Capri Nights

by Cara Marsi

  He took her hand in his. When she turned to him, his eyes were dark and mysterious in the pale moonlight.

  “You are enchanting,” he said.

  His husky voice made her insides shake like unset soufflé. She looked deeply into his eyes and felt herself slowly falling over a velvet-lined cliff. “Alex.”

  “What do you want, Cat?”

  She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I want you to kiss me.”

  He bent his head to brush his lips over hers in a whisper of a kiss that coaxed and teased. With a small moan, she pressed closer and opened her mouth, inviting his sensual invasion.

  His deep, drugging kiss inflamed every cell in her body. She tunneled her fingers through the thickness of his hair and lost herself in Alex’s heat, in the warm, spicy scent of him, in the promise of his lips.

  Deepening the kiss, he cupped the curve of her jaw with his hand. Their tongues tangled. The heat of his body seared through the thin silk of her clothes. Desire and need, tempting and delicious as whipped cream on strawberries, settled in her stomach.

  “Carissima.” His whispered word, filled with longing, made something deep and yearning stir in her.

  He left her mouth to trail red-hot kisses down her throat to her collarbone.

  She threw back her head in surrender. “Yum.” The word escaped her.

  She felt his smile against her throat. His fingers skimmed the tops of her breasts, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as an ache built between her legs.

  They sank together onto the bench, Alex leaning over her. He stared down at her with wonder in his eyes. Cat wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to press her lips against his, drinking deeply of his passion and sensuality. Longing flared deep inside her.

  “My Cat,” he said on a tortured breath. When he bent to kiss her breast, she arched up and shivered at the sudden rush of pleasure.

  “Cat! Alex! Are you out here? We’re waiting on you for dessert.” Bailey’s strident, angry voice ripped apart the beauty and romance that had enveloped them.

  Cat and Alex jumped apart.

  With a wry smile, he stood and helped Cat up.

  “Caitlyn! Alex!” Bailey’s voice grew closer. “The gelato will melt if you two don’t get in here.”

  “We’ll be right up,” Cat called out.

  “Saved by gelato.” Alex cupped her elbow as they strode back to the villa.

  “I didn’t want to be saved.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was a wonder the homemade lemon gelato softened at all when she scooped some into her mouth, Cat thought, feeling the harsh, cold glowers from Nolan and Bailey. Cat sat in a chaise lounge on the patio, across the large expanse from the two women, with Alex on a chair next to her. Huntley sauntered over, and he and Alex engaged in quiet conversation. Tinsley, at the bar, was texting on her phone, seeming oblivious to the tension that hung over the room, heavy as lava from an erupting Mt. Vesuvius. Seated next to Nolan, Cat’s father directed his scowls toward Alex.

  Cat gave a mental shrug. Alex had made it clear he preferred her to Bailey. Her stepmother and stepsister would have to deal with it. Some of Cat’s old insecurities kicked in, tightening her chest. A hot, attentive, and cultured guy like Alex actually wanted her, and not the more glamorous Bailey. No, she wouldn’t think like that anymore. She’d worked hard these last few years to break free from her doubts and insecurities.

  “Viteli.” Cat’s father cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “Viteli, we know about your legal troubles.”

  Beside her, Alex released an audible breath. “They are common knowledge.”

  Her father sipped some of his whiskey. “Are you hiding out here on Capri?”

  Alex stood. “I don’t hide from anyone. I’m in touch with my lawyers every day. I assure you, sir, that I am innocent of all wrong doing.”

  Cat stood and touched Alex’s arm, then focused on her father. “Dad, Alex is our guest. Nothing’s been proven against him.”

  Nolan grabbed her husband’s tumbler of whiskey from his hand. “Stop that right now, Davison. Alex is our guest.”

  “It’s late,” Alex said to Cat. “I should go.” He nodded toward Nolan. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “I’ll walk you out.” Cat narrowed her eyes at her father as she and Alex headed out of the room.

  *****

  Tight-lipped, Alex left, followed by Cat. Davison Connors’ words had cut.

  “I’m sorry for what happened in there,” Cat said when they’d reached Alex’s car. The sincerity is her big blue eyes speared him with longing for love and acceptance. Gratitude that she believed in him swelled in his chest. He wanted to take her into his arms and never let go.

  “It’s okay. Your father is worried about his daughter. I would be the same. Thank you for defending me.”

  “He was being rude. I had to say something.” She shook her head. “Odd that he would actually worry about me. He never seemed to care much about any guys I dated.”

  Alex leaned back against the car and pulled Cat with him, cradling her in the circle of his arms. “Tell me about your father and Nolan. Is your mother still alive?”

  Cat splayed her hands on his chest, warming him through the fabric of his shirt. Her eyes met his.

  “My mother is alive and well, and she’s wonderful. She’s an artist in Sausalito, California, outside San Francisco.”

  “I know that area. So your parents are divorced.”

  She nodded. “They divorced when I was three. Dad married Nolan soon after.”

  He settled Cat against his hip. “Nolan is an unusual name for a woman.”

  Cat chuckled. “Her real name is Mary. She changed it a long time ago. I guess she thought Nolan sounded more sophisticated than Mary.” Cat shrugged. “Nolan’s obsessed with social standing.”

  Alex frowned. “I assume your father and Nolan fell in love.”

  When Cat rested her head on his chest, Alex smoothed his hand over her hair, reveling in its softness. Soft and beautiful, like Cat.

  “I don’t know if Nolan and Dad have ever been in love.” Cat’s voice was muffled against his shirt. “My dad cheated on my mom with Nolan. My mother’s not a woman to take infidelity from a man. She’s not the type to take any crap from a man. She threw Dad out and Nolan was there to catch him.”

  “My poor Cat.” He rested his chin on the top of her head.

  She pulled away and gazed up at him. “It’s okay now. I’m a big girl. Dealing with Nolan and her daughters was hard growing up, but I’m over it and I’m doing what I want.”

  “You and your father aren’t close.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  He brushed stray locks of her hair back from her face, skimming his fingers over the creamy smoothness of her skin. “You’re a loving, trusting person and I can feel the tension between you and your stepfamily. Your father seems to pay little attention to what goes on.”

  “You got it. That’s my family.”

  “Your father is the loser because he doesn’t know what a wonderful woman you are.”

  “Thanks, Alex.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

  Alex pulled her closer and kissed her waiting lips. Her sweet floral scent teased his senses. Images of taking Cat away with him, where the world couldn’t intrude, flashed through his mind. But he couldn’t run and he couldn’t escape.

  He sucked her full bottom lip and was rewarded with a low moan from her. She raked fingers through his hair and drew him closer. A door slammed somewhere and night insects cried out to each other, reminders that the world waited.

  He reluctantly ended the kiss and gathered her against him. The rapid beating of her heart echoed his. He stroked her hair, wrapping silky strands around his fingers. “Goodnight, Cat. I will dream of you.”

  “Goodnight, Alex.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips softly over his.

  Alex drove a little too fast along the winding roads leading to his house on the opposite
side of the island. Something in him craved Cat’s freshness and needed her trust. Cat was different from most of the women he’d known. She was real and without pretense. Her goodness spoke to a part of his soul that had died when his family and fiancée abandoned him.

  Prison and ruin loomed. He gripped the steering wheel, fighting the darkness that threatened his soul.

  *****

  Sunlight caressed Cat’s eyes open. She stretched, welcoming another beautiful day on this bewitching island. A gentle, flower-scented breeze wafted through the open doors of her bedroom patio. Alex’s face flashed through her mind. She rubbed a finger over her lips, remembering his kisses, his heat, his sensuality, and his tenderness the night before.

  He’d awakened something in her, something hidden and dormant. She’d had relationships in college, one serious, with Ethan. Her ego had been bruised when he dumped her for another woman, but truth to tell, she’d been somewhat relieved. She and Ethan had had a comfortable relationship, with little passion. And Cat wanted passion. Especially after tasting it with Alex.

  Later, dressed in shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops, she headed downstairs to breakfast. Only eight o’clock, she knew her stepmother and stepsisters wouldn’t be up yet. When she entered the dining room, her father sat at the table reading The New York Times.

  “Morning, Dad.” She poured herself a mug of coffee from the pot on the sideboard. Setting the mug on the table, she helped herself to fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon, sourdough toast, and sliced melon. Nolan insisted on an American breakfast every morning. Cat had no idea how she’d managed to find sourdough bread on Capri.

  Cat sat down, ready to dig into her food, when her father very loudly slapped his paper onto the table.

  “What?” She met his harsh gaze.

  “Are you ready to stop this nonsense?”

  “What nonsense?”

  His lips pulled into a thin line, and his eyes glinted with anger. “This whole rebellion thing you’re going through. Aren’t you a little old for this? Quitting law to be a cook! Now, consorting with a felon. Enough! When we go home, I expect you to come back to the firm.”

  Appetite gone, Cat pushed her plate away and wrapped her hands around her coffee mug, needing to control the trembling in her hands and stomach. “I’m not going back to law. It’s not for me. And this ‘rebellion’ as you call it, is anything but. After years of trying to please you, and failing, I’ve given up. From now on, I’m doing what I want.”

  He winced as if stricken.

  She gulped her drink, coughing a little as the hot liquid slid down her throat. Slamming the mug onto the table, she stood and stared down at her father, the man whose love she’d hungered for her whole life. Now, she saw him for what he was—a weak man who’d let himself be manipulated by a grasping social climber. A man without the guts to fight to win back the woman he loved.

  She leaned closer until they were nose-to-nose. “I’m first sous chef at one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. Someday I’ll have my own restaurant. It’s what I’ve always dreamed of. You wouldn’t know that because you never bothered to find out what I wanted. And Alex is innocent until proven guilty. Nothing’s been proven yet. I trust him.”

  “Caitlyn.” He held out a hand.

  She stomped away, proud of herself for standing up to him, for saying the things she should have said long ago. Her good feeling lasted until she got to her room. She threw herself on the bed and cried for the father she’d never had, for the death of her childish dreams that she and her parents would live together in their own happy-ever-after.

  Cried out, Cat sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was finally free to be the woman she always knew she could be. Through the years, her mother had tried to shore up her confidence, but Cat had been so intimidated by the mean-spirited treatment from Nolan and her daughters and by the benign neglect of her self-absorbed father, that she’d retreated into herself. No more. Her new clothes were the outward symbols of her self-assurance and freedom.

  There was Alex. He made her feel desirable and beautiful. No one had ever done that before. She recognized his core of sincerity and goodness. He couldn’t be guilty of any crimes.

  Sadness rose in her. They lived an ocean apart. Nothing lasting would ever come from their brief flirtation on this magical island. She pressed a hand to her chest as if she could somehow touch her heart and soothe away the dull pain that formed at the thought of leaving Alex.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  All that day, the villa bustled with workmen, caterers, and cleaning people, preparing for the huge party her father and stepmother were holding that night. Restless, wanting to see Alex and not wanting to spend another evening with Nolan’s friends, Cat called Angelina to meet her for lunch. Friends since their undergrad days at Berkeley where Angelina, a native of Capri, was an exchange student, the two women had remained close.

  Angelina drove to the villa to pick up Cat, and now they were seated at one of Capri’s ubiquitous outdoor cafes finishing a lunch of yellowtail fish roasted on a bed of fennel with sides of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, topped off by espresso and strawberry kiwi gelato.

  Cat patted her stomach. “I’m going to weigh a ton by the time I get home.”

  Angelina’s brown eyes glittered. “I’m sure your Alex will think of imaginative ways to work off the pounds.”

  “Alex and I haven’t made love. I barely know him.”

  “Ah, but you are falling for him. I see it in your eyes.” Angelina leaned forward. “Admit, it, Cat.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Angelina laughed. “You protest too much. I never saw your face light up when you spoke of Ethan the way it lights when you say Alex’s name.”

  “I like him. Love? No way. Even if I did fall for him, we live in different countries. I have a new career, one I’ve worked very hard for. I won’t leave San Francisco.” She grimaced. “Once Alex’s legal troubles are over, he’ll have a ton of work to rebuild his company and his reputation. His life is here.”

  Angelina shrugged and picked up her wine goblet. “I have only met him a few times, but he seemed like a decent guy, not a playboy like some of his cousins. Very serious minded.” Her lips tilted in a wicked smile. “He’s hot too.”

  “Yeah, he is hot, and decent. I’d hate to see Bailey get her claws in him.”

  “I knew it! You are jealous of that bitch Bailey. She is nothing compared to you.”

  “I’m not jealous. I’m so over caring about Bailey and Tinsley.”

  Angelina touched Cat’s hand. “Be careful of Bailey. She always seemed to have a meaner streak than Tinsley, even back in college. I suspect she’s not changed. If she thinks Alex is hers, she may get nasty.”

  Cat snorted. “Bailey can’t hurt me.”

  Cat’s phone rang. When she saw Alex’s name on the ID, she lowered her head to hide her grin from Angelina. She answered and struggled to keep the elation from her voice.

  “Hi, Alex.”

  Across the table, Angelina thrust a fist in the air. “Yes!” she mouthed.

  After a few minutes, Cat hung up to face a smirking Angelina.

  “You are in love!” Angelina said. “Your face is lit up like the sun. He is coming here, yes?”

  “Yes. We’re going to spend the day together. He’s close so he should be here any minute.”

  They paid the bill and headed out to the square to wait for Alex. When he arrived, he and Angelina exchanged hellos, then Angelina left, after getting reassurances from Alex that he would drive Cat home.

  When they were alone, his hungry gaze devoured her. “You look good, Cat.”

  “Thanks.” She felt good too, in the yellow cotton sundress and gold sandals. Cat hefted her large straw bag over her shoulder. “Where are we going?”

  “I have a special surprise for you.”

  He took her hand, squeezing it as if he never wanted to let her go.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Alex held C
at’s hand, helping her negotiate the cobblestones in her high heels. She took two steps to his every one. “Where are we going?” she asked again, glancing up at him.

  Her sparkling eyes and the trusting way she held onto him made him want to taste her sweet lips, to protect her from her stepfamily, and give her the happiness she deserved. Facing prison, he had nothing to offer her. If exonerated, he’d spend the next few years rebuilding his business. Cat had her own life an ocean away. She was his today and he’d make her happy.

  “We are almost there,” he said.

  He led her to a tiny lane, then up narrow stone steps to a walkway that overlooked the bay. As in the rest of Capri, flower-filled boxes lined the pathway. Quaint shops selling Limóncello, the sweet liqueur of Capri, couture clothes and shoes, and upscale household goods opened onto the walk.

  “We’re here,” he announced.

  They entered the tiny perfumeria filled with hundreds of perfume bottles of varying shapes and sizes.

  “A perfume shop?” Cat said.

  “The best perfumeria in Capri.”

  “Sandro!” Maria rushed from behind the counter and embraced him. Maria and her mother Lucia, along with Ernesto, had stood by Alex through his legal problems. They believed in him, and he would always remember their kindness. Their faith in his innocence gave him strength to keep fighting. He wanted Cat to know the people who’d remained loyal to him, unlike most of his family.

  Maria shouted toward the beaded curtains. The beads tinkled like tiny bells as Lucia came out from behind them. When she saw Alex, she hurried over to give him a hug.

  He took Cat’s hand and pulled her forward, saying in English, “Maria, Lucia, this is Cat, my special friend.”

  Lucia grabbed Cat’s free hand and said in heavily accented English, “We are always happy to meet a friend of Sandro’s. He is a good man.”

  “I, too, am happy to meet a friend of Sandro’s,” Maria said with a welcoming smile.

  Gratitude for his two friends sent a rush of warmth to Alex’s chest.