The Italians: Rico, Antonio and Giovanni: The Hidden Heart of Rico Rossi / The Moretti Seduction / The Boselli Bride

What would it be like to be loved just for yourself?

He pushed the thoughts away. ‘What does your mum think about your business?’

Ella’s eyes grew suspiciously shiny and she blinked. ‘I think she would’ve said I was doing it the right way—following my dream, but having a back-up plan in case it didn’t quite work out.’ She swallowed hard. ‘Mum would’ve loved Rome. I just wish I’d had this lottery win a year ago.’

‘Your mother … she passed away?’ he asked as gently as he could.

‘Just over a year ago. She had breast cancer. Otherwise she would’ve come with me and I could have spoiled her—the way she should’ve been spoiled.’

Given that money had been a struggle when Ella was growing up, and she hadn’t mentioned her father at all, Rico guessed that the man had been either feckless or absent. But he wasn’t going to push Ella on that, in case she expected him to trade confidences. He didn’t want to talk about absent or feckless fathers: his had been both.

But he could appreciate that Ella missed her mother badly: a woman she’d loved dearly and who’d loved her all the way back. ‘Ah, bellezza.’ He put his arms round her and held her close. ‘I’m sorry you didn’t get to share Rome with your mum. But I’m selfish enough to be glad that I could share it with you.’

‘Yeah.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Sorry. I’m not going to go all maudlin on you. I’m trying to remember Mum with smiles, not tears. That’s how she was. The more rubbish life threw at her, the more she found to smile about.’

A million miles from his own mother—the more gifts life gave her, the more she found to grouse about, Rico thought. He stroked Ella’s hair. ‘I bet your friends loved their cakes.’ He would’ve been thrilled about someone giving him a present like that—something that had taken thought and time and effort, not just a pile of money thrown at it.

‘They did. Do, I should say.’ She smiled. ‘One of my friends designed that website for me on the understanding that I keep her in cupcakes for a month when I get back from Rome, and I make her a Christmas cake that even her mother-in-law can’t criticise.’

‘Yeah. Families can be too critical.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds like experience talking.’

‘Not everyone has a wonderful family.’

‘You’re not close to yours?’

That was the understatement of the century. ‘No.’ And he didn’t want to talk about it. ‘But that’s fine. I’m happy in my job.’

‘So what’s your big dream?’ she asked ‘To write the ultimate tour guide?’

‘Not exactly.’ He didn’t actually have a dream. He’d been going through the motions for the last year, just concentrating on making the business be the best it could be and getting it ready for expansion. London, next; then Paris.

‘OK. Something crazier, then. To be a rock star?’ she suggested. ‘Or to design the best Italian sports car in the world?’

He laughed. ‘No. I’m fine with where I am now.’ Though even as he said the words, he knew they weren’t strictly true. There was something missing in his life. Except he had no idea what it was.

And thinking about that made him uncomfortable. He was fine with his world just the way it was. He was in charge of the family business. In charge of his own destiny. What else did he need?

Time to change the subject, he thought. ‘Hey. We’ve been lazing about here for so long, we’re going to be able to catch Rome at sunset. Better get your camera out.’

Ella was absolutely enchanted by the sunset. Rico took her back by the Trevi Fountain so she could see it lit up at night, and took more pictures for her.

‘Rome’s just amazing.’ She sighed happily. ‘You’re so lucky living here.’

‘I know.’ He slid his arm round her shoulders, enjoying the contact and just strolling through the streets with her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this relaxed. ‘Have dinner with me?’ he asked. ‘I know a little place not far from here where the food’s excellent.’

‘On condition we go halves.’

He still couldn’t quite get his head round that. His last few girlfriends had expected him to pay for absolutely everything—not that he begrudged the money at all, but he’d grown a bit tired of being taken for granted. ‘We’ll go halves,’ he agreed. ‘On condition you let me buy you dessert somewhere else.’

She smiled. ‘It’s a deal.’

They shared a simple meal of bruschetta and a bowl of pasta; although Ella ordered a salad, she didn’t pick at it and ignore the rest of her meal. She enjoyed everything. And she was like nobody he’d ever met. Again, he wasn’t sure whether that scared him or fascinated him most.

Afterwards, Rico took her to the best gelateria in Rome.

‘Wow. How do you expect me to choose from all these flavours?’ she asked. ‘They all look so gorgeous.’

Eventually she picked ginger and cinnamon, and they walked back through the streets, holding hands and eating gelati. She sighed with pleasure as they reached the Colosseum. ‘I love this building. It’s everything I thought it would be.’

‘Yeah.’ He couldn’t resist kissing her. And when he saw her back to her room, he couldn’t resist kissing her some more. Kissing turned to touching, and touching ended with him making love to her in the shower.

Afterwards, he tucked her into bed.

‘Thank you for today,’ she said softly. ‘It’s been really special.’

She was right. It had been special. Which set all his alarm bells ringing; this was meant to be just fun. She was vulnerable; she’d been hurt badly by her ex and had lost her closest family. And he could only be her Mr Right Now. What did he know of families, of love and protection? For both their sakes, he needed to rein back a bit.

It was just as well that tomorrow would be their last full day together. He was dangerously close to actually wanting to get involved with her. Which would be a seriously bad idea.

‘My pleasure, bellezza,’ he said lightly. ‘See you in the morning. Sweet dreams.’

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_b8e38157-fe79-50b8-9e8b-443b70374677)

THE following morning, Rico took Ella to the Vatican on the Metro. As they walked through the museum, Ella was amazed to learn that they were actually walking on original Roman mosaic floors, ones which might once have lain in an emperor’s villa; and then on marble floors that had once graced the Colosseum itself. The tapestries and sculptures were beautiful too, but what really stunned her was the Sistine Chapel.

‘I didn’t think it would be this huge,’ she said to Rico. One corner had been left dark, so you could see how much work had gone into the restoration of the chapel and cleaning the paintwork. Ella just stood and gazed at the paintings, loving the depth to the blue sky. And the famous view of God reaching out to Adam with his finger, something she’d seen on postcards and in magazines, was much more awe-inspiring in real life.

‘That was really incredible,’ she said to Rico as they left the chapel to go to St Peter’s. ‘I honestly wasn’t expecting it to be that special. Thank you so much for bringing me here.’

Outside, there were the two Swiss guards with their saffron-and-purple striped uniforms, and the guide pointed out the building that contained the Pope’s apartment and the window where he gave the blessing every Sunday.

The church itself was gorgeous, and Ella lingered by Michelangelo’s Pietà. ‘It’s amazing to think that he was only twenty-four when he carved it. Four years younger than I am now.’

‘Doing what he loved. Making the most of his gift,’ Rico said. ‘Which is what you’re about to do, too.’

‘I hope so. Though sometimes I wake up and wonder just how crazy I am, setting up a new business in the middle of a recession.’

‘You already have a customer base, and word of mouth will bring you more. And when you have transferable skills that you can use to keep your cash flow ticking over, if you really need to. No, you’re not crazy at all,’ Rico said. ‘You’re doing the right thing. And when you’re old, you can look back without regrets or wondering what would’ve happened if you’d given your dreams a chance.’

‘I guess so.’

They wandered back outside into the sunshine, and Rico showed Ella the disappearing columns.

‘That’s clever.’

‘And you’re thinking about how you can use that on a cake, aren’t you?’ he asked, smiling.