‘Not all pleasure is sex, Daniela,’ he scolded, his eyes wicked and full of mischief.
He smiled down at her as they reached the top step, then turned to look up at the house—and his entire body suddenly froze.
Dani bumped straight into his muscular back, clinging to the material of his shirt to stop herself from toppling backwards, down the way they’d come. ‘Valerio, what on earth—’
She gasped out the breath she’d sucked in, and then followed his narrowed gaze to see a small gathering of people on the upper deck, peering down at them with interest.
‘Is that your brother up there?’ Dani spotted Rigo Marchesi, smiling down at them, and by his side she was pretty sure were Valerio’s mother and father.
Valerio cursed something in fierce Italian under his breath, gripping her hand tighter and hauling her up by his side. ‘We might have to hold off on the pleasure. It appears that my family have invited themselves to our wedding.’
CHAPTER TEN
IT TRANSPIRED THAT his family, namely his mother, had arrived to perform an intervention of sorts.
Valerio held his annoyance in check by a thin thread, his gaze anxiously seeking out his fiancée throughout dinner as she was practically interrogated over their sudden alliance and why they’d selfishly kept it hidden for so long. He felt the tension building between his brows as he watched his mother and sister-in-law fawn over Dani’s engagement ring at the opposite end of the table. The three women had barely stopped talking—and his mother was asking question after question about what exactly they’d planned for the wedding. He had been a fool to think that Renata Marchesi would pass up the chance to be mother of the groom a second time.
His father had been his usual reserved self throughout dinner so far, but Valerio’s brother, Rigo, had more than made up for it with his subtle ribbing about how relaxed and well-rested Valerio looked.
‘I hope we haven’t interrupted anything here between you and your fiancée?’ Rigo said now, raising one dark brow as he took a sip of red wine.
‘Should your wife be flying all this way at this stage in her pregnancy?’ Valerio changed the subject swiftly.
‘She’s still in her second trimester. We decided to have the older girls minded and treat ourselves to a romantic weekend before the baby arrives.’ Rigo raised his glass to his wife, meeting her eyes across the table for one heated moment.
Valerio cleared his throat pointedly. ‘A pity you couldn’t have taken your romantic weekend somewhere else, rather than ruining my private elopement,’ Valerio said, feeling a strange mixture of discomfort and awe at the fact his family had taken the time to fly all this way.
Nicole Marchesi stood up and moved to take the seat beside her husband. ‘Dani’s friend Hermione has already told us the truth about your trip here.’
Dani froze at the end of the table. ‘Hermione has spoken to you?’
‘She styled our wedding years ago, and we’ve kept in touch. She’s horrified about the whole thing. Really, Valerio, I can’t believe you.’
Valerio felt heat creep up the back of his neck. ‘You don’t understand the whole situation, and I didn’t want to worry you.’
‘I understand very well.’ His mother stood up, censure in her tone. ‘Romantic elopement? You didn’t even book a proper venue to say your vows, for goodness’ sake. It’s a disgrace!’
‘Papà thinks you’ve got your fiancée pregnant.’ Rigo’s eyes twinkled.
Valerio exhaled slowly and saw Dani’s shoulders drop with relief. Her friend clearly hadn’t told his family the whole story—just enough to ensure this intervention of sorts.
‘I know my son.’ Renata turned to Dani, shaking her head. ‘He’s an impulsive fool, which might seem romantic right now, but he doesn’t think things through. Per l’amore di Dio, I don’t care if she’s pregnant or not. You’re on one of the most romantic islands in the world and you were going to get married in a courthouse?’
Valerio had tensed at the word ‘impulsive’, hating it that his family fully expected him to be running off for a shotgun wedding. Clearly they still painted him as a wild fool. But they knew nothing of his life—only what he allowed them to see.
‘Daniela is not pregnant. We were just trying to keep things small and intimate.’
He groaned inwardly, knowing that calculating look in his mother’s eyes all too well. She wasn’t deliberately trying to be unkind. She was big on creating memories, ensuring beautiful moments were made at important events. To Renata Marchesi, very little would seem more important than ensuring her second son got married in a way that befitted their family name.
‘Small and intimate?’ She nodded. ‘I can do that. Just give me twenty-four hours.’
As his brother let out a bark of laughter, Valerio pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He should have expected this. His parents’ wedding was still talked about and they had been married for thirty-five years. They had stood together to watch their oldest son say his vows in a spectacular ceremony at a French chateau, and were now feeling the joy of welcoming grandchildren into their growing family.
How could he tell them that he didn’t want an audience for what was only going to be a short-lived venture—another perceived failure to add to his ever-growing list? He couldn’t tell them about the nature of his marriage to Dani without revealing the danger she was in. Maybe some day he would tell them the truth, but right now he had no choice but to go along with the charade.
The evening wound down in companionable conversation, with Rigo taking a moment apart from the others to quietly update him on the plans he’d put in place to tie up Daniela’s inheritance and ask what progress had been made on the investigation.
After a while they joined the women on the terrace, and Valerio was once again drawn back into the charade of normal family life. He rested his arm across Dani’s shoulders, feeling her settle her weight against him.