Holding out his arms, he pulled them down into a long hug before kissing them in turn on the cheek. ‘Now it is time to say goodbye.’ His voice wavered. ‘Addio, miei cari!’
He signalled to Maria, who had returned to the castello just in time for the wedding. Taking hold of the handles of his wheelchair, she waited for Alfonso to release the brake before slowly wheeling him out of the room. As Harper and Vieri watched him go, he raised a shaky hand of farewell above his head.
‘WELL, GOODNIGHT, YOU TWO.’
Always the last to leave a party, Leah finally got to her feet and moved unsteadily around the debris-strewn table. She kissed Harper, and then, rather more awkwardly, Vieri.
‘Thank you so much for inviting me, Vieri, and for paying for my flight and everything so I could be here. That was very generous of you. Especially after what I did...letting you down like that.’
‘Forget it.’ Vieri waved his hand in a dismissive gesture but Harper noticed there was no rancour in his voice. He looked and sounded positively mellow.
‘And can I just say...?’ She paused, a smile spreading across her face. ‘You two make a lovely couple.’
‘Leah!’ Harper shot her sister a warning glare.
This was typical of Leah, stirring things up. They had had very little time to talk but during a hushed conversation in the privacy of the bathroom Harper had made sure that her sister knew the score, that this was a marriage in name only. Except, of course, Leah refused to believe it.
‘I can’t help it if that’s what I think.’ Leah refused to be silenced. ‘And I’m not the only one. Everyone has been saying so all day.’
Had they? Even though Harper knew that that was just what people said at weddings, she couldn’t help but feel a little surge of pleasure. Because somehow, despite everything, even though it shouldn’t have, today had been lovely. It had felt right.
She put it down to the fact that she and Vieri had achieved their aim—they had made Alfonso happy. In fact, he had appeared positively delighted, a beaming smile across his face for most of the day. Which in turn had made Vieri relax. Harper had seen a new side to him as he had chatted to the guests, laughed with Jaco, clearly enjoying himself. Even now, at this late hour, he appeared to be in no hurry to end the day; instead he cradled a glass of brandy in his hand, absently swilling the liquid around as he watched the sisterly exchange going on. If Harper wasn’t mistaken, there was the tug of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
‘Go to bed, Leah.’ Sitting up straighter, Harper shooed Leah away. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘I’m going, I’m going.’ Blowing them both a kiss, Leah tottered off, her feet bare, her strappy shoes held over her shoulder by one finger. ‘Have a good night, you two.’
Alone at last, a dangerous silence settled over the room. Harper cleared her throat.
‘Well, I guess I had better be thinking about going to bed too.’
‘Yes, it’s been a long day.’
‘A successful one though.’ She looked across at Vieri for confirmation but immediately found herself caught in the midnight blue of his eyes. Pulling her gaze away, she only made it as far as the long length of his body lounging back in his chair. With one leg crossed over the other, he appeared completely at ease and even more dangerously handsome than ever. The jacket had gone, the fitted waistcoat emphasising his broad shoulders, his narrow waist. He had loosened his tie and pushed up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal tanned forearms, covered in a liberal dusting of dark hair. He looked casual, relaxed, but most of all deeply, heart-wrenchingly sexy. Harper felt her chest tighten.
‘No regrets, then?’ Lightly asked, his question nevertheless demanded an answer.
‘No. I’m glad that we were able to do this for Alfonso.’
‘Good.’ He took a sip of brandy. ‘That makes me feel less guilty.’
‘Guilty?’ Harper laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you ever feeling guilty about anything.’
‘Then that shows how little you know me.’ Suddenly serious, Vieri leant forward in his chair.
Harper blinked. ‘That’s true.’ She really did know very little about this enigmatic man who was now, remarkably, ridiculously, her husband.
‘Then perhaps we should do something about it.’
‘Like what?’ Her words came out as a gasp.
Vieri shrugged his elegant shoulders. ‘I would be lying if I didn’t admit that a few things were coming to mind.’
Their gazes clashed, the few things he was referring to all too clear in the swirling depths of his eyes. Harper felt the frantic beat of her heart in her throat.
‘You are a very special person, Harper.’ The sincerity of his gaze held her captive. ‘I really mean that.’
‘Well, thank you.’ Harper gave an embarrassed laugh but it was silenced by a fingertip pressed against her lips.
‘And I would very much like to make love to you.’
Shock ricocheted through her, swiftly followed by a clench of lust, deep in her groin. It was the way he had just said it, as if it were so easily possible, as if it could just happen. Which of course it could. Harper swallowed hard. But it shouldn’t, should it?
Fighting to find some logic, some reason in this swirl of madness, Harper stood up, gazing at the vaulted ceiling as if the answer had to be hiding there somewhere. ‘But this was never part of our agreement.’ Her voice sounded husky, as if it belonged to someone else.
‘Hang the agreement.’ Suddenly up on his feet, Vieri came and stood before her, cupping her chin in his hand. His cool façade had slipped, revealing the dark passion beneath. ‘Right now I want you, Harper. You have no idea how much.’ His breath feathered across her heated face, his words sending spasms of yearning right through her. ‘And I believe you want me too.’
‘Yes.’ Harper stared into his eyes, suddenly unable to hide the truth any longer.
A smile curved Vieri’s sensuous mouth. ‘Bene. So what do you say? Will you let me take you to bed tonight?’
Oh, God. Harper had never wanted anything more in her life. But she couldn’t just say yes. Could she?
‘I...I don’t know, Vieri.’ Still she tried to rationalise her thoughts that now only drummed with one, sensuous beat.
Reaching forward, Vieri picked up a stray tendril of hair and, after a moment’s hesitation, tucked it behind her ear. ‘One night together, Harper, that’s all I’m asking, all I’m offering. One night of pleasure.’
It was so tempting. He was so, so tempting.
‘I think we deserve that.’
Did they? Harper
