Umberto Lucchesi stepped out of his car, a warm smile on his face as he embraced her. ‘Dara, so nice to see you again.’
‘Leo isn’t here, I’m afraid. He’s been called away for the day on urgent matters.’
‘Actually, I’m here to see you.’ He smiled, stepping back to look up at the façade of the ancient castello. ‘Don’t look so worried. I simply wanted to come here and explain myself to you.’
Dara frowned. ‘Explain yourself? About what?’
‘Well, I presume Leo has told you he will soon be selling the castle to me?’
Dara felt the betrayal hit her like a gunshot. Her hands dropped to her sides as she took in Umberto’s words.
‘No, he hasn’t mentioned it.’ She spoke as steadily as she could.
‘Yes, the deal was made in Palermo. I’m sure you know that the castello originally belonged to my family?’
Dara nodded, trying to follow his words, but the knowledge that the deal had been done in Palermo cut her even deeper. He had known for days. He had known that he was going to tear her life apart and yet he’d still gone ahead and seduced her anyway.
Hot tears threatened to overflow in her eyes. A lump of emotion was forming in her chest.
‘Did he send you here to tell me?’ she asked quietly, trying and failing to conceal the tremor in her voice.
Umberto shook his head. ‘Look, I don’t want to get in between whatever is going on with you and my nephew. I just want to make sure that you know that the Lucchesi Group will be happy to fulfil this contract of yours with Miss Palmer once the castello is under our brand.’
‘With all due respect, I’ve just found out that my contract is null and void. I don’t think I’ll be handing it over to you.’
‘I’m not suggesting that. I can see you’ve been caught off guard, here, so I will leave you to gather your thoughts. Come and have lunch at the resort tomorrow and we can talk further.’
Dara barely registered the older man getting into his car and leaving. She sat down on one of the marble benches at the edge of the courtyard, feeling her control finally tearing to shreds around her. Tears flowed down her cheeks onto her lap.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LEO WALKED INTO the main lobby of his uncle’s Syracuse resort. The old man had been very cryptic about meeting him there.
After spending two full days in Paris, thinking, he had made a decision to end his business with his uncle before returning to Monterocca.
Dara was the only reason he had gone back to his childhood home. It was because of her that he had faced his demons and let go of the darkness he’d carried around with him since his mother’s death. His feelings for her were intense and new, but what they had uncovered at the castello together was worth ten times more than any deal.
Umberto descended the main stairs and Leo raised his hand to greet his uncle—but froze as he noted the beautiful blonde step out from behind him. As he watched Dara shook hands with Umberto, her face a polite mask of professional gratitude.
She turned and saw him just as he reached the foot of the staircase. Her features tightened and she turned away, thanking Umberto again before walking in the opposite direction.
Leo felt as though a train had just run him over. He froze in place, watching her walk away, before his brain caught up.
Umberto clapped him hard on the back, taking his hand in greeting.
‘Glad to see you could make time for me, boy,’ he said. ‘We’ve had a slight change of plan with the resort, so I’m pushing the contracts through today.’
Leo moved to follow Dara across the lobby—only to have his uncle stop him.
‘I won’t have a scene here, Valente,’ he warned.
‘What is she doing here?’ Leo gritted.
‘Miss Devlin has accepted my offer of employment.’
‘You callous bastard,’ Leo breathed, seeing red haze his vision. ‘You did this to convince me to sell the castello?’
‘You have been dodging my phone calls all week. I felt like you needed some incentive. But apart from that the girl has a contract with Portia Palmer. A household name at my newest boutique hotel is an opportunity too good to miss. I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page.’
‘You wanted to remove any potential roadblocks!’
Umberto shrugged. ‘Leo, this is how real business is conducted. If you want in on my development then you’ve got to grow a thicker skin.’
‘I’d much rather have a conscience.’
Leo turned and strode across the lobby in pursuit of Dara. He caught up with her just as she turned down the hallway to the business suites.
She turned to face him and he noted the telltale smudges under her eyes. She looked as if she hadn’t slept or eaten in days. Like a woman who had been betrayed.
‘There’s nothing left to say, Leo.’
‘Oh, I think there’s plenty left to say.’
He spoke calmly, belying the anger coursing through him. He opened the door of an empty conference room, motioning for her to step inside.
Dara moved away from him to the head of the conference table, her hands resting on a high-backed leather chair.
Leo shut the door, turning to stare down at her. ‘You have made a monumental leap of faith, trusting that snake without speaking to me first.’
‘He told me that he was going to allow your investment deal in return for the sale of the castello—was that a lie?’ She crossed her arms, hurt evident in the shiny brightness of her eyes.
Leo felt hot shame course through him at being the cause of her anger. ‘I did not agree to anything.’
‘But you were going to.’ She was so certain in her statement.
Would she believe him if he said he’d come here today to say no to the deal? That he wanted to keep the castle?
He no longer associated Castello Bellamo with darkness and fear. Now it was filled with memories of warm soft skin and hot passion.
Dara continued, making a show of closing the clasp on her small handbag. ‘I mean, why would you walk away from a million-euro deal for a small-time wedding planner you’re just having a fling with? We’re both adults here, Leo. We knew what this was. And to be honest I don’t blame you. It’s better this way. Lucchesi has promised me my own division here, so I’ll be my own boss. My company would have been ruined anyway. This way I’ll still get to plan the Palmer wedding. I’ll be fine.’
‘I came here today to tell my uncle that I was backing out of the deal. That I wanted to keep the castello after all.’
‘Why on earth would you do that?’
‘Because for the past week I’ve been more honest and real than I’ve ever been before. You crashed into my life and forced me to revisit a past I never wanted to think about again. Do you have any idea what that feels like for someone like me?’ He shook his head, pacing to the end of the room. ‘And now you’re telling me that Umberto just had to tell you I was selling the castle and you jumped ship?’
‘In light of your sudden change in behaviour, it wasn’t so hard to believe. Taking a position here is a secure logical move for me.’
‘Screw logic!’ he bellowed, turning back towards her and slamming his hand down on the conference table. ‘You’re so willing to just hand over that wedding contract? To give it up without a fight? What happened to the woman who climbed up a building to fight for her career?’
‘I have no other choice.’
‘You always have a choice, Dara. No one has a gun to your head. You want to know what I think? I think you’re scared. You feel it too—whatever this thing is between us. And running away at the first sign of danger is easier than staying around to risk getting hurt.’
* * *
Dara stared at the man standing before her. She took a deep breath, trying to c
alm the chaotic thump of her heart.
Leo walked around the table to stand before her. ‘You can keep pushing me away with logic and business but I know that’s all a front.’
He leisurely brushed a wisp of hair from her face, making her shiver in response.
Dara stiffened, taking a quick step back from him ‘Leo...this was just sex.’ Her voice was almost a whisper, the emotion in her throat making it hard for her to form words. ‘Nothing more.’
She shook her head, looking out of the window to the bay below. How could she look at him when he had just offered her more and she was throwing it back in his face? She was showing her love for him by making this decision. By letting him see that this was just a week of madness. He would never be happy with a woman like her. He deserved someone whole. Someone better.
Leo stood up straight, taking a step away from her. ‘Well, it’s clear you’ve made your choice.’
Dara remained silent as he walked towards the door, pausing to look back at her. For a moment she thought he might say something else. She didn’t know if she could take much more before she broke down completely. To her relief he turned and walked away without another word.
She waited until she heard his footsteps disappear before she let the tears come. The emotion of the past twenty minutes had left her gutted inside. She felt physically ill. He would be back to his old lifestyle by tomorrow. She had no doubt. Men like Leo Valente didn’t brood over women. They moved swiftly on to the next willing partner.
She remembered that day in the boathouse—him laying his past out in front of her. She had seen through the playboy façade to the man underneath. Did she honestly think he was capable of such deceit or had she jumped the gun in leaving the castello so quickly to escape her own feelings? Maybe things would have been different if she had waited for him to explain first.
Wiping the tears from her face, she shook her head with finality. What was done was done.
She wasn’t sure she would ever recover from Leo Valente. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to.
* * *
Dara had thought the week since their last encounter had been difficult. But nothing compared to knowing that Leo would be in the building today, to finalise the contract for his investment in his uncle’s development. She half expected to look up from her desk and see him in her doorway, all charming smiles and smooth talk. She almost hoped to see him.
Her decision to hand over the planning of Umberto’s celebration dinner tonight had been made out of self-preservation. She couldn’t stand to see the hurt in Leo’s eyes one more time. Or, worse, to see that he had brought some leggy beauty as his date. Even the thought made her knuckles clench.
She mentally chastised herself. That was ridiculous. She had no claim on him now. She’d never even had one to begin with. And she had forfeited any rights she might have had when she’d walked away from him.
The memory of his words sent a fresh knot of emotion to her throat. ‘You always have a choice, Dara.’
‘What are you doing up here? The dinner starts in twenty minutes.’
Umberto Lucchesi stood in the doorway of Dara’s office, a glass of champagne in his hand.
‘I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to attend this evening. Considering my recent history with Mr Valente.’
‘Leo won’t be here this evening. Tonight is a good time for me to introduce you to the Lucchesi Group family. To celebrate the deal of the century.’
‘I thought he was signing the contract today?’
‘He has postponed it once again. Said he was otherwise engaged. It is merely a technicality.’ The older man scoffed.
Dara felt her lips tighten at the thought of what otherwise engaged might mean. ‘If the deal is not completely signed, why are you celebrating?’
‘Among Sicilian businessmen a spoken agreement is taken just as seriously as a written contract. I will have the contract sent over to the castello tomorrow—he can sign it then. Tonight we celebrate.’
Then knowledge that Leo was still in Monterocca had caught her off-guard. She’d thought he would be back to jet-setting around the world by now. Knowing he was in the castle...in the place where they had shared so much... She wondered if his reluctance to leave was about business or of a more sentimental nature.
The older man continued to ramble on. ‘No one is truly surprised that the castle is to be mine once more. It’s just as it should always have been. Out of the hands of those traitors.’ He spoke almost to himself.
‘It was never yours,’ Dara said quietly, and watched the man freeze and regard her through narrowed eyes.
‘That castello belonged to my mother—and all the land that goes with it. It is mine by blood. It does not belong to some disrespectful Valente.’
Dara stood up, feeling her temper snap. ‘Don’t you dare speak about the man I love that way.’
‘You forget your place here, Dara. You are my employee now, not his. Your loyalty is to me.’
‘I’m beginning to realise that I’ve made a mistake. You are a spiteful, mean old man.’
Venom spat from every hard line on his ravaged face as he stared her down. ‘Portia Palmer’s wedding is contracted to me now. You walk away and you lose your client and all of your hard work for nothing.’
‘It wasn’t for nothing.’
Dara smiled to herself. It wasn’t for nothing at all. It was for the biggest something she had ever experienced.
She grabbed her coat and bag, sidestepping Umberto Lucchesi in the doorway. Even if Leo turned her away—even if she had missed her chance—she still had to try.
* * *
Dara pulled up outside Castello Bellamo and breathed in the familiar scent of sea and oranges.
The front door opened and Maria came running out.
‘I thought it was you!’ She embraced her in a warm hug. ‘I told him you would come back—I told him—’
‘Is he here?’ Dara interrupted, the urgent need to speak with Leo overtaking her good manners.
‘He’s been down at the pier all day.’ She smiled, warmth in her eyes. ‘He needs a woman like you, Dara. You are a kind soul.’
Dara felt her eyes well up. She had probably done too much damage to expect forgiveness, but she had to at least try.
The stone steps down to the beach gave her just enough time to plan a speech in her head. But all of that went to mush when she was only a few steps away.
He had his back to her, his attention focused on a piece of wood he was repairing on the pier. He wore jeans low on his hips...his white T-shirt was torn and covered with dirt.
He turned and saw her, their eyes meeting across the short expanse of sand between them. Dara steeled her reserve and walked closer to the small wooden pier, aware of his gaze on her the whole time.
‘I didn’t realise you were so handy,’ she said, taking in the array of tools set out alongside him.
‘Hello to you too, Dara.’ His face was guarded, his expression unreadable as he stepped down from his perch and wiped his hands on a nearby towel. ‘My uncle sent you, I suppose?’
‘Nobody sent me. I’m here because I want to be.’
‘I’m honoured.’ He laughed, kicking a few rocks off the polished wood with a thump.
‘Please, no jokes.’ Dara felt queasy with nerves, and it must have shown on her face because his expression suddenly turned deathly serious.
‘Is something wrong? Is he treating you badly?’
He walked towards her.
‘No, nothing dramatic like that.’
‘What, then?’ He met her gaze intently.
‘I’ve missed you,’ she whispered, softly placing one hand against his chest.
He looked down at her, and for a split second she imagined he might kiss her. But then he steppe
d away, putting distance between them. She felt her heart thump uncomfortably.
‘I suppose I deserve that.’ She said quietly.
‘You travelled all this way just to tell me that?’
‘No. I came to tell you not to sell the castello to Umberto Lucchesi. I’ve realised that I made a mistake. That you were only selling it for me now. And I’d be the reason that such a beautiful place gets exploited by that man.’
‘You decided all that today—when the contract is as good as signed? Again, your timing is impeccable, Dara. What does your new boss have to say about all this?’
‘It doesn’t matter because I quit.’
Leo’s eyes narrowed, ‘Dara, please tell me that you retained your rights to the Palmer contract?’
‘I didn’t. The contract goes to Lucchesi. But the castello doesn’t have to.’ She took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. ‘What you said about finding your home here... That means so much more to me than some celebrity wedding. I want you to be happy. I want you to have this beautiful castle and a family of your own. You deserve happiness.’
‘It sounds suspiciously like you care about me...’
‘I do care about you. I love you for sacrificing your happiness for mine, but I just couldn’t live with myself if I’d let you do it.’
‘Dara...’ He stepped closer, reaching for her, but she held back, knowing that if he touched her she would just implode completely.
‘I have never felt happier than during the time I spent here with you,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll treasure the memory, but it’s best that we both draw a line under it and carry on with our separate lives. You see, someone like me—’
‘I’m going to stop you there.’
His mouth was soft on hers, his lips tasting her slowly and deliberately. She reached up and drew him closer, unable to control the raw emotion sweeping through her. This might be the last time she ever kissed him, so she needed to savour every moment.
She felt his shock as she deepened the kiss, controlling it with an urgency she had never felt before. She pressed close, so that their bodies were completely in contact. She could feel his heart beating frantically against her hand.
Resisting the Sicilian Playboy (Winner of 2014 So You Think You Can Write) Page 13