A Forever Family Collection

“What if seeing me exacerbates problems that bring new heartache?” Belle sounded frantic. “This meeting might result in trouble between her and your father, and they’ll wish this had never happened…”

She wheeled around, her face white as parchment. Tears glistened like diamonds on those pale cheeks. “What if I brought on a crisis like that?”

Tortured by the fear and pain in her voice, Leon reached for her and rocked her in his arms like he would Concetta when she was upset and frightened. “Shhh. That’s not going to happen, Belle. I swear it.” He kissed her hair and forehead without thinking.

“I—I don’t want it to happen, but you can’t guarantee anything.”

Much as Leon hated to admit it, everything she’d revealed from her heart and soul made a hell of a lot of sense. But suddenly he had other things on his mind. When he’d pulled her to him, his only thought had been to comfort her. Yet the feel of her curves against his body invaded his senses, sending a quickening through him, one so powerful he needed to put her away from him. As gently as he could, he let go of her.

Belle took a step back before looking up at him through red-rimmed eyes. “The sister warned me my time would be better served by getting on with my own life rather than wasting it trying to find my birth mother, who obviously didn’t want to be found.

“I left the orphanage with the renewed resolve to get on with my career and put my dreams away. Then came the moment in the attorney’s office when Cliff made that slip about my birth mother being Italian.”

“A providential slip, in my opinion,” Leon muttered. He was beginning to believe some unseen power had been at work on both sides of the Atlantic. Otherwise how could he account for going to her pension to talk to her, when normally he would have left it alone?

“I agree, Leon. The second it happened, I ignored the sister’s warning and the words in the pamphlet. I thought I knew better, and left for Italy, determined to keep looking. Now I wish I’d listened to her.”

To his consternation, Leon was thankful she hadn’t obeyed the sister in charge.

Belle’s pleading eyes trapped his. “My mother’s secrets are safe with me, and they have to remain safe with you, Leon. They have to.” The desperation in her voice pulled on his chaotic emotions.

“They’ll be safe as long as you do something important for me.”

“What?” Her breathing came in spurts.

“I insist you stay in my house as my guest until you return to the States. If you don’t let me do anything else, at least accept my hospitality. Our parents are married. That one fact bonds us in a way you can’t deny.”

“I wasn’t going to, but since I got the information I came for, I’m planning to fly back to New York either tonight or in the morning. Every second I’m here, it’s worse. The possibility that she could find out I’m a guest in your villa terrifies me. Whether she wanted me or not doesn’t matter. She gave me life and I’d rather die than hurt her.”

Leon’s admiration for Belle grew in quantum leaps. “I believe you would,” he murmured, before making a quick decision. “Your mind appears made up, so I’ll see you back to your rental car.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll meet you in the foyer after I let my housekeeper know I’m leaving.”

She nodded, and he went to find Simona. On his way back through the house he stopped in the dayroom to pick up the photograph Belle had been looking at. It showed Luciana and his father on their wedding day, outside the church. At twenty she bore an even stronger resemblance to her daughter.

When he reached the foyer, he found Belle studying a large oil painting of his family. “That’s my brother leaning against my mother.”

“You look about six years old there. How old was Dante?”

“Five. We’re just fourteen months apart.”

She turned to him. “What a handsome family. You resemble both your parents.”

“Genes don’t lie, do they?”

“No. Your mother has the most wonderful smile.”

“She was the most wonderful everything.”

Belle stared at him. “You were very lucky to have a mother like that. What was her name?”

“Regina Emilia of the House of Della Rovere in Pesaro.”

“A princess?”

“Yes.” He opened the door so she could walk past him. After he helped her into the car, he handed her the photograph. “I want you to have this. No one deserves it more than you do.”

Tears sprang to Belle’s eyes. “I couldn’t take it.”

“There are dozens more where this came from.” He shut the door and walked around to get behind the wheel.

Belle was still incredulous over what had happened. She hugged the photograph to her chest in wonder that she’d come to the end of her search. It was all because of Leon Malatesta, who was the most remarkable man she’d ever met. But it wasn’t his generosity that had caused her to tremble in his arms just now.

While he’d been holding her, kissing her like he would to comfort a child, feelings of a different kind had curled through her like flame. The need to taste his mouth and let go of her feelings had grown so intense, she knew she was in deep trouble. He was her stepbrother!

In the past, when her friends had talked about desire, she’d never experienced it. Until a few minutes ago she hadn’t known what it felt like. Shame washed over her to think she hadn’t wanted him to stop what he was doing to her. By easing away from her before she was ready, he’d sent her into another kind of shock.

“Are you all right, Belle?”

“Yes. I—I’m just feeling overwhelmed,” she stammered.

“Who could blame you?”

If he knew her intimate thoughts, he’d drive her straight to the airport right now. Earlier, he’d been ready to run her out of town, when he’d thought she was some gutter reporter out to dig up something salacious about his family. Instead he’d come after her at the pension and had single-handedly led her to her dream of finding her mother.

To tell him she was indebted to him couldn’t begin to convey what was in her heart. To think that after all these years of aching to know anything about her origins she had her answer…

With one glance at the amazing man behind the wheel, Belle knew she could trust him to keep his silence. It was herself she didn’t trust. There was such a huge part of her that wanted to visit her mother while she was still in Rimini; it was killing her.

The sooner Belle left Italy the better. But that meant she’d never see Leon again. How would she stand it?

You have to handle it, Belle.

Before they reached the library, she put the picture in her shoulder bag and pulled out her car keys. The minute he turned into the parking space next to her rental, she opened the door and got out, before he could help her. It only took a moment before she was ensconced in her own vehicle and ready to drive off.

As his tall, powerful frame approached, she opened the window. “Thank you for everything, Leon. I’ll never forget your kindness or the photograph.”

“I’ll never forget you,” he said in his deep voice. “Good luck in your future position at TCCPI. Have a safe trip home.”

Home. The word didn’t have the same meaning anymore. “Goodbye.” She started the engine and drove out to the main street. As soon as she reached the pension, she would phone to change her flight plans.

Through the rearview mirror she could see Leon standing there watching her, a bold, dynamic throwback from an earlier time in Italian history.

When she turned the corner and he was no longer in sight, a troubling thought came to her. He’d given her no grief about leaving Italy immediately. Her heart jumped all over the place because he’d made their parting far too easy. In truth, she knew the dark, mysterious son of the count could move heaven and earth if he felt like it.

Once Belle’s rental car had disappeared, Leon pulled out his cell phone and gave Ruggio instructions to go to the pension and keep a close eye on her. If she went anywhere, he was to follow her.