The Italian's Wife

'When did he learn to do that?' Rio demanded.

"That's the first time he's managed it.'

Clasping the cot bars, big blue eyes very wide, looking as surprised as

a baby could be at finding himself fully vertical, Timothy gave them a

huge grin. But then he made the strategic error of letting go of the top

bar and he fell back onto his bottom with a howl of disappointment.

With a husky laugh of amusement, Rio lifted Timothy up into his arms.

'You were brilliant...Mum and I were really impressed!'

After that excitement, it took a while to persuade Timothy back into the

notion of going to sleep but eventually tiredness won the day.

'Mum and Dad will be home soon,' Holly told Rio at

the top of the stairs.

'No, they won't be. They're spending the night in a local

hotel-'

Holly blinked in confusion. 'I beg your pardon?'

'I made my first visit here yesterday afternoon while you were out

shopping with Timothy,' Rio confided rather tautly. 'Your parents

invited me in and gave me the third degree. They suggested I visit this

evening when they would be out, but they were worried that that wouldn't

give us long enough to talk over our differences-'

'I don't believe this...Mum and Dad didn't breathe a word to me!' Holly

gasped.

'It was spelt out to me that I was going to have a battle persuading you

to come back to me, so I came up with the

hotel idea-'

'Putting them out of their own home?' Holly exclaimed in dismay.

'They've never stayed in a hotel in their lives!'

'I know...they told me.' Rio smiled down at her with considerable

amusement. 'And your mother was thrilled at

the prospect.'

'You are so sneaky. You got them on your side-'

'We're quits. You've got my mother on yours.' Rio

traded wryly.

'Like heck I have-'

'Is this your bedroom? Oh, I love all the flowers and the frills,' Rio

teased, grasping her hand and tugging her inch by Inch over the

threshold and closing the door.

He meshed his fingers slowly into her bronze ringlets, beautiful dark

golden eyes bright with adoring intensity as he gazed down at her. He

brought his mouth down with immense tenderness on hers and she trembled.

Less patient, she pushed forward into the sleek, hard, familiar strength

of his muscular frame. It felt so good just to be held but

180

even more glorious to know that she was truly loved and to feel the

unmistakable shudder of response that went through him as she kissed him

back.

'You are so beautiful and I love you so much it hurts,' he husked

against her reddened lips, his breath fanning her cheekbone. 'And every

time I think that I might never have met you it terrifies the life out

of me, amore.'

'I love you too,' she moaned, shamelessly eager to express that love,

hands sliding beneath his sweater to glide over his hard ribcage, making

him jerk against her and haul her even closer.

And then the excitement took over and clothes were shed with breathless

energy between frantic bouts of kissing. There was a whole extra

dimension to their loving, for they had spent three utterly miserable

weeks apart, and being together again felt like a very special gift. In

the aftermath of the passion, they lay locked together, full of peace

and contentment.

Holly struggled to recall what they had been talking about earlier and

blushed at the ease with which she had forgotten that conversation.

'What was that you said about your mother being on my side?' she

whispered curiously.

'She came up to London because she was upset about the way she'd treated

you, and that's how I found out that you'd met Christabel,' Rio

explained lazily, propping himself up on one elbow to gaze down at her.

'So, when my parent discovered that you'd already walked out on me, all

I got was a very humiliating lecture about how she wasn't at all

surprised. How could you tell her that I said I might get fond of you?'

Helpless amusement filtered through Holly, for she was now remembering

that Alice Lombardi had said that the only explanation for her son's

behaviour was that he had fallen madly in love with her. 'Serves you right.'

Rio dealt her a rueful scrutiny. 'I never did apologise for letting you

go down to the Priory alone. It's just that my mother does rather

dramatise events, bella mia-'

'You told her nothing about me-'

'I told her everything in London. She had the smelling salts out, but

you now stand high in her estimation as the female who rescued me from a

scarlet woman and saved the family name from scandal,' he told her with

a wicked grin. 'When she heard you'd been taking Italian lessons she was

even more convinced I didn't deserve you-'

'How did you find out about them?' Holly gasped and then she groaned.

'Oh, no, I forgot to cancel them!'

'Relax. Your teacher phoned and I used the same excuse with her that I

used for our nanny's benefit. Family emergency. I couldn't tell anyone

that you might not be returning because I couldn't face that

possibility,' Rio confided.

'If you'd told me the truth about your broken engagement it would never

have happened...'

His darkly handsome features tensed. 'I didn't want you thinking less of

me,' he muttered tautly.

'Think less of you? How?'

Dark colour now scored his superb cheekbones. 'I just thought you'd

think less of me if you knew the truth. My fiancée turning to another

woman... It may sound stupid to you, but I was afraid it might take the

stars out of your eyes when you looked at me,' he finally completed in a

distinct tone of embarrassment.

'And you liked the stars?'

Rio nodded in serious and steady confirmation.

'I still have the stars.' Holly linked her arms round him and loved him

more than she had ever loved him for admitting that to her. So there he

was, totally gorgeous and sexy and everything she had ever dreamt of,

and yet he could suffer from insecurity too.

182

'I'm crazy about you, tesoro mio. You be sure to tell me if you ever

find those stars blinking out.'

'You'll have to spoil me rotten...'

'No problem. Spoiling you usually means spoiling me too.' Rio gav

e her

his husky, sexy laugh and eased her back into more intimate connection

with him again.

Holly was entirely hooked on the message of loving intent in his

possessive gaze. Just as well he didn't know how many stars there

were...enough to last two lifetimes, she thought happily. And then he

kissed her and the stars turned into fireworks again and she thought no

more.

Eighteen months later, Holly glanced into the nursery at the town house

to see Alice Lombardi literally swamped with young children. Seated

between the twins' cots with Timothy on her knee, her mother-in-law was

reading a story out loud.

Timothy was almost two and a half years old and, only the day before,

Holly and Rio's dearest wish had come true. Jeff had not contested their

application and the court had granted the adoption order. Alice had

flown over from Florence simply to attend the hearing. Rio was now

officially Timothy's adoptive father and Timothy had the same right to

the Lombardi name as his baby sisters, Amalia and Battista. They had all

celebrated with a special dinner the night before.