he’d been protecting her then, too. He’d been taking care of her when she’d been so terrified she hadn’t known what to do.
“So you thought I was brave, but not strong? Not strong enough to cope alone without protection? I don’t understand. I thought you weren’t interested, that you didn’t want this, and now I discover—” It was a struggle to process it. “So this whole time you did care about me. You do.”
Rain was falling steadily now, landing in droplets on his jacket and her hair.
“Paige—”
“The kiss the other night—”
“Was a mistake.”
“But it was real. It wasn’t because I was a pair of red lips in an elevator. All these days, months, years I’ve been telling myself you didn’t feel anything. All the time I’ve been confused because my instincts were so wrong and I couldn’t understand why. But now I do. They weren’t wrong. I wasn’t wrong.”
“Maybe you weren’t.”
“So why let me think that?”
“Because it was easier.”
“Easier than what? Telling me the truth? News flash—and, by the way, I thought you knew this—I don’t want to be protected. I want to live my life. You’re the one who’s always telling me to take more risks.”
“Yeah, well, that proves you shouldn’t listen to anything I tell you. We should go inside before you catch pneumonia.”
He eased away from the railings and she caught his arm.
“I’ll go inside when I decide to go inside.” The rain was soaking her skin. “What happens now?”
“Nothing. I know you don’t want to be protected but that’s tough, Paige, because that’s what I’m doing. I’m not what you’re looking for and I never have been. We don’t want the same thing. There’s a car waiting downstairs to take you and the other two home. Make sure you use it.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, Jake strode away from her toward the bank of elevators and left her standing there, alone in the glittering cityscape, watching the entire shape of her life change. Another twist. Another turn. The unexpected.
Copyright © 2016 by Sarah Morgan
‘This is how you want to make amends?’ Rahim enquired, his voice gravel-hoarse with arousal. ‘Think carefully before you answer, habibi. Because once you answer in the affirmative, once I have you in my bed, there will be no going back.’
Allegra wanted to tell him that she knew she’d already burned bridges where he was concerned. From the moment they’d touched she’d known Rahim Al-Hadi had an inexplicable power over her. Allegra knew it was why she’d reacted so uncharacteristically strongly to him. Whether she wanted him to matter or not, Rahim spoke to a need in her soul she couldn’t deny.
And right here, right now, she didn’t want to.
‘Yes,’ she whispered. Then in a stronger voice, because her very soul demanded it, she repeated, ‘Yes, I want this.’
A search for truth and the promise of passion!
For nearly sixty years
Italian billionaire Giovanni Di Sione has kept a shocking secret. Now, nearing the end of his days, he wants his grandchildren to know their true heritage.
He sends them each on a journey to find his
‘Lost Mistresses’—a collection of love tokens and the only remaining evidence of his lost identity, his lost history … his lost love.
With each item collected the Di Sione siblings take one step closer to the truth … and embark on a passionate journey that none could have expected!
Find out what happens in
The Billionaire’s Legacy
Di Sione’s Innocent Conquest by Carol Marinelli
The Di Sione Secret Baby by Maya Blake
To Blackmail a Di Sione by Rachael Thomas
The Return of the Di Sione Wife by Caitlin Crews
Di Sione’s Virgin Mistress by Sharon Kendrick
A Di Sione for the Greek’s Pleasure by Kate Hewitt
A Deal for the Di Sione Ring by Jennifer Hayward
The Last Di Sione Claims His Prize by Maisey Yates
Collect all 8 volumes!
MAYA BLAKE’s hopes of becoming a writer were born when she picked up her first romance at thirteen. Little did she know her dream would come true! Does she still pinch herself every now and then to make sure it’s not a dream? Yes, she does! Feel free to pinch her, too, via Twitter, Facebook or Goodreads! Happy reading!
To my readers and happy-ever-after lovers everywhere.
This one’s for you.
ALLEGRA LOOKED UP and smiled at the flight attendant. With a slight shake of her head and a numb smile, she refused the proffered glass of champagne. Thankfully, the first-class cabin was nearly empty. No one could witness her shock or deep worry. No one could tell she still reeled from the news her brother Matteo had delivered two days ago.
How could Grandfather have kept the true extent of his illness from her? She’d known he was undergoing tests since doctors suspected his leukaemia had returned, but he’d brushed her off when she’d asked him about his prognosis two months ago. Now she knew.
One year to live.
Her heart clenched. It was impossible to believe the man who’d always seemed larger than life wouldn’t be here for Christmas next year. Tears welled in her eyes. She quickly dashed them away as she sensed the effervescent flight attendant returning. She couldn’t lose her composure. The world was watching. And these days, with technology streamed faster than the speed of light, maintaining the right appearances at all times was even more paramount.
For she was Allegra Di Sione, oldest granddaughter of one
