Billionaire Brides: An Anthology

by Connelly, Clare

“Yes.” His word was hoarse, and curt.

  She bit down on her lip, her eyes scanning his face. “I just never want to think about him again. I don’t want to be afraid of him, I don’t want to know he even exists.”

  Nico expelled a breath of relief. “You won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Because he’s going to prison for a very long time.”

  “Prison?” Her eyes flew wide. “Really?”

  “Oh, yes, cara. I intend to make sure of it.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Here, in Italy, what Michael did this afternoon is assault. And the fact he threatened to kill you, in my presence, makes it likely he’ll get a very long sentence.”

  “How long?”

  “The maximum for aggravated assault is twenty years. It won’t be that,” he shook his head. “But with two charges for assault, and a charge for his threats, it could be up to fifteen.”

  “Fifteen years?” Her mouth opened. And sympathy crossed her face. “So long?”

  Jealousy, again. “You don’t want this?”

  “I –,” she dropped her eyes to their legs, her expression impossible to read. He didn’t pressure her but every moment of silence pulled at his nerves. “I wish I didn’t,” she said earnestly. “I can see the way his life could have turned out, and I wish he hadn’t turned into the kind of man he is. But he did. And he hurt me and he scared me and honestly? I don’t think he’s capable of stopping himself. I think prison is the best place for him.”

  Pride. Admiration. Affection. He felt every single one of those emotions to the core of his being.

  Everything she said was so fair, so balanced, so right. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what his life would be like in a matter of days, without Maddie, and strangely, found that almost impossible.

  “But Nico? Doesn’t that mean the same thing for you? I mean, what if you go to jail for hitting him?”

  She grew even paler before his eyes. “I didn’t hit him.”

  “What? I’m sure you –,”

  “No. I restrained him forcibly, but I was very careful. Believe me, Maddie, I am aware of my actions because they ran contrary to every instinct I possess. Even before I knew who your attacker was, I found the idea of giving him a dose of his own medicine tempting. But having Michael here in my house and seeing him grab you by your hair,” he paused, needing to regulate his voice, to slow his breathing, to avoid the possibility of frightening her in any way. He didn’t want to upset her further. “You have no idea how much I wanted to make him pay for what he’s done to you.” He shook his head slowly, pain radiating towards his eyes. “But then I’d be no better than him. And I’m different. Even when angrier than I have ever been, I didn’t use my fists.” He brushed her lips with his. “There are gentle men, Maddie. What Michael was like with you –,”

  She bit down on her lip and he groaned, kissing her properly then, needing her to understand. But the kiss was his undoing because nothing that had happened that day had driven desire from him. He wanted her, if it was possible, more than ever before. Where pain had filled her, he wanted to erase it with pleasure.

  “I will never hurt you,” he promised, and in that moment, with all of his soul, he meant it.

  His cheek was purple. She traced it with her eyes, not wanting to wake him, not wanting either of them to have to face this day: her last in Italy.

  A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed past it, but it was impossible to erase the emotions that were flooding her, cell by cell, so she could barely breathe.

  The idea of flying away from him was like poison.

  She didn’t want to go.

  God, she wanted to stay. Tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away, pushing out of the bed quietly, so as to avoid waking him. She needed a moment to think, to understand what she wanted. Not just what she wanted – what was possible.

  She moved into the kitchen silently, flicking the kettle to life and staring out at the sea. It was a grey morning, rain clouds heavy in the sky, just as they’d been the first time she met Nico.

  A noise alerted her to the fact she wasn’t alone but when she shifted her head, she saw Dante’s comforting frame moving towards her. He was walking well, no evidence of his injuries in his gait. She crouched down, patting his furry neck and pressing her cheek to the top of his head. “Hey boy.” She whispered, but even if she hadn’t wanted to wake Nico, she wouldn’t have been able to speak in a normal voice. It was as though grief was taking up all the space reserved for air in her lungs.

  “How you feeling?” She ran her hand towards his mid-section. He made a low moaning noise and so she stopped. “Still a bit sore, huh? I guess that’s to be expected.”

  The kettle clicked off. She stood with one last pat of the dog’s head, reaching for a mug and dropping a tea bag into it. Boiling water drew colour from the bag and she watched its slow penetration of the water, swirling like magic. Rain began to fall and of their own volition her eyes tracked to the patch of grass where she’d been walking in the storm, completely unaware of how her life was about to change.

  Even on that morning, she’d already come so far. Just being here in Ondechiara, she’d found pieces of herself that Michael had sledged away from her, but it was being with Nico that had truly made her whole again. She’d thought she loved Michael, and after she’d left him, she’d really believed she’d never fall in love again. She’d thought love was, in and of itself, untrustworthy, and unsafe.

  But with Nico, loving him made her feel strong. She trusted him completely, she felt safe with him. She loved him.

  A strangled noise came from her throat so Dante drew his gaze to hers sharply. Instinctively, she rubbed his head, calming him, but her pulse was like a torrent, incapable of doing anything other than assaulting the framework of her veins.

  “Oh my goodness.” She lifted the tea to her lips. It was scalding hot and bitter. She’d forgotten to add milk. She replaced the mug, moving to the fridge and removing the bottle, but she simply put it on the bench beside the cup, her eyes wide, shock at the realisation flooding her.

  She loved him.

  Of course she loved him. It wasn’t even such a revelation. She’d probably known she felt that way for weeks, but giving that emotion its proper name was confronting.

  Because she knew he didn’t love her.

  She knew it was a love without purpose, because Nico had been so careful on that score, so honest and sure of himself.

  From the beginning he’d emphasised his determination that this wouldn’t be anything other than fun and light. Her stomach looped, her mind ran, because it was no longer light, and though it was fun, they’d gone through a trauma together, too. She’d opened herself up to him, and vice versa. Hadn’t he said as much when they’d eaten dinner at the restaurant in the caves? He told her things he never told another soul.

  It was so complicated. She shook her head a little, her eyes trained on the ocean without seeing. It wasn’t complicated at all though. She loved him, and she knew she always would.

  Nico reached for her side of the bed, reaching for Maddie, wanting her but not just in a sexual way. He wanted to hold her, to draw her body close to his, to bury his face in her hair, to kiss her until she was breathless and laughing.

  Something pulled at his gut. Disappointment. That she was gone now, but more importantly, that she was leaving that afternoon.

  He’d become so used to her. He liked spending time with her. She was easy and she was fascinating and she was addictive. When he’d first propositioned her with this summer fling, he hadn’t had any doubts about it. What could go wrong? They got on well, they were completely compatible, and he’d never once wanted more from a woman than a few nights.

  So why was he fantasising about the idea of more, now? Why was he pushing out of bed and dragging jeans on, intent on finding her before he could even work out what he wanted to say?

  Because she drove him wild, and in a way he co
mpletely welcomed.

  Fall was coming. Life would have to go back to normal. But not just yet, surely? She was still sporting a bruise on her cheek. Her emotional injuries, though not visible, would still be just as apparent.

  What he needed was a reprieve. A temporary reprieve to keep her in his life, just a little longer. Until he was ready – until they both were – to do what they’d agreed to right from the beginning.

  Maddie was so engrossed in her own thoughts she didn’t hear him enter at first. Nico was almost behind her when she shifted, lifting her face to his. His hair was tousled, he wore no shirt. Just a pair of low slung jeans that showed the muscles of his torso and the bones of his hips so her mouth went dry for a whole other reason now. Dark hair arrowed towards his pants.

  “It’s early.” He smiled. Was she imagining the way it didn’t reach his eyes? Was he feeling this too?

  “I was up.” She turned back to the counter, opening the milk and pouring a glug into the tea. “Do you want a coffee?”

  “I’ll make it.”

  He moved behind her, reaching for a cup, placing it in the machine, and all the while she observed him surreptitiously, as though she could store up enough sightings of him to somehow get her through this.

  “How did you sleep?” His voice was deep and sexy, coated in the desire that was so much a part of them.

  “Yeah, fine.” It was a lie. All night she’d been conscious of the meaning of this day.

  “Did you?”

  She sipped her tea rather than answer.

  “I’ve been thinking.” The coffee machine came to life, making a low noise in the background. “What if you don’t leave today?”

  Everything inside Maddie froze to a halt. The world stopped spinning. The rain fell, but silently. There was nothing, just a void and her and Nico standing at its centre.

  She stared at him, saw the way his face was held, waiting for her response. Waiting, and yet she found she couldn’t speak. It was everything she wanted. Everything she’d been silently hoping for, thinking about, wishing could happen.

  Her smile was radiant and he returned it.

  He expelled a soft breath. A sigh of relief? “I don’t have to go to the States yet. I could push it back by a week or so. What do you say?”

  The world began to turn once more with an almost deafening screech. Or was that her blood rushing through her body? Her smile dropped, her heart felt like it had a stitch right in its centre.

  “Do you mean you want me to stay for another week?”

  He lifted his shoulders. “Yeah. Why not?”

  There was something in his manner, something so casual and relaxed, that it sparked anger within her. Anger! At Nico! She couldn’t believe she could feel that towards him and yet she did. It burned through her, accelerated by the sheer tonnage of her disappointment.

  “A week.”

  He put a hand down and Dante loped towards him, nuzzling his fingers with the tip of his nose. “What do you say, boy? Do you think Maddie should stay here a little bit longer?”

  “I’m not…” She swallowed, confusion flooding her. What did she want? More of Nico? Definitely. But another week? Was there any point delaying the inevitable? Was a week enough to stave off this deep hurt inside her chest?

  Of course it wasn’t. And the fact he felt like it would be offended Maddie on every level. “And then what?” The words were hollow so his expression sobered, his eyes finding hers, trying to read her. But she didn’t want to be read, she wanted to be heard.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What do we do after that week?”

  Silence.

  A silence that filled her with pain, and the longer it stretched the worse it got because it should have been a simple answer. If he loved her, the answer was ‘we keep going, more of this’.

  “What do you mean?” He moved closer, bracing a hand on either side of her body, trapping her within his arms, her back pressed to the kitchen bench. She lifted a hand to his chest, her fingers pressing to the naked skin there, marvelling at his warmth. But it was an appreciation eclipsed by sadness, because an end was near. Regardless of what he was trying to do now, they both knew it.

  She swallowed; it felt as though her throat was lined with razor blades. There was such futility in this. She dropped her hand and focussed on his shoulder. “In one weeks’ time, will you feel differently? Do you think you’ll wake up happy to see me go?”

  “Not happy,” he answered immediately, his frown pulling at the strings of her heart. “But more accepting.”

  “Why?”

  “Because.”

  She laughed, a short, sharp sound of rejection. “That’s not an answer.”

  “Fine. Why today?”

  “Because it’s the day we agreed on.”

  “Right. It’s an arbitrary line in the sand. A page on the calendar. So let’s choose another one. Seven more days here, with me,” he moved a little closer and despite the fact she could feel tension radiating from him, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek so gently, his eyes hooked to hers, promising her pleasure that she understood would prolong this pain. “And seven more nights.” He dropped his forehead to hers, brushing their lips together.

  How tempting it was! How lovely it would be to nod her head and surrender to him completely. After all, he was right. While she had to vacate La Villetta, that didn’t mean she had to leave Ondechiara. But knowing how she felt, there was danger in staying. Danger to her heart.

  “I can’t.”

  Something flashed in his features as he straightened, in order to be able to see her better.

  “Why not?” And for a moment, the briefest moment, she saw Nico as he must be to the rest of the world. The hard-nosed businessman. Billionaire tycoon, responsible for one of the largest corporate entities in the world. A tremble made its way over her spine then through her central nervous system, but she held her ground. Maddie was done surrendering. She knew what she wanted and if Nico wasn’t offering it, then she had to leave.

  “Because one week isn’t what I want.”

  “Then what do you want, cara?”

  A dream. More than he’d ever promised. She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to be brave. “I just want you.” A wistful smile shifted across her face, because as soon as she heard it, she knew it was impossible. “I just want all of you, for always.”

  Chapter 13

  “WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?”

  He asked the question even when her expression told him everything. He felt like he was falling down a well, deep and dark. He felt like a child, unable to articulate anything so instead he relied on questions as a stalling technique. He felt like a coward for not even acknowledging her wants with the truth of his own.

  But he couldn’t. He didn’t. He loved what they were doing and hell, he wanted more of Maddie too, but not for always. Just for now. Just this one summer – and a little bit extra.

  “It means I’m in love with you.”

  He cursed inwardly. She was about to cry and he couldn’t handle that. He wouldn’t be the reason for it. He’d wanted to make her happy, to help her heal, not fill her with a new layer of grief that she would leave Italy needing to recover from.

  “Maddie…”

  “I know.” She nodded urgently. “You don’t have to say it. You don’t love me.”

  Her declaration was anathema to him. Never forget how much I love you, Niccolo. His mother’s parting words had stayed with him a long time, but love was easy to forget when it existed in a void. It was eleven months before he saw her again. Eleven months of longing and missing, needing and wanting, and never having. He’d cried, as a small boy, for a need to be in his mother’s arms.

  Love was a powerful idea that didn’t, in his experience, translate to much in the real world. Just like any kind of future with Maddie was doomed.

  They wanted different things.

  She wanted children. Marriage. All of the happily ever after fictions he’d long a
go come to despise. But he wanted to give her an answer that would make her smile. Christo, he wanted to give her everything.

  “It’s okay,” she reached for his hands, moving them from her sides so she could step away from the bench. “I get it. It’s fine, really.”

  “It’s not fine.” He grabbed her wrist, holding her still, looking down at their flesh – his dark and hers creamy – so something within him groaned to a halt. “I want to love you. I want to give you what you deserve but I can’t. I just…love isn’t… It’s not something I’ve ever wanted.” He winced at her look of hurt. “It’s not part of my equation. I just…don’t believe in it.”

  “Don’t believe in it?” She seemed to have caught his habit of question repetition. “Love isn’t a belief. It’s a fact of life, an instinct that drives us all.”

  It was the best evidence he could have sought for why this wouldn’t work. On this point, they were in fundamental disagreement. “It doesn’t drive me.”

  Her tears fell unchecked now.

  He closed his eyes in an effort to stem the guilt that rose within him. “It’s just the way I am, Maddie.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and he felt a spark of irritation in her gaze. He was glad for that – he’d prefer anger to sadness any day, especially when that anger was directed at him. “No, it’s the way you’ve chosen to be.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, come on, Nico. I know you. You were wrenched out of your mother’s arms as a four-year-old kid. Of course you don’t know how the hell to love and be loved. Of course it’s safer to tell yourself you don’t want love because your only experience of love is being hurt by the one person on earth who should have been biologically programmed to always look after you.”

  He was almost at the bottom of the well. It was dark. He was alone. He could barely breathe. Her words were pressing into him, making everything hurt.

  “Stop.” He took a step back from her, the force of his reaction surprising them both. “Do not speak to me about my mother.” His accent was heavier when he was emotional.