Sweet Italian Christmas: Three Christmas Romances

by Helen Scott Taylor

  When they dropped Natalie home at ten in the evening, she circled her arms around Seth's ribs and squeezed tight like she used to. "Squeeze all the breath out of you, Dad."

  "No, you won't." He clenched his stomach muscles as she hugged him, and they both burst out laughing.

  As they drove away, Gina rested a hand on his arm. "You have a wonderful daughter. She's so pretty and such fun."

  "We had a good day, didn't we?" A sense of satisfaction filled him. He knew he'd be kidding himself if he thought there weren't more problems ahead, but he could handle Natalie becoming a teenager. Gina had helped him look at things from Natalie's perspective, and that had worked better than he'd ever thought possible. As long as he didn't have to go to the shopping mall every time he saw Natalie, things were good.

  Chapter Eight

  "You look tired, Seth. Don't drive home tonight. Let's stay in a hotel."

  "Yeah. I'm exhausted, actually. All that shopping…"

  Gina laughed. "Poor man." She patted his shoulder. She'd noticed he was suffering while they were at the mall, but he hadn't complained once.

  In contrast, she felt energized. She loved malls full of people, and she loved shopping. Helping find an outfit for Natalie had been so much fun. Seth's daughter was such a sweetie.

  Seeing Seth and Natalie chatting happily over dinner had been wonderful. Knowing she'd helped him heal the rift with his daughter gave her a tremendous sense of satisfaction. For her, family was the most important thing in the world.

  "This'll do." Seth slowed and turned up a side road towards a modern tower-block hotel with the name in neon letters across the side. It was a chain that Gina had stayed in before.

  They parked and Seth carried both the bags inside through the revolving door to the chrome-and-black-glass reception desk.

  "May I help you, sir?"

  "Do you have two single rooms for one night?"

  "No. One double," Gina blurted, her cheeks heating as Seth glanced her way, eyebrows raised. He was too much of a gentleman. He kissed her and hugged her, but he always made an excuse at bedtime, and she was left sleeping with Tiff. Not that she minded the dog's company, but she'd rather share her bed with Seth.

  "Are you sure?" he said softly.

  Gina nodded.

  "Looks like it's a double, then," Seth said to the receptionist.

  They headed for the elevator and the moment the door closed, giving them privacy, Seth turned to her. "You don't have to do this, love."

  "Don't you want to be with me?"

  "You know I do. It's just I have a responsibility to look after you."

  "And you can't look after me when we're in bed together?"

  Seth rubbed a hand over his jaw with a rasp of stubble that sent anticipation skating along Gina's nerves.

  "I guess it feels like I'm taking advantage of you."

  "Pftt." She rolled her eyes. "So you're not going to sleep with me until we're married."

  Seth made a strangled sound as though he'd nearly swallowed his tongue. He struggled to spit out his words. "I haven't thought that far ahead."

  "No. That's what I guessed." He might be attracted to her, but like most men, marriage was not at the top of his priority list.

  "I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Seth." The elevator door slid open at the fifth floor. Gina stepped out, rested her hands on her hips, and waited for his response. All he did was glance at the key card for the room number and check the signs on the wall.

  As Gina followed him along the carpeted corridor, excitement and nerves bubbled in her belly. She loved Seth, and she wanted to win him over so he'd never leave her side.

  Seth slid the key card in the door lock and pushed, holding the door open for Gina to go inside. The queen bed sat against the wall, immaculate and welcoming. Seth set the two bags on the luggage stand, and Gina stepped in front of him.

  She placed her palms on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart. He wasn't as cool as he pretended to be. She stared into his intense blue eyes, pushed his jacket off his shoulders, and ran her fingers up his neck into his hair.

  "I love you, my handsome blond god," she said.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement at her words. "That's good, you sweet-talking Italian angel, because I'm under your spell." He chuckled as he lowered his head to kiss her, and Gina relaxed into the sensuous warmth of his embrace with a sigh.

  • • •

  Seth came awake and lay in a satisfied stupor, Gina warm and soft in his arms. The beeping and revving of the morning delivery trucks outside must have disturbed him.

  What an amazing night. If he never moved from this bed, he would die a happy man. Gina was all he could ever want, so passionate and funny. He had never laughed so much in bed before.

  She stirred, her hair tickling his face. He smoothed it aside and trailed tiny kisses across her cheek to the corner of her lips.

  "I'm hungry," she said. "What time is it?"

  Seth reached for his phone on the nightstand and was mystified by the unresponsive blank screen, until he remembered he'd switched it off before he picked Natalie up yesterday. He hadn't wanted his time with his daughter to be disturbed by business calls.

  He held down the power button, kissing Gina again while he waited. A few minutes later, the phone vibrated in his hand and he checked the screen. Eight missed calls from Savino and four from Leo. Foreboding whispered through him. Why were Gina's brothers trying to contact him?

  "It's nearly nine," he said, careful to keep his tone light. "Time to grab some breakfast and get on the road."

  Gina groaned and sat up, pushing the hair out of her face. With a sultry laugh, she waggled her eyebrows. "Shall we shower together?"

  "There's nothing I'd like more." He kissed the end of her nose. After last night, he would never be able to get enough of Gina. Exactly as he'd expected, this woman was addictive. She'd stolen his heart, and she dominated his thoughts. Yet right now he needed to find out what Savino and Leo wanted.

  "You start the water running. I'll join you in a few minutes. I have a call I need to make first."

  "Okay." Gina slid out of bed, her hair streaming over her naked shoulders. She sashayed into the bathroom, giving him a come-on glance over her shoulder as she pulled the door closed.

  Seth groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. How had he let things spiral out of control like this? Her brothers would probably be furious with him.

  He stepped out of bed and picked up Gina's phone from the desk where she'd left it with her jewelry. He pushed the button to see if there were any new messages or missed calls displayed and found nothing.

  He cursed softly to himself. It must be bad news if Gina's brothers were trying to contact him and not her. With a glance over his shoulder at the bathroom door, Seth dialed Savino.

  When Savino answered, Seth said, "I have eight missed calls from you. What's up?"

  "We have a problem. Nico arrived at Leo's house yesterday afternoon and demanded to see Gina."

  "Was he aggressive?"

  "Not aggressive but persistent. When he left there, he came to my office at Marin Innovations. My security should have stopped him at the gate, but they let him walk in because he's a Dè Fiore. He strolled right past my personal assistant and into my office with two of his goons and started asking questions."

  "That sucks."

  "I've fired my security staff and temporarily had to use a German security company until I sort things out. I can't trust the Italian firms. They might be on the Dè Fiore payroll."

  "Did Nico get anything out of you?"

  "No. It doesn't sound as though he'll give up looking until he finds Gina, though. He ranted about how long he's waited for her. He told me she promised to marry him, which isn't true, of course. The guy's delusional."

  "So why did he wait two weeks before coming after her?"

  "Nico's father left town on a business trip yesterday morning. The police believe Signore Dè Fiore had Nico
grounded to keep him from coming after Gina. That's good news. It means Nico doesn't have the backing of his father in this. But it won't stop him. He always was a hothead."

  "So, what do you want me to do?"

  Silence hummed down the phone line for a few tense seconds. "Keep her safe," Savino said. "It's possible Nico will use his family contacts to trace her. If he grabs her, he's not going to take no for an answer next time he proposes."

  "I'll do whatever it takes."

  "Thank you. Our little Gina is very precious to us."

  Seth ended the call, rested his hand on the wall, and stared into space. He examined his options while the water ran in the bathroom and Gina sang.

  Despite Savino's troubling news, a reluctant smile pulled at Seth's lips. He loved Gina, and there was one sure way to make sure Nico couldn't marry her. Seth would marry her first.

  • • •

  Gina was disappointed Seth hadn't joined her in the shower, but he'd said he had to make a call. She knew he was worried about his business, so she wouldn't tell him off for leaving her alone. Instead she'd try to take his mind off his troubles.

  She dried off, wrapped a towel around her body, and slipped out of the bathroom, intending to do a sexy dance and strip off the towel to tease Seth and show him what he'd missed.

  With his back to her, he stood at the window wearing only his jeans. One glance at the tense set of his shoulders told her something was wrong. Gina's playful mood evaporated. Her breath whooshed out on a sigh as she headed across the room to him.

  "What's the matter, Seth? Have you had another cancellation for the outdoor pursuits center?"

  "No, love. Nothing like that." He turned and gathered her into his arms. "I've heard from Savi. Nico has finally made a move."

  The shock of his words punched Gina in the chest, robbing her of breath. She struggled to suck in the air to speak. "He hasn't hurt any of my family, has he?" That fear circled endlessly in her head. She wouldn't be able to bear it if anyone else was hurt because of her, especially her beloved family.

  "He's talked to them, but they're fine. He's searching for you."

  She'd expected this, but it didn't make it any easier to hear.

  "He can't find me in England, can he?"

  "He certainly won't find you here." Seth gestured at the hotel room. The trembling inside Gina eased a little.

  "Will it be safe to go back to Home Farm?" She didn't want to spend weeks in a hotel room. She wanted to go back to Tiff. She'd only been away from the dog for one night, and already she missed her.

  "Eventually he's bound to locate Home Farm. At some point, he'll follow up on the relatives of your brothers' wives."

  Gina leaned her cheek against Seth's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause you trouble."

  "Don't worry about me, love. My old unit has its barracks about an hour's drive from Home Farm. If we hear Dè Fiore is on his way, I'll have a welcome party waiting for him."

  "I'd like to see that." The thought of Nico in his expensive suit and handmade shoes facing off with a unit of battle-hardened Royal Marine commandos in Seth's muddy yard made her smile.

  "I doubt that will happen. Don't worry. Savi says Dè Fiore senior has been keeping lover boy on a leash. Nico's only searching for you because his daddy's on a business trip."

  "So, what do we do now? Go home?"

  Seth eased Gina away, his hands cupping her shoulders. "Why did you have such a bad breakup with this guy, anyway?"

  "He proposed and I turned him down." Gina hated remembering that evening, the romantic dinner in the most exclusive restaurant in Naples, owned by the Dè Fiore family of course. Nico gave her a diamond necklace and earrings for her nineteenth birthday. He made a big performance of draping the diamonds around her neck and fastening the clasp.

  Everyone in the restaurant was watching when he went down on one knee and offered her a matching diamond engagement ring. It had been impossible to turn him down without shaming him in front of the cream of society.

  He'd ripped the necklace from her throat, nearly garroting her. Then he'd trashed their table, hurling silverware and plates. Everyone had run for their lives when he pulled his gun and waved it around.

  "Nico completely lost it when I said no. I thought he was going to shoot me. He might have done it if his older brother hadn't wrestled him for the gun." That was the last time she'd spoken to him, even though he'd tried to contact her by phone, text, and e-mail.

  "I'm afraid six years behind bars hasn't changed his mind. He told Savi he wants to make you his wife."

  "No." Gina closed her eyes and dropped onto the end of the bed. This was her worst nightmare. "What's wrong with Nico? There are many beautiful women who would love to hang on Nico Dè Fiore's arm. Why can't he leave me alone?"

  Seth sat at her side and put his arm around her. "I've been thinking this over while you were in the shower. You can't keep hiding from him, hoping he loses interest. At some point you'll want to go home. We have to handle this situation in a way that gets him off your back for good."

  "What, send your soldier friends after him?" That was starting to sound like more than a joke.

  Seth laughed. "No. My solution doesn't involve an unauthorized military operation. It's simpler than that. Nico can't marry you if you're already married."

  The meaning of his words fluttered around Gina's mind as she tried to pin them down. "Are you suggesting you marry me?"

  "Isn't that the obvious solution?"

  But Seth didn't want to marry her. His reaction when she'd mentioned marriage in the elevator yesterday proved that.

  "I love you, Seth, but I don't expect you to make such a sacrifice for me."

  "Darling, marrying you isn't a sacrifice. I love being with you. I can't imagine being without you now."

  "Really?"

  "Really." He pulled her close and stroked the hair back from her face.

  It sounded like a good idea, but it put Seth in danger. "What if Nico tries to get rid of you?"

  "Darling, if the Taliban didn't manage to kill me, a jumped-up Italian hothead doesn't stand a chance."

  Chapter Nine

  Today should be the happiest day of Gina's life. Instead it was one of the worst. She huddled in the pickup beside Seth as they crawled north along the motorway, nose to tail in a line of traffic, while snow pelted the windshield so hard the wipers couldn't keep it clear.

  "Come on." Seth drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "At this rate, we're not going to make it on time."

  Gina wasn't sure she wanted to make it on time. Seth had booked for them to get married in a very weird place. "Seth. I still don't understand what this Gretna Green place is. You say it's not a church or a chapel."

  "Gretna Green is famous. It's a blacksmith's shop just over the border into Scotland. What makes it special is you can turn up there and get married immediately without the normal paperwork."

  Seth was adamant he would not let Gina set foot in Italy unless she was his wife and safe from Nico's clutches. Gina gazed at Seth's rigid jaw and the determined set of his mouth. As soon as he'd decided to marry her, he'd called this Gretna Green and booked the wedding. For today at five p.m.!

  Gina had nothing to wear except the blue dress she'd worn to the mall yesterday, and none of her family would be at the wedding. She turned to stare out of the side window at the thickening snow as Seth muttered to himself and the pickup crawled another few yards.

  With a terrible sense that everything was spiraling out of control, Gina clenched her fists in her lap to keep from shaking. She didn't want to be rushed into something this important. When she got married, she'd imagined a spring wedding in their local church on the hill above Leo's house, with the sun sparkling on the Mediterranean and the fragrance of flowers in the air.

  For years, she'd collected pictures of wedding dresses, intending to use them as ideas to design her own dress. She wanted to marry the man she loved in her local community, surrounded by her fa
mily with Violet and Giorgio as bridesmaid and page boy.

  Finally they passed the car accident holding up the traffic and picked up speed, reaching Gretna Green fifteen minutes before their booking. She stared through the slashing wipers, barely holding back her tears. The low whitewashed building was nothing special at all. It looked more like a tourist attraction with signs and gift shops.

  Seth parked and cut the engine. He blew out a breath and narrowed his eyes on the shops. "I should be able to buy a wedding ring here. Do you want to come with me and choose?"

  Gina shook her head.

  "Gina, love. I know this is sudden and it's not ideal, but if we get married you're safe to go back to Italy. From what your brothers say, although Nico's father is the local Mafia boss, he's also a strict Catholic who takes marriage seriously." Seth squeezed her hand. "Won't be long."

  With her eyes closed, Gina rested her head on the side window and imagined stroking Tiff. She wished they'd brought the darling dog. At least then she could have a doggy bridesmaid with a ribbon on her collar.

  Too soon Seth came back to the vehicle. He tapped on the window, then opened her door, letting in a flurry of snowflakes. "Come on, love. I've already checked in. Let's go inside."

  They ran the short distance to the single-story white building. Seth had to duck to pass under the low door frame.

  "Welcome, please come this way." An elderly balding official in a suit greeted them. They followed the man into a room that looked like a museum with old farm implements around the sides, and black-and-white photographs on the stone walls.

  The man introduced himself and invited them to stand by a metal anvil, a sort of small metal table that was apparently some kind of ancient blacksmith's tool. He then recited the words of the wedding ceremony. In a surreal daze, Gina spoke her part and so did Seth. He slipped a gold ring on the third finger of her left hand, and the official struck a hammer on the metal anvil between them, making her jump.

  "I now declare you husband and wife."

  Seth wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "Smile, love. It'll be all right. You'll see."