by Maya Blake
For his part, Gianni was lapping up the attention.
A shame Mia couldn’t relax long enough to even take a full breath. As she’d suspected, her child was being absorbed a little too eagerly into the family that had been denied him and was in the process of being spoiled rotten before her very eyes.
No, she had nothing to worry about in that department. But as one hour grew into two, Mia quickly realised she had everything to worry about in the form of the very carefully hidden contempt emanating from Rocco’s cousin-in-law.
As if summoned by her thoughts, Allegra slid into the seat next to Mia. ‘I haven’t had the chance to add my welcome to everyone else’s,’ she said, her voice a sultry just-above-a-whisper murmur that Mia was sure she cultivated just so her companions would lean in to hear her.
She’d witnessed its effect many times when she’d been with Rocco. Not that Allegra needed it. She was the sort of stunning, statuesque beauty that stopped most men in their tracks.
‘I could hardly believe it when Rocco informed us of the news,’ she continued, chocolate-brown eyes sizing Mia up as she took a delicate sip of her sparkling mineral water. ‘In fact, I’m still finding it difficult to wrap my head around it.’
Mia’s spine tensed. ‘I’m sure it all seems surreal to the outsider.’ Hell, she was grappling with the fact that she was back here, in the majestic villa poised on a hillside in Palermo, the place she’d dreamed of spending the rest of her life.
A tight smile curved Allegra’s plump lips. ‘Sì, you’re right. But I’m not an outsider, of course. I, like everyone else, found it immensely distressing that your child’s existence was hidden from us.’
Your child. The stress on the word matched the suspicion in the young woman’s eyes.
‘It wasn’t by design. At least not mine anyway,’ Mia responded, her voice a little sharper than she’d intended.
She grimaced inwardly when Allegra’s eyes widened, sharp speculation gleaming in the depths. ‘How very intriguing. What do you mean?’
Mia pressed her lips together. ‘It’s nothing that should concern you, I’m sure.’
Her gaze grew sharper, attaining malice that made the hairs on Mia’s nape tingle. ‘Oh, but everything to do with my family concerns me, Mia. I’ve learned to keep my loved ones closer, since the tragedy of my loss. I’m sure you understand.’
The lump in her throat dropped to form a rock in her belly. Was she being warned? ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Allegra smiled but never replied. Probably because Rocco arrived beside Mia in the moment, his incisive eyes latching onto her. But more than likely, Allegra had learned the art of subtle torture from her late husband.
Either way, she rose, swayed close to Rocco and laid a hand on his arm. ‘Mia and I were getting reacquainted. It’s good to see her looking so...well, again, sì, caro?’ She flashed another sultry smile at Rocco before glancing down at Mia. ‘Mi scusi, per favore, I must go and check that the staff have done as I asked regarding preparing your suite, Mia.’ With that, she set her glass down and strode off, her hips swaying with unapologetic femininity, leaving behind the unfailing declaration that she was the one in charge of the household.
‘Is something wrong?’ Rocco enquired after a tense beat.
‘Why should it be?’ Mia demanded tightly, unable for the life of her to breathe around the knot growing in her belly.
‘Because you look like you’re about to break that glass in two.’
She forced her fingers to relax. ‘Can you blame me? This was never going to be a walk in the park.’
‘Only if you don’t allow it. Or am I misremembering that you thrive at the deep end?’
She bit back a snort of disbelief. ‘We’re not in the boardroom, Rocco.’
‘No, we’re not. And as far as I can see, you’ve been welcomed with open arms. So I ask again, is something bothering you?’
Mia looked towards the doors through which Allegra had departed, wondering if she was over-exaggerating what she’d sensed from the woman. She bit her lip and shook her head. ‘No. Everything’s fine. But I think I need to rescue your grandmother from Gianni’s exuberance before he wears her out. He’ll be a nightmare to settle down if he gets too overexcited.’
Her announcement was overly loud, she realised a second later.
A throb of silence went through the room. Then Caterina smiled. ‘Certo, Mia. Perhaps once you’re settled in, you can let me know his habits? I would not like to upset his routine too much.’
Touched by the ease with which her request was granted, Mia relaxed. ‘He’s been resisting his naps lately, but normally he sleeps for an hour or so mid-afternoon, then has his supper at six. We...we can join you when it’s time for his supper, if you want?’
Her hesitant proffer was greeted with a warm smile. ‘I would like that very much, ragazza dolce. Ciao, bambino,’ she said to Gianni, who responded with a smile, albeit one worn around the edges.
Perhaps he was as overwhelmed as her because he didn’t protest as Mia placed him in his bed ten minutes later.
‘You have made my grandmother very happy,’ Rocco rasped as they left a sleeping Gianni in the bedroom decorated with his favourite racing-car theme. Just how Rocco had managed to pull this off within twenty-four hours made her head spin.
‘That was the plan, wasn’t it?’ she said, then immediately felt rotten. ‘I... I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘Didn’t you?’ His voice was tight with displeasure, his hand frozen on the double doors that led to his private wing of the villa.
‘No, I didn’t. I just...’ She shook her head.
‘What is it, Mia? Are you going to spit out whatever’s on your mind now or ambush me with it in another boardroom three years from now?’
She gasped. ‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m talking about your suspicions about Alessandro. And why you never told me.’
She rushed after him when he threw the doors open and walked into his private living room. From memory, she knew hers was the mirror image of the large, opulently decorated room, complete with the obligatory bust of some important Roman figure, a Renaissance painting or three, and the very best of mod cons. Heck, even the walls were lined in silk in Rocco’s world. ‘You’re throwing the fact that I tried to spare your feelings regarding your cousin in my face?’
‘Spare my feelings?’ he asked, his voice chillingly amused. He continued through his living room into hers, then into the bedroom, which had been redecorated since the last time she was here. Where there’d been pleasant pastel colours before, the room was now wall-to-wall virginal white from ceiling to carpet. Mia was wondering if this was Allegra’s doing when Rocco added, ‘I’m hardly a wallflower, cara.’
God, she remembered that all too well. ‘Fine, if I’d come to you three years ago and told you your cousin was making my life a living hell behind your back, what would you have said?’
Without missing a beat, Rocco replied, ‘I would’ve demanded an explanation from him.’
‘Just like that? And if he’d denied it?’
‘You’re so sure he would’ve?’
‘I don’t know. But I didn’t want to risk it!’
His face darkened. ‘You didn’t want to hurt my feelings or didn’t want to risk not being believed? Which was it, Mia?’
‘Either. Both.’ She rubbed her throbbing temples. ‘I’m not sure exactly what you want from me but it’s a waste of both our time to second-guess the past. We are where we are.’
‘Sì, we are.’
The change in his voice sent a different sensation charging through her body. That latent passion covered by the thinnest veneer of civility was rumbling again, like the not so dormant volcano this part of the world was known for. A single glance showed the innate sensuality was rousing, an uncoiling beast ready to strike.
&n
bsp; For the first time, Mia became vividly aware of her surroundings. The vast queen-sized bed a few feet away. The wide, sumptuous chaise longue, which seemed entirely adequate for a torrid tryst set before the perfect backdrop of French doors and the ocean beyond. The ankle-deep carpet beneath her feet.
Even the thought that Allegra might have picked every item in this room didn’t stop flames from invading her belly, her nipples from tightening to painful buds as lust roared to life within her.
‘There’s one more thing we never got around to discussing yesterday,’ Rocco rasped, sauntering towards her.
To step back would’ve exhibited weakness, to look away, the same. She did neither, even though she felt the ground tilt beneath her when he slid his hand over her nape, then up through her hair.
‘What...what is it?’
‘I allowed your wish to have separate suites. But outside this room we present a united front. No one, especially my grandmother, will know that our marriage isn’t...for the lack of a better word, completely fulfilled.’
‘Which means what, exactly? That I should pretend to be infatuated with you?’
A glint lit his eyes, wholly enigmatic enough to send frissons of excitement-tinged alarm through her. ‘I wouldn’t be so insensitive as to ask you for a performance you can’t pull off. Attempting to withstand being in the same room without wishing for the ankle monitor you referred to should suffice.’
She hated herself for the searing bruise in the region of her heart at his rancour. ‘I think I can bring myself to do that.’
His eyes narrowed a touch, then his gaze dropped to her mouth. ‘Just so we’re clear, that may include physical gestures,’ he rasped.
‘Because you don’t wish to throw your virile masculinity into question?’ she taunted, despite every instinct warning her it was unwise to remain this close. To not protest the slow, hypnotic circles he was drawing on her skin.
‘We both know I have no qualms in that regard. But just say the word, and I’ll happily demonstrate.’
‘No, thank you,’ she said, cringing when her voice all but wobbled.
He leaned in closer. ‘Are you quite sure?’
Mia cast around frantically for something to dilute this thickening fog of lust threatening to consume her. ‘What about Allegra?’
He frowned. ‘What about her?’
‘Did we need to run our performances past her too? Because she seems to be running things around here.’
He shrugged. ‘Allegra likes to feel needed. She never expected to be widowed at this stage in her life. She’s doing what she needs to cope.’
Is that all? she wanted to ask. But she held the question in, part of her feeling ungracious at suspecting the woman’s motives. ‘Fine. Is that all?’
The question wasn’t framed in a provocative way. But still it seemed to spark something to life. Something that needed very little in the way of kindling to come alive.
The very air seemed to consume her, even while giving her sustenance. She was aware her breath had shortened, her heart jackhammering in her chest. From the way Rocco’s lips parted, the way his nostrils flared, he felt it too.
‘Mia...’ His voice was thick, throbbing with arousal. One that ricocheted through her with such ferocity, she nearly gasped.
Resist.
She jerked away, uncaring if the move was seen as weakness. ‘I’m tired. I’d like you to leave, please.’
For a moment, he remained exactly where he was. Contemplating. Probing. And she feared he would call her bluff. Dare her to deny the dark magic spinning around them. Trouble was, she wasn’t sure she would’ve been capable of it. She could barely recall her own name as it was.
Slowly, his hand slid from her nape. But he didn’t remove his touch. Not until he’d drawn his thumb across her lower lip, something he’d loved doing years ago. A gesture perfectly aimed to remind her how the physical side of things had been between them.
‘I’ll leave you be, for now, tesoro. But this isn’t going to go away just because you wish it to.’
‘Then I’ll simply file it under “the nuisance to be tolerated”.’
He had the audacity to laugh. A wickedly husky, dark-as-sin laugh that stroked her in all the right places. ‘And I’ll enjoy watching you try.’ His hand finally dropped. And she refused to admit she missed his touch as he strode to his suite. ‘You know how to contact the staff if you need anything. Dinner is still served at eight. Nonna normally eats earlier but she’s joining us tonight after we put Gianni to bed. We will give her the happy news of our impending wedding together then.’
Rocco didn’t relish living in the state of perpetual anxiety. And yet he couldn’t offload the sensation. But he absolutely refused to glance at his watch. He’d already done so at one minute past eight. That felt like...a lifetime ago.
‘What is it, tesoro? You’re acting like one of those feral cats that patrol the streets of Palermo at night.’
He would’ve been amused, and slightly disturbed at being referred to in such unpalatable terms by his grandmother, had his nerves not been so displeasingly frayed.
Mia was late.
She was never late. Or at least she’d never been tardy, either fashionably or otherwise, to an event when they’d been together. But then hadn’t it been proven that he barely knew the woman he’d been about to marry?
She walked in a minute later, and he actively despised himself for the relief that oozed through him.
‘I’m sorry I’m late. I decided to look in on Gianni.’
‘Is he okay?’ Nonna asked.
Mia smiled. ‘He’s fine. Wide awake when he should be asleep, but fine. I got pulled into reading him a story.’
He rose from his chair at the dining table and pulled out hers. ‘That’s good to know. I was beginning to worry you’d wandered into the sea.’
Mia stiffened. Nonna sent him a sharp look. Rocco hid a grimace, aware things were getting out of hand. Again.
Just as he knew the solution. An unbreakable commitment to secure his son in his life. For starters. Only once he knew Gianni was going nowhere would he be able to rest.
But that wasn’t all, was it?
These fevered little incidents with Mia needed to be culled. One way or the other. And her wild accusations regarding Alessandro disproved sooner rather than later. His cousin had been hard-working, ambitious and fully dedicated to him and Vitelli Construction. The idea that he could’ve mistreated Mia, in any way, was deplorable to him.
And yet as he resumed his seat he couldn’t halt the niggle of doubt that’d been resurfacing since Mia’s declaration in his lawyers’ boardroom.
Alessandro’s not-quite-so-offhand musing over if Rocco was rushing his relationship with Mia.
Alessandro’s questioning Mia’s credentials as an engineer.
He’d also noticed that when his cousin had been around, he’d demanded more of Mia than any of Rocco’s junior engineers.
As if he’d wanted to see her fail?
He frowned inwardly, allowing Mia and Nonna to converse as he delved deeper into his memory. Looking out for his cousin and ultimate boss was one thing, but would Alessandro have deliberately kept him from his own child?
He shook his head, unable to fathom Sandro’s reasoning for it. If he was guilty. The verdict was still out and he wouldn’t rush to condemn his cousin until the evidence was before him.
‘Caro? Che cos’è?’
He refocused at his grandmother’s concerned expression. Mia, too, was staring at him but with less concern and more...indifference. That look grated. Resembled much too closely the one he’d seen on his father’s face as a child. His mother’s preoccupation with his father to the exclusion of her own son. Their callous dismissal of his very existence until their deaths and the realisation that he would never even know whether he’d ever been w
anted. Whether he’d mattered in any way to them or merely been a biological accident they’d been saddled with.
He’d moved heaven and earth not to be irrelevant to anyone. That Mia would dare rake that particular wound—
‘Perhaps we should leave him alone. It looks like he wants a meditative dinner rather than to be bothered playing host, eh, Caterina?’
The little challenging spark eased his tension, scorching away that unfortunate moment of self-pity. She wasn’t indifferent to him. Hell, he’d stake his substantial fortune that it was the opposite. Still, there was a purpose to this evening beside breaking bread with the woman who’d betrayed him.
That urge to get beneath her skin sharpened. Without second thought, he reached for her hand, felt her tense at his hold and hid a smile. No, Mia was far from indifferent.
‘I wasn’t distracted, cara. Merely contemplating whether to deliver our news before or after we eat. And I’ve decided there’s no time like the present, sì?’ He raised her hand, brushed his lips over her knuckles. Relaxed even further when she trembled. Of course, confirming she wasn’t indifferent to him returned him to that state of arousal he couldn’t seem to halt whenever he was in her presence.
But that too would be handled.
‘Che notizie hai?’ his grandmother probed, momentarily forgetting that Mia wasn’t fluent in Italian.
He switched his gaze to Mia, deliberately locking gazes with her as he kissed her knuckles again. Her breath shivered out, her expression giving her away. ‘Mia and I are getting married, Nonna. And since so much time has been wasted, we’ve decided to wed immediately.’
His grandmother’s reaction was gratifyingly warming. Rocco even managed to tolerate her tears and frequent bouts of excitement as the meal progressed. He barely tasted it, his gaze recurrently drawn to a solemn Mia.
Eventually, Nonna noticed too. ‘You are happy about this, Mia?’ she asked.
To her credit, Mia scrounged up a genuine smile. ‘Yes, I am. But I wish I had more time to prepare though.’
He stiffened, but Nonna came to his aid, brushing away Mia’s concern. ‘Rocco is right. No need to delay this if it is what you both want. Plus you’re wedding a powerful man. No reason why you shouldn’t use his connections to ease your way in this process. I will of course help in any way I can.’
