The Italian's Secret Baby

Despite her sarcastic retort, actually his comment had made her feel a lot more positive. He was right—what did it matter if Sam was cranky or she looked like an unmade bed? The big picture wasn’t about first impressions.

‘Scary?’ The husky rasp of his voice brought her eyes back to his face. One corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile, and there was a warmth in his eyes that made her heart beat faster. ‘I think you’re delicious.’

Delicious!

The upward surge in her spirits and confidence lasted until she saw that the person on the horse had swept off her riding hat; wavy shoulder-length chestnut hair fell free, and it shone in the weak sun. She lifted the waves off her face with a gloved hand and Scarlet could see she was very pretty.

As Roman approached the horse began to dance around in an alarming fashion—at least it seemed alarming to Scarlet. Casually the rider controlled it. Roman patted the quivering animal’s neck as he came level with them.

The rider leaned down in her saddle and, with a hand behind Roman’s dark head, pressed her mouth to his. While Scarlet sat and watched the woman talking in an animated fashion to Roman the tight feeling in her chest got tighter and tighter.

She couldn’t remember Roman ever looking that relaxed and happy with her. Several times she threw back his head and laughed out loud.

‘That was lucky,’ he remarked as he slid back into the car and turned on the ignition. ‘I was hoping to bump into Sally.’

The name made Scarlet stiffen. It was several moments before she could trust herself to speak.

‘Sally,’ she repeated in a conversational tone. ‘Would that be the same Sally who left you at the altar?’

‘All forgotten.’

Scarlet smiled, her eyes trained on her intertwined white-knuckled fingers. ‘How civilised.’ The primitive emotions she was experiencing were anything but!

‘Well, we’re all grown-ups aren’t we? And life’s far too short to hold grudges. Do you ride?’

Scarlet’s head came up. ‘Horses?’

‘Horses,’ he agreed, looking amused by her horrified expression.

‘I can’t ride.’

‘You’ll be able to see the house around the next bend. Pity you can’t ride—you could have come out with me and Sally tomorrow morning.’

‘You’re going riding with her?’

‘Is that a problem?’

Scarlet released a slow, fractured hiss. ‘You bet it’s a problem.’

Roman glanced at her rigid profile and stopped the car. He released his seat belt and turned his body to face her. ‘Do you mind elaborating on that statement?’

‘The fact I need to just goes to prove what a totally insensitive bastard you are. Damn!’ she cursed, tears starting in her eyes.#p#????#e#

‘Let me.’ Roman leaned across her, his arms brushing against her aching breasts as he released the seat-belt catch her trembling fingers had been unable to cope with. His warmth, the scent of his body, his nearness—they all conspired to fill Scarlet with an aching longing that went bone-deep.

She held herself rigid until he had straightened up.

‘So what’s the problem?’ he asked, in a here-we-go-again tone that sent her temper through the roof.

‘We’ll put all that guff you gave me about fidelity to one side for a minute, because I didn’t believe a word of it anyhow,’ she revealed contemptuously.

‘Is that fact?’ Low and without expression, his voice still managed to leave her in no doubt that he didn’t like what he was hearing.

Her chin went up defiantly. If she started screening everything she said for his approval rating she’d probably never open her mouth again.

‘There are limits to even my gullibility, you know.’

His nostrils flared as he sucked in a breath; his golden chiselled features were a taut mask of anger. She felt despair as she realised that even now his compelling male beauty had the power to touch her deeply.

‘But not your stupidity.’

‘My stupidity? You’re the one who expects your family to take us getting married seriously when the moment you arrive you’re riding off into the hills with the love of your life!’

‘Are we talking about Sally?’

‘How many loves of your life are there?’

He gave her a black look. ‘Only one.’

The crushing confirmation was like a body-blow. Her pride wouldn’t let him see how much she was hurting. ‘Am I supposed to turn a blind eye?’

‘To what?’

‘To what? You kissed her!’ She stuffed her fist into her mouth to stop the sob that was trying to escape.