Читать книгу The Correttis (Books 1-8) - Эбби Грин, Кейт Хьюит - Страница 36

LUCA WOKE IN a panic.

The reason came back to him before he opened his eyes.

He’d spent the night with a woman.

The whole night.

In his bed. In his home, where he never brought anyone.

Admittedly, more than half the night had been spent having sex. Wild, abandoned, selfishly indulgent sex. After the first time when they’d barely made it through the door they’d graduated to the rug on the floor, his luxurious shower and finally the bed where each had exhausted the other until they’d fallen asleep wrapped around each other.

Wrapped around each other…

Drenched in panic, he was about to spring from the bed when he realised it was empty and that Taylor was stumbling round the room, snatching up her clothes like a woman running for her life.

Distracted by the urgency in her movements, Luca forgot his own panic and absorbed hers. ‘Is Etna erupting and we have just minutes to escape? Should I call the emergency services?’

‘Go back to sleep.’ Dragging open a drawer, she locked her hand around the first item of clothing she encountered. Dressed only in her panties with her trademark hair clouded and tangled from a night of wild sex, she was still the hottest woman he’d ever seen.

Realising that for the first time in his life he was witnessing a woman who was even more panicked about relationships than he was, Luca relaxed slightly.

She pulled on the T-shirt without bothering with a bra, a decision Luca supported wholeheartedly.

‘This is like a strip in reverse but it’s surprisingly erotic.’ His own panic fading, he hooked his hands behind his head and watched as she yanked on jeans in such haste she almost fell. ‘Where exactly are you going in this much of a hurry? This is Sicily. No one rushes in Sicily. You’re not on New York time now, dolcezza.’ But he knew her frantic rush to get dressed and escape had nothing to do with a desire to get to work and everything to do with her need to escape from a situation that terrified her. It would have terrified him too, except that she was panicking enough for both of them.

‘I’m going out—’ she snapped the words and zipped her jeans so violently he flinched ‘—out…somewhere. Anywhere.’

She dressed with no thought and yet she looked effortlessly stunning. It occurred to him that women would break down and cry if they knew how little effort Taylor Carmichael put into looking as good as she did. She was thought of as an actress but she could just as easily have modelled, especially now with her expression as moody as Etna on a bad day and her hair pouring over her shoulders in wild disarray.

There was something oddly vulnerable about her panic and, because he understood it, he took pity on her. ‘There’s no need to run. I’m not about to declare undying love and try and put a gold band on your finger. You’re probably safer with me than any other man alive.’

‘This isn’t about you.’ She bent down to retrieve her shoes, the movement so fluid and graceful he immediately wanted to haul her back to bed.

‘So why are you running?’

She came upright and scooped her hair away from her face, her eyes fierce. ‘Because I don’t do this. I—I just can’t.’

‘Do what? Stay and eat breakfast? Because that’s all that’s on offer.’

‘I don’t eat breakfast.’ Her foot shot out and she kicked at the pile of clothes they’d torn off each other the night before, searching for something. ‘And I can’t do this whole morning-after touchy-feely crap. It’s not me. Damn—have you seen my watch? I was wearing it last night.’

‘It lacerated my back at one stage so now it’s by the bed. And I don’t do touchy-feely either.’ His words didn’t appear to penetrate because she glared at him as she strode across the room and snatched up her watch.

‘Do you know how many years I’ve stopped myself doing this?’

‘Quite a few if your wild response last night was anything to go by. Next time you might want to shorten your periods of abstinence. Your she-wolf act could kill a regular guy. I think I have teeth marks in my shoulder.’

The look she shot him speared right through him. ‘So I suppose now you think you’re a sex god.’

Luca discovered he was enjoying himself. ‘You moaned, dolcezza. Despite everything you said, you definitely moaned.’

‘So? It’s a long time since I had sex.’ Head down, she jammed her feet into her shoes. ‘Don’t read anything into it.’

‘So you’re saying any man would have made you moan?’

If looks could have killed he would have been a rotting corpse. ‘I thought you didn’t enjoy morning-after conversations.’

‘Funnily enough I’m enjoying this one.’ It was the first time a woman had been more scared than him. ‘Admit it—last night was the hottest sex you’ve ever had.’

‘God, why do guys need so much praise? Just shut up and let me dress in peace. I have to go.’

Luca smiled. ‘All of this excess energy is wasted because you’re running from a man who isn’t chasing you, tesoro.’

‘Don’t call me that.’ She spoke between her teeth. ‘When we’re on our own, there is no need to pretend we’re anything other than—’

‘Two people who share explosive chemistry in bed?’

‘Not that either.’

‘I fully understand your aversion to relationships. I’m having more trouble understanding your panic about a night of incredible sex. Is this because you lost control?’

‘I did not lose control.’

‘I enjoyed the opera by the way. I had no idea the whole experience could be so…passionate. I love to hear you moaning, but silent sex was surprisingly erotic.’

Her look was fierce. ‘You took advantage.’

‘I didn’t hear you complaining either then or last night. You definitely moaned. And you dug your fingers in my back.’

‘Are you finished?’

‘For now. But only because we need to eat before we expend more energy.’

‘We won’t be expending more energy. This was a one-time thing. We’re going to forget this happened.’

He should have been relieved to hear that from a woman. The fact that he wasn’t surprised him. ‘Fine by me. But any time you want me to make you moan again, just tap me on the shoulder. My skills are at your disposal.’ He saw her eyes flash.

‘I can live perfectly well without your skills.’

‘Are you sure? Because it seemed to me that you were pretty desperate there for a while.’

‘I was not desperate.’ Without looking at him she slung her bag over her shoulder and made for the door. ‘I’ll call a taxi.’

Realising that she was serious, Luca sighed and sprang from the bed. ‘And spend tomorrow reading that we had our first row? You need to calm down and breathe. Give me five minutes in the shower and I’ll drop you on my way to work as usual.’

‘Not today.’

‘Yes, today. Taylor—’ he hauled her round and gave her a little shake, frowning slightly as he stared into eyes wide with fear ‘—this was just sex. Incredible sex, admittedly, but just sex. Sex followed by a lift to work.’ He said it slowly, as if he were speaking to a terrified child. ‘That’s all it is, so don’t allow the messed-up part of yourself to ruin everything we’re doing here. You were the one who got us into this but we’re in it now and we’re staying in it for as long as it suits us.’

She wasn’t messed up. She’d made mistakes and she’d learned from them and one of the things she’d learned was not to trust people. It was a simple rule and she’d had no trouble living her life by it. Until now.

She told herself that sex wasn’t trust but she knew it wasn’t as simple as that. What she shared with Luca was more than just sex. He got inside her head. He saw who she was.

And yes, she’d moaned.

Appalled with herself, Taylor paced the length of the bedroom and then back again. She could hear the shower running and she turned her head, wrestling with an almost painful urge to throw caution to the wind and join him there.

Admit it—last night was the hottest sex you’ve ever had.

‘No!’ She covered her ears with her hands to block out the sound of the water because hearing the water made her think of the man and thinking of the man made her think of his body and how it had felt to be with him.

When that didn’t work she snatched up her bag in desperation and left the room.

Down in the kitchen she found Geovana removing warm brioche from the oven. The scent was another assault on her already overloaded, overindulged senses.

Her stomach rumbled. ‘Could I make myself some coffee, please?’ She muttered the words in English and vowed to learn more of the language while she was filming here. ‘Strong, black. Americano.’

Geovana smiled and responded in Italian.

Taylor caught one word that she translated as breakfast and shook her head. ‘I don’t eat breakfast.’ But Geovana either didn’t understand her or chose to ignore her because she loaded a plate with fresh, glossy brioche and placed it on the scrubbed, antique table in front of Taylor.

Her mouth watered. It was as if everything in this house was designed to tempt her self-control. She felt herself weaken. ‘That smells so good but I really can’t—’

‘Granita.’ Geovana placed a glass filled with frosted sorbet in front of her and gestured that Taylor should eat the brioche with the granita. Unable to find a way of refusing without offending, Taylor broke off a piece of the soft, warm roll and ate as instructed, intending to take only a nibble.

‘Oh, that’s so good… .’ She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the flavour and the novelty of starting her day with food. She was so used to disciplining herself not to eat that she’d forgotten the pleasure of breakfast.

‘Sex and food in one day. You really have fallen off the wagon.’ Luca strolled into the room looking maddeningly fresh and relaxed while Taylor averted her gaze. He was the biggest temptation of all.

‘I came down for coffee and—’ She broke off as he kissed her and then stole a corner of her brioche. ‘Don’t do that!’

‘Kiss you or steal your food?’

Judging from the way Geovana beamed at them both, she was thrilled by the scene of morning-after domesticity and Taylor was trapped by the story they’d spun.

Luca spoke in Italian to Geovana and helped himself to coffee and brioche while watching Taylor. ‘You don’t like breakfast?’

‘Of course I like breakfast. It’s my favourite meal if you must know. Crispy bacon and a short stack.’ Her stomach growled. ‘I ran away from home once just so that I could eat it.’

‘You had to run away from home to eat breakfast?’

‘My mother decided that if I was allowed to embrace my appetites I soon wouldn’t have a career.’

‘So that’s when you stopped eating.’

‘I didn’t stop eating but I learned to control myself.’ Until I met you.

‘But having to control yourself for every minute of every day is exhausting. Eventually your natural impulses escape.’

‘No, they don’t, because I hold them in.’ Except she hadn’t held them in the night before. She knew it. He knew it.

Taylor found herself looking at him across the table and thinking about the night before and maybe he felt it because his gaze lifted to hers and in that single split second she knew he was thinking about the same thing. Dropping her gaze, she focused on her breakfast, feeling intensely vulnerable. Not because they’d had sex, but because she’d been herself. It had been real.

And he knew it.

‘I need to make a move.’ She stood up suddenly and gave Geovana a faltering smile. ‘Thank you. Grazie…’ She stumbled over the word, embarrassed that her Italian was so limited. ‘That was the most delicious breakfast.’

Draining his coffee, Luca rose to his feet, kissed Geovana lightly on both cheeks and walked to the door. ‘I’ll give you a lift.’

She would have preferred to drive herself but she knew that to have admitted that would have triggered questions she didn’t want to answer so instead she followed him into the car, her heart sinking at the thought of another day of filming. She wanted to lose herself in the role but with Rafaele hovering in her line of vision it was impossible.

‘So what’s the history between you and Rafaele?’ Luca accelerated down the long, tree-lined drive. ‘You dumped him. Why the antagonism?’

‘I’m sure your world is populated by disgruntled exes.’

‘That’s all that’s going on here?’

She almost told him the truth but stopped herself in time, alarmed by the impulse to confide. She’d learned never to confide. Never to trust. She knew better than anyone that today’s confession was tomorrow’s headline so she kept her answer suitably bland. ‘He isn’t an easy man to please. He’s very critical.’ And he’d threatened her, but of course only she knew that. Only she knew what he was holding over her.

‘These photographs are boring.’ Luca scanned the images of a pretty girl standing on the sand with the sea behind her. ‘It’s like an advert for butter, not clothes. She’s too wholesome. That girl has never had wild dirty sex in her life. Where’s the edge? At the very least you should have stuck a huge shark in the water. We need something more contemporary and modern.’

‘She is modern.’

‘She looks like the girl next door.’ It didn’t help that he’d just had a night of raunchy sex with a woman he suspected might be half she-wolf. He turned away and stared out of the window of his office, thinking about Taylor.

She hadn’t had much sleep the night before and she was expected to put in a twelve-hour day on the set with a director known for his childish temper tantrums and out of control drinking habit.

A director who was clearly still festering over the fact Taylor had once dumped him.

Making a snap decision, he picked up his car keys. ‘I’m taking my fiancée—’ he frowned slightly as he realised he’d managed to say the word without stumbling ‘—my fiancée for lunch. We’ll meet again tomorrow to talk about the campaign.’

Wondering why no one else shared his vision for the new collection, he strode to the car and drove to the docklands where filming was taking place.

As a Corretti and Taylor’s fiancé, he was allowed through the security cordon without question and he was about to ask someone where he could find Taylor when he saw her stroll through the abandoned docklands buildings, her hair flowing over an impossibly thin dress that floated around her slender frame. And he knew instantly that this was the image he wanted for his campaign. The contrast between decaying urban and floral femininity was exactly the look he wanted. Gianni had wanted a marine theme—docklands could be classed as ‘marine.’

He was reaching for his phone to call Gianni and break the good news that he’d found the perfect setting, when he saw Rafaele striding towards Taylor.

Just looking at the way he walked made Luca clench his jaw. It was more of a swagger than a walk.

The man was a bully, a chauvinist and an idiot.

He watched, assuming they were about to have a conversation, and froze as he saw the other man grab her arm, spin her round and pin her roughly against the dilapidated wall of one of the old docklands buildings. Taylor struggled frantically, her fists pummelling his chest as he trapped her against the wall. She was twisting and turning like a madwoman and when Rafaele locked his hand in her hair, Luca felt a rush of rage.

Pumped up and furious, he abandoned his car, vaulted over the fence that surrounded the area being used for filming and sprinted towards her even as the director grabbed her face and kissed her.

Luca launched himself at the other man with an angry growl, hauling him off Taylor as if he were a savage dog and delivering a solid punch to the side of his face. the director almost stumbled but then came back at Luca with a grunt. Within seconds both of them were rolling in the dust but Luca, younger and infinitely fitter, instantly had the advantage and he pinned the other man’s arm behind his back and pressed his face into the dirt.

‘Don’t ever touch her again.’ The blood in his veins pulsed with fury and he realised how close he was to the edge. Closer than he’d ever been in his life before. ‘You threaten her, you look at her in the wrong way, and I’ll come after you, capisci?’

‘Luca?’ From somewhere in the distance Taylor’s voice penetrated the mist of anger. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m doing what someone else should have done the moment he touched you.’ Springing back to his feet, he nursed his throbbing hand. ‘I’m protecting you from him. Where the hell is everyone anyway?’ He glanced round and saw people emerge from The fringes of the set, openmouthed and speechless.

‘I was demonstrating a scene, you idiot.’ The director stumbled to his feet, rubbing his bruised jaw with his palm. ‘She kept getting it wrong.’

‘If she was getting it wrong then it must have been because your direction sucked,’ Luca said coldly, seriously tempted to knock him flat again.

‘You shouldn’t be on my set.’ The other man stood there, covered in dust and fuming. ‘I don’t care if the producer is your cousin. You can’t barge in here and disrupt filming.’

Dealing with a suspicion that he might have overreacted just slightly, Luca turned his attention to Taylor.

Her hair was mussed up and wild, her face as pale as an Arctic winter, her slender frame impossibly fragile in the flimsy dress.

He spent his days dealing with women who were considered the most beautiful in the world but in that moment he knew he’d never seen a woman more beautiful than Taylor.

And suddenly he knew. He didn’t just want the docklands for his advert, he wanted Taylor. ‘This is it.’

‘This is what?’ Rafaele snapped the words but Luca ignored him.

‘This is the place.’ Luca glanced around him, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it before. ‘It will be the perfect backdrop for the new Corretti collection.’

‘Luca…’ This time it was Taylor who stammered his name and Luca strode over to her and smoothed her tangled hair away from her face, worried by how exhausted she looked.

‘I want to do the shoot here and I want you to model the clothes. We can link it with the film. It will be great publicity for both sides of the business. I’ll talk to Santo.’

‘Luca, you just punched Rafaele. And your suit…’ She gave him a strange look. ‘You’re covered in dirt.’

Surprised, he glanced down at himself and realised he hadn’t given a single thought to his appearance when he’d jumped the gates and wrestled in the dirt. ‘There’s a price to everything,’ he drawled lightly. ‘I wanted to stop him hurting you.’

‘But it was part of the film. This is my work.’ Her eyes skidded to the director and Luca felt a rush of emotion he couldn’t interpret as he saw the look they exchanged.

It was a look of two people who knew each other. Knew each other well.

‘You were struggling.’

‘That was the part I was playing. My character is very conflicted about seeing her husband again.’

‘You looked scared. Not the character, you. You were afraid of him.’

There was a few seconds of silence and then desperate eyes met his. ‘I don’t need you running to my rescue, Luca. What were you thinking?’

It wasn’t what he’d expected her to say.

He’d expected gratitude, even silent gratitude. He hadn’t expected criticism and he certainly hadn’t expected that question.

What had he been thinking? Just for a moment his brain froze. ‘I’m your fiancé.’ He was relieved as the answer came to him. Yes, that was why he’d reacted in such an extreme way. He’d got so deeply into the role that he was actually starting to feel the way a fiancé should feel. What did they call it? Method acting or something. ‘When I see you in trouble I’m going to try and protect you, and yes, I’m a touch possessive. Don’t expect me to apologise for that. I’m Sicilian. We don’t hand our women over to other men without a fight. If that isn’t what you want from a relationship then maybe you’re with the wrong guy.’

Her shock mirrored his own.

What the hell was he saying?

He didn’t want the relationship to end. And anyway, how could you end something that wasn’t real in the first place?

Freaked out by a nagging voice that told him he’d totally lost the plot this time, Luca turned on his heel and strode away.

‘Luca wait. Wait!’ Taylor sprinted after him, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach that was her barometer of trouble. She knew a bucket load of it waited for her back on set but right now she had other things on her mind. Like Luca’s extreme reaction.

She’d never seen him anything but relaxed. Even when he was driving too fast or drinking too much she had the sense that every action he took was deliberate, but this…

He’d been out of control, and if she needed confirmation of that then all she had to do was look at his suit.

Luca Corretti was never anything less than immaculate and yet his perfectly tailored suit was marked from his scuffle on the ground and there was a small tear in the leg of his trousers, no doubt caused when he’d jumped the fence. Jumped the fence to protect her.

Her heart was racing like a horse leading the field in the derby. All day she’d tried to block out memories of the night before but she thought about it now, her mind and her body remembering the intensity, the intimacy, everything they’d shared.

‘Don’t walk away—don’t—’ She caught up with him by the gate and grabbed his arm, releasing him immediately as he shook her off. ‘Just…wait, will you? We need to talk.’

He stopped walking but his face was cold. Colder than she’d ever seen it. ‘You just made it clear I’m not welcome on the set.’

‘Because we’re in the middle of filming, but—’ She glanced over her shoulder quickly and his face blackened.

‘So are you going to tell me what is going on between you and that guy? I mean, what’s really going on?’

Taylor’s mouth dried and her heart bumped hard against her ribs. ‘Nothing.’

‘This is me you’re talking to.’ His voice was thickened with emotion as he closed the gap between them. ‘Last night we shared everything. Last night you were honest. Don’t ever hide who you are from me.’

Was she the only one who thought this conversation was crazy? ‘Last night was…’ What was it? Taylor shoved her fingers through her hair, not knowing how to begin to unravel the emotions at play here. Not knowing which questions to ask or which answers she wanted to hear. Glancing over her shoulder, she checked no one was close enough to overhear them. ‘Is this you acting? Because I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t any more.’

There was a long pulsing silence.

Luca stared at her. Something flickered across his face. ‘You were scared.’

She took a step backwards, shaken that he’d seen that when no one else had. ‘I was acting.’

‘No, that was real. You were scared.’ He pushed and pushed, cracking open the shell she’d put around herself, seeing right through to the truth. ‘I know you were scared and as long as he scares you, I’ll be there to protect you.’

That statement ripped away another layer of her protection. ‘Why?’ The word was barely a whisper and it was a long time before he answered.

‘Because I’m your fiancé.’

Taylor looked away quickly, horrified to realise she’d hoped for a different answer. ‘You were…very convincing. Unfortunately you’ve also upset another director.’

And she knew just what that could cost her.

Rafaele was the wrong man to upset.

And suddenly fury mingled with despair. She’d been walking on eggshells trying not to upset him and now Luca had made things worse. ‘Did you have to go to those lengths? You humiliated him. You made him look like a fool.’

‘He did that with no help from me.’ Luca was unrepentant. ‘Why was he kissing you anyway?’

‘Because he was demonstrating a scene.’ She rubbed her fingers over her aching forehead, feeling crushed by the situation. ‘If he walks out too, Santo will freak.’

‘I hope he does walk. I don’t like the way he looks at you.’

Slowly she dropped her hand to her side. ‘You mean the fake part of you that is “engaged” to me doesn’t like the way he looks at me? I think you just might have blown my film career by acting out a part we created in order to protect my film career.’ She looked away from him because looking at him made her think of the night before and they were both in enough trouble. ‘And what about you? You agreed to this to make yourself respectable. Does your board approve of a man fighting over his woman?’

‘Of course. They’re Sicilian.’ But he was frowning, as if something she’d said had given him pause for thought. ‘I don’t want to have blown your career. I’ll talk to Santo.’

‘No! You’ve done more than enough. I’ll sort it out.’

Luca caught her arm. ‘Tell me why you’re scared of him.’ His tone was low and urgent. ‘Why do you care what that guy thinks of you?’

Her mouth was dry. ‘Because he has…power.’

‘Power? You mean over your performance?’

No, she didn’t mean that.

‘I just don’t want more bad headlines.’ That much was the truth. ‘I just want to act.’

Luca stared at her for a long moment and then lifted his hand and brushed her cheek gently, his expression inscrutable. ‘Mi dispiace. I’m sorry if I made things difficult for you. That wasn’t my intention. Go and finish filming that scene. There’s something I need to do.’

Determined to make up for his momentary loss of control, which had clearly made things awkward for her, Luca spent the afternoon on the phone. By the time he drove back to the docklands to collect Taylor he was feeling particularly pleased with his plan so it spoiled the moment slightly to see her waiting for him, white-faced and tense.

‘Your cousin fired Rafaele.’

Luca wondered why she thought that came under the heading of ‘bad news.’ ‘Good. For once he and I are in agreement on something.’

‘Rafaele is going to be furious.’

‘And we care about that because…?’ When she didn’t answer, he sighed. ‘Get in the car.’

‘I’m starting to think this project is doomed.’ She slid into the car next to him and closed her eyes but her phone rang immediately.

Luca tensed. ‘Is that him?’

‘No.’ She relaxed. ‘It’s just Zach. I’ll call him back later.’

‘Zach? Who the hell is Zach?’

‘Just a friend.’

‘I thought you didn’t have friends. I thought there was no one you trusted.’

‘I trust Zach more than I trust most people, but that isn’t saying much.’ She dropped the phone back into her bag. ‘What a day.’

Luca forced himself not to ask all the questions he was burning to ask about Zach. ‘Does Santo have a replacement yet?’

‘Well, that’s the odd thing…’ She pushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘He’s given the job to his PA, Ella. I’ve talked to her loads of times. She’s crazy about everything to do with movie making which is why she’s working for Santo but I never knew she wanted to direct. He’s giving her the chance.’

‘I’m sure she’ll be brilliant. I’ll even let her kiss you—in fact, I’ll hang around in case she does.’ Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye, he leaned forward and kissed her himself. ‘Press approaching downwind. Look pleased to see me.’

Her lips were soft and sweet under his and he took his time, kissing her slowly and deliberately until she pulled back with a frown. ‘OK, enough already.’

Luca, who was unsettled to discover he’d had nowhere near enough of her, reached into the back of the car and put a baseball cap on her head.

‘Ugh—you’ll ruin my hair!’ She lifted her hand to remove it but he stopped her.

‘Wear it,’ he ordered softly. ‘Put on your sunglasses. And for once in your life, don’t argue with me.’

She was still staring at him when one journalist, braver than the others, approached the car. ‘Taylor, do you have a statement on the fact that Rafaele has been replaced as director?’

‘No, she doesn’t.’ Luca settled his own sunglasses over his eyes, started the engine and rammed the car into gear but the journalist persisted.

‘Any plans for tonight? Where will the two of you be spending the evening?’

‘In bed.’ With a dangerous smile, Luca pulled away and Taylor groaned.

‘Thanks so much. Now the headline will be Taylor Carmichael, Sex Addict. Couldn’t you have said something else? You could have told them we’re going out to dinner. Why would you let them think we’re going home to bed?’

‘Because that’s what I want them to think. I don’t want them to follow us.’

‘They always follow us. And you don’t care.’

‘Tonight, I care.’

‘Why?’

‘Because tonight, Cinderella Carmichael,’ he drawled, ‘I’m making your dreams come true.’

‘My dream is to get on with my life without being bothered and you’ve just—’

‘I’ve just made that happen.’ Glancing in the rearview mirror, he took a sharp right and ducked into the private underground car park reserved for the executive team of the hotel.

He parked the Ferrari next to a battered, ancient car.

‘What on earth…?’

‘Move.’

And she did. But being Taylor She didn’t do it without demanding answers.

‘Where are we and what are you—?’ She broke off and stared at the couple that had just climbed out of the battered, ancient car parked next to them.

‘Give her your jacket, your sunglasses and the baseball cap.’

‘But—’

‘Accidenti, do you ever do anything without arguing? You are enough to drive a man to an early grave.’

‘I’d haunt you.’ Visibly confused, she pulled off the hat, the glasses and her jacket and handed it to the woman, who immediately put them on.

Luca narrowed his eyes. ‘Not bad. From the back she could be you.’

‘I know. It’s seriously freaky. How did you do it?’

‘I found a Taylor Carmichael double. She earns her living being you so she owes you a few favours.’ He took off his own jacket and sunglasses and handed them to the man. ‘Remember what I said. Straight home. Follow my security guards. You don’t stop. Don’t look at anyone. And drive too fast—that’s what I’d do. You’re sure you can handle the car?’

The man nodded and Luca sighed and reluctantly handed over the keys to his precious Ferrari. ‘This had better be worth it. Is everything in the back?’

‘Just as you instructed.’

‘Then go.’

The couple drove off in the Ferrari and Luca yanked open the door of the battered car. ‘Maledezione, is this piece of junk even roadworthy? I’ve owned toothbrushes with more impressive engineering.’ He hauled a bag out of the back of the car and thrust it at her. ‘Put this on. And do it quickly before someone drives into this garage.’

Taylor opened the bag gingerly. ‘A wig?’

Busy pulling on his own wig, Luca ignored her. ‘I hope you appreciate the lengths I’m going to for you. Do I look hot as a blond?’

She glanced at him and gave a choked laugh. ‘You look…unbelievably weird. the hair doesn’t match the suit.’

‘The suit! I have to get rid of the suit.’ Reluctantly, Luca stripped off the exquisite Italian suit he’d changed into following his altercation with Rafaele. ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this for you.’

‘Why are you doing this for me?’

‘Because you said it’s what you want more than anything and I wanted to make that happen for you. I wanted you to have fun.’ His eyes met hers and he saw the shock there and he knew she was seeing the same thing in his eyes because the only fun he was usually interested in having with a woman involved getting naked. ‘Cristo, you ask too many questions. Can’t you just enjoy an evening out without dissecting it?’

‘Thank you.’ She whispered the words and there was a sheen of something that looked scarily like tears in her eyes as she stepped towards him and pressed her lips to his. ‘No one has ever done anything like this for me before. You’ve made me feel really special.’

Luca jerked back, rocked by emotions he hadn’t expected and had no idea how to deal with.

Maybe this had been a bad idea.

He had no problem with making a woman feel special as long as it was only for a short time, but he didn’t want to make one feel so special she decided to stick around. ‘Really special’ sounded suspiciously like a warning alarm that in normal circumstances would have had him running. But he couldn’t run because he was the one who’d arranged this.

‘I’m not surprised no one has done it before. The wig itches and the car is unlikely to make it out of the car park.’ Unsettled by his own feelings, which he had no intention of analysing, he took refuge in humour. ‘Get dressed.’

Checking that there was no one in the small car park, she shimmied out of her trousers and Luca set his teeth. He wondered if he were the only one thinking about sex all the time. He couldn’t look at her without wanting to strip her naked.

‘I said get dressed, not undressed.’

‘One comes before the other.’

He dragged his gaze from her long, slim legs. ‘You’re doing it on purpose.’

‘Doing what on purpose?’

‘Driving me crazy.’

‘Am I driving you crazy?’ She lifted her arms and removed her top in a graceful movement, exposing her lean fit body. She was sexy and she knew it.

Taylor Carmichael didn’t need anyone to reassure her. She made her own choices and was confident in herself.

‘What would you do if I said I didn’t like what you were wearing?’ The question fell from his lips before he could stop it and she raised her eyebrows.

‘You don’t like me in my underwear?’

‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ He wished he hadn’t spoken and truthfully he could hardly concentrate. He was so hard his brain had ceased to function on any level above basic.

She looked at him thoughtfully. ‘To answer your question, if you told me you didn’t like what I was wearing I’d probably just take it off. Is that what you want?’ Her fingers toyed with the lacy edge of her panties and his mouth dried.

‘No, Cristo, don’t take any more off. Put something on. Fast.’

‘But you said you didn’t like what I was wearing.’

‘That wasn’t…’ His flesh throbbed and his mind blurred. ‘Never mind. Just get dressed.’

‘Maybe I won’t.’ She stepped closer and slid her arms round his neck. ‘Maybe I’ll tease you just a little bit longer. I still owe you for the opera.’ Her mouth was a breath away from his and Luca felt his control unravel.

‘Taylor—’

‘Is there a problem?’ Her lips curved slowly as she covered him with the flat of her hand. ‘Because I could probably fix that.’

The skilled stroke of her fingers made him groan. Her confidence in herself was as sexy as her body.

He’d grown up with a woman who needed constant reassurance and worked with women who were body obsessed.

He’d never met anyone like Taylor.

‘I thought you Were careful not to be caught doing naughty stuff in public.’

‘We’re not in public. We’re in your private, hightech garage with just your car as witness. And anyway, you’re talking about Taylor Carmichael and thanks to you she’s currently driving back to your palazzo. Which means we’re alone.’ Her hand slid slowly down his shaft and he groaned and hauled her against him.

‘This wasn’t part of my plan.’

‘It’s always good to be flexible. And talking of flexible…’ She curved her bare leg around his thigh and he gave in to it and pressed her back against the car, breathing hard.

He looked deep into her eyes and then his hands were in her hair and he was kissing her and she was kissing him and it was exactly as it had been the night before. Exactly as he’d remembered it. The intense chemistry, the desperation, the clawing need that made him ignore the fact that his relationship with this woman wasn’t following the usual pattern.

It was the wrong place, the wrong time and not part of his plan but his hand slid low and found the wet warmth of her and he heard her moan against his mouth.

A loud crash in the distance had them both pulling apart.

Frozen, they stared at each other and then Luca gave a soft curse. He would have taken her right there. Right then and not paused to think about the sense of it.

‘Oops.’ A strange smile on her face, she eased away from him and finished dressing in a flash. ‘Maybe this isn’t such a good place after all.’

‘We could go back to the house.’ His mind was a blur, his body rock hard.

‘No. You’ve arranged a secret night out for me. No one has ever done this for me before. I want to do it.’ She grabbed the bag and tugged on a pair of floral shorts. ‘These clothes are hideous. Who chose them?’

‘Someone with no taste whatsoever.’ But it made no difference, he realised. Whatever she was wearing, she was the hottest woman he’d ever met. Trying to think cold thoughts, he changed into jeans and slid into the car, ducking his head so that he didn’t bang it on the roof.

‘Do you really think we won’t be recognised?’

‘I sincerely hope not or my reputation as the head of a fashion house is for ever destroyed. I would rather shoot myself than have someone think I chose to wear this. Come on. Let’s do this.’ Making an effort not to look at her, Luca turned the key in the ignition, rolling his eyes as the engine coughed and spluttered. ‘Believe me, even if the clothes don’t convince people, this car is a perfect disguise. Everyone who knows me also knows I wouldn’t be seen dead driving this piece of garbage.’

Still laughing, Taylor was pushing stray wisps of hair into the wig. ‘Do you like me as a redhead?’

In the process of reversing the temperamental car out of the garage, Luca allowed himself a brief glance. ‘You look surprisingly cute given that you’re dressed in something that should be banned by the fashion police.’

She pushed her feet into a pair of running shoes. ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’

‘No. It’s a surprise. And turn your phone off just in case some nosy journalist is tracking you.’

Her eyes widened slightly but she turned it off. ‘You’re a very surprising person.’

‘Surprising how?’ He winced as the car bumped over the uneven road.

‘Doing this for me. I thought you only ever did things for yourself.’

‘I am doing this for myself. I want to have fun and you’re no fun when you think people are watching your every move. Tonight you can be yourself. That’s if we ever get there.’ He pushed the accelerator but the car chugged along at the same pace. ‘I’m starting to think that it might be quicker to walk. What is under the bonnet? I think someone forgot to install an engine.’

She clutched the seat as they bounced along. ‘It must be killing you to drive something that doesn’t go over ten kilometres an hour.’

‘Next time I’ll hire a donkey. It will be faster. How are you doing with that disguise? Have you tucked away all your hair?’

‘I’m one hundred per cent redhead.’

Luca turned his head. But still beautiful. ‘Scrub the make-up off.’

‘You just kissed off the only make-up I was wearing. Where exactly are we going?’

‘To a charity concert at the Teatro Greco at Taormina.’ He could taste her lipstick. Taste her mouth. Distracted, he crunched the gears and winced. He hadn’t had trouble driving since he was a teenager. ‘You said you wanted to go to a concert, stand in the crowd and not be recognised. That’s what we’re doing.’

‘I—seriously?’ She sounded doubtful. ‘I read about it and the lineup is fantastic but we’ll be recognised.’

‘No, we won’t because we’re not in the VIP seats, angelo mia. We are in with the crowd just as you requested. You are no longer Taylor Carmichael. Tonight, you are Teresa, a good Sicilian girl from a strict Catholic family—’

‘You’re kidding, right?’

‘And I am Tomas, the son of a local farmer who is hoping to get lucky.’ Luca flattened his foot to the floor to try and overtake a tractor but nothing happened and he rolled his eyes and made a mental note never to complain about his Ferrari again. ‘We are sneaking you away from your strict parents, who would beat you if they knew you were out with me.’

‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’

Luca discovered that he was. ‘Maybe I’m into role play. Think you can play the role of a virgin from Catholic school who has never been alone with a boy before?’

‘Sure.’ There was a shimmer of humour in her voice. ‘Pull over and take your clothes off.’

‘Shouldn’t you be shy and nervous?’

‘No. If I were a virgin from Catholic school who has never been alone with a boy before, I’d be desperate. So pull over and get your clothes off, Tomas.’

‘If I pull over we’ll never get the car started again, especially not on this hill.’ Luca shifted gears as he drove up towards Taormina. ‘How do you feel about pushing?’ He winced as the car juddered over a bump. ‘On second thought, forget that. You don’t eat enough carbohydrate to have the strength to push a pen across a desk let alone a car up a road like this.’

‘Are you questioning my strength? Because that probably isn’t wise. I can take you, Corretti.’

‘I wish you would. I’ve been desperate since last night and that encounter in the car park hasn’t helped.’ Ignoring the instantaneous reaction of his body, he kept his eyes on the road. ‘Any time you want a repeat performance just leap on me and rip my clothes off. No prior warning needed.’

‘I’m a good Catholic girl. I have no idea what you mean.’ But she was laughing and he was laughing too, as the car shuddered to a halt by the side of the road.

‘Let’s walk from here. It will be faster and probably a lot safer. You do have the strength to walk, don’t you? Ouch.’ He winced as her fist made contact with his arm. ‘What a hot, spirited little thing you are, Teresa.’

‘Don’t make me hurt you, Tomas.’ Still smiling, she slid her arm through his and Luca frowned slightly and opened his mouth to remind her that they didn’t need to play the role of an engaged couple tonight but she seemed more relaxed than he’d ever seen her so he closed his mouth and drew her against him as they joined the noisy, friendly crowd moving towards the arena.

He felt her tension as they were surrounded by people and then felt that same tension seep from her as she realised that no one had even given them a single glance.

They didn’t expect to see her and so they didn’t see her.

And the disguise was good.

‘So, Teresa—’ he pulled her forward to the area in front of the stage where a group was already performing ‘—what does a girl like you normally get up to on a Saturday night?’

She blinked innocently. ‘Normally I’m milking the goats, Tomas. And what do you normally do when you’re not dressing in jeans that are a crime against fashion?’

Normally he was sleeping with some woman he never intended to see again.

Luca was slowly absorbing that fact when the crowd surged forward.

Instinctively he reached for Taylor, intending to protect her from the crush of people, but she was already dancing, arms in the air, joining in with everyone around her as the group on the stage revved the audience into a state of excitement.

As the sun set, darkness fell over Mount Etna and coloured lights played over the crowd and the atmosphere turned from excited to electric.

And still Taylor danced and it was the sexiest, most erotic thing he’d ever seen.

She moved with unconscious grace and sensuality, in perfect time to the music, thinking of nothing but the moment. It was the first time he’d seen her out in public and not looking over her shoulder.

‘You’re a real wild child, Teresa.’ But she couldn’t hear him over the music so he scooped her face into his hands and kissed her and she kissed him back, smiling against his mouth, happier than he’d ever seen her.

The chemistry was instantaneous and mutual.

Her arms locked around his neck and they kissed, oblivious to the crowd around them.

If someone hadn’t bumped against them hard, they might never have stopped kissing and Luca released her suddenly, wondering what he was doing and she was obviously wondering the same thing because her smile faltered.

‘Thank you for this—’ she glanced at the crowd and the stage ‘—and for arranging something you knew would make me happy. You’ve gone to so much trouble and, well, you’ve surprised me, Luca Corretti.’

He’d surprised himself. He didn’t go out of his way to make a woman happy because a happy woman was a woman who wanted to stick around and he’d never wanted that.

But seeing Taylor having fun had given him a high like no other.

They stared at each other. He brushed her hair away from her face and she caught his hand and gave him a warning look.

‘Don’t mess with my hair, Tomas. Took me hours to get it looking like this.’

He’d forgotten about the wig. All his attention had been on her and suddenly he wanted to be on his own with her. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

‘No wait—’ she shouted above the noise, her voice pleading ‘—can we just stay for the fireworks? I love fireworks.’

He intended to talk her out of it but then he saw her face as she gazed up at the sky, as enchanted as a child as silver exploded against black, showering the night sky with a thousand stars.

They stayed until the light from the last fireworks had died away and then mingled with the crowd as they made their way back to their car.

‘That was amazing.’ She lifted her hand to remove the wig but he stopped her.

‘Leave it on until we’re home.’

‘I’m not ready to go home. I’m not ready for this to end, Tomas.’ Her eyes sparkled, alive and excited, and the rush of attraction almost knocked him flat.

‘I think if your father could see you now he’d have a heart attack. What exactly do you have in mind, Teresa?’

She curled her fingers into the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. ‘I want to go to the beach.’ Her voice was low. ‘I want to go swimming.’

‘Swimming?’ Luca stared down at that full mouth and knew he was in trouble. ‘Did you bring a costume?’

‘No.’ Her smile was all woman. ‘But that doesn’t matter because what I want more than anything is to swim naked.’