***
Reluctantly, Dino moved off Maria and settled at her side. He drew her into his arms and kissed her hair. His eyes closed, languorous and sated. She was so eager and sweet, so genuine. The soft little murmurs of pleasure she made when he caressed her touched him deeply. The women he usually slept with all seemed to have an ulterior motive, they either wanted him to push their singing careers or spend money on them. Maria was a breath of fresh air. This night would stay with him forever.
"I don't want to go to sleep and waste my last few hours with you," she said, turning in his arms to face him.
"Tesoro." Dino stroked her hair, trailed his fingers across her cheek.
"Sing to me. The sort of thing you sing in an opera."
He chuckled. "Those songs are much too loud. But I will sing you an Italian lullaby my mamma used to sing me when I was a boy."
Lying in the warm cocoon of their bed, his arm loosely around her, he started singing softly, tentatively, very aware that his voice was rusty. Maria laid a hand on his chest and watched him with an almost childlike curiosity. She epitomized all the good things that he had lost from his life.
Memories flooded back into his mind, things he hadn't thought of for ages—his happy childhood in Riomaggiore, his brothers and sisters, laughter, a time of hope and excitement before he let himself be drawn along his current career path by Freddy Short's promises of fame and fortune.
Maria's eyelids fell, her cheeks flushed with spent passion. Dino let his song trail away and the sound of her soft, even breathing filled the room.
It hit him then, a flood tide of pain he'd held back that suddenly breached his defenses—he would lose her. She obviously had feelings for him, but yesterday she had made it very clear she would not come to New York. She had her future planned and it was here in Cornwall, running the guesthouse.
Dino rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He imagined what it would be like to stay here and share her idyllic life in Porthale. He would enjoy being with Maria, but he would die a little every day if he could not perform. Singing was as vital to him as breathing.
A nauseating sense of loss swept through him. There was no way they could be together and he must accept that. He curled on his side and drew her into his arms, careful not to wake her. He only had a few more hours to hold her. While she slept, he stroked her hair, pressed his lips to her nose, her eyelids, and her lips, whispered words of love that she did not hear. Said goodbye.
In the early hours, Dino rose from the bed and dressed. A tearful parting in the morning was more than he could bear. He carefully placed the small gift he had bought her in its red box on the bedside table, a tiny something to remind her of the few weeks they had shared. He gazed around her room, trying to memorize every detail of what made it unique to her so he never forgot.
He kissed Maria's temple, inhaled her floral fragrance and committed it to memory, then rested his hand over hers on the pillow, unable to tear himself away. But eventually he did. With a last glance over his shoulder, he went downstairs and quickly packed his bag.
Maria had refused payment for his room, but he could not leave without at least contributing to the cost of his meals. He left some money on the bureau in the hallway. Then, with a final look around at the place he had called home for nearly a month, the place where he had lost his heart, he walked away.
Chapter Six
The ringing alarm clock woke Maria at seven. She blinked awake, her mouth dry. Dino! The thought shot through her with a jolt as she remembered that it was Saturday, the day he would leave. She raised herself up on an elbow. He'd been with her when she fell asleep. Where was he now?
She sat slowly, her head aching from the vodka Chris had slipped into her lemonade. On her bedside table was a small, red gift box with a square of cream vellum on top. She picked up the card. On one side was a watercolor of a posy of violets, on the other Dino had signed his name and drawn a heart. She smiled, bittersweet. Inside the box, nestled in cream silk, rested the gold heart pendant from the jeweler in Mevagissey.
A thrill raced through her as she took out the gift and held it up to her neck in the mirror. It was sweet of him to go back and get the pendant, but she wished he'd given it to her in person. She hurried to shower and dress so she could go down to the kitchen and cook his breakfast. This would be the last one so she wanted to make the meal special.
She touched the tiny heart, smiling with tears in her eyes. Her emotions swung from pleasure to sorrow and back again, leaving her light-headed. Saying goodbye was going to be heartbreaking, but she still had him, if only for a few hours.
When she descended the stairs to the next floor, she noticed the door to number twelve stood ajar. Was he already downstairs waiting for her? Maria hurried down. Her step faltered at the sight of a wad of cash folded beneath the brass bell on the reception bureau. A terrible sense of foreboding filled her.
The dining room clock ticked loudly in the deep silence. Surely Dino hadn't gone without saying goodbye?
She dashed to the front door and pulled it open. The space where his rental car had stood was empty. "Dino..." The word slipped out on a sob, and her hand rose to clasp the gold heart. Why hadn't he said goodbye? How could he do this to her? Then she understood. The card with the gift had been his goodbye. But it wasn't enough for her. Not nearly enough. She wanted to hug him and kiss him and memorize his face so she never forgot.
Maria backed up and dropped down to sit at the bottom of the stairs, her hands pressed over her mouth, the hollow ache of loss almost too much to bear. He hadn't even left her his mobile phone number or an e-mail address. She had no way of contacting him. That meant he didn't want to keep in touch. She'd been so certain he had feelings for her. It couldn't have just been wishful thinking.
***
In a zombie-like state, Dino drove until he could not keep his eyes open any longer. Then he pulled into a rest area, tilted back his seat, and fell into an exhausted sleep. He woke nearly two hours later when someone banged their door against his car. He blinked awake, eyes gritty with fatigue and misery.
He splashed cold water on his face in the restroom and bought a double espresso to wake himself up. Then he continued his journey to London. It was nearly ten thirty by the time he got going again. Maria would be up and have breakfasted. She'd be baking now, or maybe she wouldn't, as she no longer had anyone to bake for. His thoughts drifted back to the happy mornings spent sitting at her kitchen table watching her cook, inhaling the wonderful fragrance of her creations. She truly was a culinary angel. His angel.
She filled his thoughts, pushing out everything else. If not for his pressing commitments, he would turn around and go back to her. He'd been hurting when he left London, now he was hurting just as much on the way back. Something was badly wrong with his life if he could never see those he loved. It was time to make changes that Freddy would not like, changes that were long overdue.
He dropped off the rental car on the outskirts of London and took a taxi to Freddy's office. The receptionist jumped up as Dino entered, eyes wide. "Mr. Rossellini, Freddy's been trying to reach you for weeks."
"I know, Trisha." Dino held up his mobile phone to show he had received every one of the calls, texts, and e-mails. "Is he busy?"
She picked up the phone and started to speak. A moment later the door to Freddy's office burst open and he strode out, tall and imposing. "Where in hell's name have you been for the last month? You can't just disappear like that. I've had the record company breathing down my neck about the next album. They scheduled a recording studio. You've let them down."
Dino let Freddy's tirade wash over him without reacting. He'd always felt he owed Freddy, owed him for discovering him, developing his career, giving him the opportunity to sing and be successful. But when Freddy went behind Dino's back and encouraged Rachel to put his son up for adoption, that wiped out any debt.
Dino headed into Freddy's office and waited until the older man followed and clos
ed the door. "I needed a break to consider my future," Dino said.
"You won't have a future if you pull a disappearing stunt like that again," Freddy snapped.
Dino gestured dismissively. That might have been true once, but not now.
Freddy swore. "What's happened to you, Dino?"
"Have you forgotten so soon why I walked out?" Dino raised his eyebrows but held his temper.
"Okay, you were ticked off about the kid, but move on. You'll have others."
Dino shook his head. How had Freddy been his personal manager for five years and still not know him? He wasn't getting into an argument about the way Freddy had handled Rachel's pregnancy. That was in the past. Dino could do nothing to get his son back. But he could take control of his future.
Freddy pushed a sheet of paper across the desk. "Sit down and go through this. It's the record company's suggestions for tracks on the new album."
Dino scanned the page. He grabbed a pen and went down the list striking out all but two of the titles. He would no longer record pop songs that anyone could hum in the shower. They were musical fluff. It was time to recover his artistic integrity, perform only songs that challenged him and gave him pleasure.
"Dino, mate, they're not going to like that. We have some wiggle room on the choice of tracks, but not that much."
"All right." Dino tossed down the pen and held up his palms. "Tell them the next album is cancelled."
"Whoa. Hang on. You can't do that. I've been negotiating terms on this for six months."
"I have not signed anything yet."
"I've acted on your behalf."
"Then you sing the songs." Dino straightened, faced up to his manager, held his steely, hard gaze. "I will no longer compromise my principles."
Freddy clenched his jaws and nodded once. "I'll go back to them and sort this out. You come up with a list of songs, but keep it light. This isn't supposed to be a classical album."
"Where is my schedule for the next few months?"
Freddy opened a spreadsheet on his computer and printed off the list of venues, then handed it to Dino. After La Bohème in New York, Dino was booked solid with North American dates and a few in Europe, right up until he returned to Italy for his mamma's birthday celebration.
After that, he was fully committed for a few more months. He scanned the rest of the schedule: Rome, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Barcelona…on and on, city after city. As usual, Freddy had him booked tight. His vague hope that he might be able to visit Maria again faded. He shook the printout in the air. "Are all these dates firm?"
"Most are already sold out."
Dino pressed his lips together. He wanted to ball up the paper and toss it in the trash. Instead, he folded the list and tucked it in his pocket. "Do not book any more performances. When these are done, I intend to return to my roots and join an opera company."
"That would be a big mistake." Freddy was around the desk in a couple of strides, a placating expression on his face. "Who've you been talking to, Dino? Someone's got to you, haven't they?"
"No one has got to me. I have had time to think, and I've made a decision about my future." Dino headed towards the door. "I mean it, Freddy. Do not commit me to anything else without my permission."
***
Freddy watched Dino leave, then picked up the phone and dialed the private investigator he used. "Gary, you found out where Rossellini's been hiding, mate?"
"Had a breakthrough yesterday," Gary replied. "He certainly hasn't been partying, 'cause he's only used his credit card once. He spent a couple of hundred quid in a jeweler's in Mevagissey, Cornwall."
"Cornwall! What in God's name was he doing there?" Then Freddy realized what Gary had said. "A jeweler's? He must have a bird down there." That explained everything. Some woman had got her hooks into Dino and persuaded him to stop touring so she could spend more time with him. Freddy wasn't going to stand for that. He'd put a lot of time and effort into building up Rossellini's career. He wasn't about to see his investment go down the toilet.
"Get down to Cornwall, Gary, and nose about a bit. I want to know who this bird is and what she's like." Women could always be bought off or scared off. Rachel had been a little difficult, but in the end he'd persuaded her to put the baby up for adoption. This new woman would have her price, but once she was out of the picture, Dino should fall back in line.
***
Huddled into her thick sweater, Maria zipped up her waterproof coat. She leaned into the driving rain and hurried from the car park into the terminal building at Newquay Airport. With luck, her parents' flight would be on time. She'd meant to check on the Internet before she started out, but since Dino left, she couldn't concentrate on anything.
She continually replayed her time with Dino. Relived every one of his smiles, every touch, every word. Since he'd left, a dull ache of longing constantly burned in her chest.
After her breakup with Tom, she hadn't felt nearly this bad. She hadn't known it was possible to feel this bad. She wished she had told Dino she loved him. She wished she had the courage to go to New York and find him. She wished she could forget him and go back to how she'd been before he arrived.
The flight from Heathrow was ten minutes late. Maria stared morosely into space while people around her chatted. Then the passengers started coming through the arrival gate. Maria ruthlessly shoved down the memories of Dino and mentally locked them away. She couldn't mope over him now that her mum and dad were home or they would know something was wrong. The last thing she wanted was an inquisition on why she had let him stay and what could have gone wrong. Something had gone wrong. He'd stolen her heart!
"Maria, sweetie!" Her mother's voice cut through the ambient drone of conversation. Maria ran forwards into her mother's arms.
Her plan to hide her sorrow collapsed immediately. Tears tightened her throat and filled her nose. She struggled to get out any words. "Hello, Mum. Did you have fun?"
"Mari, what's the matter? Let me look at you." As her mother took a half-step back and peered into her face, Maria managed a watery smile. "I'd like to believe those tears are because you've missed us so much, but somehow I doubt it."
"I'm fine, Mum," she mumbled.
"Hello, darling." Maria's dad came up, pushing a loaded luggage trolley, and gave Maria a hug. "Everything all right at the Crow's Nest?"
She clung to her dad, welcoming his strong arms around her. Somehow he still managed to smell reassuringly of tea and digestive biscuits even though he'd been halfway around the world.
"Everything's good. I'm parked out front."
"Come on then," her dad said. "I can't wait to get home. I've been dreaming about my bed."
Maria's mum put her arm around her shoulders as they headed towards the car. "Are you sure everything's fine? You don't look fine. You look miserable."
Maria wiped her eyes on her sleeve and tried to smile. "Can we leave it for now? I don't want to talk about it. Chris is coming over with the girls when we get home."
An eager smile lit her mum's face. "I can't wait to see my two little babies."
Maria drove home with her dad nodding asleep in the seat beside her, while her mum sat in the back with a suitcase that wouldn't fit in the trunk, and described the places they had visited.
Chris's SUV was already parked outside when Maria drove her small car into the Crow's Nest car park.
Her mum jumped out the moment the car stopped and swept first Poppy, then Charlotte, into a hug. "My darling babies. How I've missed you."
She embraced Chris as well and while they chatted, Maria helped her dad get the suitcases into the house.
As her mother shepherded the twins inside, Chris grabbed Maria's arm and pulled her aside. She was smiling fit to burst, her eyes sparkling. "I knew I'd seen your Italian before. Look at this." She pulled a CD case out of her purse and thrust it into Maria's hands.
Maria turned the flat plastic case over. The front design showed a picture of Dino and a beautiful blonde woman. Her h
eart leaped at the sight of him. Across the image in gold letters it read: Dino Rossi Sings Show Songs. Dino had said he was an opera singer. She didn't understand. Had Chris somehow made a mock-up CD as a joke? "What is this?"
Chris released an impatient breath. "Isn't it obvious? Your Italian's famous. He's a singer." Chris grabbed the CD from Maria's hands and opened the case. She extracted the small booklet inside that contained lyrics and flicked through the pages so Maria could see the pictures of Dino and the blonde woman. "The blonde bimbo is Rachel Tanner. She won that singing contest a few years ago. You must remember."
Rachel! Shock raced through Maria. Was this the woman who had given birth to Dino's son and put him up for adoption? Maria swallowed hard as she examined the photographs of Rachel Tanner. In a glittery sheath dress with cascading waves of honey-blonde hair, she was glamorous and beautiful. If this was the sort of woman Dino dated, Maria had no hope he would remember her.
"Well?" Chris prompted, her voice high with excitement. "Didn't I tell you I recognized him? I could hardly believe it when Tina brought this over."
"Thank you," Maria said, not knowing what else to say.
"Did he tell you he was a singer?"
"Sort of." Dino hadn't exactly lied to her, but he'd definitely been economical with the truth. "Can I borrow the CD?"
"Of course. I'm sure Tina won't mind. I listened to it before I came over. He's really good, you know."
Maria tried to smile but Chris looked disappointed. Obviously she'd expected a more enthusiastic response. Maria tucked the CD into her handbag and followed Chris inside.
She struggled to focus on what her mum said about their cruise. Her mind kept slipping away into a dark pool of confusion over Dino. They all drank tea and sampled the blueberry muffins Maria had baked earlier. Then her dad yawned and headed upstairs. A few minutes later, her mum saw Chris and the girls off and returned to the kitchen where Maria listlessly washed up cups.
The Ultimate Romance Box (6 Bestselling Romance Novels) Page 45