Chapter Fourteen
Gio turned from the speedboat’s controls to the woman beside him. The woman driving him to the limit of his control.
She wore a dress of vivid amber, its tantalisingly thin shoulder straps and her fascinating baby bump obscured by the jacket she’d put on for the trip across the lake. She wore dark glasses and a flame-coloured scarf over her head and around her neck in the style of a fifties film star.
His heart vaulted against his ribcage.
Her face was turned up to the sun and her skin glowed. That dreadful pallor had been banished by two days’ rest.
Two days in which he’d kept his distance. He’d discovered it wasn’t only sex he wanted with Stella. Yes, he wanted to touch her, all the time. But he wanted her nearness too. He felt better when she was close.
That was a first for a man who’d never let himself depend on anyone.
His reactions to Stella were unprecedented.
Keeping his distance, allowing her space, tested him mightily. Because his need was urgent.
‘You’re staring.’
‘Just checking you’re not seasick.’
The corner of her mouth quirked up in an endearing curl that triggered warmth in his belly. At least now they weren’t snapping at each other. They’d developed a truce, realising they’d never actually been enemies.
‘We’re on a lake, not the sea.’
Gio turned back to the controls, slowing as their destination appeared on the far shore, a very exclusive lakeside restaurant.
‘If you suffered from motion sickness it wouldn’t matter if it was the sea or a pond.’
His sister had turned green the one time they’d been on a boat. Gio remembered being torn between concern for her and pride that the waves hadn’t affected him.
The memory surprised him. Most of his life he’d guarded the past behind locked doors, rarely letting himself remember. But since talking about the past with Stella, little recollections kept popping into his head. Things he hadn’t thought of in years.
They brought a wistful melancholy but often smiles too. As if the past wasn’t a poisonous place to be avoided. How had that happened?
‘Are you okay, Gio? You look like you’ve got something on your mind.’
Since when had Stella been able to read him so easily?
But he liked that hint of concern in her voice. How long since anyone had taken an interest in his well-being?
Again the past crowded in. His mother’s embrace, his father carrying him on his shoulders, his sister sharing her favourite toy elephant when Gio had fallen from a tree and cracked a bone.
‘I should be asking you that. You’re the one who’s—’
‘Don’t fuss. I’m pregnant, not ill.’ At his stare she shrugged. ‘All right. I had a touch of morning sickness. But not often and I’m fine now. You must admit that day was enormously stressful.’
Gio nodded, remembering her milky white face and his fear she’d faint. His worry for her had eclipsed all else. Except guilt that his actions had contributed too.
‘It was.’ He’d been frantic that he’d arrive at the church too late and then when he’d got her to his home, seeing her so vulnerable… Shaking off the memory, he said, ‘Pregnancy suits you. You really are blooming.’
Her instant, almost shy smile told him he’d said the right thing, but it had only been the truth.
He’d never thought of Stella as shy. But expecting a baby was a huge thing, as he was discovering, still grappling with the news.
For Stella, experiencing the physical changes, could anything be more life-altering?
That strengthened his determination to support her, despite his ambivalence about fatherhood.
‘Have you spoken to Morosi?’
Instantly her smile faded and he silently cursed his need to know.
At her request he’d provided her with a phone soon after arriving at his villa. Until now he hadn’t pried into who she’d contacted. But the thought of Eduardo Morosi niggled, despite Stella’s eager passion the day they arrived and their new understanding.
You’re jealous. Even though she deserted him for you.
Stella stared past him. ‘I have.’
She didn’t look happy and Gio was torn between hoping that signified a permanent rift and wondering what she felt for the other man.
He should bide his time, not pry. But look what had happened when they’d met and he hadn’t clarified the situation.
He’d believed the worst of her and they’d parted under catastrophic circumstances.
He turned to survey the deep blue water ahead. ‘He definitely doesn’t have any claim to the baby?’
For a long moment he heard only the sound of the engine. Eventually she spoke. ‘What do you mean? I told you the baby is yours.’
Gio opened his mouth to speak, then realised anything he said would be a mistake. Only his neediness had pried the question loose.
‘You think I don’t know the baby’s father?’ Her voice rose. ‘That I was too busy bed-hopping to keep track?’
He whipped his head around and his flesh shrivelled under a glare even her sunglasses couldn’t disguise. Her colour was high. Her breasts rose with each rapid breath and her anger wrapped around him, squeezing tight.
Her voice grated between gritted teeth. ‘I never slept with Eduardo. Is that what you want to hear? Not that you have any right to ask, given how we parted.’
But he’d needed to know. The thought of Stella with another man threatened to eviscerate him. Relief and triumph warred. ‘I know I don’t have the right to ask about your sex life.’
He eased the throttle, bringing the boat almost to a halt. Her set features and crossed arms spoke of hurt and rejection. He’d undone some of the trust they’d built.
‘But I’m glad to know.’ He hefted a deep breath. ‘For what it’s worth, I haven’t been with another woman or thought about one since you, Stella.’ He saw her startle and nodded. ‘The only sex I’ve had has been with you, every night in my dreams.’
‘You…’ She tugged off her glasses, stunned dark eyes surveying him. Gio dragged his sunglasses away too, letting her read the truth in his face.
Wonder replaced her outrage.
‘I haven’t been with anyone either.’ She swallowed then lifted her chin almost defiantly. ‘Ever.’
Just as well Gio had slowed the speedboat to a crawl. His hand jerked on the control as shock and delight blindsided him. She hadn’t slept with Eduardo. Gio had been her only lover.
It shouldn’t matter. Her past was her private business. Yet possessive pleasure filled his belly.
His woman. Only his.
Such thoughts were archaic and outdated. But there was truth there. Gio had no claim on her past but in that moment he discovered an absolute certainty.
He wanted to be the only man in her future.
Gio cleared his throat. ‘I’m honoured, Stella.’
He extended his arm, palm up, and after a moment she placed her hand in his. Their fingers threaded, a perfect fit.
An engine roared and the boat rocked. Another boat sped by. Stella slipped her hand free and he turned back to the controls. Something in him had altered. It was one thing to admit his hunger for her. It was another to realise the idea of permanency didn’t faze him. That he welcomed it.
‘Is it far to lunch? I’m hungry.’
Gio shifted the throttle, and the vessel surged forward. Her returning appetite was a good sign.
He grinned. ‘Five minutes and, truly, the food is spectacular.’
Stella sank back in her chair, cradling the baby bump he longed to explore. ‘You were right. The food was great.’
‘It’s one of my favourite places to eat.’
In the past he’d brought business associates or eaten alone.
He’d never brought a lover to his Lake Como home.
It was much better eating with Stella. The spectacular view, impeccable food and service were as good as ever, but she made this memorable.
He was glad he’d booked a private room, to be alone with her.
He felt…happy.
That made him still. How often in his life had he thought that? At the Villa Rosa with Stella, and as a child.
He frowned, scouring his memory. Of course he’d had happy moments. Work triumphs. Sexual satisfaction. The adrenaline rush he got from skiing.
But had any felt as good as this? He lifted his gaze from his coffee to find a pair of honey-flecked dark eyes watching. Heat sizzled. Desire, but something more too.
‘You’re wearing that look you had on the boat.’ Stella’s voice was husky. ‘Something’s on your mind.’
Her perspicacity awed him. Just as well he wasn’t facing her across a negotiating table.
Gio hesitated. He was grappling with his response to her. How she made him feel, though he’d spent years avoiding feelings.
‘You’re thinking about Eduardo again, aren’t you?’
‘I…’ He shook his head. ‘There are things I don’t understand.’ Mainly about himself and how far he’d go to secure Stella. But Morosi was on his mind. They mightn’t have been lovers but… ‘Why marry him?’
‘Stability,’ she responded instantly. ‘I want my baby to have a caring family. To be safe.’
Gio’s stare sharpened. ‘Safe?’
‘You wanted to know why I went to Rome.’ Stella ran her tongue over her lips as if her mouth were dry.
‘I’d asked my father for the chance to run one of his hotels.
He’d given my brothers the gift of a hotel each in their early twenties.
I didn’t really expect that, but I’d hoped, with my work record, he’d give me a chance to prove myself as a manager without oversight. I’ve worked towards that for years.’
What had this to do with their baby’s safety? ‘Go on.’
‘He put a counteroffer. Marry a rich man, from a family he planned to do business with, and he’d agree, though I can’t say I was ever sure he’d keep his word.’
Gio scowled. ‘He’d chosen a husband?’
‘Yes. Someone I’d never met. He expected me to marry a stranger who had nothing to recommend him but his aristocratic family and banking connections. His character wasn’t mentioned.’
Shock held Gio silent, mind racing. A rich banker from an old family. ‘Not Morosi?’
Stella nodded. ‘From the time I came to Italy I’ve tried to fit in. I did what my father demanded, wanting to be part of the family, accepted and…’