled back, pasting a smile on her face.
“Well?” David prompted softly.
She avoided his gaze. “I need some time,” she replied.
He stilled, his expression cooling. “Time. Time to decide about New York? Or time to respond to my surprise?”
“I’m a little distracted by the gala,” she explained, avoiding a direct answer. “I also need to check my calendar.”
He lifted a light brown eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re interested in a romantic weekend and all that entails?”
“Table our discussion,” he repeated.
Gianna sighed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so businesslike.”
“That’s fine. I get it.”
Without another word he exited the car. Circling the Jag, he opened her door and helped her out. They walked in silence to the elevators, the silence deepening as they shot upward to the appropriate floor.
The instant she stepped into the hallway, she sensed Constantine. He was nearby. Her reaction, primal and fierce, made her think of jungle animals responding to the pheromones of their mates. Part of her wanted to leave David’s side and search through the warren of corridors until she found Constantine.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. This had to stop. Now. She couldn’t remain on this emotional roller coaster. Pushing emotion aside she focused on logic and practicality. If she caved to desire she’d be lost. She needed to focus on David d’Angelo. But with every step she took, all her senses remained tuned to one man. Consumed by him.
Constantine Romano. The man who’d stolen her heart and soul.
Two
Gianna stepped into the ballroom to discover that most of her family had already arrived. The instant they caught sight of her they descended and swept her off with David following reluctantly in their wake.
She remembered his comment about her family breathing down their necks and couldn’t help wondering if he felt like a Dantes’ afterthought the same way she felt like Constantine’s afterthought. What a mess.
After checking to ensure that all the various details for the gala had been finalized, Gianna joined her family in the reception line while David helped himself to a flute of champagne and wandered among the various displays, attempting with only limited success to conceal his boredom.
“He is the only man I know who can look at the most beautiful jewelry in the world with all the excitement of someone tasting sour milk,” Gianna’s brother Rafe growled in her ear. “Make him stop before he sends all of our guests fleeing into the night.”
“How do you suggest I do that?”
“Your date. Your problem. But you’d better hurry up or I’ll have to go over there and give him an attitude adjustment.”
“Are all of you this polite to David when I’m not around?” she asked suspiciously.
Her eldest brother, Luc, joined them, followed by Draco. They started in as though they’d rehearsed their remarks, which possibly they had. “We don’t like him,” Draco announced, folding his arms across his chest. “And he doesn’t like any of us.”
“He’s preoccupied with money. Granted, he is a banker.”
“But it’s all about the bottom line with him.”
“He has no poetry in his soul. He’s cold-blooded. We don’t want our baby sister married to someone so passionless.”
Gianna held up her hands. “Wait a minute. Just wait a minute. You’ve all been doing the big-brother thing with him, haven’t you?” She eyed one after the other of her older siblings, none of whom had the grace to look the least shamefaced. She groaned. “Oh, Lord. You have.”
“He didn’t pass the test,” Rafe explained helpfully. “He refused to attend a Giants game with me. Box seats.”
Luc nodded in agreement. “Failed miserably. He doesn’t even play basketball. I don’t think he likes to sweat.”
“He’s a jerk,” Draco offered with a toothy grin that would have done a dragon proud. “He turned down a case of Primo’s homemade beer. Sneered at it. I’ve never seen our grandfather so ticked off.”
“I would kill for a case of Primo’s beer.” A new voice dropped into the conversation. A painfully familiar voice. One which had haunted her thoughts and memories for nineteen impossible months. “What a foolish man to turn it down. Who are we talking about? Is this fool a friend of yours, Gianna?”
She spun around to face Constantine, her eyes widening at the sight of him. He was absolutely devastating in his tux, filling it out even better than David. Everything feminine within her responded to him. “What are you doing here, Constantine?” she demanded in a ragged undertone.
“What do you think?” His black gaze fastened on her as though she were the only one present. “I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw David approach. Not that it mattered to Constantine, if he even noticed. Instead, with her date and relatives looking on, he captured her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to his.
And then he consumed her.
Gianna didn’t attempt to evade Constantine’s kiss, regardless of who was watching. His lips took possession of hers and ignited a flame she’d never experienced with any other man. Definitely not with David. For a brief moment she forgot all those witnessing the potent embrace. Forgot the time, the day, even her own name. All that remained was the strength of Constantine’s hold, the heat of his body and that incredible mouth that moved on hers with such possessiveness.
He said so much with that single kiss. He spoke of longing, of their endless parting. Of hunger and intense pleasure. But most of all he spoke of the simple, yet undeniable fact that the two of them belonged together. There was a certainty to his kiss, a confidence in the way he took her mouth. A rightness. He knew her and what she wanted. And he gave it to her.
Any thought of resistance faded. Why would she resist when she wanted this more than she wanted air to breathe? Everything about him drew an elemental response from her. His crisp, unique scent. The hard, undeniable maleness of his body locked against hers. The molten burn of his touch. Just a single touch and The Inferno went wild, shaking her to the very depths of her being. Even the beat of his heart resonated with her own.
And all the while, the explosive desire that heated their embrace sizzled with an intoxicating joy that they were together once again. She could practically feel his certainty grow with every second that passed, a fierce determination that formed the foundation of his character. It told her that he would have her for his own regardless of what obstacles he faced—including David.
It didn’t matter that Constantine came from Italian aristocracy or that he’d been educated in the finest schools or that the Romanos were renowned for their civility and propriety. When stripped of all his social refinement, the man who held her remained a pirate at heart, intent on taking what he considered his. Intent on taking her.
She shivered within his hold, teetering on the brink of surrender. It wasn’t until David dropped a hand on her shoulder and literally ripped her from Constantine’s arms that she realized where she was—and in whose arms.
Heat burned in Gianna’s cheeks and she took another hasty step backward, struggling to regain her composure. How could she have kissed Constantine like that in public, with her entire family looking on, not to mention the A-list roster of clients she’d personally invited to the gala? What must they all be thinking? She spared David a brief glance and cringed at the blatant outrage darkening his expression. No question what he thought.
Snatching a deep breath, she fell back on the sort of courtesy she had been taught since the moment she could first form coherent sentences. “David, this is Constantine Romano. He’s…well…he’s a member of the family. Sort of.” She spared Constantine a swift glance, startled by the flash of recognition when he first looked at David, fury following swiftly. That’s right. They had a passing acquaintance. By the looks of things, maybe a passing enmity would better describe it. Tension thickened the air between the two men. “Constantine?” she asked hesitantly.
“I am not a member of the family,” he contradicted in a hard voice, adding, “Yet. And David and I have met.”
David smiled with a cold, cutting amusement that stole every ounce of charm from his expression. “Romano.” He flicked a speck of lint from the cuff of his snowy dres
s shirt, making her wonder if he’d like to flick Constantine out of his way with a similar disdain. “As usual your timing leaves something to be desired.”
Constantine took a step in his direction and to her alarm, her brothers packed in behind him. “What you mean is…as usual, I’ve arrived just in time.” He spoke to Gianna without taking his gaze off David. “Is this him?” he demanded. “Is d’Angelo the bastard you told me about?”
How in the world did she answer that? She couldn’t remember ever feeling so uncomfortable before. “He’s the man I mentioned to you, yes,” she confessed. “We’ve been dating for the past couple of months.”
“You don’t owe Romano an explanation,” David said. “He’s not a factor in your life, any more than he’s a member of your family.”
“To the contrary. Gianna and I are discussing ways we might change that. In the very near future I intend to be a permanent fixture in her life.”
David froze and his intense blue eyes narrowed. Sharpened. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
Constantine smiled, a dangerous, predatory baring of his teeth. “I mean just what you think I mean. I’ve moved to San Francisco with the express intention of asking Gianna to do me the honor of becoming my wife.”
Conversation exploded around them. “Oh, God,” Gianna murmured, swaying in place.
As though from a great distance she could hear the excitement and approval of her family, the congratulations that made it clear that the Dantes were firmly aligned in Constantine’s corner of this hideous triangle. She spun to face an infuriated David.
He gathered up his self-control and forced out a smile. She couldn’t begin to imagine how much effort it took. “You’re delusional, Romano. Gia and I already have an understanding, one that will be cemented on our upcoming trip to New York City. A private suite at the Ritz. Candlelight and roses.” He gestured carelessly toward one of the display cases. “Is Sev the one I should see in order to purchase a Dantes’ engagement ring? I’m assuming Tiffany’s or Cartier is out of the question. A shame really.”
