Читать книгу Unwordly Secretary, Gorgeous Boss - Lee Wilkinson, Jennie Adams - Страница 13

THE young tenor’s voice elicited goosebumps up and down Laura’s body. Accompanied by a magical Spanish guitar, it was the ultimate gift after all her hard work over the past few days, and made every worry and doubt she’d had about the concert melt away.

Seated in the front row of the beautifully decorated marquee, with Fabian beside her dressed in matchless Italian tailoring, making her pulse-rate soar and her heart leap every time she glanced at him, she momentarily shut her eyes and let the mesmerising sound carry her away. The music seemed to enter her bloodstream—the young singer’s voice, along with the heartrending words that he sang, eliciting such deep sorrow inside her that it was almost too much to bear.

Behind her closed lids her eyes were drowned in tears. She had travelled so far to be where she was now, and when she looked back it was nothing short of a miracle that she’d made it.

Before she could regain her composure, a hand covered hers and comfortingly squeezed it. Glancing round in surprise, Laura’s moist gaze locked onto Fabian’s, and she was startled by the apparent concern that blazed back at her. For a man who seemed to regard emotion as a necessary evil at best, and an illogical inconvenience at worst, his actions were almost incomprehensible to her. Managing the faintest of smiles, she slid her hand out from beneath his—even though she secretly longed to keep it there—and reached into her evening purse for a tissue.

All too soon the fabulous glittering concert came to an end. Fabian brought the evening to a close by thanking all the artists for donating their incredible performances, then the guests for their ‘very generous and welcome contributions’ to the hospice fund and finally Laura herself for her hard work and dedication in helping to organise the event in Carmela’s absence—he indicated that she join him on stage and she was truly taken aback when a pretty girl dressed all in white presented her with a huge bouquet of cream roses. As she accepted the unexpected token of thanks Fabian stepped forward and, instead of the customary kiss on both cheeks, stunned her completely—and no doubt everyone in the audience too—by kissing her full on the mouth, deliberately letting his lips linger there for a very long moment. When he broke away his gorgeous blue eyes were twinkling with almost boyish satisfaction and an undeniable hint of mischief in their hypnotic depths. Her senses already swimming with the heady scent of the roses, Laura wondered how she remained standing she was besieged by such intoxicating dizziness. Reaching for her hand, Fabian thanked everyone again and left the stage to applause that was buzzing with frank curiosity as well as appreciation of the night’s events. Laura imagined they were thinking who was she to command such personal attention from their handsome host? As soon as they descended the steps, they were instantly surrounded by a veritable swarm of people, shouting questions as well as congratulations at Fabian. Catching a brief glimpse of the reserve that seemed to slot into automatic place in his otherwise amiable expression as he pressed her close into his side—Laura sensed that all he wanted to do just then was get away from the clamouring crowd and be alone for a few minutes. Knowing that wasn’t going to happen any time soon judging by the melee around them, she too longed to have some private time to herself to assimilate all that had gone on … particularly Fabian’s very public kiss on her lips.

Suddenly, in the midst of the clamouring throng, Aurelia Visconti appeared. The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let her through, so that the diva could reach the man whose attention they all seemed to crave, and all eyes were suddenly on her lush figure, shown off to maximum effect in a shimmering black gown with a plunging neckline. Deliberately not acknowledging Laura in any way, she curled her fingers round Fabian’s arm, as if to claim him for herself, leant towards him and whispered something in his ear.

He turned back apologetically to Laura. ‘I am sorry, but I am going to have to leave you alone for a little while. Do you mind? I will be back soon.’ His glance was rueful, but nonetheless told Laura that whatever he was going to do couldn’t be avoided. A faint swirl of his hypnotic aftershave drifted beneath her nose, and all of a sudden he’d left with Aurelia.

Seconds later the disappointed crowd reluctantly dispersed, leaving Laura standing there clutching her bouquet alone. Helplessly, jealously, her gaze followed the glamorous pair—clearly heading for somewhere more private. The moment the striking soprano steered Fabian out of the marquee altogether Laura felt almost faint from hurt and disappointment.

It wasn’t until the majority of the concert’s audience had left, and the remaining invited guests staying for supper had filed into another lavishly decorated marquee, that Laura saw Fabian again. With no sign of the possessive Aurelia—even though she was one of his guests of honour—Laura wondered what was the reason for the older woman’s absence. Glimpsing a distinct mark of scarlet lipstick at the edge of Fabian’s chiselled jaw, she felt her heartbeat go wild in anguished protest. She’d nursed the ridiculous hope that maybe the two weren’t as close as things indicated, but now she knew different. Clearly the two of them had slipped away to be intimate, and she had been left to talk to Fabian’s guests and reassure them of his imminent return on her own.

Suddenly the magic of the wonderful evening turned to dust, like a handful of brittle autumn leaves clasped in her palm, and as Fabian gestured that she come and sit beside him at the top table her feet obeyed reluctantly. There was suddenly a great impulse in her to escape and mull over her unhappiness in private.

‘You look very beautiful in that dress,’ he said, his accented voice velvety pitched and intimate. But Laura didn’t feel very beautiful. Not any more … Even though the dress Dante and she had finally chosen was a stunning creation of ice-green silk with a halter-necked front high enough to hide her scars and a back that plunged daringly low. All she could focus on was the lipstick mark left by Aurelia.

‘Very sexy. You must keep it and wear it just for me,’ Fabian continued, pinning her to the spot with his hot, hungry gaze.

Thinking of what he might have been doing with another woman just minutes ago, as well as the controversial business proposition that still awaited Laura’s answer, she feverishly grasped at the need for some perspective on the situation before her heightened feelings careened out of control.

‘You know I can’t do that.’ ‘Why not?’

‘Because it’s haute couture, and I’m well aware that it’s probably worth a small fortune!’

‘What high-minded principles you have, Laura! I have never known a woman to refuse a gift of mine yet, and you are not just any woman! You know what I refer to.’

She did—and the thought made her swallow hard.

‘It is still too much, Fabian.’

‘Then you would deny me the pleasure of giving you this gift, and that does not make me feel good.’

Although he was still smiling, his glance had slightly chilled, and Laura wondered how she had seemingly acquired quite the talent for saying the wrong thing to him.

‘I’m sorry … I didn’t mean to sound so ungrateful.’ Her spirits sank even further at his rebuke. ‘It’s an extremely kind gesture … thank you. And I didn’t get a chance to thank you for the massage earlier either.’

Embarrassed heat cascaded spectacularly through her as she realised how that might sound to anyone overhearing their conversation. Though this time Fabian was looking anything but chilly. Leaning even closer towards her—so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath skim across her mouth—he seemed suddenly fascinated by that particular part of her anatomy.

‘Would it surprise you to know that I was jealous of Giuseppe this afternoon? So jealous that I found it extremely hard to concentrate on anything else after I left you.’

‘Fabian … why isn’t Aurelia here?’

Her question, used to deflect the frighteningly intimate nature of his conversation, didn’t seem to particularly perturb him. Those broad shoulders of his, encased in exquisite tailoring, lifted in a nonchalant shrug. ‘She suddenly found that she had another engagement to go to.’

‘I wish—’

‘What is it you wish, Laura?’

‘I wish that you would tell me—’

‘Your eyes are full of questions … but we cannot discuss them now. I am afraid it might look like I am neglecting my guests if I just talk to you alone … as much as that is my preference.’

Giving her an enigmatic smile, he turned to the glamorous middle-aged mayor’s wife sitting on the other side of him, who was quite volubly announcing what a fantastic evening it had been and how she was already looking forward to the event next year.

‘Alla salute!’

‘What are we toasting?’

‘The welcome end to a very successful evening,

I think.’

As he pulled out a chair at a table for two, positioned on the terrace overlooking the olive groves, the peaceful Mediterranean night with its array of stars wrapped itself around them in a glittering dark stole. Fabian took a sip of his sambuca, savouring with pleasure the burst of warm aniseed that flooded his tastebuds. Opposite him, Laura took an experimental sip of the liqueur that was his personal favourite, and ran the tip of her tongue round her sweetly shaped top lip. A singular tightening gripped him low in his belly, and the quiet but forceful thrum of sexual need lit a match to his already heated blood.

Aurelia had done her best to entice him away to her own villa for the night, and had left in a huff when he’d refused her. But there was only one woman who interested Fabian enough right now for him to want to spend the night with, and that was the slender grey-eyed blonde, with her air of fragility yet uncommon strength too, in front of him.

‘Why welcome?’ she asked now, the thin stem of her liqueur glass positioned carefully between finger and thumb.

‘Because …’ he drawled, with a non-committal shrug. The protective wall he automatically employed when it came to his past had slammed into place. Now that the whole event was over there was a strong need in him to put it behind him and concentrate on the immediate future instead. A future in which he had certain hopes he was anxious would come to fruition.

‘Because what? Why won’t you talk to me about it?’

‘I would much rather talk about something else. Such as the proposal I made to you. Do you have an answer for me yet?’

Not welcoming the uncertainty that gripped him suddenly, Fabian broodingly examined Laura’s face, to try and ascertain whether her answer was going to be positive or negative. He strove hard to contain his own impatience. Sighing softly, she returned her glass to the table.

‘Before we discuss that, I’d like to know why you seemed so on edge about the concert. You indicated before that your father was cruel … Holding these concerts on his behalf must bring back some less than happy memories for you, I’m sure?’

‘Happy?’ he mocked. ‘That is not an adjective that I would use to describe anything remotely associated with my father! In our home, he ruled like a dictator!’ The words left him with all the brute force of a fist slamming into his gut. ‘No … remembering him does not make for happy memories, Laura! How could it? My mother and I were nothing but possessions to him … like ornaments he could move from room to room, or crush beneath his boot if he so willed!’

Tipping back his head, he drained the liqueur glass dry in one swallow. As the effect of the alcohol hit, Fabian let the still painful memories briefly resurface.

‘To the outside world he was a man to admire … to envy. He had power, wealth, a beautiful wife and a son. But to us he was everything opposite to that. He used to show me off to his friends, praise me and build me up in their presence so that they would see how devoted he was as a parent. But when we were alone again he would beat me for letting him down! For shaming him with my ingratitude and surly looks! My mother was worn down by his cruelty and disdain, and it was no surprise to me when she became ill. She never recovered. I think she was pleased to be leaving this world in the end, and going to a place where he could not follow!’

‘But surely she didn’t want to leave her only child behind with such a man? Oh, Fabian! Why didn’t she just leave him? Get a divorce so that the two of you could have had a better life without him?’

‘That was never a possibility. My mother did not believe in divorce. Her faith dictated that she had made her bed and she should lie in it, and so she suffered in silence …’ His lips twisted derisively, indicating he was a million miles away from agreeing to such useless and pointless sacrifice. ‘Although I am sure she did not believe that I should suffer too, she was probably too weary to fight what she saw as an inevitable conclusion to the whole sorry scenario. Anyway … Roberto would have killed her before he would ever let her humiliate him by leaving him … never mind allowing her to take me with her!’

At his words, the colour seemed to drain out of Laura’s face. He supposed a sensitive woman like her would be even more appalled by the brutish behaviour of a man like his father than most. Especially after what she had endured at the hands of her own bullying husband.

‘I feel for you, Fabian. Your childhood must have been a particularly tough one, having to deal with such a harsh situation.’

‘And that is why I intend to be a very different father to my own children. Which brings me back to the subject I would very much prefer to discuss.’

Refilling their glasses with more sambuca, Fabian was anxious to bring the topic to a swift and thankful close.

‘You have gone very quiet, Laura … is anything wrong?’

‘I am just sad that you suffered so as a child … I almost can’t bear to think of it!’ ‘You have a soft heart.’

The small boy hidden away inside him leapt in gratitude and recognition at the kindness in her words … Yet he could not let her see how deeply they affected him.

‘It’s human to empathise with another’s pain,’ Laura went on, ‘and if I had one wish it would be that no child in this world had to suffer! But if the harsh treatment from your father has made you vow to be a much better one … then something good can come out of it. I’ve learned that there are lessons in everything, and whether we like it or not adversity tempers us. All the illusions fall away, and we get to appreciate what’s important in life.’

For a woman so young, she had unexpected wisdom, and Fabian couldn’t help but silently affirm that when it came to choosing the perfect wife and mother of his children … he had surely made the right decision in asking Laura to fulfil that role.

‘By the way,’ she asked, ‘why did you kiss me onstage, in front of everybody?’

‘Because you looked like a rabbit caught in headlights, and I wanted to put you at ease.’

‘Oh …’

‘And it was also an ideal opportunity to let people know that I am personally interested in you. One more thing …’

‘What?’

‘You have a very sinful mouth, Laura … did you not know that?’

She blushed, as Fabian had known she would, but composed herself quickly. ‘There’s something else I need to ask you.’ Her bottom lip was suddenly coming under unfair treatment from her teeth. ‘Are you having an affair with Aurelia Visconti?’

He laughed harshly. As attractive and talented as the demanding diva might be, he had no desire to take their relationship any further than friendship—despite Aurelia’s many efforts to persuade him differently. Besides, she was far too showy and self-centred for his taste—and no doubt promiscuous too. He had already lived with a woman who was frighteningly similar. A woman who had done much more than just flirt with some of Fabian’s business associates behind his back, and who had made him look like the biggest fool who ever lived! No … considering the highly desirable qualities of the serene young woman in front of him, Aurelia posed no competition for his attention whatsoever. ‘No. I am not.’

‘So did she really have another engagement tonight, when she didn’t turn up for the supper party?’

‘The truth is she wanted me to spend the night with her and I refused,’ Fabian answered bluntly.

‘You weren’t tempted … not even for a moment? There was a lipstick mark at the side of your jaw.’ Seeing her uneasiness at relating this, Fabian felt a bolt of satisfaction rocket through him, and he had the sudden realisation she might be jealous.

‘Was there? The result of a very ordinary buonanotte between friends. That is all.’

‘I know the marriage you have proposed is somewhat different from the norm, Fabian … but I definitely could not tolerate my husband having an affair!’

‘I am not an unfaithful man, and there will be no need for an affair when we start to live together, Laura. You will be quite enough woman for me, I am sure!’

‘But—’

‘You doubt this?’ He frowned. ‘Let us try a little experiment, shall we?’

He was smiling as he left his chair and went over to draw her to her feet. Feeling her tremble, he dampened his forefinger with some sambuca from her glass, then traced the outline of her lips with aching slowness. The soft, shocked rasp of her breath feathered over him. Moulding his hands to the shape of her hips, he felt the sensuous fabric of her gown reveal the delicate but pleasingly sexy way she was made.

Immediately aroused, Fabian nonetheless did not allow the fiery burst of passion in his blood to dictate he demonstrate his hunger in a way that might be overwhelming. Instead, he kissed the woman in his arms with the same infinite patience and attention to detail as a dedicated watercolourist touching just the tip of his brush to a delicate petal on a stem. Stroking his palms over her breasts, he secretly thrilled to feel the instantaneous hardening of their previously soft tips against his skin. For a while he simply luxuriated in the deeply sensual pleasure this gave him, not wanting the delicious sensations to end, and soon the fire that had been simmering so provocatively within ignited into full powerful flame.

Drawing Laura hard against his chest, Fabian kissed her with every bit of need, want and lust that begged for fulfilment inside him. When he finally withdrew his mouth from hers, he saw with fierce satisfaction that her stunning grey eyes were drowsy and glazed with equal voracity and need.

‘I trust I have proved to you that you need not worry about other women as far as I am concerned, Laura? There is a powerful chemistry between us … si? A chemistry that will ensure that you are the one who will have all my attention once we are married!’ Possessively claiming her hips, he dragged her even closer to his aching, hard body.

‘Chemistry is one thing, Fabian,’ she replied, with a catch in her voice, her sweet perfume driving his already impossible desire to the point where it was almost too hard to contain, ‘but there is much more to a successful partnership or marriage than that.’

‘I understand you have concerns … but right now, Laura, I confess I have only one thing on my mind.’

‘But—’

‘Touch me.’

Taking her hand, he guided it down between their bodies to the erection behind the discreet zip fastening of his trousers, and heard her sharp intake of breath. But she didn’t pull her hand away. Fabian saw her bite her lip, as if battling to deny the demanding primal need that was clearly coursing through her veins too. He smiled lazily, knowing intuitively that this was a fight she had no chance of winning.

Lowering his voice seductively, he played with a wayward tendril of her hair. ‘In bed I will make all your worries melt away, sweet Laura, until you can think of nothing else but the pleasure we are giving each other!’

Gazing up at him with a vulnerability that suddenly arrowed straight into his temporarily unguarded heart, she softly replied, ‘That’s just what I’m afraid of.’

Settling his arm around her waist, Fabian drew her away from the enchanted terrace and down a network of quiet marble corridors to the cool, dimly lit enclave of his bedroom.

He’d stripped off his jacket, shirt and tie, and kicked off his shoes. His feet were bare once more, and no socks were in evidence. But Laura’s enthralled gaze did not linger on Fabian’s feet for long. Not when the stunning perfection of his firmly muscled chest, broad athletic shoulders and rock-hard stomach riveted her attention like some breathtaking vision suddenly appearing before her. He was so incredibly beautiful.

Confronted with the reality of this fact, Laura felt her apprehension at the thought of exposing her own wounded, less than perfect body to him make all her muscles clench with fear. She backed away until her legs came into contact with the huge sleigh bed with its burgundy silk sheets behind her. She gasped in surprise, and suddenly Fabian was there before her, smiling that deep slow smile into her shy eyes and making her dissolve even before he got her into bed.

He tipped up her chin. ‘I only want to make you feel good … There is nothing to fear.’

It was as though he had read her mind, and a jolt of surprise flashed through her. Transfixed, she watched as he lowered his head and, moving aside some of the fabric of her dress, pressed his lips onto the raised tissue of puckered skin that was revealed. She shook as though she would never stop. ‘Bella,’ he murmured.

She thought her heart would overflow. Bending lower, he reached for the hem of her dress and lifted it over her head without obstruction. The brush of silk travelling over Laura’s body seemed to inflame the heat that already seemed too hot to contain inside her. Her beautiful haute couture dress discarded, Fabian closed the gap between them and brought that incredible chest of his flush against hers. The sensation of skin against skin was like an electrical charge that made her dizzy. Everything in Laura ached to reach out and demand more.

Their intimate proximity seemed to have the same feverish effect on him. A little push and her bottom suddenly made contact with the sensual silk of the bedspread. Dropping down onto his haunches, Fabian carefully removed her shoes, unfastening their delicate emerald-green straps whilst all the while maintaining devastating eye contact with her hypnotised glance. Leaning over her where she sat, the tips of his tarnished gold hair tickling her skin, he dropped a provocative little kiss at the side of her mouth, then another one against her throat. The trembling that gripped her seemed to increase in magnitude.

Reaching for the zip of his trousers, he freed the waistband and swiftly removed them. He did the same with the ebony silk boxer shorts he wore underneath.

In awe, Laura gazed at the bronzed, firmly muscled toned skin that this action revealed, her mouth stripped of all moisture when she registered the startling evidence of his desire, and how generously he had been made.

With a knowing little smile, Fabian put his hand in the centre of her chest and tipped her back completely onto the bed. Just a brief second later and he was covering her with that incredible body, pressing her deep into the sensuous fabric beneath her, taking her mouth in a kiss that demanded everything she had to give and much more besides. With the most erotic of touches he skimmed his palms seductively across the bared satin surface of her breasts, his blue eyes intensely engaged by the sight of them. Then he lifted his head to look straight into Laura’s eyes.

‘You are so beautiful,’ he breathed.

‘When you look at me that way … I feel it,’ she replied, her heart racing. Mark had never told her she was beautiful … he’d always been too busy pointing out her inadequacies.

In another searing hard kiss Fabian’s demanding mouth met hers. His breath was hot and his tongue was erotically silky. Laura thought her desire would burst at the seams if he did not give her what she ached for soon. This man—this self-contained, unashamed denouncer of love, fighting a silent war with his past—this paradoxical man with his heavensent looks and melting eyes who longed for children of his own but not a wife he could love—had released something inside her she’d almost forgotten might be there. Something pent-up and necessary that she’d long suppressed throughout her devastatingly difficult and painful marriage to Mark.

Now, as Fabian murmured in her ear and then reached for the protection he had in his trouser pocket, she watched him roll it on over his aroused sex with bated breath. Returning to her swiftly, to drag her white silk panties urgently down over her legs, he moved her silken thighs apart with his knee and pressed deep inside her—filling and scalding her with his demanding length. Her back arched at the impact, heat ripping through her like a fire bent on consuming everything in its path, and she knew she would never forget their first intimate connection if she lived to be a hundred!

Laura clutched the smooth hard biceps that bulged like iron as he thrust into her, rocking her body in the primal rhythm of this most intimate act, secretly delighting in the feminine power that she wielded over him in that moment. It made her forget that she wasn’t beautiful all over, that she had scars that would be with her for the rest of her life … both inside and out. Fabian was murmuring seductively to her in his own passionate tongue, and although Laura did not understand everything he said, the sound and intense expression of the words made her blood sing. Willingly she surrendered to the avalanche of feelings that seemed to hold her in thrall and build inside her, and as he drove into her again and again, holding her fast against him, she was unable to stop herself from crying her pleasure out loud to the softly cloaked night.

‘You cannot hold back now, my beautiful Laura.’

‘Fabian … what you’re doing to me!’

‘Tell me …’ he whispered, before he put his mouth to her breast and sucked hard. ‘What am I doing?’

‘You’re making me … You’re making me—’

She gasped as waves of honeyed heat flowed violently through her and then, as they ebbed, turned into a sweet, languorous half-dream that meant she could barely bring herself to move. But at the same time she had the notion that she had never been more awake or aware in her entire life before.

‘Don’t move,’ Fabian ordered gruffly, before thrusting into Laura one last time and groaning his own intense satisfaction as his head fell forward between her breasts.

‘I couldn’t move even if I wanted to,’ she whispered, her lips edging into a smile.

‘Marry me,’ he said, raising his head, want and need flaring bright in his eyes.

A crescendo of longing swept through Laura’s heart. How could she think of refusing him when he was everything she’d ever dreamed of in a man? She might be judged weak and too reckless for words, accepting such a proposal from him, but her feelings had a life and a mind of their own, and they were far too powerful to ignore.

She thought about the small boy who’d suffered such a hurtful childhood—ill-treated by his father and losing his mother far too young—and at the same time she thought about Fabian’s need to redress the balance by being a good father to a child or children of his own. And Laura thought about her own fierce need to be a mother.

‘All right,’ she heard herself say. ‘I will.’

Lifting her hand, she stroked the thick tarnished gold strands of his temptingly silky hair, and he turned his lips into her palm and kissed her. Sensing her heart swell with emotion, she knew that she’d reached her decision long before he’d felt moved to ask her the question again.