The Italian's Price

And he wanted to marry her! Leaning against the chipped enamel draining board misty-eyed and moony at that world-shaking prospect the tea forgotten the shouts and grunts of the three men who were humping the ancient sofa down the narrow staircase receding, her imagination conjured up a blissful image of her wedding day, her fabulous dress-all white and floaty, or maybe satin and sleek-the clearest image of all that of Cesare looking stunningly fantastic his dark head turned his eyes drenched with love as she walked towards him up the aisle- ‘MiIly ! ' She tensed breath locked in her lungs, hazy romantic images dispelled by something so immediate and real it set her heart racing.

Only one man made her plain ordinary name sound special. Only one man's voice could send shivers of delight skittering down her spine.

Cesare!

Galvanized, she fled from the kitchen and hurtled down the wooden staircase, erupting into his open arms with a squeal of welcoming delight. The sound was stopped right there in her throat as he lowered his dark head and kissed her with a ravishing thoroughness that left her feeling helplessly dizzy.

‘I needed that cara ' he at last announced with husky conviction holding her by her upper arms so that he could look at her properly.

‘Bella, bella. Perfection' Lushly veiled eyes drifted over the elegant pale lemon-coloured linen suit she had chosen to travel in with its waist clipping jacket and narrow knee-length skirt. 'You choose well when not constrained by near poverty,' he approved his eyes homing in on the swell of her breasts hinted at by the classy cut of the jacket.

Milly squirmed, her lovely face flushing uncomfort

ably. She so didn't want him to think she was greedy, out for all she could get! But this suit had cost an arm and a leg and, dithering over it, severely tempted, Cleo had dealt the knockout blow. 'You must have it. It's perfect for youl' And the amount of credit on the card Cesare had set up for her was mind boggling.

‘Sally and I had a day in London before the wedding,' she confessed. ‘I had my hair done.' And that had cost a small fortune she recalled her blush reviving with a vengeance as she relived the guilt that had swamped her when she'd seen the size of the bill.

In the past she had slipped out in her lunch hour and Marjorie in the salon just up the road had cut it for her for a minute fraction of the cost. But she had to admit that the London guy had done a much better job.

'And I bought a few things. Not too many, I promise ' she ended on an uncomfortable whisper.

‘Amore mie-' He dropped a kiss on her luscious mouth. 'What is mine is yours.' He smiled into her wide emerald eyes. ‘As my wife you will have the best. I expect it. No, I demand it,' he stated firmly, moving her aside as one of the removal men clattered down the stairs with the rolled up rug that had softened the bare boards of the tiny bedroom set aside for Jilly's use.

‘We found the tea Iuv' He gave her a broad wink and Cesare enquired ‘how much longer'?'

‘Jush finishing, gov.'

Cesare glanced at the slim gold watch that banded his flat wrist. ‘Five minutes, tops.'

Receiving an assurance, he turned his attention to Milly. ‘Ready to leave?'

‘I've just got to fetch my case.' A new one to hold the lovely things she'd bought. She felt her cheeks turn pink again and hurriedly informed herself that he seemed fine about her spending some of his money, so she really had nothing to feel guilty about.

One day soon she was going to have to make him understand that his wealth meant nothing to her. She'd marry him if he was a pauper and she'd happily go out scrubbing floors to put bread on the table! Mounting the stairs at a rush, she wondered what the hurry meant. That he couldn't wait to be alone with her? Her heart beat faster. In one of his recent phone calls to his grandmother he had probably heard that today she would be packing up and leaving the flat and had dropped everything to be with her.

Wondering if he could get a seat on her flight back to Italy tomorrow, she decided that his all-fired rush to get out of here at least meant she didn't have the time to get maudlin over the sad memories she was leaving behind. That was all to the good since she had such a blissful future to look forward to.

He took the case from her the moment her feet touched the bottom stair and, while she was locking the outer door and posting the key back through the letter box for the landlord to collect, she smiled up at him through the drizzle. ‘I didn't expect you. I'm so glad you came.'

‘Nonna told me you were due back at Pisa Airport tomorrow. I cut into my itinerary and took the chance that you would still be here. There is a chauffeured limo waiting to take us to the airport. The company jet's ready to fly us south.'

‘My! You certainly know how to whisk a girl off her feet' She grinned up at him, feeling immensely privileged and proud to be about to be married to a guy who only had to click his fingers to have his needs of the moment catered to immediately. The sort of guy whose personal magnetism made him stand head and shoulders above the rest regardless of wealth and standing.

He didn't return her smile. His classically gorgeous features were stamped in stern mould and shaken she voiced a sudden fear. ‘Is anything wrong? Filomena'?'

‘Nonna is fine.' He hooked an arm around her shoulders and began pacing towards a sleek silver limo. 'Your sister has finally been located. Working in Naples. I am here to take you to her.'

‘I don't see why I shouldn't go to her now ' Milly stated as Cesare emerged from the en suite bathroom rubbing his hair with a towel. She turned from watching the brilliant sunset from the enormous soundproof windows of the luxurious modern hotel room he had brought her to explaining that although there were older more atmospheric places he could have chosen Naples was a noisy city and such raucous bombardment of their auditory senses would not be conducive to a decent night's rest adding with a slashing grin that made her heart flip that a decent night's rest wasn't his top priority.

'The morning would be best.' He tossed the towel aside.

Milly sighed. He looked heartbreakingly gorgeous with his damp dark hair mussed, his impressive torso delineated by a black T-shirt that topped beautifully cut stone-coloured chinos. She quelled the immediate urge to go to him snuggle up, forget everything else. She had an entirely valid point to make.

‘She'II be at work in the morning.'

'She's working now.' He paced to her rubbed a light fingertip over the frown line between her eyes. 'Your sister now rejoices in the name of Jacinta Le Bouchard and works as an exotic dancer and hostess in the type of nightclub I wouldn't expect or want you to go near.'

Milly felt her spine crumple. The hostess bit was obviously a euphemism, judging by the way his mouth had flattened with distaste. Surely her poor sister hadn't been reduced to selling her body to any man willing to hand over a fistful of money? No wonder that during the flight over he had said little more on the subject other than that his investigator had tracked Jilly down to Naples, reiterating his promise that she would have time alone with her twin initially in order to break the news of the loss of their mother but that he would then give her the lecture of her life, although he did not intend to press charges of theft.