Rush to the Altar

by Rebecca Winters

  “That sounds good. I’m starving.”

  Two hours later Colin drove her back to the palace. Because they no longer felt any pressure or guilt, their final lunch was the most enjoyable time she’d spent with him in months. He was going to be fine. That knowledge allowed her to walk away without regrets.

  Before she actually made it inside the doors of the palace she noticed Nicco’s motorcycle was gone. There was no sign of Riley’s rental car either. That was good.

  She was able to breathe a lot easier as she’d hurried through the palace to find her sister and tell her that she and Colin had said their final goodbyes.

  After some searching she discovered Callie in the kitchen with Anna cooking up a storm. It seemed Nicco had just phoned and wanted her to bring dinner to the river later. Enzo and Maria were coming, too.

  “That sounds like a romantic evening for the four of you. I’ll tend Anna so you can stay on board all night. In fact you don’t need to come back to the palace until Monday morning if you don’t want to. Now that Colin’s gone for good, I have no plans. Use me all you want for a sitter.”

  Callie shook her head. “When Nicco called from the office with the idea, he included you in the suggestion. I’d already told him you were probably going to break it off with Colin today. This is his way of trying to cheer you up. So, you can’t disappoint him. Besides, he knows how much you love the barge.”

  Love didn’t quite cover it. If there was anything in this world Ann coveted, it was his barge. So far she hadn’t found the temerity to ask if she could live on it when she came to Turin for visits.

  Like everything featuring the Danelli name, the test track behind the plant was state-of-the-art engineering at its finest. Once Nicco had picked out a black NT-1 racing bike for Riley to try, he gave him a new helmet and racing gloves, then disappeared into his office, leaving Riley to his own devices.

  Since Riley had the whole place to himself, he took his time testing it out. He wanted to get the feel of the changes Nicco had made to the original Danelli-Strada model that was setting the racing world on fire.

  First he rode around to memorize the corners and straight stretches. The track temperature was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. At the same time he worked with the clutch and got used to the set of the foot pegs.

  When he felt comfortable, he started doing laps. There was no chatter of the race spec tires, no problem with the throttle. The bike was a joy to ride.

  Nicco’s creation moved like a heat-seeking missile, smooth and sweet, seducing him almost as strongly as the feel of Ann’s skin against his lips when he’d kissed the side of her neck.

  His jaw hardened to realize she’d already been seducing Colin Grimes before Riley had come on the scene and been burned by the fire she’d lit. A fire that had refused to go out all these months and was growing hotter by the second.

  Hell.

  He began picking up speed to see what this monster could do. Soon he lost track of the time. His afternoon became a blur.

  If he hadn’t come close to running out of fuel, he could have done more laps. But all good things had to come to an end. When he leaned into the last curve and came around, he saw Nicco at the gate.

  As Riley geared down to a stop, he glimpsed a satisfied smile shining from Nicco’s black eyes.

  Riley pulled off his helmet. “The bike is beyond perfection. It was like all the Christmases I ever dreamed of as a child coming true at once. I’m afraid I went into another mode out there.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed the ride.”

  “Enjoyed doesn’t begin to describe it. Ann told me you gave up the crown to design this baby. Perhaps the monarchy will never understand or appreciate what you’ve done for the motorcycle world, but if it means anything to you, I’m in awe of your genius, Nicco.”

  “I was going to say the same thing about your ride.” Nicco eyed him intently. “I purposely didn’t tell you this bike is fitted with a transponder. You clocked in doing a 1’ 26’ 66 lap time. That’s faster than Vittore Loti’s two test runs at Misano last month when he came in first both times.

  “Up until now he’s been our top racer. After today I have news for him. You’re going to be our secret weapon at Imola on the twenty-ninth of the month.”

  Surprised and pleased to realize Nicco wanted him on the international racing circuit by the end of September, he levered himself from the bike and pushed it through the gate. The two of them entered the building where Riley parked it in a room with the other racing bikes.

  He removed his riding gear and placed everything on the counter. Nicco operated the electronic device that locked the gate as well as the door of the building.

  “On Monday we’ll get you signed up and introduce you to the team members and crew who are in town. After you’ve been given a tour of the plant, you can pick out the street bike you want to ride to and from work.”

  Riley shook his head. “I won’t take something from you I haven’t earned.”

  “It’s standard operating procedure,” Nicco fired right back. “I want every member of the team riding one of our bikes when you’re not on the track. It’s the best advertising there is. Besides, you and I both know riding around in traffic keeps you sharp.”

  Nicco wouldn’t lie to him about something like that, yet Riley still had the impression the other man had granted him some very special privileges.

  “If that’s the case, I’ll keep my rental car till Monday morning.”

  “Good. When you return it, I’ll meet you there in my car and drive you back to the office. In the meantime I would imagine you’re anxious to see about a place to live.”

  “This weekend I planned to find myself some housing.”

  “I know of a spot that has Riley Garrow’s name written all over it.”

  He sucked in his breath. “Enough, Nicco! You’re probably the most generous man I’ve ever met, but there’s a limit to what I can accept.

  “You hired me before knowing what I could do on the track. You took me to your home and have treated me…like a prince. I’m already in your debt much more than I want to be. I’ll find my own apartment.”

  “This isn’t an apartment or anything close to it.”

  “If you’re talking the palace, that’s out of the question.”

  “As you’re well aware, the palace isn’t my first choice either,” Nicco drawled. “However it makes the most sense for us to live there now that Callie runs the preserve. Before you say anything else, let me show you what I have in mind. If you don’t like it, then you’re on your own in that department.”

  The man could move mountains and probably did on a regular basis. Riley would humor him until they reached their destination. At that point he’d thank him and turn him down. It wouldn’t take him long to find an apartment.

  However, like all things that had to do with Nicco Tescotti, everything was bigger than life and came as a total surprise, including a sister-in-law named Annabelle Lassiter.

  Once again Riley found himself following Nicco into Turin. Before they reached the estate, he made a left turn toward the river and then took a private road that led down to a secluded marina.

  To Riley’s shock Nicco rode his motorcycle across a plank onto a small barge of all things tied up at the pier. The neat maneuver made Riley grin.

  “Park your car and come aboard the Serpentine,” he called out.

  Intrigued, Riley did his bidding.

  “Though I once kept an apartment not far from here, this barge was my home more often than not over the last ten years. It was my refuge from the world when it closed in on me. I remodeled it and worked on it whenever I found the time.

  “When Callie came into my life, we honeymooned on this for three days, and spent a big part of our first year of marriage aboard her. It has every comfort of home with the added bonus of being totally private, yet it’s able to navigate all the waterways.

  “Unfortunately these days it just sits here because our
lives have become more involved since Anna’s birth. I’ll never part with it, and intend to enjoy it in the future, but right now it’s available.

  “In truth, I haven’t wanted anyone else to use it unless they could appreciate it the way I do,” he added in a faraway voice.

  There’d only been one place that had ever felt like a real home to Riley, where he’d known any happiness…it was the inside of Mitra’s Gypsy wagon. That’s because she’d been a constant in his life. Someone he could always run to for comfort and know she’d be there. Though she may never have said the word love, he’d felt it.

  Oddly enough this barge Nicco had converted into a comfortable home on the water gave Riley that same kind of warm vibe. A prince who’d turned his back on his royal heritage to live a normal life had found a modicum of happiness here.

  Lord, how Riley was tempted…

  “Go ahead and look around while I set the table. Callie should be arriving soon.”

  “She’s coming here?” He was still so bemused by Nicco’s incredible offer he was slow on the uptake.

  “Yes. I asked her to bring dinner. My brother and his wife will be joining us. I thought we’d take you on a short cruise. At night Turin is beautiful from the water.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “WHAT’S Riley Garrow’s rental car doing here?” she cried as Callie drove down the private road to the river bank.

  “I have no idea.” Her sister came to a stop behind Enzo’s.

  Ann’s heart started to run away with her. “He didn’t tell you he’d invited Riley?”

  “No. Nicco said he had some work to do at the office. Later I saw Riley leave the palace with his suitcase in hand. I assumed he left to find a hotel. This is as big a surprise to me as it is to you.”

  Ann believed her.

  “What’s going on with your husband, Callie? I’ve never seen him treat his employees as if they were family,” her voice shook. “I don’t want to see Riley. I’ll take Anna back to the palace with me.”

  “If you go home, it will hurt his feelings.” She got out of the front seat and crawled in the back to lift Anna from her infant seat. “I don’t think you realize how much he loves you. Because you’re my only family, he’d move heaven and earth to make you happy.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then you need to know something else Nicco told me in bed last night.”

  “What was that?”

  “He felt a strong connection to Riley the moment he learned his father was The Human Rocket.”

  “Why?”

  “When Nicco was five or six, he had a favorite royal nanny who took him to the circus. According to him, it came through Turin every spring. He lived for it because Rocky Garrow was one of the stars who did fantastic stunts on his motorcycle.”

  “Good heavens,” Ann whispered. The connection went as far back as that?

  “Since Nicco always had to have someone guarding him, he learned to bribe whoever it was so he could stay to watch every performance. Riley’s father was a superb cyclist who always used a Danelli-Strada to perform. That’s where Nicco’s love of motorcycles was born.

  “On a subconscious level I think Nicco feels indebted to Riley’s father. That’s why he can’t seem to do enough for the son.”

  With that explanation more pieces of the puzzle fell into place. But it didn’t help Ann’s state of mind. The man had gotten under her skin. Every time they were together, she found herself wanting to know more about him.

  Thinking about Riley was almost as dangerous as being with him. She couldn’t forget the feel of his arms around her or the thrill that ignited her body when he’d kissed her neck. No wonder every woman who met him thought she was in love…

  Panicked by the thought of spending the evening around the man who was quickly becoming her addiction, she jumped out of the car and went around to the trunk to start unloading the dinner. Her only defense against his hold on her was to stay too busy to think.

  “Something smells delicious.”

  Her breath caught.

  Riley.

  His powerful thigh brushed against hers. She imagined it was accidental and tried not to react to the contact, but it was so intimate her body trembled.

  “The dinner actually will be, since Callie cooked everything.”

  Avoiding his eyes she handed him the large covered dripper. “Don’t drop it or Nicco will go into mourning. He loves Sloppy Joes.”

  “So do I,” came Riley’s silky whisper. “I’ll guard this with my life.”

  “What can we do to help?”

  Enzo and Maria had arrived. With unsteady hands Ann indicated the cooler full of iced drinks. He lifted it out with ease and walked behind Riley to the barge.

  Ann filled Maria’s arms with the bags of buttered potato rolls, but the Princess didn’t leave.

  Speaking to Ann in excellent English she said, “Signore Garrow—he is very very good-looking. The most handsome man I have ever seen.” Ann forced back a groan. “Please don’t tell Enzo. It would hurt his feelings.”

  “Don’t worry. My lips are sealed.”

  “What does sealed mean?”

  “It means your secret is safe with me.”

  “Ah. When he wins his first championship, all the women will go crazy.”

  Tell me about it.

  “I’m a little in love with him myself, Ann.”

  Confessions from yet another of Don Juan’s would-be lovers. From the lips of a real live princess no less.

  “He’s so exciting,” she went on enraptured. “I’ve told Enzo I want us to go to Imola to see his first race.”

  That brought a gasp from Ann. She felt as if a dagger had pierced her heart. Nicco had already put Riley on the team’s schedule?

  “When is the race?”

  “Two weeks from today.”

  That meant he’d be leaving sooner to participate in the qualifying runs. The news should have brought Ann relief. Instead the knowledge that he was about to do something that could get him killed filled her with dread.

  “Callie and Nicco are planning to go, too. You should join us if you’re still here.”

  “I—I would if I didn’t have other plans.”

  It wasn’t a lie…not exactly. In two weeks she’d better have come up with another way to earn a living. Something that would keep her too busy and involved to think about all the horrendous ways Riley could die if another bike ran into him, or he crashed into the wall and burst into flames.

  You didn’t recover from an accident like that, not when you were charred beyond recognition.

  “You go ahead, Maria. I’ll bring the salads and the dessert.”

  Her hazel eyes looked at her with concern. “Are you all right? Nicco told me in private you have broken up with Signore Grimes. Is that true?”

  Colin again.

  Ann hadn’t given him a thought since he’d dropped her off. It just proved how totally Riley had taken over her mind.

  “Yes, but if I’m not quite myself, it’s because I’ve decided to give up acting and get a job.”

  “Here in Turin?” She sounded delighted at the prospect. Maria was a sweetheart. That’s what Nicco always said about her. Ann agreed.

  “I don’t know yet. W-we’d better hurry and get on board or Nicco will come looking for us. Callie has her hands full appeasing his appetite.”

  Maria chuckled. “The Tescotti men love their food.”

  So did Riley.

  A half hour later every bit of dinner had been consumed. While Ann had fed the baby her bottle, she’d noticed the Danelli team’s brightest new star putting away Sloppy Joes with the best of them.

  In between mouthfuls, Maria plied him with questions about his travels. The answers held everyone in rapt attention. Finally Nicco suggested they start their cruise before it got too late.

  While Riley disappeared with Nicco into the engine room, Enzo undid the ropes. Callie and Maria busied themselves doing dishes. Ann volunteered to put th
e baby down in the bedroom. For once eight-month-old Prince Alberto had been left behind in the care of his grandparents.

  Ann turned off the lamp and lay next to the baby. It felt good to stretch out on the king-size bed. Little Anna was so adorable, she didn’t want her to go to sleep. But the movement of the barge as the current took them downstream worked like a sleeping pill. Anna’s eyelids weren’t the only ones fluttering.

  The next time Ann became cognizant of her surroundings, there was no rocking motion, no sound of voices. The room was cloaked in semidarkness.

  Still drowsy from sleep, she reached out to touch the baby, but her hand encountered a much larger body. One with muscles of steel. She cried out in alarm.

  A light went on to reveal Riley half-lying on top of the bed looking at her through veiled eyes. Since dinner he’d changed into another T-shirt and sweats. He must have taken a shower on board. His black hair was still damp. Little tendrils curled at his temples. She could smell the soap he’d used.

  Combined with the raw sexuality of the man, she felt overwhelmed. Even her breathing had grown shallow.

  In a daze, she got to her knees. With shaky hands she smoothed the long blond hair out of her face so she could see the time on her watch.

  “Seven o’clock?” Her gaze darted wildly to his. “Why didn’t someone wake me up last night?”

  “You were sleeping so soundly, I told Callie I’d drive you home later. As you can see, later never came. She said you needed the rest after your rough day with Colin.”

  Heat filled her cheeks. “I had no such thing!” Maybe she was dreaming.

  “He really wasn’t the right man for you.”

  “I know that!” she bit out before she realized how revealing her admission sounded. But it was too late to cover up now. “He fell in love with Callie before he ever met me.”

  “I heard about the great impersonation.”

  Good grief—did Nicco tell him everything? Apparently nothing was sacred!

  “Colin liked both of us.”

  “The kiss he gave you was proof of that, yet I noticed you didn’t put much into it. It’s obvious you’ve moved on.”