‘Even if it’s true, you can’t feel happy about … loving me if you feel guilty that you have betrayed Cristina,’ she whispered.
Lanzo smiled and tilted her face to his, wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheeks with unsteady fingers. ‘It is true, and loving you makes me the happiest man in the world, tesoro mio.’
He glanced around the garden that he had created as a memorial to the woman who had been his first love. He would always have special memories of Cristina, but Gina had taught him to love again. She had given him his precious daughter, and a future that he hoped to share with her for the rest of his life. His heart overflowed with his love for her.
‘You are my life, Gina,’ he murmured. ‘You and Andria are my reasons for living, and I will no longer risk my life by taking part in dangerous sports.’
She managed a wobbly smile, joy unfurling tentatively inside her. ‘You mean you’re giving up skydiving and powerboat racing?’ It was difficult to believe that the daredevil playboy would be content with a quiet life. ‘How will you satisfy your need for excitement?’ she asked doubtfully.
‘You are all the adrenalin rush I need, cara,’ he murmured, his green gaze glinting as he pulled her against him and watched her eyes widen when she felt the hard ridge of his arousal.
‘Lanzo …’ His mouth was a sensual temptation she had been denied for too long, and a tremor ran through her when he brushed his lips over hers in a gentle kiss that tugged on her heart. She wanted more—needed the fierce passion that was so intrinsic to their relationship—and her mouth quivered when he broke the kiss and lifted his head.
‘There is something you can do for me. Marry me—please, amore. Not for Andria’s sake,’ he said urgently as she bit her lip, ‘or for any reason other than that you are the love of my life and I want to spend my life making you happy.’ He lightly touched the scar on her neck. ‘You deserve to be happy, Gina, and I promise I will never do anything to hurt you.’
He was nothing like her first husband. She had always known that. ‘You did hurt me once,’ she admitted softly. ‘I fell in love with you when I was eighteen and you broke my heart. And then, to add insult to injury, you went away and forgot about me.’
He shook his head. ‘I never forgot you. Over the years I was drawn back to Poole, although I did not acknowledge that it was because I was looking for the girl with a shy smile. And then, when we finally met again, I did not realise at first that the beautiful, elegant Ginevra Bailey was my Gina.’
‘Your Gina?’ she questioned, startled by the depth of emotion in his voice.
He nodded, suddenly sombre. ‘I started to fall in love with you ten years ago, but when I realised that you were a threat to my heart I ran for the hills. I was afraid to love you,’ he admitted. ‘But I am not afraid any more.’
He stroked his fingers through her long hair and Gina was puzzled by the sudden uncertainty in his eyes.
‘I wouldn’t mind knowing how the girl who was in love with me ten years ago feels about me now,’ he said roughly.
She smiled then, although tears were not far away. Maybe dreams really could come true. ‘Oh, she still loves you. Deep in her heart she never stopped,’ she told him softly.
He swallowed, welcoming the tidal wave of emotion that swept through him rather than trying to fight it as he had for so long. ‘And will you be my wife, amore mio, and stay with me for ever? ‘
‘I will.’ It was a promise from her heart.
He kissed her with exquisite tenderness, and then, as passion overwhelmed them, with a hunger that she shared. His hands roamed feverishly over her slender body as he crushed her lips beneath his, and he slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss until she was trembling—or was it him?
She smiled at his obvious pleasure when he drew her tee shirt over her head and unclipped her bra, so that her breasts spilled into his hands. He tugged her jeans over her hips and knelt to draw her knickers down, before slipping his hand between her thighs and caressing her with infinite care until she gasped and squirmed and begged him to make love to her.
‘With my body and my heart,’ he assured her as he stripped off his own clothes and drew her down onto the camomile lawn that enveloped them in its sweet fragrance.
He entered her slowly, afraid that he would hurt her when they had not made love for months, but she welcomed him eagerly into her and lifted her hips to meet each gentle thrust, until he could not hold back and took them both swiftly to the pinnacle of pleasure.
‘Ti amo, Gina, always and for ever,’ he groaned as they climaxed together and fell back down to earth safe in each other’s arms.
She captured his face in her hands and pressed her lips against his damp lashes. It had been a long journey for both of them, but finally they had found each other—and a love that would last for eternity.
‘Always and for ever, my love,’ she agreed.
EPILOGUE
THEY were married a month later, in the church in Positano. All of Gina’s family flew out for the wedding, and the ceremony was a joyous affair, full of love and laughter. The bride wore a simple ivory silk gown and pink roses in her hair, and the groom looked impossibly handsome in a dark grey suit. The tender smile on his face when he kissed his new wife caused Daphne to burst into tears, but the smallest guest stole the day—for it was also Andria Rosa’s christening. The baby looked angelic, in a froth of white lace, and smiled and gurgled happily unless her father tried to put her down, when she squawked indignantly.
‘Our daughter might be small, but she is very determined,’ Lanzo murmured when he placed Andria in her mother’s arms and she immediately snuggled into Gina’s neck. ‘I wonder where she gets it from?’ he added dryly.
They held a reception in the walled garden, and later, when all the guests had departed and Daphne had taken charge of Andria, Lanzo swept Gina into his arms and carried her into the villa.
‘Where is the painting of Cristina?’ she asked, noticing immediately the space on the wall where the portrait had hung.
‘I’ve taken it down and put it away. You are my wife, cara. The Villa di Sussurri is your home, and I did not think you would want to have a reminder of my past on display.’
Lanzo’s green eyes were no longer shadowed, Gina noticed, but clear and blazing with emotion as he stared down at her. She had not been his first love, but she had no doubt now that he loved her with all his heart—just as she loved him.
‘Cristina was a special person in your life, and I know you will never forget her—nor would I want you to,’ she told him softly. ‘She is part of your past, and she belongs here. Put the painting back, Lanzo.’
‘Have I told you how much I love you, Signora di Cosimo?’ Lanzo said deeply as he carried her up the stairs to their bedroom.
Her smile stole his breath. ‘Many times. But you can tell me again—and show me,’ she invited huskily when he laid her on the bed.
‘I intend to, cara,’ he promised. ‘For the rest of my life.’
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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First published in Great Britain 2011
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Chantelle Shaw 2011
ISBN: 978-1-408-92566-9
Table of Contents
Cover
Excerpt
About the Author
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Copyright
The Ultimate Risk Page 17