by Janice Sims
“Guys,” she said to Pietro and Ivan as she walked over to the foyer table, opened the drawer and withdrew an envelope. Returning to them, she handed Pietro the envelope. “Follow these instructions for the romantic night of your lives. Get going now because your reservation is for eight. That’s why I asked that you not be late.”
In the envelope were the location of the five-star restaurant where she had reserved them a table and the name of the club they were going dancing at after dinner. “My treat. All you have to do is mention my name,” she added with a grin. “Have fun, you two.”
She saw them to the door and received grateful kisses on her cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” they said in unison.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Ana happily replied.
Erik was standing behind her when she turned around after closing and locking the door. “As for you,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You’ve been a bad boy.” Her eyes were fierce. She poked him in the chest, causing him to back up. “I think you need to be punished.”
Erik grinned sexily. “Do with me what you will.”
“That’s just what I plan to do,” Ana told him, as she grabbed his tie and moved in for the kill. Standing close she slid one long, shapely leg along the inside of his thigh until she reached his package. She felt the pulsating need from that quickly hardening part of him and smiled with satisfaction. “Yes, I think you missed me.”
“You have no idea,” Erik breathed.
Ana’s fingers were busy unbuttoning his pants. He couldn’t wait for her to unzip him. He reached down and did it himself. Her hand slipped inside and she rubbed him. He was hard and ready for action.
Erik pulled up her dress and cupped her behind. Ana knew that if she didn’t move this to the bedroom soon her neighbors were going to get an eyeful. The big picture window that looked down on the street was stark with no window treatment at all. She kissed him, teasingly bit his lower lip, then took off running for the bedroom. “Work for it,” she cried, laughing all the way.
* * *
In April, Erik surprised Ana with the rooftop garden he’d promised her. She moved out of her loft into the penthouse, although that bit of information was kept from the families.
Their wedding took place at Erik’s parents’ home in New Haven in mid June. The garden was in full bloom and the one hundred and twenty guests were pretty loyal about not leaking information to the media about the time and place of the nuptials. However photos of the wedding still found their way onto the internet. Ana and Erik refused to allow any magazine to feature it, though.
On the day of the wedding, Ana was getting dressed in her bedroom when Drusilla paid her a visit. “Darlin’ you’re looking a little tired. Is there anything you’d like to tell me?” Drusilla’s eyes looked huge behind her Coke bottle glasses and her gaze was relentless.
Smiling at Drusilla’s curiosity, “Getting ready for a wedding is exhausting,” was all Ana would say. Leave it to Drusilla to intuitively know her secret. She regretted not confiding in Drusilla that she was, indeed, pregnant. However she and Erik had decided that bit of news would be shared with the family at a later date. Her folks were here from Milan and it wouldn’t go over well at the wedding if the soon to be father-in-law punched the groom, she thought with a smile.
Ana was not allowing anything to ruin her happiness today. This day in June in New Haven turned out to be picture-perfect: an azure sky, temperature in the lower eighties with just a hint of a cool breeze. Her dress, taken from the Corelli wedding line, was a simple strapless white empire-waist gown with pearl buttons down the back. In spite of Drusilla’s pronouncement that she looked a bit tired, she was glowing!
The garden boasted an explosion of fragrant and colorful flowers and plants and the guests were resplendent in their wedding finery, the ladies in intricate hats of various shapes and sizes in all the colors of spring.
Among the guests she spotted her family and Erik’s, but also Damon and his partner, Sidney. Pietro and Ivan were there with Pietro’s mother, Maria, sitting between them. Leo, Teresa and Julianna Barone smiled warmly at her as she walked down the aisle on her father’s arm. And Abby and Harry Sinclair had tears in their eyes.
A baby began crying, which only made her smile all the more. Everyone she loved was here today. Then, she glanced up into Erik’s smiling face and her heart knew complete contentment.
When Erik saw her walking down the aisle on her father’s arm, his heart was full of joy. He glanced at her belly momentarily, thinking of the life growing beneath her own heart—their child and their future.
Was he nervous on this, the most important day of his life? Not in the least. He’d waited for this day for so long that there was nothing that could spoil his utter pleasure in it finally having arrived.
He felt like the most blessed man on earth.
Soon, they were standing in front of one another and gazing expectantly into each other’s eyes. Erik gently took Ana’s hand in his.
“Dearly beloved,” began the minister in a deep, resonant voice…
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781459249547
Copyright © 2012 by Janice Sims
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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