Scandals Of The Powerful: Uncovering the Correttis / A Legacy of Secrets (Sicily's Corretti Dynasty) / An Invitation to Sin (Sicily's Corretti Dynasty) (Mills & Boon M&B)

by Carol Marinelli

  ‘If I pull over we’ll never get the car started again, especially not on this hill.’ Luca shifted gears as he drove up towards Taormina. ‘How do you feel about pushing?’ He winced as the car juddered over a bump. ‘On second thought, forget that. You don’t eat enough carbohydrate to have the strength to push a pen across a desk let alone a car up a road like this.’

  ‘Are you questioning my strength? Because that probably isn’t wise. I can take you, Corretti.’

  ‘I wish you would. I’ve been desperate since last night and that encounter in the car park hasn’t helped.’ Ignoring the instantaneous reaction of his body, he kept his eyes on the road. ‘Any time you want a repeat performance just leap on me and rip my clothes off. No prior warning needed.’

  ‘I’m a good Catholic girl. I have no idea what you mean.’ But she was laughing and he was laughing too, as the car shuddered to a halt by the side of the road.

  ‘Let’s walk from here. It will be faster and probably a lot safer. You do have the strength to walk, don’t you? Ouch.’ He winced as her fist made contact with his arm. ‘What a hot, spirited little thing you are, Teresa.’

  ‘Don’t make me hurt you, Tomas.’ Still smiling, she slid her arm through his and Luca frowned slightly and opened his mouth to remind her that they didn’t need to play the role of an engaged couple tonight but she seemed more relaxed than he’d ever seen her so he closed his mouth and drew her against him as they joined the noisy, friendly crowd moving towards the arena.

  He felt her tension as they were surrounded by people and then felt that same tension seep from her as she realised that no one had even given them a single glance.

  They didn’t expect to see her and so they didn’t see her.

  And the disguise was good.

  ‘So, Teresa—’ he pulled her forward to the area in front of the stage where a group was already performing ‘—what does a girl like you normally get up to on a Saturday night?’

  She blinked innocently. ‘Normally I’m milking the goats, Tomas. And what do you normally do when you’re not dressing in jeans that are a crime against fashion?’

  Normally he was sleeping with some woman he never intended to see again.

  Luca was slowly absorbing that fact when the crowd surged forward.

  Instinctively he reached for Taylor, intending to protect her from the crush of people, but she was already dancing, arms in the air, joining in with everyone around her as the group on the stage revved the audience into a state of excitement.

  As the sun set, darkness fell over Mount Etna and coloured lights played over the crowd and the atmosphere turned from excited to electric.

  And still Taylor danced and it was the sexiest, most erotic thing he’d ever seen.

  She moved with unconscious grace and sensuality, in perfect time to the music, thinking of nothing but the moment. It was the first time he’d seen her out in public and not looking over her shoulder.

  ‘You’re a real wild child, Teresa.’ But she couldn’t hear him over the music so he scooped her face into his hands and kissed her and she kissed him back, smiling against his mouth, happier than he’d ever seen her.

  The chemistry was instantaneous and mutual.

  Her arms locked around his neck and they kissed, oblivious to the crowd around them.

  If someone hadn’t bumped against them hard, they might never have stopped kissing and Luca released her suddenly, wondering what he was doing and she was obviously wondering the same thing because her smile faltered.

  ‘Thank you for this—’ she glanced at the crowd and the stage ‘—and for arranging something you knew would make me happy. You’ve gone to so much trouble and, well, you’ve surprised me, Luca Corretti.’

  He’d surprised himself. He didn’t go out of his way to make a woman happy because a happy woman was a woman who wanted to stick around and he’d never wanted that.

  But seeing Taylor having fun had given him a high like no other.

  They stared at each other. He brushed her hair away from her face and she caught his hand and gave him a warning look.

  ‘Don’t mess with my hair, Tomas. Took me hours to get it looking like this.’

  He’d forgotten about the wig. All his attention had been on her and suddenly he wanted to be on his own with her. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  ‘No wait—’ she shouted above the noise, her voice pleading ‘—can we just stay for the fireworks? I love fireworks.’

  He intended to talk her out of it but then he saw her face as she gazed up at the sky, as enchanted as a child as silver exploded against black, showering the night sky with a thousand stars.

  They stayed until the light from the last fireworks had died away and then mingled with the crowd as they made their way back to their car.

  ‘That was amazing.’ She lifted her hand to remove the wig but he stopped her.

  ‘Leave it on until we’re home.’

  ‘I’m not ready to go home. I’m not ready for this to end, Tomas.’ Her eyes sparkled, alive and excited, and the rush of attraction almost knocked him flat.

  ‘I think if your father could see you now he’d have a heart attack. What exactly do you have in mind, Teresa?’

  She curled her fingers into the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her. ‘I want to go to the beach.’ Her voice was low. ‘I want to go swimming.’

  ‘Swimming?’ Luca stared down at that full mouth and knew he was in trouble. ‘Did you bring a costume?’

  ‘No.’ Her smile was all woman. ‘But that doesn’t matter because what I want more than anything is to swim naked.’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  SHE COULDN’T REMEMBER ever having so much fun. She felt light, happy and...free.

  Here in the car, protected by the darkness and the disguise he’d given her, she was no longer the Taylor Carmichael she’d created. She was the girl she’d left behind years ago. The girl her mother had disciplined into another version of herself.

  The girl she’d forgotten.

  ‘Tonight was the most fun I’ve had in ages. Thank you.’

  She put her hand on his thigh. Felt hard, male muscle tense under her fingers.

  ‘Carry on like that and you won’t be a virgin for much longer, Teresa.’

  ‘Is that a promise?’ She slid her hand higher and heard his breathing change.

  ‘I chose the wrong disguise for you. You couldn’t pass for a good Catholic girl if I dressed you in a nun’s habit.’

  ‘How far is the beach?’

  ‘Too far. I need cold water.’ They were close to home and he pulled off the main road and they bumped and bounced down a rough track while she soaked up the dizziness of freedom.

  ‘I can’t get used to the fact that no one is following us.’

  ‘If they do, they’ll lose a tyre on this road and it will serve them right.’ He switched off the engine and they sat for a moment, listening to the hiss of the sea as it hit the sand and the soft, rhythmic sound of the cicadas as they sang in the night.

  The full moon cast a silvery light over the water and she decided she’d never been anywhere more romantic in her life.

  ‘Come on.’ She was first out of the car, pulling her T-shirt over her head as she ran down the sandy path that led to the beach. She heard him behind her and they hit the sand at the same time, kicking off shoes and stripping off the rest of their clothes. ‘Cover your eyes, Tomas.’

  ‘Why would I do that when the view is so good? I may be a simple farmer but I’m not stupid.’ Without shifting his gaze from her he stepped out of his jeans. ‘No wonder your father has kept you locked up, Teresa. You’re a danger to mankind.’

  Taylor undid her bra. ‘I have a lot to pack into one night before you send me back.’

  She dropped the bra on top of the rest of her clothes.

  ‘I could be wrong but I get the distinct impression you really are thinking of swimming naked.’

  ‘If I arrive home with my clothes wet my father
will be suspicious.’

  ‘True.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘In that case you’d better remove everything, Teresa.’

  ‘Way ahead of you.’ She dangled her panties from her fingers and saw his gaze darken but as he reached to haul her against him she dodged backwards and sprinted towards the sea, gasping as the cold water closed over her ankles.

  How many times had she dreamt of doing this? How many times had she been tempted to run into the waves and swim naked only to stop herself because she knew someone would somehow manage to get a picture of her?

  But tonight she wasn’t thinking about that.

  Tonight, no one knew where she was and she was thinking of nothing but the moment as she plunged forward and felt the cool water close over her head. She came up gasping and laughing to find him standing there holding a damp mass of something unrecognisable in his hand. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Let’s just say you’re no longer a redhead.’

  ‘Oh, no! The wig!’ She made a grab for it but he threw it onto the beach and turned back to her.

  ‘Now you’re finally naked.’

  And so was he. She gasped as he scooped her up and ploughed into the waves and tightened her arms around his neck.

  ‘Drop me and you’re dead, Tomas.’ But she knew he wouldn’t drop her and she buried her face in his neck and breathed. ‘You smell good.’

  ‘Comes from spending the day herding sheep.’ But his voice was husky and, as he lowered her into the waves, his mouth found hers. They sank under the water, kissing, desperate for each other.

  There was only the moonlight but it was enough for her to see powerful shoulders above the surface of the water. His hair was slick and wet, his eyes gleaming in a face that was so wickedly handsome just looking at him made her stomach flip.

  ‘You’re looking good, Tomas.’

  ‘Taylor Carmichael skinny-dipping. Who would have thought it? Finally the woman in the maze that day has come out to play.’

  Taylor Carmichael.

  Her stomach gave a little lurch and just for a moment she heard her mother’s voice telling her she shouldn’t be doing this, that she should be thinking of her image, that she shouldn’t be trusting a man, but the voice seemed further away than usual, barely a whisper, and when Taylor listened again it was gone. Smiling, she pulled away from him and plunged back into the water.

  She’d waited too long for this. Too long to deny herself this moment and as her arms cut through the cool water she realised she was smiling.

  The moon sent arrows of light onto inky dark water and she knew from the soft splash next to her that Luca was adjusting his pace to stay level with her.

  They swam until her limbs felt tired and her eyes stung from the salt water. Reluctantly she left the water, picked up her T-shirt and dried her face. Then she twisted her hair into a thick rope and squeezed out the water, conscious of him next to her. Conscious of every beat of her heart and the movement of her breath through her lungs.

  She’d thought she was immune to this. She’d worked with hot men for her entire career and these days had no trouble resisting them. But this was different and she knew it wasn’t his looks that drew her—it was his hunger for living. He ate it up, devoured everything life had to offer without regret or apology, and she admired that and wanted it for herself. She wanted to live like this every day.

  Her heart gave a little leap although whether it was nerves or excitement, she didn’t know.

  All she knew was that she wanted him.

  She pulled his head down to hers and his mouth closed over hers with no hesitation, hot and demanding.

  He scooped her wet hair away from her face, his sinfully clever mouth fierce on hers, and she kissed him back with the same desperation, feeling something unravel inside her.

  Instead of hearing her mother’s voice she heard nothing but her own heartbeat, her own desires, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her body aching for his, so aroused she couldn’t think straight. She held nothing back, gave him all that she was as they kissed hungrily, bonded together by mutual desire and chemistry. She sensed that he was no more in control than she was and she heard him groan as she slid her hands down his body, savouring the feel of hard male muscle.

  ‘You’re killing me, Teresa.’

  Laughing, breathless, she pushed him backwards and they tumbled together onto the soft pile of clothes they’d abandoned before their swim. ‘I haven’t even started. You’re driving me crazy.’ She licked at his chest, tasted the salt of seawater on her tongue and then moved lower until his breathing changed, until his hands tangled in her wet hair, until he took control and shifted her onto him.

  She straddled him in the moonlight, her damp hair trailing over his chest, her eyes fixed on his as she took him deep, her lips parting as she felt the thick, hot pulse of his erection inside her. His hands gripped her hips and they moved together in a perfect rhythm as if this intimacy was something they’d shared forever.

  ‘Cristo, Taylor,’ he moaned her name. Her name. Taylor, not Teresa. The pretence had long gone as had the humour. His passion was every bit as dark as hers. They were both deadly serious, wrapped up in each other, oblivious to anything and everything but the moment as they rode the excitement until it exploded and took them over the edge and he caught her head in his hands and drew her mouth to his. And she discovered a kiss wasn’t always about sensual manipulation. Sometimes it was a gift.

  And as the madness faded she curled against him, her body dampened by sweat and sea as her heartbeat gradually slowed and steadied.

  ‘I’ve wanted to do this for so long.’

  There was a pause and then his hand lifted to her hair and stroked it away from her face. ‘Swim naked?’

  ‘No.’ Her words were muffled against his chest. ‘Be myself. Be invisible for a night. Be able to do what I want, with who I want, without thinking of the consequences. When I was a kid I just wanted to run off and assume another identity.’

  ‘You didn’t want to be an actress?’

  ‘I loved the acting. I hated everything that went with it. And I hated that all I was to my mother was a meal ticket.’

  ‘She was ambitious for you.’

  ‘No, she was ambitious for herself. She was determined I’d live the life she’d wanted and hadn’t had. She didn’t want me to make any of the mistakes she’d made. She controlled everything I ate, everything I did, everyone I saw. Even the big Hollywood studios were afraid of my mother. She mapped out a path for me. She decided which parts I’d take, who I could be photographed with. And she played the media.’ Taylor rolled onto her back and stared up at the stars. ‘She’d start rumours, anything to make sure my name and face were always in the press. I felt suffocated. Stifled. The only thing I never felt was loved.’

  ‘I’m surprised you didn’t rebel in a big way.’

  ‘I did.’ She’d unlocked the dark and it came swirling over her. Shocked by how sharp and raw it still was even after so many years she sat up sharply, trying to push it back. ‘I fired my mother as my manager and everyone labelled me as difficult. I wasn’t. I was just horribly lonely and disillusioned about everything. I wanted someone to love me for me, not for what being with me could give them, but when I told her I didn’t want her involved in my work any more, she told me to move out. And she gave all these stories to the press about how I’d betrayed her.’ The agony was as raw as ever. ‘She was my mom, but she was only ever interested in what she could get from being with me. And I soon learned that was true of everyone around me. There was no one I could trust.’ She didn’t give him the detail. Didn’t spell out the embarrassing number of times she’d trusted a person only to find intimate details in the press the next day.

  ‘Where did you go?’

  Taylor wrapped her arms around her knees. ‘I moved in with Rafaele. He was directing my film and he saw me falling apart under the pressure. He offered me somewhere to go.’

  ‘In other words he took advantage.’
<
br />   ‘It didn’t seem that way at the time but yes. I made a bad decision. I was seventeen and up until that point my mother had made virtually every decision for me.’ She could see now that she’d allowed her vulnerability to colour her view of the people around her. ‘I was so lonely. So desperate for someone who would love me for myself and not for what they’d gain from being with me. The breakup with my mother was all over the press. It was horrible. And that was when my father saw his opportunity to come back into my life and play the hero.’

  ‘Perfect timing.’

  ‘Yes. Except I was pretty messed up by then. I couldn’t see why he would want me when he hadn’t bothered being in my life for the first seventeen years and I told him that. So then he milked the press interest for everything it was worth and told more stories about me being a spoiled brat. I kept the media going single-handed. Every day there was another story about me. It was vile. The only person who seemed to care about me was Rafaele.’

  Luca took her hand in the dark. ‘Bastard.’

  It was exactly the right response. She didn’t think she could have handled sympathy, although the strength of his fingers on hers felt good.

  ‘Yes. He wasn’t a nice man.’ This was when she should tell him. She should confess about the phone calls, the threats, the sick feeling she lived with every day, the stuff she was terrified of people discovering, but she’d kept her secret for too long to part with it now.

  Trust, even this degree of trust, was so new to her it felt unfamiliar so she drew her hand away from his. ‘Enough of that. Tonight is about having fun.’

  And she realised with a lurch that every moment she’d spent with him had been fun. Even when they were fighting, he made her laugh. Unsettled by that realisation, she lightened her tone. ‘Good job the board can’t see you now lying naked on a public beach. I think you’re newfound respectability just died a death, Corretti.’

  ‘What the board doesn’t see the board can’t moan about. And it isn’t a public beach.’ He wrapped his arms around her and hauled her back to him, showing no urgency to get dressed, and she relaxed against him. Why not? It was perfect lying here with only the sounds of the sea for company.