by Trish Morey; Day Leclaire; Natalie Anderson; Brenda Jackson; Ann Voss Peterson
Her mouth firmed. “You’re right. It is too late. I’m not someone you can simply pick up or set aside when the mood strikes you.”
“Did it sound like I was setting you aside when I proposed marriage?”
“You mean at the gala? You consider that a proposal of marriage?” she dared to scoff. “That was simply your clever way of removing the competition.”
“You mean David?”
“Of course I mean David.”
Constantine shook his head. “You know damn well he’s not my competitor and never could be.”
“We know that now,” she corrected.
“It still would have been a simple matter to get rid of him without proposing in front of your entire family.”
That gave her pause. “How?” she asked, genuinely curious.
He smiled tenderly. “Simply by being with you. David would have seen what everyone else sees whenever you and I are together. The very air around us is on the verge of bursting into flames whenever we touch. It isn’t something either of us can hide.”
“Try.”
“Damn it, Gianna!” He shot a hand through his hair. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“Nothing. I don’t want a thing from you.”
“And you call me proud.” Unable to help himself he swept her into his arms, praying his restraint wouldn’t snap. She might end up a bit ruffled and undone, but if he could rein in his self-control, it wouldn’t go any further than that. “I have spent endless months working night and day doing everything within my power to get back to you as quickly as possible.”
Tears welled in her eyes again. Tears of regret. “It’s been so long.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He feathered a kiss across her mouth. Unable to resist, he deepened it. “I came back as soon as I could, I swear.”
She wound her arms around his neck. “I missed you so much. You have no idea how hurt I was by your silence. There were nights I’d lie in bed and ache for you.”
He closed his eyes, her brutally frank words impacting like a blow. “I am so sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you. I have missed you beyond measure. But I am here now. Don’t let pride keep us apart any longer.”
Finally they had the privacy he needed to allow his hunger loose and he couldn’t take advantage of it, not after the promise he’d made to Primo. Or at least, not until Gianna had fully committed to him by allowing him to put his ring on her finger. He settled for another lingering kiss, one filled with promise. Filled with longing. A kiss that teetered on the edge of losing control. Her lips parted and her hands slid from his neck to fork deep into his hair, anchoring him in place. Her moan spoke of endless hunger, urging him to take that next, irrevocable step.
“We can’t,” he murmured against her mouth. “We need to take our time and do this the right way.”
To his relief, humor gleamed in her eyes in place of anger. “Do you think either of us is capable of that?”
“We better be or I’ll have a tribe of Dantes willing and able to take me apart.”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“Are you saying you’re ready to wear my ring? To commit to marriage?” He didn’t need to hear her response. “No, I can see from your expression that you’re not.” He snatched a swift kiss, then set her firmly from him. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs. I need to change.”
He escorted her to his apartment and left her in the great room with its expansive view of the city while he disappeared in the direction of his bedroom to shave and change. He joined her a short time later and found her studying the 3D replica he’d made of the Diamondt building for his presentation to the family, along with a thick book of drawings and samples that detailed the various aspects of the renovation.
“This is gorgeous,” she marveled. “I love how you’ve melded their name with the updates to the building. Are these beveled diamond panes going to be made from leaded glass?”
“Good eye. There are a lot of leaded glass windows in the older homes in the Seattle area. Since this is an older building, it seemed to suit. We’re also planning an immense stained-glass window for the foyer.”
“I wish I could see it. I’ll bet it’s gorgeous.”
“We’re still negotiating the contract, so unless there’s a problem, I won’t be going up there until it’s ready to be signed. But next time I do, you’re welcome to accompany me.” Maybe it would even be as his wife, though he was careful not to say as much.
“Thanks. I just might take you up on that.”
She studied the building a final few minutes, a frown growing between her brows. That couldn’t be good.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’d almost forgotten. It wasn’t until I saw this model and the Diamondt name that I remembered,” she murmured. She shook her head in annoyance. “It would seem you were right. That drug David gave me affected me more than I realized.”
Constantine studied her in growing concern. “What have you remembered?”
“Something David said about a diamond. I was going to ask you about it the minute I saw you.” She shuddered. “I hadn’t expected my escape to be quite so dramatic or frightening, or I would have thought of it sooner.” Her gaze shifted from the model to him. “Have you ever heard of a diamond named Brimstone?”
Figlio di puttana! He fought to keep his voice even. “You might say that. Are you telling me David knows about Brimstone?”
She nodded. “He seemed to think I should, too. In fact, he seemed certain that you either had it in your possession and used it to finance Romano Restoration…or you were marrying me in order to get your hands on it.” She tilted her head to one side, pinning him with her jade-green eyes.
“What is Brimstone, other than a fire diamond? And why is David d’Angelo trying so desperately to find it?”
“I suspect he’s desperate to find it because it’s worth somewhere in the neighborhood of ten million dollars.” Constantine shrugged. “Perhaps more. And to answer your other question, Brimstone is the reason your cousin, Lazz, and my sister, Ariana, married, sight unseen. To be honest, it’s a long story, and it occurs to me that we missed breakfast.” He gestured in the direction of the kitchen. “Why don’t we throw something together while I tell you about it.”
“Now that you mention it, I’m starving.” She followed him into the kitchen and took a moment to explore the generous area. Then she made herself at home, raiding the refrigerator. “Looks like you have ingredients for omelets. And maybe… Yup. Fruit salad?”
“Sounds disgustingly healthy.”
She held up a package of bacon and a small wheel of cheese. “Better?”
“Much.”
He pitched in to help cut and chop right alongside of her while bacon sizzled in the background. She gestured with her paring knife. “So, go on. You were going to explain about Brimstone. What is it? Where did it come from? David seemed to think it disappeared.”
“He’s right about that much. It did disappear.” Constantine sliced into a peach bursting with juice. “As for the rest of the story. Let’s see. Where should I start?”
She spared him a swift grin. “Where all good fairy tales start. Once upon a time…”
“Once upon a time,” he repeated obediently. “There was an adorable Italian princess named Ariana, who was the apple of her father’s eye. One day, when Princess Ariana was just six years old, a prince from a faraway land came to visit. His name was Lazzaro Dante.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Constantine confirmed. “Like all good fairy tales, the instant Ariana and Lazzaro touched, something odd happened between them.”
Gianna dropped her knife on the counter and spun to face him, openmouthed. “Are you kidding me? They felt The Inferno? At such a young age? I didn’t even realize that was possible.”
“According to my father it was an incipient form of The Inferno. But, yes. Something sparked between them. For some reason, Dominic w
ent insane when he realized what was happening and demanded that he and my father create a marriage contract. He wanted to ensure that my sister and your cousin were strongly encouraged to marry once they were older.”
“No way.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “No one ever told you any of this?”
Her eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Uh, no. And trust me, someone will pay for that oversight. All I heard was that they felt The Inferno when they met in Italy and decided to marry.”
“Ah, but they never actually met in Italy. That was merely the story they put out to explain their whirlwind wedding so that your grandparents and my grandmother wouldn’t find out about the contract and the true reason for their marriage. They needed to wed quickly in order to fulfill the terms of the contract.”
Gianna picked up her knife again. “Okay, now you’ve lost me.”
“There was a stipulation in the contract that the two must marry by Ariana’s twenty-fifth birthday. When the contract came to light they negotiated the marriage by phone and email. They never even met until the actual wedding ceremony.”
“But, that’s…that’s barbaric,” she sputtered. “You’re telling me they had to get married because of some contract your father and Uncle Dominic signed? Why didn’t they just tear it up?”
He hesitated. “There may have been a small incentive that made it worthwhile for all parties involved.”
Comprehension dawned, turning her eyes a brilliant shade of green. “Brimstone.”
Constantine nodded. “Dominic knew about my family’s financial issues. So, he offered to give my family half of Brimstone when Lazz and Ariana married.”
“And if they didn’t marry?”
“Brimstone would be thrown into the ocean and neither family would profit.”
“Dear God,” Gianna said faintly. “From barbaric to insane.”
“You and I think alike, piccola. My father, who might be barbaric about some things, is not the least insane when it comes to financial opportunities. He jumped at the offer.” Constantine couldn’t prevent a hint of bitterness from crawling into his voice. “After all, what did he have to lose?”
“Oh, Constantine,” she murmured.
He focused on decapitating strawberries, using a shade more force than strictly necessary. “Not to worry. As it turned out, we never did succeed in selling Ariana off. Though the two married, when the time came to turn over Brimstone, we discovered the diamond had gone missing.”
Gianna smothered a laugh. “You’d have thought Lazz and Ariana would make sure they knew where the diamond was before going to all the trouble of marrying.”
Constantine’s mouth tightened. “My father didn’t inform Ariana of the disappearance until moments before she walked down the aisle. None of the Dantes realized it was missing. You see, Dominic made the mistake of leaving the diamond in my father’s safekeeping. I gather it was part of the contract negotiations. As it turned out, Gran… My Grandmother Penelope—”
“The author of the Mrs. Pennywinkle books?”
“That’s the one,” he confirmed. “She overheard Babbo and Dominic talking about the contract. She was outraged by what they planned.”
“As any normal person would be.”
“Agreed.”
Finished with the fruit salad, he started a pot of coffee, then leaned against the counter and watched Gianna sauté onions, spinach and mushrooms in olive oil. She poured the egg mixture she’d prepared into a pan and added the sautéed vegetables, topping them with a sprinkling of bacon.
“Anyway,” he continued, “she stole Brimstone from my father and sewed it into a Nancy doll.”
“I used to own a Mrs. Pennywinkle Nancy doll.” Gianna snapped her fingers. “Maybe it’s in my doll.”
“Doubtful. She placed it into the original Nancy doll. The prototype. Ariana gave the doll away to a needy child shortly after she married Lazz.”
Gianna’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. I gather she didn’t know Brimstone was inside?”
“She didn’t have a clue,” Constantine confirmed. “By then, she and Lazz had fallen in love and decided to let fate determine where it ended up.”
She smiled softly. “How romantic.”
“Foolish,” he corrected.
She shrugged. “A matter of opinion. Though I can understand your family’s disappointment at the loss.” A sudden thought occurred. “Just out of curiosity, would you have taken the money from the diamond to start up Romano Restoration?”
He hesitated. “I would have been seriously tempted. But in the end…” He shook his head. “It still would have been money I’d neither earned, nor deserved to profit from. So, no. If the Romanos had taken our share of Brimstone, it wouldn’t have changed the past nineteen months, if that’s what you’re asking. We’d still have been apart.”
“Damn it,” she whispered.
“What?”
She frowned at him in open displeasure. “I’m beginning to see your point of view in all this. It’s really annoying, too.”
Amusement combined with a deep tenderness and affection. He loved her honesty and frankness. Loved that she didn’t pull her punches, even on those occasions when they stood on opposite sides of the proverbial fence. It also pleased him that she considered the Brimstone contract as much an outrage as he did. He found it encouraging that they were so closely aligned on certain issues. Which reminded him.
“Let’s not forget the original problem.”
It only took her a moment to follow his line of thought and she winced. “David.”
“Yes. Unfortunately d’Angelo has excellent inside information. He knows that Brimstone is missing.”
“Not really. He only suspects.”
“But once he decides neither family has it—”
“He’s going to try to find it,” Gianna finished his sentence for him. She expertly folded the omelets, then plated them, grating cheese over the top for the finishing touch. “I wonder if David knows Brimstone is sewn into one of the dolls. I’d hate to think he’s running around gutting every poor Nancy doll he can find in a frantic search for the diamond.”
Constantine grimaced, gathering the necessary items to set the table. “Hell, I hadn’t considered that possibility.”
“Maybe we should. And maybe we should find out where the diamond went before he does.” She busied herself filling two bowls with fruit salad while she considered. “One final question.”
“Just one?”
She chuckled. “For now.” She helped him carry food from the kitchen into the dining room. “Why do you suppose Uncle Dominic went to such extremes to ensure Lazz and Ariana married? I mean, creating a marriage contract seems a bit out there. He couldn’t be certain they were experiencing an early form of The Inferno. After all, they were only children.”
Constantine shrugged. “Apparently Dominic decided that marrying someone who wasn’t his Inferno bride guaranteed a disastrous marriage and he didn’t want Lazz and Ariana to experience what he did with his wife, Laura.”
Gianna stiffened. “No, that’s not right. You or your father must have misunderstood.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Weren’t your aunt and uncle planning to divorce shortly before their deaths?”
“Yes, but the two definitely felt The Inferno for each other. Even though they were Inferno soul mates, it didn’t work out for them.” She set the plates on the table, avoiding his gaze. “That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to you. Experiencing The Inferno isn’t a guarantee of a happy marriage. That’s why I want to make sure we’re compatible before we take our relationship any further.”
“Che cavolo!” He snagged her chin, forcing her to look at him, practically vibrating with fury. “Are you telling me you’ve inflicted me with The Inferno, but we may never know true happiness together?”
Misery invaded her gaze. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Seven
Gianna winced at the combination o
f outrage and anger that burned in Constantine’s expression.
“Why would you do this to us?” he demanded in Italian.
She allowed a hint of her own temper to show. “You keep saying that like I had a choice. I didn’t and I don’t. It just happens, okay? The Inferno chooses, not me.”
“That is a very convenient gift,” he accused. “All you have to say to escape blame is it’s not your fault. It’s The Inferno.”
“It isn’t my fault. And it was The Inferno.” She confronted him, hands on her hips. “Do you really think I took one look at you in all your magnificence and decided… Yeah, let’s zap him for the rest of our lives?”
“I don’t know.” He stuck his truly magnificent nose in her face, speaking between gritted teeth. “Did you?”
She wanted to scream in frustration. “We were meeting for the first time when it happened! Until then, we’d never spoken one word to each other. Why would I want to saddle myself with a man I don’t even know?” She held up her hand before he could offer another sarcastic comment. “Don’t you get it? The Inferno works the way it works. I’m as much a victim of it as you are. Do you think I like having decisions made for me? That I like having some weird flash of heat and electricity decide that you’re the one?”
“Considering you would have chosen d’Angelo over me, maybe you’re better off trusting The Inferno,” he shot back.
“Oh! That is beyond low—”
He cut her off without hesitation, all the while struggling to rein in his temper. “Let me see if I have this straight. You and I have felt The Inferno.”
She folded her arms across her chest and glared. “Yes.”
“But someday you may shake another man’s hand and feel The Inferno for him.” Constantine had keyed in on the one part of this entire situation that she hated the most. “I will only want you and no other woman for the rest of my days. You may Inferno any number of men. Is that correct?”
Her cheeks warmed and she nodded. “I think so, yes.”