‘I discovered just how innocent you were,’ Sergio said drily. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?’
Kristen blushed. ‘I was scared you wouldn’t make love to me if you knew it was my first time...and I desperately wanted you to,’ she admitted.
He gave a harsh laugh. ‘You were not the only desperate one, cara. I’d like to think that if I had known of your innocence I would have held back, but the truth is I wanted you so badly that I could not resist you.’
The possessive gleam in his eyes sent a quiver through Kristen. She recognised the sexual chemistry between them was as intense as it had been four years ago, but her instincts told her to fight the damnable desire that made her body tremble. He had hurt her once before, and she must not forget his threat that he wanted to take Nico from her.
‘What was your mother and stepfather’s reaction when you told them you were pregnant?’
‘Mum was fine about it. But Alan was furious. He knew that if I had a baby it would probably end my gymnastics career. He pushed me hard because my achievements at competitions enhanced his reputation as a top coach, but I suppose I’d always believed that he actually cared about me as a person.’ She swallowed. ‘He had been my dad since I was eight and I...I loved him. But he tried to persuade me to have an abortion and, when I refused, he threw me out and wouldn’t even let me stay at home until after the baby had been born.’
Her stepfather’s rejection, coming on top of what she had taken as Sergio’s rejection when she had lost Nico’s twin and she had felt that he had not wanted their baby, had had a deep impact on Kristen. She had felt betrayed and abandoned by the two men she loved. Both had only been interested in what she could give them; Alan had lavished attention on her because he had hoped she would win sporting glory and enhance his coaching reputation, and Sergio had wanted her for sex. Four years on, the hurt hadn’t faded, and she wondered if she could ever trust a man again. She had developed a fierce sense of independence. As a single mother totally responsible for her son, she could not afford to let her guard down.
She forced her mind from the past as Sergio said harshly, ‘You mean you were homeless when you had Nico but you still did not tell me you had given birth to my child? Dio, did you hate me so much that you preferred to struggle alone rather than come to me for help?’
‘I didn’t hate you. But when I left Sicily our relationship was over. I’ve explained that because of what you said at the hospital I believed you would not have been interested in my pregnancy. I lived in my student digs until just before Nico was born, and on my twenty-first birthday I inherited some money from my real father which I used for a deposit to buy a house. That’s when I changed my name back from Russell to Lloyd.’ Kristen had wanted to end all links with her stepfather. ‘I had to work full-time to pay the mortgage. Alan had thrown Mum out too because she supported my decision to have the baby, which made me wonder if he had ever truly loved her,’ she said heavily. ‘Anyway, Mum moved in with me and she looked after Nico during the day.
‘He has only been going to day care for a few months, since...’ she swallowed ‘...since Mum was killed in an accident. That’s why he hasn’t settled at nursery. He misses his nana. And that is why I decided to tell you about him. I wanted to be a full-time mum to Nico for a few months. But I couldn’t afford not to work and so I was going to ask you for financial help, just temporarily.’
The tremor in Kristen’s voice had a profound effect on Sergio. ‘I’m sorry about your mother. I remember you were very close to her.’
‘Yeah,’ Kristen said gruffly. His gentleness was unexpected and she quickly looked away from him, willing herself not to cry. ‘It’s Nico I’m worried about. I want to do what’s best for him.’
‘And you have,’ Sergio assured her. ‘I’m glad you came to me for help, and I’m glad that you are both here at Casa Camelia.’
‘You didn’t leave me much choice after you brought Nico here without my consent.’ Kristen shot him a sharp look. ‘As soon as he is better I want to take him home.’
‘This is his home.’ He met her gaze levelly and although he spoke quietly Kristen heard the implacable determination in his voice, which filled her with despair.
‘You saw tonight how much he needs me,’ she said urgently.
‘I agree. But our son deserves to grow up with his father as well as his mother.’
For most of his childhood, after his mother had taken him to America, Sergio had longed to be with his father. But for ten years he’d had no contact with Tito and when they had finally met again it had been too late to establish the bond that should exist between a father and his son. A bond that Sergio was determined to forge with his own son.
Somehow he needed to convince Kristen that Nico would benefit from growing up with his father. But she mistrusted him, and he was beginning to understand how deeply she had been affected by the way he had responded when she had miscarried Nico’s twin. He had tried to reassure her that the miscarriage had in no way been her fault, but she had misunderstood his words and thought that he had not wanted their child. It was little wonder that she had kept Nico a secret, Sergio thought grimly. She was a fantastic mother, but it was obvious that she had been struggling to bring Nico up on her own, and the truth was the little boy needed both his parents.
Fear cramped in Kristen’s stomach. ‘So you still intend to fight for custody of him?’
‘I hope we can come to an arrangement by which we can both be involved in Nico’s upbringing. You told me you wanted to take a break from work to spend time with him,’ Sergio reminded her. ‘What I am suggesting is that you and Nico stay here at Casa Camelia for a few weeks while we discuss his future.’
‘And if I don’t want to stay?’
His eyes met hers, and for a split second Kristen thought she saw a plea for understanding in his gaze. But she heard the determination in his voice when he said, ‘You are not a prisoner, cara. You can leave whenever you like—but Nico will remain here with me.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE WARM, SCENTED bath water was having a soporific effect on Kristen. Her eyelids felt as though they were weighted down and she was having trouble keeping them open. Would Sergio find it convenient if she drowned in his bath? she wondered. It would mean he would gain custody of Nico without a court battle.
The thought of Nico being motherless made her haul herself upright. She would fight to her last breath to stay with him, but there was no escaping the fact that Sergio had the upper hand now that he had brought Nico to Sicily. He had told her she was not his prisoner, but she was trapped at Casa Camelia by her love for her son.
She was too tired to think any more. When Sergio had offered to run her a bath she had agreed without argument, especially when he had remarked in an amused voice that she didn’t smell too good after Nico had been sick on her. At least her hair was now clean and rather more fragrant, and when she stepped out of the bath she discovered that Sergio had left one of his shirts for her to wear.
After blasting her hair with a drier, she emerged from the en suite bathroom and was relieved to find he was not in his bedroom. On her way out of the room she noticed a photograph of a beautiful raven-haired woman on the desk, and her heart gave a lurch when she recognised it was the woman she had seen four years ago in a magazine— Sergio’s first wife, who he had loved but was now dead. She studied the photo. For so long she had felt jealous of the woman Sergio had married, but now she felt sad for her. She must have been tragically young when she had died. Her mind reeling with confused thoughts, Kristen walked through the connecting door into the adjoining bedroom where Nico was sleeping soundly.
He looked angelic with his dark curls spread on the white pillow, and his cheeks had lost their feverish flush and were a healthy pink. He was cuddling Hippo. Thank goodness Sergio had remembered to bring his favourite toy.
How could they share custody of Nico and give him the stable and secure upbringing that every child needed? She certainly wouldn’t allow him to be passed between them like a parcel, Kristen thought fiercely. The future suddenly seemed frighteningly uncertain. Maybe things would be clearer after a few hours’ sleep. It was four o’clock in the morning and after the tension of the last few days she was bone-weary, she acknowledged as she curled up on the bed.
When Sergio walked into the room fifteen minutes later he found Kristen fast asleep, one arm draped protectively across Nico. The sight of mother and child snuggled up together brought a lump to his throat. He couldn’t remember Patti ever showing him affection, and he was fiercely glad that his son had a mother who clearly adored him.
But he loved Nico too. His son had captured his heart instantly. How could he not love his own flesh and blood, the gorgeous little boy whose angelic looks were enhanced by his impish smile? How could his own mother not have loved him? Sergio wondered bleakly. Had there been something about him that had made him unlovable? Was that the reason his father had not tried harder to regain custody of him?
Nico would never have reason to doubt that his parents loved him, Sergio vowed. He accepted that Kristen had believed she’d had good reasons for choosing to bring up Nico on her own, but he was determined to convince her that cooperation between them would be far better for their son than a custody battle. When they had met at the Hotel Royale he had known he wanted to resume their affair, but now the stakes were higher.
Four years ago he had guessed that she had been in love with him and, although he had no expectation that she still was, he was convinced that she had not slept with him the other night simply because the sex was good. More than good, he amended. She was the only woman who had ever made him lose control. During their affair he had fought the feelings she stirred in him, but now the only battle he planned to fight with Kristen was to persuade her to allow him to have a presence in her life as well as Nico’s. And, for Sergio, losing was not an option.
* * *
Kristen rolled over on the mattress and came into contact with something warm and solid. Her brain fuzzily realised that the object was too hard to be a pillow and too large to be Nico, and when she opened her eyes her first thought was that she was not in the room where she had fallen asleep. She turned her head and her heart practically leapt out of her chest.
‘What are you doing in my bed?’ she demanded, uncaring that Sergio appeared to be asleep.
He opened his eyes and gave her a lazy, sexy smile that did nothing to help slow her racing pulse. ‘Actually, you are in my bed.’
‘Not from choice,’ she assured him grittily. His amused expression fuelled her temper and she welcomed her anger as a much-needed distraction from her awareness of his virile body. The disturbing thought struck her that he could very well be naked beneath the sheet draped across his hips. And not only naked! Her gaze slid down his body and the sight of his obvious arousal straining against the silk sheet made her catch her breath.
She needed to take control of the situation. Folding her arms across her chest made her feel more authoritative and hid her pebble-hard nipples. ‘How did I get here?’
‘I brought you to my room because I heard you crying in your sleep and I didn’t want you to disturb Nico. You spoke your mother’s name,’ Sergio added gently.
She swallowed. ‘I dream about her sometimes.’ She looked away from him, feeling incredibly vulnerable. She had a vague recollection of being upset and feeling comforted by strong arms that had held her. Another memory, of running her hands over a broad, hair-roughened chest made her blush and hope fervently that it had all been part of a dream.
‘I was glad I was able to comfort you.’ Sergio confirmed the worst and Kristen winced with embarrassment to know that she had actually stroked her hands over him while she had been asleep.
‘I’m sorry if I disturbed you,’ she said stiffly.
‘Having your gorgeous body cuddled up close to me was no hardship, cara.’
Beneath his softly teasing tone, Kristen heard something deeper and darker that evoked a coiling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Desire throbbed between them, but she could not, would not fall into its delicious embrace.
Panic sharpened her voice. ‘I did not cuddle up to you.’
‘Oh yes, you did.’ He moved so fast that before she had realised what was happening she was lying flat on her back and his hard body was covering hers so that she could feel every muscle and sinew of his thighs pressed against her. Even more shocking was the feel of his rock-solid arousal jabbing into her belly, and she couldn’t prevent her body’s instinctive response as molten heat pooled between her legs.
‘You clung to me like a limpet,’ he taunted. ‘And you cried out my name. Perhaps returning to Casa Camelia brought back memories of all that we shared four years ago?’
‘All we shared was sex.’ Somehow Kristen managed to sound scathing; refusing to let him see how much his words affected her. She pushed against his chest and tried to slide out from beneath him, but he had pinned her to the bed and every slight movement she made resulted in his burgeoning arousal nudging deeper between her thighs. ‘You didn’t share anything else with me, least of all yourself. You kept a barrier between us and I never knew what you were thinking...or feeling.’
‘I gave you more than I’ve ever given to any other woman,’ he told her intently.
‘Am I supposed to feel flattered by that? Was I supposed to feel grateful that you fitted me into your busy work schedule?’
‘I asked you to stay in Sicily with me. You were the one who chose to leave.’
‘Because I knew that if I had stayed as your mistress our relationship would have been all on your terms. You expected me to give up everything that was important to me, even though you knew that gymnastics was a big part of my life.’
‘My position as head of a division of the Castellano Group necessitated me travelling extensively and working long hours. But you needed to be in England to train with the gymnastics team. I couldn’t see how we could continue our affair if we were rarely together or even in the same country.’ Sergio exhaled heavily. ‘The reason my parents divorced was because my mother was determined to pursue an acting career in America and she and my father never spent any time together.’
‘We could have tried to work something out. But you refused to make compromises. You made me feel that I was unimportant and that my feelings didn’t count.’ Kristen bit her lip. ‘You did the same at the hotel in London. You were in such a hurry to have sex that we still had our clothes on, and as soon as it was over you were on your phone, no doubt discussing business. You made me feel cheap,’ she muttered.
‘I answered the call because I knew it was from my brother. He is the only person who has the number of my private phone so that he can contact me if there is a problem with our father. Tito’s health is not good, and Salvatore rang to tell me he was unwell. I would have explained why I had left you so abruptly...but you had already gone.’
Sergio smoothed her hair back from her brow and looked deeply into her eyes. ‘I’m sorry you felt that I did not show you the proper respect you deserve. It’s no excuse that my impatience was because I was desperate to make love to you, but I had hoped you would spend the night with me and I intended to act with a little more finesse the next time we had sex.’ He shifted his position so that his pelvis ground against Kristen’s, and she caught her breath as he whispered in her ear, ‘But, instead of telling you what I’
d planned, let me demonstrate.’
‘I don’t need you to demonstrate anything.’ She gritted her teeth as she fought the insidious heat of sexual longing that surged through her veins. ‘Let me go, Sergio. I need to check on Nico.’
‘I went to see him just before you woke up. He’s sound asleep, and I have asked the nanny, Luisa, to sit with him while you get some rest.’
She swallowed as he began to undo the buttons running down the front of the shirt she had worn to sleep in. ‘Why are you doing this?’ she asked desperately. ‘What we had was over a long time ago.’
‘Was it, Krissie?’ He worked his way down the shirt until he reached the last button. ‘Can you honestly say that you never thought of me in the last four years, that you never lay awake at night, remembering the touch of my hands on your skin?’
His glittering gaze held her captive as he spread the shirt open and curled his hands possessively around her breasts. ‘I remember everything. Making love to you again at the hotel reminded me of just how good it was between us, and now that you have come back into my life I am in no hurry to let you go.’
There were a hundred reasons why she should not allow herself to be seduced by Sergio’s velvet-soft voice and the sensual promise in his eyes. She would be mad to respond to the brush of his lips across hers. But her willpower had always been non-existent where he was concerned, Kristen acknowledged dismally. She had spent too many nights tormented by memories of him and her resistance was melting faster than candle wax in a flame as he skimmed his hands over her naked body, making her skin tingle everywhere he touched.
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