Holly slipped out of bed and padded across the room, quietly opening the balcony doors and stepping outside. It still amazed her how Julius had helped her overcome her crippling fear. But he was right. She had allowed her stepfather to control her through fear. She stood on the balcony and breathed in the fresh morning air. The sun was just peeping over the horizon, the red and gold and crimson streaks heralding a warm day ahead.
Julius’s phone beeped on the bedside table, and Holly heard him grunt as he reached out to pick it up. She turned to look at him, all sexily tousled from a deep sleep after satisfying sex. He pushed his hair back off his forehead as he read the message. She saw his face blanch. Watched as his throat moved up and down in a convulsive swallow.
She stepped back into the room, pushing away the gauzy curtain that clung to her on the way past. ‘What’s wrong?’
He clicked off the phone but she noticed he didn’t put it back on the bedside table. He was gripping it in his hand so tightly, she was sure the screen would crack. Every knuckle on his hand was white with tension. ‘Nothing.’
Holly came over to him and sat on the edge of the bed beside him. ‘It can’t be nothing. You look like you just received horrible news. Is it your father? Your mother? One of your siblings?’
He pressed his mouth together so flatly his lips turned white. He swung his legs over the bed and stood, still gripping his phone. ‘There’s been a press leak.’ He let out a hissing breath. ‘About us.’
This time it was Holly’s turn to swallow. ‘What does it say?’
His expression was so rigid with anger, she could see every muscle outlined as if carved in stone. ‘It’s not so much what it says as what it shows.’
Her stomach dropped. ‘There are pictures? Of us?’
He scraped a hand through his hair. ‘Yes.’
‘Show me.’
‘No.’
Holly got off the bed and held out her hand for his phone. ‘Show me.’
He held the phone out of her reach, his face so tortured with anguish her heart squeezed. ‘No, Holly. Please. It’s best if you don’t. I’ll make it go away. I’ll get my lawyer onto it.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Your lawyer? Surely they can’t be that bad. How did anyone get photos of us? We haven’t been out together in public.’
Julius was looking so ashen Holly felt sick to her stomach. She took the phone from him. This time he didn’t fight her for it. It was like he was stunned. Shocked into inertia. She clicked on his most recent message. It was from his twin brother with a short message—WTF?—with a link to a press article with two pictures. They were erotic, almost pornographic shots of her and Julius making love in the pool.
Her mouth went dry. Dry as sandpaper. She couldn’t get her voice to work. All she could think was how horrible this was for Julius. How shaming. How mortifying. Someone had captured them in their most intimate moments and splashed it all over the world’s media. The media Julius did everything in his power to avoid. This was what she had brought to his life. She had done this to him. She knew exactly who was behind that long-range camera lens. This was how it was always going to be. She could never have a normal life. Not while her stepfather was alive. He would hunt her down. He would destroy her and anyone she dared to care about.
‘I can make it go away,’ Julius said into the canyon of silence.
Holly began collecting her things and stuffing them haphazardly into the backpack she had stored in his wardrobe.
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m leaving.’
‘You can’t leave.’
She slung the straps of her backpack over one shoulder. ‘I have to leave, Julius. I reckon I’ve caused enough trouble for you. I admit I wanted to when I first arrived, but even by my standards this is going too far.’
He frowned so hard his brows met over his eyes. ‘You don’t think I’m blaming you for this?’
‘It’s my fault,’ Holly said. ‘I’ve done this to you because I do this kind of stuff to the people I care about. I wreck their lives. I stuff up everything for them just by breathing.’
‘You care about me?’
Holly mentally bit her tongue. ‘I’m not in love with you, if that’s what you’re asking.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ he said. ‘You do love me. That’s why you’re running away like a spooked rabbit. You’re too frightened to let me handle this. You want to trust me to keep you safe when no one’s ever been able to do it before. But I can keep you safe, Holly. You have to trust me. I will not allow anyone to hurt you.’
Holly wanted to believe him. She ached to believe he cared enough to sacrifice his privacy, his reputation and even his family for her. But she wasn’t worth it. She knew he would come to resent her for it. The press would never leave them alone. Her stepfather would see to it. Her stepfather would taint their relationship. He would sully it. Cheapen it.
And ultimately destroy it.
‘I don’t think you’re listening to me, Julius,’ Holly said. ‘I don’t want to stay. I wouldn’t stay if you paid me to. I’ve got plans. I’m not changing them. My future is in England; it’s not here with you.’
His mouth tightened. His hands clenched and unclenched by his sides. Holly got the feeling he was at war with himself. Fighting back the impulse to reach for her. ‘Fine,’ he said at last. ‘Leave. I’ll call Natalia and get her to pick you up. You won’t be able to leave the country until your community service time is up.’
Holly knew it would be the longest three days of her life.
* * *
Julius stood in a stony silence as Holly was driven away by her caseworker. It felt as if his heart was tied to the rear of the car. The tugging, straining, gutting sensation took his breath away. He was sure she was lying and yet...and yet what if he was wrong? What if she had set him up from the start? She was a troublemaker. A rebel. She had openly admitted to wanting to make his life difficult. He thought back to the pool. Both times she had lured him out there...hadn’t she? It had been her idea to make love out there. It wasn’t something he would normally do. She was always poking fun at his conservative nature. Was that why? So she could set him up and shame him the in the most shocking way possible?
But then he thought of how she had trusted him enough to tell him about the horrible stuff that had happened to her as a child. That wasn’t an act. She had the scars to prove it. Her stepfather was behind this photo scandal. He had to be. Julius just had to prove it. If he could make Holly feel safe by seeing justice served then maybe, just maybe, she would trust him enough to admit to her feelings.
He reached for his phone and called a close friend, Leandro Allegretti. Leandro was a forensic accountant who occasionally did some work for Jake’s business analysis company. They had gone to school together and Leandro had spent many a weekend or holiday at Ravensdene while they’d been growing up. If anyone could uncover secrets and lies, it was Leandro. He made it his business to uncover fraud, money laundering and other white-collar crime.
‘Leandro?’ Julius said. ‘Yeah, it’s me. Listen, I have a little project for you...’
* * *
Holly had finally made it to England. She had found a tiny flat in central London and even landed a job in a deli, which should have made her feel as if all her boxes were ticked, but she felt miserable. The weather was freezing, for one thing. And it never seemed to stop raining. She had spent years dreaming of the time when she would be here, doing normal stuff like normal people, and yet she felt lost. Empty. Hollow. As if something was missing. Even the shops didn’t interest her. She hadn’t heard from Julius, but then she didn’t expect to, not really. She had cut him from her life in the only way she knew how. Bluntly. Permanently.
But she missed him. She missed everything about him. The security she felt when she was with him was only appare
nt to her now it had been taken away. She had felt safe with him. Now she was anchorless. Like a paper boat bobbing about in the middle of the ocean.
Holly was on a tea break in a nearby café when she flicked through the day’s newspaper and her eyes honed in on an article that was only a couple of paragraphs long about a recent criminal charge in Argentina. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw her stepfather’s name cited as the man at the centre of the investigation that had uncovered a money-laundering and drug-running scheme that had gone on for over twenty years.
Holly sat back in her seat with a gasp of wonder. It had finally happened. Franco Morales’s lawyer said his client had pleaded guilty and bail was denied. How had that come about? Who was behind it? Who had shone the light of suspicion on her stepfather?
A cramped space inside Holly’s chest suddenly opened. Julius. Of course he would have gone after her stepfather. Hadn’t he promised he would not allow anyone to hurt her? He had been true to his word. He had taken on one of Argentina’s most notoriously elusive criminals and brought about justice. For her.
Holly shot out of her seat. She had to see him. She had to see him to thank him in person. To tell him...what? She sat back down in her seat. Huddled back into her coat. She didn’t belong in his world. How could she? She worked in a deli. She had no qualifications. He was the son of London theatre royalty.
And his mother hated her.
‘Is this seat taken?’
Holly looked up to see a woman standing next to the empty chair on the opposite side of the table. She looked vaguely familiar but Holly couldn’t quite place her. Maybe she had served her in the shop in the past week or so. ‘No; I’m leaving soon, in any case.’
The woman sat down. ‘You don’t recognise me, do you?’
Holly blinked as the woman took off her sunglasses. Why anyone would be wearing sunglasses on such a miserably wet day in London had occurred to her but then she figured it took all types. Now she realised it was all part of a disguise. A very clever one, too. No one would ever guess Elisabetta Albertini would frequent a humble little café in Soho dressed like a bag lady. ‘No,’ Holly said. ‘Even your accent is different. But then, I guess you can do just about any accent.’
Elisabetta gave her a sly smile. ‘So, how’s London working out for you?’
‘Great. Fine. Brilliant.’
‘You’d better stick to your day job,’ Elisabetta said. ‘You’re a terrible actor.’
Holly grimaced. ‘Yeah, I know. But I hate my day job. I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life. Nor do I want to be cleaning up after people.’
‘What did you want to be when you were a little girl?’
‘I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher—but why are you even asking me this after the way you spoke to me at Julius’s? And how did you find me?’
‘Julius told me.’
Holly frowned. ‘But how does he know where I am?’
‘He made it his business to find out,’ Elisabetta said. ‘Look, I was wrong to speak to you the way I did. Richard’s parents did the same thing to me all those years ago when he brought me home to introduce me to them. They made me feel so worthless. I swore I would never treat any daughter-in-law of mine like that, but then I went and did it to you.’
‘Daughter-in-law?’ Holly said, frowning harder. ‘No one said anything about marriage. We had a fling, that’s all, and now it’s over.’
‘He loves you, Holly,’ Elisabetta said. ‘He’ll want to marry you because that’s his way. Jake would be another thing entirely. But with Julius you can be assured he’ll always do the right thing.’
Holly narrowed her eyes. ‘Did he make you come here to apologise to me?’
Elisabetta gave her a coy look. ‘Does it matter? If he’s going to marry you, then I’m going to have to accept it or lose him.’
Holly’s frown deepened another notch. ‘He shouldn’t have done that. You’re his mother. He’s lucky to have you. I wish I had a mother. I have no one. No one at all.’
Elisabetta put her hand over Holly’s and gave it a light squeeze. ‘I’m not the best mother in the world. I know that, and it upsets me if I allow myself to think about it, so I don’t think about it.’ She pulled her hand away as if she had a time limit on touch and sat back in her seat. ‘But who knows? Maybe I’ll do a better job as a mother-in-law.’
‘You mean you wouldn’t...mind?’
Elisabetta gave a short but not very pleasant-sounding laugh. ‘Of course I mind. But I’m an actor; I’ll pretend I don’t. But don’t tell Julius. It can be our little secret.’
Holly gave her a telling look. ‘You won’t be able to fool him no matter how brilliant an actor you are.’
The older woman’s gaze was suddenly very direct. ‘Do you love my son?’
Holly gave a heartfelt sigh. ‘So much it hurts to think I might never see him again.’
Elisabetta smiled a mercurial smile and popped her sunglasses back on as she got up to leave. ‘I have a feeling you’ll be seeing him very soon. Ciao.’
Holly gathered her things and made to get up but a tall shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Julius standing there, beads of rain clinging to his cashmere coat, his hair and even to the ends of his eyelashes. ‘I know my mother’s a hard act to follow, but here I am. Did she apologise?’
‘Yes...’ Holly licked her suddenly dry lips. Maybe now wasn’t the right time to talk about his mother’s ‘apology’. ‘I can’t believe what you did for me. It was...amazing. Unbelievable. I can never thank you enough.’
‘There is one way,’ he said. ‘Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’
Holly thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest cavity with sheer joy. Could this really be happening? ‘Why me? You could have anyone. I’m no one.’
He took her by the hands and gripped them tightly. ‘You’re everything to me. Everything. I love you, Holly. More than I can ever tell you. I know this isn’t a dream proposal. In fact, I can’t believe I’m proposing to you in a public place—but I can’t bear another moment without knowing you’ll agree to spend the rest of your life with me. You don’t have to come back to Argentina if you don’t want to. I can move back to England.’
Holly looked at him in stunned surprise. ‘You’d do that for me?’
‘Of course.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘But the weather’s foul.’
‘I know, but at least we could cuddle up in bed,’ he said with a glint in his eyes.
Holly grinned back. ‘I guess we could split the time between here and there. Summer here, winter there.’
‘Sounds like a good plan to me,’ he said, drawing her close. ‘I missed you so much. I never realised what a boring life I’ve been living until you came into it.’
Holly felt the sting of happy tears at the back of her eyes. ‘I was miserable from the moment I got on that plane. I’d planned that moment for years. I’d looked forward to it. Counted the days, the hours, even the minutes. But as soon as we took off I felt empty. As if I was leaving a part of myself behind.’
Julius blotted a tear that had escaped from her left eye. ‘Do you love me or have I been deluding myself?’
Holly held his hand against her cheek. ‘I love you. I’m not sure when I started. Maybe when you took me out on the balcony. You were so kind and patient. I didn’t stand a chance after that.’
He smiled a tender smile. ‘So will you marry me, my darling?’
Holly wanted to pinch herself to check she wasn’t dreaming. ‘No one’s ever proposed to me before.’
‘Lucky me to be the first.’
Holly put her arms around his waist and smiled as his mouth came down towards hers. ‘Lucky us.’
* * * * *
If you’ve loved stepping into the world of THE
RAVENSDALE SCANDALS, you won’t want to miss the next sizzling instalment in this thrilling new quartet!
AWAKENING THE RAVENSDALE HEIRESS by Melanie Milburne—available January 2016 from Harlequin Presents!
Keep reading for an excerpt from TALOS CLAIMS HIS VIRGIN by Michelle Smart.
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Talos Claims His Virgin
by Michelle Smart
CHAPTER ONE
TALOS KALLIAKIS DIPPED his head and rubbed the nape of his neck. The consultant’s words had cut through to his marrow.
Looking back up to stare at his two brothers, he read the sorrow on their faces.
Astraeus Kalliakis—the King of Agon, their grandfather—was dying.
Helios, the eldest of the three brothers and heir to the throne, folded his arms and took a visible deep breath before breaking the silence. ‘We need to bring the Jubilee celebrations forward.’
The whole of Agon was gearing up to celebrate Astraeus’s fifty years on the throne. Everything was planned for the end of summer, six months away. The consultant oncologist had said in no uncertain terms he wouldn’t last that long.
Ravensdale's Defiant Captive Page 16