Page 26 of Unveiled As The Italian's Bride
‘Turn around, Kate, and let me put it around your neck.’
‘What if I lose it?’
‘You won’t lose it.’
‘What if it...falls...breaks? It must be worth a fortune.’
‘It’s insured,’ Dante said kindly. ‘But it won’t fall, and where will you lose it?’
‘Anywhere! I might be leaning over the side of your yacht! I’ve never in my entire life been on a yacht before. What if I’m seasick?’
‘Over the side of the yacht? I’m not seeing it, personally. If you feel nauseous, then I’ll be right by your side—no problem. I’ll deliver you in one piece to the rest room. Probably a better bet than running for the side of the boat. Besides—and small point of order—it’s going to be stationary.’
‘You’re being sarcastic.’
‘You’re making it hard for me not to laugh.’
‘I’m not used to all of this!’
‘I’ll be right there by you. We’re in this together. I’m not going to abandon you to whatever fate has in store, trust me. Now, turn around and let’s get this done or we’ll be late.’ He leant into her and whispered with amusement, his breath warm against her neck, ‘Although, I’m guessing you wouldn’t say no to buying time...’
Nerves shredding at the feel of his warm breath on her, Kate hastily spun round to feel his cool fingers on her neck as he expertly clasped the priceless necklace securely. Then he walked her over to the gilt mirror on the wall and stood behind her, watching her as she gazed at the diamonds encircling her neck, tentatively touching it in disbelief.
Oddly, this simple gesture made Dante’s heart swell with a certain amount of pride.
‘It’s a family heirloom,’ he said, his eyes briefly dropping to a tiny mole on the back of her neck before meeting and holding her gaze in the mirror. ‘Belonged to the family on my mother’s side. It wasn’t quite ornate enough for my ex-wife’s taste, so it’s remained vaulted until now. It suits you—your outfit—perfectly.’
He stood back but it was suddenly an effort to look away. ‘We should go.’ He cleared his throat and spun round on his heels, breaking the fragile connection between them and striding towards the front door.
Caught up in a magical moment for a few seconds, Kate briskly walked towards him, allowed him to help her with the shawl and then shoved her arms into the sleeves of the coat before hurriedly tightening it around herself. She could still see the image of his dark head as he had knelt at her feet, fiddling with the thin straps of the sandals while she had done her best not to pass out.
It was cool in the night air and—in keeping with a phoney relationship, with no effort being necessary unless there were witnesses around—Dante spent much of the drive on the phone, switching languages as he discussed business, while Kate stared out of the window as the sleek car ate up the miles towards Venice.
She didn’t quite know what to expect. The one thing she did know, however, was that she had to play it as cool as he did. It hadn’t escaped her notice that, while she had been in a state of nervous freefall when he had stepped close to her, when his fingers had brushed the back of her neck and feathered against her foot, he had remained as cool as a cucumber.
Nor had it escaped her that he had, in passing, paid a compliment about her dress, but had he told her that she looked okay? Not a bit of it. She looked the part, and that was the key thing.
And why was that? Because he didn’tseeher—not really. Not in the way her treacherous eyes sawhim.Not in the stupid, crazy ways that made her shiver, gave her goose bumps, made her go weak and sparked a tingle between her legs that was shameful but pleasurable.
Venice at night was stunning, a kaleidoscope of light reflecting off water, shifting and changing so that the elegant ancient buildings gazing into the canals looked other-worldly and mysterious. A city of possibilities, drenched in romance. The air was still and cold.
They were delivered to a water-taxi that was waiting for them. As she stepped out of the car, sliding past Dante’s driver, who had whipped round to open the door for her, Kate felt very much like the woman that she had never imagined being. She felt like Cinderella, with the pumpkin banished to the shadows, replaced with a carriage. And gone were the chain-store clothes, swapped for the finery of a princess: the diamonds; the silk and cashmere... Borrowed clothes for a borrowed person who would, in due course, be returned to her own world, where she belonged.
But for now...? He was right. She had entered a different world—hisworld—and this was her new uniform.
Until the time came for her to give it all back.
The canals were so much calmer by night, and the bridges looking down at the waterways were so softly lit that it made Kate think of how it must have looked centuries ago, filled with dark corners and intrigue.
She could feel the warm weight of Dante’s thigh against hers as they were taken to where his yacht was moored.
‘There.’
Lost in thought and absorbed by the dark, shifting scenery, Kate started at his warm breath against her cheek and followed to where he was gazing.
‘Your yacht.’
‘Does it live up to expectation?’ Dante glanced across to her, taking in her soft, delicate profile, and feeling her nerves, even though she hadn’t said a word. He had worked in the car on the way but he had been aware of her next to him, gazing out of the window, and he would be lying if he didn’t admit that he’d wondered what was going through her head.
