Giorganni's Proposal

But it was not so easy to shut off her troubled thoughts. She was dreading tomorrow—the whole weekend! To pretend she was just a friend of Dex without putting her foot in it was well beyond her acting capabilities, she feared. Her godfather Paul was an astute man; he knew her better than anyone. Still, she thought hopefully, Paul had a lot more to worry about than Beth. His new bride—the ceremony—his black eye!

Beth groaned and buried her head in the pillow. In her mind's eye she saw Dex's handsome face contorted by rage, and poor Paul laid out on the ground. In a way it was partly her fault. If she had refused the wedding invitation it would never have happened. But then again Dex was a very Latin male. He saw himself as the protector of the females in his family. Hadn't he just told her quite emphatically he felt entitled to slug Paul to uphold the honour of his sister? Whether he thought Beth was a threat to his sister or not. The truth was probably somewhere in between, and on that disturbing thought she finally fell into a restless sleep.

The small church decked out in flowers and ribbons was the perfect setting for a perfect wedding. Beth sighed, her green eyes misty, and brushed a tear from her cheek. Anna, looking stunningly beautiful in a cream silk suit overlaid with lace, and wearing a matching wide- brimmed hat with a short veil over her eyes, made her responses clear and true, as did Paul.

Suddenly a large hand holding a white hanky appeared in front of Beth. She glanced sideways at Dex, and took the hanky. 'Thank you,' she murmured. He looked incredibly sleek and handsome in a silver-grey three-piece suit that exactly matched his eyes, and she hastily looked away and dabbed at her moist eyes.

'Emotional little thing, aren't you?' Dex murmured, while staring straight ahead.

'Better than being a heartless swine,' Beth murmured under her breath. Her head bent as she folded the hanky into a perfect square and thrust it back at him without comment.

Dex pressed his large hand over hers. 'Time to leave, I think.'

Sure enough, the bride and groom were halfway down the aisle on their way out, followed by the best man, to whom Paul had introduced Beth earlier as the manager of his Italian estate. Beth frowned, remembering the rest of the conversation. Paul had also informed her that Dex was to take care of Beth for the wedding ceremony and the rest of the weekend. Which was why she had ended up stuck next to Dex in the front pew of the church.

Dex stood up, still holding Beth's hand, urged her to her feet and escorted her down the aisle. But as soon as they got outside Beth dodged behind the main wedding party and tried to lose herself in the crowd. If this was a small Italian wedding, she thought ruefully, sidling along the side of the church, hoping to escape attention, then heaven knew what a large wedding was like. It seemed to her everyone on the island had turned out. Not to mention the shock she had received earlier.

She had awoken to a house full of caterers, managing to grab a bite to eat in the kitchen and a cup of coffee before making herself scarce by exploring the terraced gardens. To her surprise, the terraces led right down to the sea and a private mooring. There, a sleek yacht had been tying up, with a couple of dozen very elegant people on board. Not wanting to be seen, she had hidden behind a large bush and watched as Dex appeared, already dressed formally for the wedding, and greeted the guests. Beth had dashed back to the house and was frantically getting ready when Paul had walked into the room. She'd mentioned the boat to him. Apparently the guests had been accommodated in a luxury hotel in Sorrento for the night, prior to attending the wedding.

'Hello, lady in red.'

Lost in thought, Beth jumped and turned her head. A ginger-haired man of about forty, with an open freckled face, smiled down at her. She recognised his voice immediately; it was indelibly printed on her brain.

'I'm Bob, and red is my colour—as you can see. Put me out of my misery and tell me your name,' he demanded, his blue eyes lit with amusement and a very masculine interest.

Beth grinned. She couldn't help it; there was something boyishly appealing about him. 'Bethany.' She offered her small hand.

'No rings,' Bob murmured, turning her hand over and lifting it to his lips. 'Better and better. I missed the wedding, but I have a feeling I am really going to enjoy the reception.' Beth chuckled. He was the most outrageous flirt.

'Bob. Where the hell were you?' Dex's hard voice interrupted the harmless banter.

Beth's hand was dropped like a hot potato and Bob's blue eyes flicked assessingly from Dex to Beth and back to Dex again. 'The flight from New York was delayed— everything backed up. Sorry I missed the wedding.'

'I'll see you later,' Dex said curtly, and, turning his back on Bob, let his steely gaze fall on Beth. 'Paul wants you in the family photograph,' he said, and, slipping a long arm over her shoulders, turned her back towards the wedding group.

'All right. You don't have to drag me,' Beth snapped, resenting his arm around her, and resenting even more the way it made her feel.

His fingers tightened on her shoulder and his dark head inclined towards hers. 'A word of warning.' His breath brushed against her cheek, and she tensed. 'Don't waste your feminine wiles on Bob. He is far too smart to get caught.'

Beth gritted her teeth, ignoring his deliberate insult. 'Truce, remember?' she said, looking up into his unsmiling face.

'I remember. And I remember the first time I saw you in that suit.' His grey eyes raked down over her body, bringing a blush to her cheeks. 'You wore it today deliberately to get at me. I am not a fool Beth, so don't take me for one,' he drawled hardily.

'Dexter, caro.'' The bridesmaid, a tall, elegant dark- haired girl, a friend of Anna, called to him, and Beth was spared from replying as Dex let her go and walked over to the girl.

Beth drew a ragged breath and smoothed the short skirt of her red suit down over her hips. She had vowed not to wear it again after the first time, when Dex had stripped it off her. But she was a realist. She had spent a fortune on the suit a month ago, and she had nothing else remotely suitable for an autumn wedding, and no money to buy anything new. But having Dex remind her was more than she could bear, and she felt the prick of tears behind her eyes—tears of self-pity, she knew.

But then Paul reached out to her and pulled her to his side. 'Come on, Beth, I need you to detract from my black eye.'

Forcing a smile to her flushed face, Beth wished the happy couple good luck. Then quickly the official photographer arranged the group. The photographs were taken amidst what Beth surmised were a lot of ribald comments on how the groom had got his black eye.

She tried to slip back into the crowd when the photographer had finished, but again she was foiled.

'You're coming in the car with me,' Dex said, taking her elbow and urging her to the waiting line of cars.

It got no better when they reached the villa. Paul and Anna greeted all the guests in the grand hail, and an elegant major-domo led everyone to the tables set out in the magnificent dining room. Beth was at the head table.

The caterers had been busy since the crack of dawn, and it was a typical Italian meal that went on for hours and hours. The food was excellent, but Beth tasted very little of it. She felt as if she was on display, and with Dex once again seated next to her she was intensely aware of every move he made. The champagne flowed like water, the talk was loud and happy—not that Beth understood it—and Dex played his part to perfection. He included her in the conversation by offering instant translations, he smiled and was unfailingly polite. But only she could see the ice in his eyes when he spoke to her.