The Baby Bombshell: The Billionaire's Baby Swap / Dating for Two / The Valtieri Baby

“I’d love it.”

“Some women wouldn’t like that.”

“I’m not some women.”

“No, you’re not.” He squeezed her hand before letting it go.

Soon they were feted with swordfish piccata, a dish wrapped in ham and roasted almonds. The sumptuous meal came with kale, polenta and risotto.

After one bite, she exclaimed, “I’ve never tasted anything so delicious. The presentation looks too good to eat, but I plan to devour everything anyway.”

Giovanni’s laughter warmed her heart. They lingered over the predessert and the dessert served at the end with coffee. She passed on the wine, too drunk on the atmosphere with a man like Giovanni to get any more euphoric, but he fed her the last chocolate petit four. Her lips tingled as they brushed his fingers, causing her to hunger for his kiss.

Quite a few of the diners who recognized him nodded and stopped to shake hands. He introduced Valentina, but made no explanations about her. One of the men who’d come to their table assessed her in a way that made her blood curdle. Giovanni noticed and cut the other man off. The gossip would already be starting, but Giovanni didn’t worry about lighting his own fires and made no excuses.

Female heads turned everywhere they walked. His striking features, not to mention his tall, well-honed physique made her the envy of the evening. With hands clasped, they strolled through the winding alleyways filled with flowers and shops. Valentina had reached a new high with this incredible man.

Before they left the town, they visited a children’s shop. The young woman at the counter where they bought a mobile and some toys for the boys to chew on couldn’t take her eyes off Giovanni.

Before heading back to the car, they stopped at another shop for two bottles of limoncello, a favorite product in this land of lemons. “One of these is for Paolo and Stanzie. The other is for us.”

“I had it once years ago.”

“From the lemons here in Ravello?”

“I’m sure not.”

“Then you’re in for a treat. Tonight is a special occasion. After we get home, I thought we’d drink a toast to our time together. May it last.”

If only that were possible.

Right now Valentina couldn’t relate to the life she’d led before meeting Giovanni. She felt like she’d been brought to an enchanted mountain by a prince right out of a fairy tale. Everywhere she looked, bursts of flowers in every color hid exquisite villas and palazzi. Cypress trees formed picturesque silhouettes against the night sky. From dizzying heights she looked down the many sloping gardens to the sea and breathed in the delightful fragrance of citrus and rose.

But the most tantalizing fragrance of all came from the soap Giovanni used, combined with his own male scent. She was drawn to it the way a bee zoomed in on an orange blossom, wanting its nectar, the food of the gods.

He could be a Roman god, but she was thankful he wasn’t. Otherwise he wouldn’t have brought her to dinner or fed her dessert from his own hand. The contact had sent spirals of desire through her body.

As they reached the villa, she noticed a thumbnail moon climbing in the velvet sky. “This has been a perfect day and a perfect night, Giovanni.”

“Almost perfect,” he muttered. “I’m sorry Claudio made you uncomfortable. He’s a gossip, and he’s known as a womanizer, who wished he’d been the one sitting next to you tonight.”

“Please don’t apologize for his behavior. It—”

“It happens all the time?” he finished her words. “I know. A man wouldn’t be a man if he didn’t notice you. I’m the lucky one.”

She sucked in her breath. “You’re very good for a woman’s ego. Thank you for tonight. It’s one I’ll never forget.” She heard her own voice quiver from emotion.

“It’s not over yet.”

They went inside the sunroom. “Stay here. I’ll get two aperitif glasses.” He took one of the limoncello bottles with him.

She put their sack of purchases down on the table while she waited.

Soon he returned. “I checked on the children. They’re sound asleep. Stanzie and Paolo are happy with our gift and have gone off to have their own celebration.” He opened the other bottle and poured them each some liqueur. She took one, he picked up the other.

“I’d like to make a toast.” He stared into her eyes. “To our partnership, which I’ve wanted since the first day at the hospital.” He clicked her glass and drank.

His admission caused her hand to tremble as she sipped her drink that looked like liquid sunshine. “Giovanni, I—”

He stopped the flow of words with a touch of his finger to her lips, fanning the flame he’d ignited at dinner. “Can you imagine a time when we won’t be partners? Not every baby switch has a happy ending as we’ve learned after reading all the research. Our children deserve the very best from both of us. We owe it to them and each other for the rest of our lives.”

She pondered what he’d said. Partners had been an interesting choice of words. When he’d asked her to move in, he’d said he didn’t know for how long. Giovanni was used to thinking in business terms. In the metaphoric sense she agreed they’d be partners for a lifetime because of the link to the children. But in a literal sense she didn’t see them staying together longer than a month.

By then Ric would have grown attached to Giovanni. Vito would be old enough for the separation, since she planned to move back to Naples to finish her studies. The winter semester would be starting in September. There were good day-care centers suggested by the university. Valentina would make inquiries and find the one that suited her best.

Thank goodness for student loans. After she graduated and got a good job with an engineering firm, she’d pay it off. Knowing that Giovanni worked in Naples, she expected he’d come to see Vito, so that bond wouldn’t be broken. She’d see him and Ric from time to time. It could all work.

“I’ll think about everything you’ve said. Thanks again for the lovely evening.” She put the glass down. Get out of here, Valentina, before you can’t. “Now I’m headed for bed.”

“Buonanotte.”

Valentina’s heart thundered in her chest all the way to her room. There’d be little sleep for her tonight. But to her surprise, she did sleep until Vito awakened for his bottle at four.

Around seven she got up and dressed in jeans and a top, expecting that Giovanni would have left for work. But when she carried Vito down the hall to the nursery, she found him feeding Ric. He was clean shaven and wore another pair of jeans and a creamy colored crewneck shirt. It didn’t matter what he wore, he was a sensational-looking man.

She reached for a bottle and put it in the microwave. “Don’t you need to get to your office?”

His dark gaze swept over her, making her far too aware of him. “I’ve arranged for some time off. How would you like to go out on my cruiser? I thought we’d visit several places and be gone for two or three nights. You can do night duty for me at some point. It’s true I’ve been a cavallo di battaglia too long.”

“But don’t forget that being a workhorse put you in the reins of your family’s company in the first place.”

“I’m not sure if I like it. Right now I find that I’m loving to be on vacation and don’t want it to end.”

She knew how hard he worked, but this baby had forced him to take a break. No invitation could have thrilled her more. “The boat is the perfect way to enjoy ourselves with the children without having to take them in the car.”

“My thinking exactly. Unless there’s anything else you need to do, we’ll leave after breakfast.”

They worked together to pack up the children and their things. Valentina hurried to her room to do some packing. Before long they went downstairs with all their paraphernalia to eat.

After breakfast, they packed up the car. The Brunos waved them off.

Giovanni drove along a road that wound lower and lower to a private area of beach where he kept his boat tethered to the pier.

“What a wonderful cruiser!”

“When Paolo and Stanzie moved in the villa, I told them they could take it out whenever they wanted, so they’ve kept it in top condition.”

“It’s nice to see that a couple who work together are so much in love. You can tell by their glances and smiles at each other.”