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

‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She stared levelly at him as he sat down on the opposite sofa. ‘So, where do we start?’

‘We can start with why you walked out on me in Rome.’

‘You know why. I found out you’d lied to me. I don’t like liars.’ She lifted her chin. ‘Why did you lie to me about who you were, Rico? You let me believe you were a tour guide.’

‘Which I was, for that day.’

‘Why couldn’t you have told me the truth later that evening, when we went out to dinner?’

A muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘Because you would’ve changed.’

She frowned. ‘How?’

‘Instead of seeing me for who I am, you would’ve seen me as the CEO of Rossi Hotels.’

She frowned. ‘And what difference does that make?’

‘You befriended a tour guide, a man you thought didn’t have any money. You responded to me as a man. You liked me for who I was, not for my status.’

She looked at him. ‘You once told me you thought I’d been seeing the wrong sort of man. It sounds to me as if you’ve been seeing the wrong kind of woman.’

He rubbed a hand across his eyes. ‘Maybe.’

‘And, actually, I’m a bit insulted that you think I could be that shallow. I don’t judge people by the balance in their bank account.’

He flushed a dull red. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it personally. It’s just how people always reacted to me in the past.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘I’m making a mess of this. Ella, what I’m trying to say is that I liked who I was when I was with you. I liked the way you made me feel, and I wasn’t ready to give that up.’

‘But you thought I was shallow enough to respond differently to you once I found out who you were.’ She grimaced. ‘I’m not sure if that’s worse than what I thought originally.’

‘Which was?’

She shrugged. ‘That you were a bored, spoiled rich kid, and you were slumming it with me—having a joke at my expense.’

‘And now you’ve insulted me,’ he said. ‘Rich, yes; spoiled, possibly; but bored and slumming it—no way. I never laughed at you, Ella. Far from it.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘The irony of it is that I was going to tell you about my real job, that last day. Neither of us wants to get involved; neither of us has time for a relationship. But we’re good together. So I was going to suggest that we found a way to juggle things and carry on our fling a little longer.’

She stared at him, stunned. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear.

‘OK, so I was a bit evasive about my background.’

‘A bit?’

‘But you’re overreacting. It really wasn’t that big a deal.’

‘Lying’s a big deal to me,’ she said. ‘If you can lie about something small, what’s to stop you lying about something else? How do I even know you’re single and you’re not just turning on the charm? I can’t trust you.’

‘I’m single. I wouldn’t lie about that. I don’t like cheats.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘Who lied to you so badly, Ella? Your ex?’

‘Yes. And I was too stupid to see it.’

‘You’re not stupid,’ he said softly. ‘But if he was plausible, offering you what you thought you wanted, then maybe it was easier for you not to ask questions or look for problems.’

‘Gullible, then.’

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ He took her hand. ‘What happened?’

‘I …’ Bile rose in her throat at the memory. She didn’t want to drag it all up again, have the top of her scars ripped open.

As if he guessed her thoughts, he said gently, ‘It’s not good to bottle things up. It means you don’t get the chance to heal.’

He had a point. And maybe if she explained, told him the truth, it would take some of the pain away. Rico had made her feel beautiful in Rome, wiping out the hurt Michael had left. Maybe telling him the rest would help her put it where it belonged—in the past.

‘I spent three years supporting Michael while he studied for his PhD. I thought we loved each other.’ How naïve and trusting she’d been. ‘And I knew he was working hard, juggling his thesis with his teaching commitments, so I decided to surprise him with lunch at the university. I wanted to make him feel good, give him a break. Except he was busy having …’ Her breath caught. ‘Let’s just say he was having a very private tutorial with one of his students. And I walked right into the middle of it.’

‘How awful for you.’ Rico looked sympathetic. ‘I take it you had no idea that he was cheating on you?’

‘None at all. I thought he loved me.’ She swallowed hard. ‘But he was just using me; I was someone to pay the rent and the bills. I don’t think she was the first of his students he’d had an affair with. And he said afterwards that it was my fault. That I wasn’t woman enough to satisfy him.’

‘That was his biggest lie,’ Rico said. ‘It wasn’t your fault at all. He tried to blame his own inadequacies on you.’ He pressed a kiss into her palm and folded her fingers over it, and Ella had to swallow hard to stop a sob breaking through at his gentleness. ‘You’re woman enough, all right. He was the one with the problem.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Now I understand what you mean about grovelling letters once he found out about your lottery win. I’m glad you didn’t fall for it and take him back.’

‘No, because I already knew I couldn’t trust him. But I’m still a gullible idiot. I fell for all the lies you told me. That flat you said you borrowed …’

‘I borrowed it from myself,’ he said. ‘I know that’s equivocating, and I apologise for that.’

‘And you own that swish restaurant, too?’

‘No. But I admit that I’m good friends with the owner. We went to school together. So, yes, I traded on our friendship. He found me a table that night.’

‘And charged me lower prices, too?’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I didn’t really think about it at the time, but when my credit card bill came through I realised it seemed a bit low for such a posh restaurant.’

Rico sighed. ‘OK. I admit I settled part of the bill in advance. I knew it would be expensive and I didn’t want to take advantage of you.’

There at least he wasn’t like Michael, who’d really taken advantage of her. All the same, it annoyed Ella that Rico had made a high-handed decision without even discussing it with her. ‘Don’t you think that’s just a tiny bit patronising? I told you I could afford it.’

‘I know. But it still felt like taking advantage of you.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be ungrateful. I guess I’m used to being the one who pays.’

‘So you’re a control freak?’ she asked. ‘Except …’ She shook her head. ‘No, that’s not what you were like. Not that first night. When you made all that effort and cooked dinner for me yourself. And you admitted that you’re rubbish at puddings so you bought them from the deli.’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You were telling the truth then, weren’t you?’

‘Yes. And I really was a tour guide, that day, Ella. Another time, you might’ve met me as a waiter. Or the male equivalent of a chambermaid.’

She blinked. ‘You really clean hotel rooms?’

‘And other jobs. I’ve worked in the kitchen—I probably have the same kind of food hygiene qualifications you do.’

‘But you’re the CEO of the chain.’ She didn’t understand. He was the boss. Why was he taking on other roles?

‘That’s precisely why I do it. Working a short stint in every role is the best way of seeing what issues my staff face, and it also helps me see what would make life better for my guests and for my staff. And my staff respect me for it, because they know I’m not just issuing orders from some ivory tower—they know I’ve done the job myself, so I’m talking from experience rather than some half-baked theory. And they also know that because I’ve done it myself, I appreciate what they do.’

‘That figures. And the girl who told me about you seemed to respect you.’