Scandal and the Runaway Bride

by Donna Alward

  For a while they took their time exploring, touching here, kissing there, learning what the other liked, where the sensitive spots were. He reached behind her and unclasped her bra with one hand, and she wrapped her arms around his neck so that she was pressed firmly against him. She couldn’t get enough of that feeling. There were no barriers between them, not physically and not emotionally, either. Gabi couldn’t remember a time when she’d been this naked with someone. She’d been too afraid. Too worried about trying to be “right.” She didn’t worry about that with Will. He seemed to want her just as she was.

  He scooped her up in his arms and carried her the short distance to the bed, then laid her down and stretched out beside her, on his side so that his left hand made trails over her breasts, her belly, the tiny bit of fabric between her legs. He braced his weight on his right arm and let his lips follow the path of his hand, until she wasn’t sure how much more she could stand.

  When she thought she might weep or else somehow come out of her skin with wanting, he shed his briefs and skimmed her panties down her legs. “In the drawer,” she whispered, turning her head to look at the small stand beside the bed. “There should be a condom in there.”

  He opened the drawer and found the tiny foil packet. Then there was nothing holding them back. They met equally and enthusiastically. If Gabi were only going to have this one chance to be with him, she wanted to make it something to remember.

  There was no particular rush; once Will paused and gripped the pillows beside her head, clenching his teeth. “Not yet,” he ground out. “I want it to last.”

  “Mmm, me, too,” she answered, but subtly moved her hips, teasing, tempting. She wasn’t ready for it to be over, either, but there was something alluring about challenging his control.

  “Minx,” he growled, and the next thing she knew he had pulled out and slid down her body, taking revenge. She could hardly breathe as he loved her with his mouth, and she cried out, saying his name as she climaxed.

  She was still sensitive and pulsing when he slid into her again, and this time he didn’t hold back. Their skin grew slick in the heat, and she tasted salt under her tongue as she kissed his shoulder. A bead of sweat dropped from his forehead to her breast, and when he finally came, he growled out her full name—Gabriella—and held her gaze, making her heart tremble. It couldn’t be more clear that they hadn’t just made love but they’d made love to each other. It was more than sex and desire. To Gabi, it was as if all the missing pieces of her life clicked into place when she was in his arms.

  And in a matter of hours he was walking away.

  Will caught his breath, collapsing on the bed beside her. “Well, damn.”

  She laughed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “Give me a minute.” He got up and disappeared into her bathroom, then came back again, stark naked.

  Gabi rested on an elbow, admired him as he walked back to the bed and said, “Now that’s a better view than the one from my balcony.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “You’re making fun of me.”

  “No, I’m just happy. Tonight I’m going to let myself be happy. Tomorrow is enough time to worry about...what I need to worry about.”

  “Cleaning up messes?”

  He chuckled, lying down beside her so they were face-to-face. “This time I get to clean up my own mess. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “I know. None of it was, Will. Maybe I should be sorry, but I’m not.”

  “Me, either.”

  “I wish...” She halted, wondering if it was right to put what she was feeling into words, but knowing if she didn’t she’d probably regret it. “I wish I had met you first. Your brother is angry with me right now, but I know he’s a good man underneath. We didn’t have this kind of connection, though.”

  “I’m glad.” Will’s face darkened. “It’s selfish of me, I know. But I’m glad it wasn’t like this with him. And yet...” He sighed. “This still feels like a betrayal.”

  “Because he’s your brother. And even if I didn’t break his heart, I hurt him just the same. And your loyalty is to family. I understand, you know. I do.”

  “I’m glad, because I’m not sure I understand.”

  She thought for a moment, then smiled softly. “I remember this American show I watched a few years ago, and they were talking about the ‘bro code.’ It was between best friends but I understood. There are just some things that you don’t do to a friend or brother. I’m pretty sure this would qualify. So I do understand. I’m just going to miss you.”

  “I’m going to miss you, too.” He traced a fingertip over her arm. The room was still warm, the summer air caressing their skin, and Gabi had no desire to get under the covers. Right now her legs were twined with Will’s, her hand resting on his rib cage. There was nowhere else she would rather be.

  He looked into her eyes. “Will you let me know how your father is?”

  Why did he have to be so caring? Didn’t he have any flaws whatsoever? For a moment she hesitated, a cold thought settling in her stomach. What if he wasn’t this perfect? What if she was missing something?

  “What is it?” he asked, frowning. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she answered, pushing the thought away. “And of course I’ll let you know about Papa. It seems a little selfish that he’s in the hospital tonight and we’re here. Until this moment, I hadn’t given him a thought.”

  “You’re allowed a little time to yourself, you know. You’ve been worrying about him constantly.”

  “Would you mind if I checked my messages? He should be out of recovery by now.”

  “Of course.”

  She slid off the bed and grabbed a light robe from the back of her door before slipping into the kitchen and grabbing the phone off the counter. She pressed the button and it lit up in the dark. Sure enough, there was a text from her mother that she’d sent to both Gabi and Giulia.

  Papa is awake and in his room. He is very groggy but doing well. Please get some sleep and we will see you tomorrow.

  Get some sleep. Gabi thought of the man currently in her room and wondered if they’d sleep much at all. And even if they did, she knew she’d lie awake, wishing, wanting things she couldn’t have.

  But it didn’t matter, anyway. The responsibility of Baresi was on her shoulders right now. That had to be her focus. Her personal life—what there was of it—could wait.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE LAST THING Will wanted to do the next day was get on a plane and fly to Paris. But here he was, sitting in the airport in Rome, waiting for his flight, missing Gabi already.

  Ten days. They’d spent ten days together and already his life felt permanently altered.

  This morning had been torture. Oh, Gabi had put a good face on it. She’d made coffee while he’d cooked her an omelet, and they’d made love one last time before he’d jumped in her shower and dressed for the flight.

  He’d left her at her door, both of them trying to smile, but he’d seen the brightness in her eyes as he’d prepared to say goodbye. It was amazing to him that she cared about him that much.

  In the end he’d said nothing, just dropped a light kiss on her lips and turned to walk away, straight to the car. He’d had to get away, out of sight, so he’d driven three blocks before pulling over and setting up the GPS so he could find his way to the airport.

  And if his eyes had been misty, too, then so be it. Maybe he was the guy who cleaned up the messes and lived on the straight and narrow these days, but he still had feelings, dammit. And he cared for her a lot. If fate was really a thing, it seemed a cruel joke that he met her too late.

  For a while he’d wondered if the attraction had been because she was exactly the wrong person. In earlier years, he’d made those foolish decisions, and he’d caught himself at times over the last week and a hal
f, wondering if he was falling into old patterns.

  But he was not. It wasn’t that Gabi was dangerous and risky, or that she fit some sort of rebellion against the family. Those days were gone. He cared about her because she was, quite simply, wonderful.

  His flight was called and he went to the gate, then boarded and found his business-class seat. The in-flight Wi-Fi meant he could start catching up on the work emails he’d missed the past two days. He might as well get stuck in the thick of things. It was probably the best way to forget.

  It was raining in Paris when he landed, and the car service took him from the airport to his apartment in the heart of the city. He loved Paris, perhaps even more than London, maybe because he’d spent so much time here as a child as his parents built Aurora, Inc., into the massive enterprise it was today. Even in the rain Paris was beautiful, with its shiny pavement and magical streets.

  His apartment was a sprawling thing, with a wall of windows overlooking the river. He dropped his bag and went to the windows, looking out over the city he called home, and thought about all the times he had stood with Gabi in special places. In the lemon grove, on top of the hill at the villa, last night on her balcony. Places that resonated with them both, and he wished he could share this one with her now.

  But she was back in Perugia, getting on with her life, and he was in France, doing the same.

  But damn, he missed her.

  He sent an email to the family announcing his return and then went to his bedroom to unpack as his phone started blowing up with requests for meetings.

  The old routine, back again.

  But he sighed and looked out the windows again at the glistening, wet streets. It was different now because he was different. And all the keeping busy in the world wouldn’t change it.

  * * *

  Gabi was used to being front and center in the financial aspects of Baresi Textiles, but in the days that followed her father’s surgery, she found herself in the midst of the full-on operations of the company. To say she was overwhelmed was an understatement, but the employees all knew her well. For the most part, everyone was helpful and asked about Massimo’s recovery daily.

  As she sat at her desk, wading through emails, she realized that her father had built a company where the employees were contented and invested. That was saying something. She owed it to them to do a good job now. Captain the ship in his absence. And ask for help when she needed it.

  After three days of back and forth with one of their main accounts, though, she felt she needed some advice. Massimo was at home and still on pain medication; once he’d healed sufficiently he’d start a grueling chemotherapy regime. She could ask him. Thought she probably should, but didn’t. Instead she sent an email and sat back in her chair, wondering if she’d done the right thing.

  Five minutes later her phone rang.

  “Hi,” she said, thrilled at the fast response, anxious to hear his voice again.

  “God, it’s good to hear your voice,” he said, and she thrilled at the sound, so deep and soft.

  “Oh, you, too. Things are okay in Paris?”

  “Busy but fine. And you? You said you want my opinion on something.”

  She hesitated. She was about to reveal things about her business that made her vulnerable. But he’d also said if she needed help or advice to call him. It came down to trust, didn’t it? And though she’d had misgivings at first, she trusted him. He hadn’t done one single thing to make her think otherwise.

  “It’s one of our clients, actually. He’s been with us for over fifteen years, but now he’s making noise about not renewing his contract.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “He says it’s because he can get the same quality product cheaper elsewhere, but I don’t think that’s it. It’s no secret that Papa is ill. I think he’s worried that the company will be in trouble without Papa here. That he doesn’t trust...current management.”

  “I’d laugh if I didn’t think it was absolutely possible. Some people’s opinions are still archaic. But really, what it comes down to is trust. Trust in your product and trust in you. Not Massimo, but you.”

  “But I’ve been doing this job for ten minutes. Know what I mean? How do I get him to trust me?”

  Will’s voice was warm in her ear. “You go see him, in person. You remind him that you grew up in this company, that you’ve worked in the family business and that you’re completely capable of sitting in that chair while your father is taking care of his health. You look him in the eye and shake his hand. And you go armed with quality samples and numbers. Make sure he knows you’ve done your homework. A face-to-face meeting can change everything.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  Will laughed. “Oh, it’s not. But you have to learn how. If you’re going to sit in the big chair you have to be worthy of it. What would your father do?”

  Gabi let out a breath, knowing he was right. “He’d go see him in person.”

  “Now you’re getting it.”

  “But...what if I do all that and he’s still determined to leave? It’s a big contract, Will. If we lose it, it’ll hit us hard.”

  Will sighed. “Sometimes that happens, too. Sometimes despite our best efforts, we fail. And so we pick ourselves up and find other solutions. You can do this, Gabi. I have faith in you.”

  “More than I have in myself, obviously. But thank you for the advice. I needed some common sense, I think.”

  “Of course.” He paused and then his voice softened. “And how’s your father? Doing better?”

  “Home from the hospital, and thank you for asking. He’s cranky at not being able to do much, which is an improvement from before the surgery, because he was too tired and not his old self. The more he drives Mama crazy, the more relieved she is.”

  Will chuckled and then sighed. “And you? How are you? Other than working all the time?”

  “I’m fine.” But the truth was, she was lonely. And not lonely in general—lonely for him in particular. “And you?”

  “If ‘fine’ is the same as missing you, then I’m fine as well.”

  “Oh, Will.” Still, his words lit something inside her. She’d needed to hear them desperately. To know that the ache left in her chest wasn’t hers alone.

  “I miss you, Gabi.”

  “I miss you, too. Crazy when you think about it, but...yeah.”

  “I’m terribly glad you emailed. I like to think that we’re friends. That you know I’m here for you if you need something.”

  There was that word again...friends. They’d used it after the kisses in the olive grove, and for a few whole days they’d managed to not act on their desires. Until they were faced with parting. Then those cautions and assurances had gone right out the window. She probably should regret it, but she never would.

  “I like that, too, Will. Everything is okay there? I keep watching the magazines and internet, but I haven’t seen anything recently. It looks as though it’s forgotten.”

  “There was a brief mention somewhere about Stephen visiting you...that we might have planted. No one wants to read about rescheduling the wedding. They want a scandal.”

  “If they only knew,” she said, and laughed a little. His warm chuckle came across the line and she closed her eyes, wishing she could hear it in person.

  “I’ve got a meeting in five minutes, but I hope that helped,” he said, and she felt a bit of letdown knowing their conversation was coming to an end.

  “It did. Sometimes it just feels as if I’m doing this alone. Your advice has given me some confidence, so thank you.”

  “Will you call and let me know how it goes?”

  “If you want me to.”

  “I do, Gabi. There’s no reason why we have to stop talking to each other.”

  Wasn’t there
? They weren’t going to be together. They both knew it. It hadn’t even been on the table as an option. And yet hearing his voice today was like having a lifeline, something to keep her going when she got overwhelmed with the responsibilities in front of her. She didn’t want to let her father down, or anyone else for that matter.

  “Then I’ll let you know how it goes. Good or bad.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I believe in you.”

  Oh, great. Another person she didn’t want to disappoint.

  “Thank you, Will. Go to your meeting. I’m fine.”

  “Take care, Gabi.”

  “You, too.”

  She hung up the phone and sat back in her chair. Was she torturing herself by talking to Will? Could they possibly be just friends?

  * * *

  Two days later she was in Milan, as nervous as she’d ever been, waiting to see Giacomo Corsetti. Giacomo had been her father’s client for a decade and a half. The Corsetti brand was more high street fashion than couture, but it prided itself on exceptional quality. Gabi had dressed to impress: a splendidly cut pantsuit in navy and off-white, matching shoes and a designer bag that held several reports and an iPad so she could bring up data in real time if she needed. She’d put up her hair—more businesslike—and been subtle with her makeup. Overall she was going for a stylish but competent look.

  If only her insides were as confident as the outside looked.

  “Gabriella!” A jovial voice echoed across the marble floor and she turned to see Giacomo approaching. He wasn’t overly tall, and his mustache was grayer than when she’d last seen him. “Buongiorno, Gabriella. How good it is to see you.” He came forward and kissed both cheeks, making her realize that he was, indeed, a good inch or two shorter than she was. Perhaps the heels were a mistake.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Giacomo.” She smiled at him.

  “Last time I saw you, you were starting university. You’ve grown up a lot.”

  She had to dispel the image of her as a child, so she held her smile and replied, “Yes, I have. I’ve been working with the company for several years now.”