Phantom Marriage

by Penny Jordan

  He shrugged. ‘I can’t help it. I like physical challenges.’

  ‘Perhaps you should stick to less risky ones.’

  ‘Like making love all night, perhaps?’

  Their eyes locked, Veronica seeing the sizzling hunger in his, knowing that her own eyes were just as hungry.

  It was fortuitous that the entree arrived at that moment, a steaming pasta dish with bacon, aubergine and mushroom. Veronica welcomed the opportunity to look away from Leonardo’s hot gaze.

  ‘This is delicious,’ she said after a couple of mouthfuls. ‘Glad it’s just a small serving, though. It’s rather filling.’

  ‘That’s why I ordered grilled swordfish for the main, with just a light salad. I wanted to leave some room for dessert.’

  Veronica winced. ‘I hope it’s not as fattening as that dessert your mother served me last night.’

  ‘Not quite.’

  When it finally arrived, Veronica gave him a droll look.

  ‘You are such a liar,’ she said as she eyed the large custard-filled pastry served with a huge dollop of whipped cream. But it was too mouth-watering to resist. Just like Leonardo.

  ‘I thought you might need some extra calories to survive the night ahead,’ he drawled.

  Veronica tried to think of a witty comeback but she couldn’t, her mind having gone blank at his provocative remark.

  The dessert was followed by coffee which would have brought Lazarus back from the dead, and which left Veronica feeling quite hyped up. But underneath the caffeine-induced buzz lay some very female nerves. Silly, really, given she’d loved their passionate encounter last night.

  But this was different, wasn’t it? Last night had been brilliant but spontaneous. To plan sex, to anticipate it as she had done all day, was not conducive to calm. It was like sitting an important exam. No matter how many times you’d done exams before, no matter how much you’d studied the subject, there was always that fear of something cropping up that would throw you.

  Best leave everything up to him, Veronica determined as he paid the bill then steered her out to another waiting taxi. He obviously knows what to do. He’s had enough practice.

  The flight back to Capri was still a welcome distraction, Veronica taking photographs of absolutely everything.

  ‘Mum’s going to want to come here for a holiday after I send her these,’ she said at one point.

  ‘Then she should,’ Leonardo replied. ‘She can stay at the villa.’

  ‘It’ll be your villa soon.’

  ‘True.’

  ‘She could stay at the Hotel Fabrizzi,’ Veronica said with a mischievous glance. ‘I can recommend it.’

  ‘Would you come with her?’

  ‘Probably. But if I did we wouldn’t stay at your parents’ hotel. Sophia might think I’d come back to see you and start matchmaking again.’

  When he just shrugged at that, she shook her head at him. ‘You really shouldn’t encourage her, you know. She honestly thinks you’re in the market for a wife.’

  ‘I’ve found that to argue with Mamma only encourages her more. Besides, I will be in the market for a wife. One day. When the right girl comes along,’ he added in a drily amused voice.

  She snorted at that. ‘Your mamma will be long gone by then. You are a cruel man, Leonardo.’

  ‘Not at all,’ he denied. ‘I am a very kind man. But at the moment I’m also a very single man. And enjoying it,’ he added with the wickedest glance thrown her way.

  A sexually charged shiver rippled down her spine, heat spreading through her lower body. Her nipples hardened and her belly tightened. All from just a look.

  Oh, my.

  ‘Go back to taking your photographs, Veronica,’ he ordered thickly. ‘And I’ll go back to making sure we get down safely. There’s a strong wind blowing over Capri and this is a very light machine.’

  He got them down safely, but he was right about the wind. It whipped her hair into a right mess on the way to the waiting taxi, which thankfully wasn’t Franco’s. No way did she want to make idle conversation with Franco who, she suspected, was somewhat of a gossip.

  Finger-combing her hair into some semblance of order, she climbed into the taxi ahead of Leonardo, who told the driver to take them to the Hotel Fabrizzi. She winced at this, not wanting to endure talking to any of Leonardo’s family, especially not his mother.

  ‘It’s all right,’ he whispered to her. ‘Mamma will be busy inside. You can dash off up the path to the villa and I’ll follow shortly. I just have to collect a few things for my overnight stay.’

  ‘But what will they all think?’ she whispered back.

  He shrugged again, that dismissive shrug he used a lot. ‘I refuse to live my life by other people’s expectations. Now, hush up.’

  She fell silent then. And so did he.

  It was only a short drive from the helipad to the hotel. But the silence made it seem longer. It was so sexy, that silence, sending Veronica’s head spinning with desire. By the time they turned into the courtyard she was agitated beyond belief. She hurried out of the taxi then rushed away from him, under the pergola and up the steep steps. She didn’t look back. She knew he would soon come after her; knew they would soon be together.

  Another erotic shiver raced through her as she dived into the pot to retrieve the front-door key. No, not a shiver this time. A shudder. The kind of bone-shaking shudder that a floundering ship might make. It reminded Veronica of her earlier idea that she and Leonardo were ships passing in the night.

  If only that were true…

  They weren’t ships passing in the night, without consequences or complications. They were on a collision course.

  Veronica shuddered again as she ran inside. She was still nervous but not afraid. She should have been afraid. Why wasn’t she afraid? Why was it that she didn’t care about consequences or complications? Was this what lust did to you—made you reckless and foolish? Made you uncaring of anything but the promise of pleasure?

  Not that Leonardo was a promise of pleasure. He was pleasure.

  Such thinking made Veronica feel hot and sticky all over. She winced at the thought that she might smell of perspiration. And other things…

  She’d always been very particular about personal hygiene, hating it when clients came to her without having a shower first. Would she have time for a quick shower? she wondered.

  It had only been a minute since she’d left Leonardo. Surely it would be at least another five minutes before he made an appearance? His mother was likely to collar him and ask him innumerable questions about their day together.

  Veronica was already stripping as she hurried towards the master bedroom with its lovely en suite bathroom.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  LEONARDO WAS GRATEFUL that the hotel was rather chaotic inside, with guests coming and going. He was able to slip into his room and get what he needed for the night without being accosted by his mother or father. Elena did grab him on the way out from where she was stationed behind Reception.

  ‘Going somewhere?’ she asked in Italian after eyeing his overnight bag.

  ‘I’m staying in Laurence’s guest room tonight,’ he replied, also in Italian. ‘I can’t stand the noise when this place is full.’

  ‘Veronica doesn’t mind?’ his sister asked with a knowing glint in her eye.

  ‘Why should she mind? She came here to find out about her father. I had more to do with Laurence than any of you so I can tell her everything she wants to know.’

  Elena smiled. ‘She’s very beautiful. She’s also very nice. She would make some lucky man a good wife.’

  He just smiled, told her not to meddle and left.

  But his smile didn’t last for long.

  It annoyed him lately, how much his family were trying to press him into settling down. He had no intention of marr
ying some poor girl just to secure an heir. Who cared about carrying on bloodlines and family names these days? It was archaic.

  Leonardo hurried as he headed for the path which led up to the villa.

  Still…it probably was a mistake to stay the whole night with Veronica. He’d always kept his sex life away from Capri. He’d never brought a girlfriend to his parents’ hotel, knowing that it was a bad idea. He came here to relax, not get himself into a total twist. Laurence’s villa used to be his sanctuary, his refuge. When he’d sat on the terrace, soaking in the view and sipping some of Laurence’s fine wine, all his inner demons used to slip away. He hadn’t thought about that awful time when the true love of his life—competitive skiing—had been snatched away. He hadn’t paced around like he did in his office. He hadn’t needed sex to distract him. He’d actually relaxed.

  He wasn’t relaxed now, was he?

  Hell, no. That witch of a girl had undone him, big time.

  Leonardo charged up the stone steps two at a time, lust making him impatient.

  The sliding glass door being open made him laugh. Not too worried about security now, eh, Veronica? Her mind was obviously on other things. He’d felt the sexual tension in her in the taxi. Seen the desire in her dilated eyes.

  She wouldn’t need much foreplay the first time, he decided as he walked in, dumped his bag in the guest room then went to look for her. The whole day had been foreplay.

  When he heard the shower running, Leonardo strode purposefully in its direction.

  He’d never actually been in Laurence’s bedroom before. But it was a mirror image of the guest bedroom at the other end of the house, just with different furnishings. The bathroom was exactly the same too, the floor and walls covered in grey-and-white marble tiles.

  Veronica was in the shower. Naked, of course, her nudity obscured slightly by the glass screen. Even so, he stared.

  He hadn’t seen her naked before. God, but she was lovely. He adored every inch of her slender but very feminine figure. She had just enough breast. Just enough everything. Leonardo had never been attracted to voluptuous women. He preferred athletic-looking girls.

  She must have sensed him standing there in the doorway, staring at her, because suddenly her head whipped round and their eyes met through the wet glass. Did she blush, or was it the heat of the water making her cheeks pink?

  When he stepped forward and slid back the screen, she snapped off the taps, then spun round to face him, nervously touching her hair that she’d bundled up on top of her head.

  ‘I… I didn’t think you’d be this quick,’ she said shakily. ‘And I was hot.’

  That she was, he thought. But he wasn’t crass enough to say so. Instead, he handed her one of the two white towels hanging nearby. She grabbed it and wrapped it around her dripping body, her eyes still touchingly vulnerable. Surely she couldn’t be shy? She certainly hadn’t been last night.

  ‘I might have a quick shower myself,’ he said. ‘I could do with cooling down a bit.’

  And wasn’t that the truth. Leonardo already planned to make it an icy cold shower. The last thing he wanted was a repeat of last night’s performance. He’d acted like some randy school boy, unable to control himself.

  ‘Why don’t you get us both a couple of glasses of wine?’ he suggested. ‘And I’ll be with you ASAP.’

  ‘Oh. Oh, all right. Does it matter what wine?’

  ‘No. Whatever Carmelina put in the fridge is okay with me.’

  * * *

  Veronica tried not to think as she went in search of the wine; tried not to feel embarrassed at his catching her in the shower. After all, he wasn’t embarrassed. She suspected that nothing embarrassed him. Certainly not nudity.

  There were several bottles of white wine in the door of the fridge. Veronica selected a Chablis, then searched the kitchen cupboards for glasses. There were lots, especially wine glasses. One set attracted her. They were quite large, but with long, fine stems in a beautiful shade of green glass. Was it her father who’d liked green glass? she wondered. Or his wife?

  This last thought reminded Veronica how quickly she’d been distracted from her quest to find out everything she could about her father. It was all Leonardo’s fault, she decided when he walked in, obviously naked beneath the white towel draped low around his hips.

  Lord, but he was just so beautiful; the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She couldn’t think of any model or movie star who could compare. He was just so perfect. His face. His skin. His body.

  It was his body she kept staring at now. She’d become rather used to his handsome face and his lovely olive skin. But she wasn’t used to seeing this much of his gorgeous body. Last night was just a blur in her mind. Over far too quickly. Her heart pounded as her eyes travelled over him from head to toe.

  Talk about every woman’s fantasy come true!

  Veronica had always been attracted to fit men. Not the muscle-bound, weight-lifting type. She preferred the runners and the rowers, men with flab-free stomachs and long, strong legs. Leonardo had all that and more. His shape was perfection in her eyes, from his naturally broad shoulders to his flat stomach, his small waist and slim hips anchored by long, sexy legs.

  Her hand surprised her when it didn’t shake as she handed him a glass of wine.

  He took it and lifted it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers over the rim. The air in the room suddenly felt thick with a tension which she knew could only be eased one way. But she stayed exactly where she was, lifting her own glass and taking a deep swallow. Not that she needed any alcohol to make her body zing. Every nerve-ending she owned was already electrified.

  He drank the whole glass with agonising slowness, all the while just looking at her. Not at her body, but deep, deep into her eyes, searching for a sign perhaps that he could proceed. Either that, or he was just cruelly making her wait.

  Finally, just when the anticipation became almost unbearable, Leonardo put his glass down on the nearby counter and closed the gap between them. A slow smile curved his mouth as he took her glass out of her hands and placed it next to his. When he turned back she thought he was going to kiss her. But he didn’t. Instead, he reached up and pulled her hair down from the loose knot into which she’d wound it before her shower. It tumbled down around her naked shoulders, thick, soft and wavy. Her crowning glory, her mother always said.

  ‘I’ve been wanting to do this all day,’ he murmured as he ran his fingers through her hair.

  Veronica blinked. ‘But my hair was down all day.’

  ‘I meant I wanted to touch it.’

  ‘Oh…’

  ‘And to touch you.’ His hands left her hair and trailed down the sides of her throat then moved under her hair to her shoulders. He cupped them gently, then pulled her close, his mouth descending to hers as though in slow motion. Her own arms hung limply at her sides whilst her head grew light with the most dizzying waves of desire. Despite her seeming attitude of submission, her lips were already parted by the time his made contact, his low groan showing her that he was as turned on as she was. But still he didn’t hurry, his tongue sliding sinuously into her mouth until she was beside herself with longing and need.

  Her moan betrayed the extent of that need. Leonardo’s head immediately lifted.

  ‘Si,’ he rasped. ‘It is torture, is it not?’

  She didn’t answer him. She couldn’t.

  ‘You deserve to be tortured,’ he ground out as he suddenly bent to scoop her up into his arms. ‘You are the sort of woman who drives men mad, with your big violet eyes and your flirtatious ways.’

  Veronica found her tongue as he carried her back to the master bedroom. ‘I think you’ve got that the wrong way round, Leonardo. You are the sort of man who drives women mad. And you know it.’

  He looked shocked for a second, and then he shrugged. ‘I do have a good record with the
ladies.’

  Veronica couldn’t help it. She started to giggle, and then she really started to laugh.

  He threw her onto the bed as he had the night before, his hands finding his hips as he glared down at her.

  ‘I don’t see what you find so funny,’ he growled.

  ‘Don’t you?’ She stopped laughing but the corners of her mouth kept itching to smile. He, however, remained standing there with his legs apart, his hands clamped to his hips and his eyes all narrowed and angry. Talk about a typical Italian male! They really didn’t have a great sense of humour. But she liked them all the same with their proud, passionate ways.

  ‘I thought we were going to have sex, Leonardo,’ she said. ‘Not argue.’

  His sensually carved lips pouted in the most deliciously sexy way.

  ‘I do not want to have sex with you, Veronica,’ he said in clipped tones.

  Her eyes widened, her dismay acute. ‘You don’t?’

  ‘No. I don’t. We did that last night. Today, I want to make love to you.’

  Her heart flipped right over. Okay, so they were only words, but they were lovely words. Loving words. It had been so long since she’d heard loving words said to her. Too long, perhaps. Leonardo’s words touched the very depths of her soul.

  Be careful here, Veronica, came the protective warning. Be very careful.

  ‘I’d like that,’ she said, trying not to sound too needy.

  ‘Good.’ His face softened as he reached down and plucked the towel away from her. But his eyes stayed hot. Hot and hungry.

  ‘Bellissima,’ he murmured, then tossed his own towel away.

  He was the one who was bellissimo, Veronica thought, looking away from his stunning erection as she wriggled herself around on the bed so that the back of her head rested on the pillows. Leonardo climbed onto the bed, stretching out next to her. He propped himself up on his left elbow whilst he caressed her with his right hand, first one breast and then the other, his gaze intent on the reactions of her nipples, which tightened under his touch.

  When she made a small gasp of pleasure, his eyes lifted to hers. ‘You like that, don’t you?’ he said, smiling softly.