His Virgin Bride: The Fiorenza Forced Marriage / Bought: For His Convenience or Pleasure? / A Night With Consequences

Emma made an exasperated sound. ‘But don’t you see how you were being as stubborn as him? I am sure he would have welcomed you with open arms if you had come back.’

He gave her a flinty look. ‘Still trying to defend him, Emma?’ he asked.

She compressed her lips for a moment. ‘I’m not doing any such thing; I just think two wrongs never make a right.’

His expression was mocking as he came around to open her door. ‘He did a good job on you, didn’t he?’ he said. ‘But then he bought your allegiance.’

Emma stepped out of the car, flinging him a glare over one shoulder. ‘Could we talk about something else for a change?’ she asked. ‘I thought you said this evening’s outing was going to be about building our acquaintance, not talking ad infinitum about your late father.’

He shut the car door and took her elbow in the cup of his palm. ‘You are right,’ he said, and led her towards the restaurant entrance. ‘I am not being a very good date so far, am I?’

Emma cast him a glance. ‘No, but believe it or not I’ve had much worse.’

‘Is that some sort of compliment?’ he asked with the hint of a wry smile.

Emma didn’t get the chance to answer as the maître d’ came to lead them to a table in the little courtyard outside. A short time later they were seated with drinks and a plate of warmed olives and fresh crusty bread set in front of them.

Rafaele picked up his glass and slowly twirled the contents. ‘So tell me, Emma,’ he said. ‘Marriage and kids is high on your to-do list, is that right?’

‘If the right person comes along, then yes.’

‘Are you one of those young women who have a checklist on what they are looking for in a man?’ he asked.

‘I don’t see a problem with sorting out what you don’t want from what you do,’ Emma said.

‘So what’s on your list?’

‘The usual things,’ she said. ‘Faithfulness, a sense of humour and a willingness to be emotionally available.’

‘You did not mention money.’

‘That’s because it’s not as important as love.’

He gave her a cynical smile. ‘It is always important, Emma,’ he said. ‘At least it is for all the women I know.’

‘I don’t agree,’ she said. ‘Your father is a perfect example of how money doesn’t buy love. He had more money than he knew what to do with and yet he didn’t have the love and respect of his son.’

‘That’s because he did not want it,’ he said. ‘Now, I thought we were not going to talk about him—or have you changed your mind?’

‘I’m just trying to understand you, Rafaele.’

‘I do not need your understanding, Emma,’ he said. ‘What is it about women that they always want to pick apart a man’s brains? Now, be a good girl and choose something to eat. I am starving after my swim.’

Emma let out a sigh and busied herself with the menu, all the while conscious of the way her body was responding to his close proximity. She knew his desire for her was purely a physical thing on his part; he was between mistresses so why wouldn’t he want a quick fling with her to satisfy the primal urge to copulate? Her cheeks grew hot as her brain filled with images of him in the throes of making love, his strong, tanned naked body glistening with sweat as he pumped his essence into the secret heart of her until she…

‘Have you had too much sun today, Emma?’ Rafaele asked. ‘Your cheeks are bright red.’

Emma fanned her face with the menu. ‘Um…it’s still a bit hot, don’t you think?’

‘Would you prefer to move indoors where there is air-conditioning?’ he asked.

Her eyes fell away from his. ‘No…I’m fine out here,’ she said and picked up her drink. ‘I like being outdoors.’

‘I suppose you must spend a great deal of time indoors in the role of a nurse.’

‘Yes…if the patient is housebound.’

A small silence passed.

‘How ill was my father towards the end?’

Emma brought her eyes back to his. ‘He was very ill,’ she said softly. ‘He had to have high doses of morphine to control the pain so he spent the last couple of weeks drifting in and out of consciousness.’

‘So you sat by his side and did everything you could to make him comfortable.’

Emma hunted his expression but found nothing to suggest he was needling her. Instead she thought she saw a flicker of regret pass through his ink-black eyes as they held hers. ‘Yes…that is exactly what I did…’ She waited a second or two before adding, ‘Rafaele…sometimes people change when they know they are about to die. I think your father would have contacted you, but he ran out of strength. I wish now I had done it for him.’

There was a rueful set to his mouth as he spoke. ‘I probably would not have listened if you had.’ He drew in a breath and added, ‘We were too alike if the truth be known. I never quite forgave him for not protecting my mother and he never quite forgave me for not protecting Giovanni.’

‘What happened to your brother?’ Emma asked.

He picked up his glass and stared down into the contents for a moment. When his eyes came back to hers they had a brittle edge to them that warned her she had come a little too close. ‘I did not bring you out this evening to talk about the past and what can never be changed,’ he said. ‘You have told me all I needed to know and as far as I am concerned I have done the same for you. The rest of my family are dead and buried. I am the only one who remains. Let that be the end of it.’

Emma frowned at him. ‘Why do you keep pushing everyone away?’ she asked. ‘Don’t you care how other people feel about you?’

‘I am not responsible for other people’s feelings,’ he said. ‘I am only responsible for my own.’

‘It sounds to me like you don’t have any feelings,’ she said. ‘Or if you did you switched them off years ago.’

‘I have feelings but I choose not to let them get out of control. I do not see the point in being anyone’s slave. Once you care too much for someone they can exploit you. That is why I do allow myself to become too attached. It is easier all round. No one gets hurt, or at least not intentionally.’

‘So you won’t allow yourself to love anyone, not even the women who share your body and your bed,’ Emma said in disgust. ‘Don’t you realise how much you’re shortchanging yourself?’

He gave her one of his annoyingly indifferent shrugs. ‘That is the way it is.’

‘Well, I hope that one day you meet someone who turns your neatly controlled world upside down,’ she said. ‘I hope you fall in love and hard, and then get unceremoniously dumped just so you know what it feels like.’

He gave her an unaffected smile. ‘Are you putting a curse on me, Emma?’ he asked.

Emma rolled her eyes at him. ‘You’re impossible. I don’t know why I even bother talking to you.’

He smiled lopsidedly as he signalled for the waiter. ‘You talk to me because deep down you like me,’ he said. ‘I am the bad boy you are desperate to reform.’

She gave him a withering look. ‘I know when I’m beaten and you are definitely in the too-hard basket,’ she said. ‘I’m starting to think you’re way beyond redemption.’

‘Yes, well, that is what my father thought,’ he said. ‘Didn’t he tell you what a wastrel I was?’

Emma frowned at his embittered tone. ‘No, he didn’t say anything of the sort. I told you, he barely mentioned you the whole time I was living with him. Besides, I didn’t want to upset him by prying.’