The Amalfi Bride
Ann Major
www.millsandboon.co.uk
This book is dedicated to Lady Jane Liddington,
a dear childhood friend, now living in London,
for suggesting we meet in Ravello.
I also dedicate this book to the marvelous staff of the
Palazzo Sasso Hotel in Ravello, who taught me that
paradise does exist on earth.
And to the Italian people, who were all so wonderful to
me and my husband when we were in their country.
And last of all to the beautiful young woman from
Australia and her Italian lover, whom I met in Rome at
lunch, who shared their story and inspired me.
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Coming Next Month
One
Amalfi, Italy
Her last few days in paradiseso many sights, so little time left to see them. So, what was she doing herein a barwasting her valuable timelacking the will to hike or to tour one more cathedral or villa? Flirting with a dangerous stranger?
Oh, my God! Im not flirting with him.
It was late July and warm in the open-air bar, although not nearly as warm as it would be back in Texas. Regina Tomei grabbed her glass of chardonnay and sipped too much, too hastily, spilling a few drops on her chin and neck. Quickly she dabbed at the dribbles with her napkin.
Her lengthy list of cathedrals and the notes shed written about the Greek ruins fell to the floor. She didnt bother to pick them up. Instead, she stole another quick glance at the tall, dark stranger leaning against the bar across the room.
Who had said, I can resist anything but temptation?
The man instantly stopped talking to his short, plump friend and lifted his bottle of beer in a mock salute to her.
Oh, my God! Not again!
He took a slow, long pull from the bottle. Then his gaze touched her throat and lips. She gasped. Involuntarily, her hand with the napkin went to her mouth and then to the hollow of her throat, where her pulse was racing.
The heat of her own fingertips made her imagine his big hands and his lips upon her flesh. She began to perspire, so she fanned herself with the damp napkin.
Then, realizing what she was doing, Regina seized the ornate golden cross around her neck and held on for dear life. Shed bought the necklace from Illusions, an opulent shop shed discovered tucked away in an alley of charming Ravello near her hotel.
Sightseeing and shopping were her hobbies; not barhopping, not flirting with strange men in foreign lands.
Run!
The man took another pull on his bottle and then stared at the gardenia in her hair. Before she could stop herself, she grazed the velvet petals with a stray fingertip.
Do not touch, signorina, or the petals will turn brown.
Regina picked up her camera and set it on her little table. Agitated, her hands flew to her lap, where she clasped them and her napkin, but not for long.
She looked up again, straight at her Adonis. Was it only her imagination, or did his blue eyes blaze with the same intensity as the sapphire Gulf of Salerno behind him? Was she the cause of all that fire?
Heat washed over her and, at her blush, he smiled.
Mortified and yet thrilled, too, she picked up her camera and pretended she found her light meter fascinating.
His friend observed all with a raffish grin and then, as if bored, hugged Adonis goodbye.
Oh, my God! The short guy was leaving! He would have to pass by her table!
She buried her face in her hands to avoid conversation, and he chuckled as he passed.
Somehow, the friends departure seemed significant.
Not wanting to think about that, she concentrated on the glittering rings of condensation on the ceramic table from her wineglass.
Rule number one: smart women traveling alone in foreign countries do not pick up strange men, no matter how handsome or friendly or desirable they seem. In particular, women dont pick them up in a bar, even one with whitewashed walls, cascading bougainvillea and lots of sunshine and tourists.
She told herself to grab her camera, get up and walk away! No! Run! She should run like she had last night. She had no idea what sort of person he was.
What if he was a gigolo or, worse, a serial killer?
Her mind returned to the G-word.
A gigolo? Was the blond fellow a pimp? Did gigolos even have pimps? She could write a brief on what she didnt know about gigolos and their business plans.
Regina frowned as she remembered the older woman with the platinum hair, loud makeup and trailing orange veils with whom shed seen him yesterday in the red Maserati convertible. The woman had caught Reginas attention because shed spotted the car in front of Illusions earlier.
The driver had been the same elderly shopkeeper whod sold her the cross, the sentimental little painting of the black-haired boy playing in the sand, the scandalous pink-and-black lace underwear she was wearing now, her skimpy new dress and, of course, the darling white sandals to match.
Yesterday afternoon, when the older lady had dropped him off at the beach near the mooring of the immense white yacht called Simonetta, Regina hadnt thought much about her kissing his dark cheeks so many times. Nor had she wondered why the older lady had been so reluctant to let him go. When the woman had spotted Regina watching them, shed recognized her and had waved, beaming. When hed looked at Regina, hed acted startled and had broken off the embrace.
Suddenly, the little scene took on a darker, more lurid meaning. A gigolo?
And what about that diamond the size of an ice cube on the finger of the regal, middle-aged woman in the black Ferrari with him today? She, too, had driven him to the same beach and had kissed his cheeks almost as ardently as the other, older woman. Only the second woman had had a more commanding air, summoning him back to the Ferrari twice.
Now, the strangers eyes on Reginas bare skin felt like fire. She wished shed put on something that was more her.
Reginas usual attire back in Austin, Texas, tended to be dull, predictable suits that covered her up, which were appropriate when a young woman was an attorney and made her living in courtrooms.
How ironic that his elderly mistress or client, or whoever the woman was, had sold Regina her revealing white sundress. The same woman had talked her into taking the clips out of her hair, too.
You very lovely, signorina. With wavy hair down. You need flower in your hair. Special flower from magic bush. Then you get boyfriend for sure. Come. I show you.
Was it so obvious Regina had no lover? No boyfriend?
With orange veils trailing behind a body that was still voluptuous and hidden bells jingling, the woman had led Regina out of the shop down a cobblestone path to a courtyard with a marble statue of Cupid and a thick bush ablaze with gardenias.
This bush blooms all year. Pick one every day you are here, if you like. And I promise, a miracle will happen. Prometto. Her dark blue eyes had twinkled like a fairy godmothers.
Delighted, Regina had picked one yesterday. Then, this morning, she had gone back for another.
The gulf had a mirror finish; the sinking sun was turning to apricot the villas and hotels that perched precariously on the cliffs. Soon the coast would be magically suffused by the soft, slow twilight shed come to love.
For as long as she could remember, Regina had wanted to visit the Amalfi Coast. Leaning down, she picked up her list of sights and notes. She should be admiring the mountains trembling steeply above the sea instead of devouring a man who could be a sexual professional.
You probably couldnt even afford him.
Oh, my God!
If he was a gigolo, he obviously thought she could afford him. Why else was he eating her up with his dark blue eyes?
Her throat went so dry that she gulped more chardonnay.
Gigolos were losers who preyed on older, lonely women; definitely not part of her life plan. She should be shocked to the core by her train of thought.
Afford him? She should indict him!
In Austin, she had a reputation for being prim and proper andand well, bossy. Not that she was. Nobody, not even her family, understood how strongly she had to focus to accomplish her goals.
Youre a control freak and frigid! Bobby had accused after shed stunned them both, herself and him, by rejecting his marriage proposal.
Please, lets dont get ugly, shed said.
Give me my ring! Hed bruised her finger when hed tried to pull it off. Even though you chased me for a whole damn year, you probably did me a helluva favor.
I chased you? I gave you my card at a party because I wanted to work for your fathers firm.
Just my luck! He hired you! You may be a good lawyer, but youre one lousy lay. He shoved his chair back and slammed out of the door of their favorite sushi restaurant, leaving her alone with a huge wooden serving dish filled with eels and shrimp and caviar, zero appetite, and the bill.
A lousy lay? Okay, so, yes, she had faked an orgasm or two. But only to make him happy.
What if a talented gigolo was able to teach a motivated student a few naughty tricks and make her sexier in bed?
Susana, her flaky, younger sister had tried to console her. Youre going after the wrong type. I never liked Bobby anyway. Who wouldnt have to fake orgasms with a man who never thought about anything but billable hours? Just a word though, maybe you should try being more intuitive. And maybe you shouldnt boss guys around so much.
Susana, a housewife, whod stolen Joe, the one man Regina had loved, had had the gall to give her advice. How had Susana, a college dropout, become the successful sister?
Hello! Susana had given their folks three darling grandchildren.
Im not that bossy.
Well, dont let your boyfriends see all those lists you make.
I just like to get things done, Regina grumbled aloud to the voices in her head as she crumpled another napkin and wiped the condensation rings on her table.
Intuitive?
She was sitting as far as she possibly could from the sexual professional, if that was indeed what he was. Too aware of his satiny black hair and flirty eyes, she tidied up her table, slipping a fresh napkin under her wineglass. Still, just knowing he was over there, alone now, had her pulse beating like a war drum.
Most of her girlfriends had shocked her by sleeping with strangers at least once, and then describing their sexual misadventures in vivid detail over long lunches. But that lifestyle hadnt been for Regina. Shed always known shed wanted to love and marry a respectable professional man, and shed accepted dates only from men who met her criteria. She had a long list of criteria.
But the instant shed seen this stranger, who should be unappealing to her, her world had shifted. It was as if the real Regina had gone into hibernation, as if Austin were a remote planet on the other side of a galaxy far, far away.
Intuitive. Dangerous word.
If ever a man was the antithesis of the ambitious, Type-A individuals the real Regina always chased, this G-word guy was it.
Obviously, Adonis was all looks and no substance. Still, his broad-shouldered body seemed made of sculpted teak, with muscles that rivaled Michelangelos David. What well-educated girl didnt appreciate a masterpiece? But could he read without moving his beautiful, carved lips?
Like all Italians, he wore clothes that fit perfectly. Hello! Why didnt she care whether or not he had a brain? A soul?
She was too entranced by the shallow stuff to dwell on deeper matters. His white shirt was open to his waist, revealing a lean, washboard abdomen. Some fierce mating instinct made her want to tear off his shirt and his ripped, faded jeans, to lick his warm, sun-caressed skin and have him do the same to her. Yes!
Despite the balmy July sea air, she thought of him naked. The idea of tasting him had her so hot she lifted her icy glass of chardonnay to her lips. Rethinking the more-alcohol move, she brought the cool glass to her warm cheek and then placed it against her forehead.
Would his babies be as gorgeous as he was?
Babies? The thought broadsided her. For a long moment she stared into her wineglass. Suddenly, dazzling golden images of a beautiful little boy and a darling little girl materialized, both with thick heads of shiny, black-satin hair, splashing in a backyard pool.
She swirled the wine in her glass so violently a few drops splashed her wrist. When he smiled, she blushed again.
A baby. His baby? No way!
What about E-321, which shed learned about thanks to her friend Lucy? The sperm from a donor whose profile was so perfect Regina had bought the last eight vials of it from the sperm bank?
Hello, is the real Regina alive and well? The Regina who knows one doesnt buy sperm and then sleep around?
Okay, so she hadnt shown up on the day of her appointment for insemination.
But after Bobby, she had had a life-changing epiphany.
Baby first. Finding Mr. Right, second.
Time was running out for her to meet Mr. Right, date him, plan a wedding and get pregnantin the proper order.
So, why not reverse the order of things?
Why not become a single mother of choice first and find her soul mate later?
So, how did one find the perfect father? Her best friend Lucy, who was now pregnant by sperm donor E-321, had been full of advice. After lots of research, Regina had decided E-321 was the right donor for her, too. Lucy and Reginas children would be half-siblings. Regina had told her family that she and Lucy and their babies would almost be a real family.
Youve got a real family! her father had thundered. This is your fault, Sabrina! It was his habit to blame everything, good and bad, on Reginas mother. You shouldnt have let her read all the time! Or run around with liberals like Lucy. I dont want to even think about those college loans Im still paying off.
Although his temper hadnt won the day, hed slumped into a scowling sulk and had remained glued to the television set whenever he was home over the next few days, refusing to speak to anybody, even his adored Sabrina.