The Hidden Heart of Rico Rossi (9 page)

He winked at her, and disappeared back into the crowd.

Flustered, Ella grabbed the mug of coffee she’d abandoned half an hour earlier and took a gulp of the lukewarm liquid.

‘Who was that?’ Julia asked, returning to her side.

‘It’s complicated—a long story.’

‘Tell me after.’

‘I’m, um, having dinner with Rico afterwards.’

‘Rico. Hmm.’ Julia raised an eyebrow. ‘And although his English is perfect, there’s a definite accent there. Would I be right in saying you met him in Rome?’

Ella felt her skin heat. ‘Yes.’

‘You had a fling with him?’

‘Um, yes.’

Julia looked hurt. ‘You never said a word to me.’

‘It’s complicated,’ Ella said again.

‘You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to.’ Then Julia’s eyes narrowed. ‘Hang on. I know you’ve been working like crazy to get things up and running, but I remember the last time you threw yourself into work like this.’

‘He didn’t do a Michael on me, if that’s what you’re asking.’

‘But he knows about your lottery win?’

Ella nodded. ‘That isn’t an issue.’ She could guess what her best friend thought: Rico was a con-man after her money. ‘Actually, the money would be small change to him. He could buy me out ten times over and still have a fortune left.’

‘So if he’s not after your money, what does he want?’

‘Right now, I don’t have a clue.’ That wasn’t strictly true. That kiss had told her a great deal. And it had also made her libido sit up and beg.

Why had he walked back into her life, offering her temptation? Yes, physically it was good between them. Better than it had ever been for her with anyone else. But Rico had already proved to her that she couldn’t trust him. She had no idea who the real Rico was. She wasn’t stupid enough to put herself back in a vulnerable position; so she’d have dinner with him—and she’d tell him to stay out of her life.

She managed to keep her focus on business for the rest of the evening, though it was a real effort; even when she couldn’t see Rico, she was so aware of his presence.

Finally, the last person left the party, and she started to clear up. She could hear noises from the kitchen at the back of the function room, but Julia was in the front with her, collecting plates and mugs. So who was in the back?

She nearly dropped the crockery she was carrying when she walked into the kitchen and saw Rico with his sleeves rolled up and his hands in sudsy water. ‘What are you doing?’

He rolled his eyes. ‘Ask the obvious, Ella
bellezza
.’

‘But …’

‘The quicker you’re done here, the quicker I get to spend time with you. So it makes sense for me to help you clear up.’

‘I guess so.’

He frowned. ‘You look exhausted.’

‘She’s been working crazy hours since she got back from Rome,’ Julia told him.

‘In that case, I won’t drag you out to dinner tonight, Ella,’ Rico said.

She had a reprieve?

Then he added, ‘I assume you have the makings of an omelette and salad in your fridge, so I’ll cook for you instead. Or order takeaway, if you’d rather.’

‘I …’ She was too tired to think straight. Right at that moment she didn’t have a clue what to say.

He sighed. ‘You really are exhausted.’ He dried his hands, then took the crockery from her. ‘Sit down.’

‘I’ve still got things to clear up out there.’

‘I’ll do it. Don’t argue.’

Before she had time to collect her thoughts, he’d made a mug of coffee for Julia and herself, finished clearing up in the function room, and was back to dealing with the huge pile of washing up.

‘So how do you know each other?’ Julia asked.

‘We met in Rome,’ Rico said.

‘And you’ve come all this way to see Ella?’ She sounded disbelieving.

‘I’m in London on business,’ he said. ‘And I saw the details of the launch party on Ella’s website. So I thought I’d drop in and say hello.’

‘Hmm.’

Ella could tell her best friend was still suspicious of Rico, though the fact that he was helping to clear up without being asked had redeemed him a bit in Julia’s eyes.

‘Is there anything else that needs doing?’ he asked when he’d finished drying the crockery and Julia had put it away.

‘No.’

‘Good.’ He rinsed out the sink. ‘Can I give you a lift home, Julia?’

‘No, I’m fine—I’m only two stops away on the Tube.’

Ella blinked at him. ‘You drove here?’

‘No, I don’t have a car in London. I called a taxi.’ Rico flicked open his phone and speed-dialled a number. ‘Address?’ he asked.

‘Here?’

‘No.
Your
address.’

Of course. She was too tired to think straight. And that kiss earlier hadn’t helped. She couldn’t stop thinking about it, about the way he made her feel. Bad, bad idea. She mumbled her address at him.

‘The taxi will be here in a quarter of an hour,’ he said.

It gave them enough time to lock up.

‘I think,’ he said softly when they were inside her flat, ‘you’re too tired to talk tonight.’

‘I am.’

‘You look all in.’ He rummaged in her fridge.

She frowned. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Making you something to eat.’

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘Tough. You need to eat to keep your strength up. Especially if you’re working crazy hours.’

He made her an omelette, then sat opposite her with his arms folded until she ate it. The food was surprisingly good, but then she already knew he could cook. One thing he
hadn’t
lied about.

‘Aren’t you having anything?’ she asked.

‘I’ll eat later.’ He flapped a dismissive hand. ‘I don’t usually eat until late anyway.’

He washed up her empty plate and cleared up in the kitchen. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow. We can do lunch, or dinner—whatever fits in your schedule.’

‘What about yours?’

‘I can be flexible.’ He touched her cheek gently with the backs of his fingers, a sweet and cherishing gesture. ‘Goodnight, Ella
bellezza
. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. Sleep well.’

She was pretty sure she wouldn’t. He’d just turned her upside down all over again.

And yet she was out like a light the second her head hit the pillow. The next thing she knew, her alarm was beeping crazily.

She showered and washed her hair, and was halfway through drinking a mug of coffee when the phone rang. She grabbed it without looking at the display. ‘Ella Chandler.’

‘
Buongiorno
, Ella
bellezza.’
’

That sexy, melted-chocolate voice undid all the good that the caffeine had done in sharpening her brain again. And she hated the way her libido betrayed her like this, turning her into a puddle of hormones. A pushover. ‘Good morning.’

‘So, are you having lunch with me today or dinner?’

‘Do we really have anything to say to each other?’

‘I think we do.’

She sighed. ‘Dinner, then.’

‘Good. I’ll pick you up at eight.’

Before she could protest, the line went dead.

She replaced the receiver. God only knew what she was getting herself into, agreeing to have dinner with him and talk. And yet there was a frisson of excitement running down her spine, and the world suddenly seemed a brighter, more vibrant place than it had since she’d come back from Rome.

‘Just remember that he’s a liar,’ she told herself. ‘OK, so he’s gorgeous and I have the hots for him. But he’s still
a liar, first and foremost.’ And she had no intention of getting hurt again. Which meant most definitely not getting involved with Rico. Not now, not ever.

E
LLA
managed to keep her mind on her work—just—but by half-past seven she was antsy. Rico hadn’t given her any idea about where they were going, so she had no idea what the dress code was. She didn’t possess a little black dress; the one she’d bought in Rome had gone straight to a charity shop as soon as she’d washed and ironed it.

In the end, she decided to wear one of the suits she’d worn in her office job. Formal and smart might be the way to go. A suit of armour would be better still, but a work suit would have to do.

He was as prompt as he’d been in Rome, ringing her doorbell at exactly eight o’clock. It was the first time she’d seen him wearing a suit, and he looked absolutely stunning. The dark grey material, teamed with one of his trademark crisp white shirts and a silk tie, emphasised his good looks. He was utterly breathtaking—and she
wanted
.

‘You look very nice,’ he said, disarming her.

‘Thank you.’ And why was it that, even though she knew what a liar he was, her knees still went weak when he smiled? Cross with herself for being such a pushover, she asked, ‘Where are we going?’

‘My hotel.’

Somewhere private. Oh, help. She remembered what happened when they were in private hotel rooms together.

‘We’ll talk in my room. And then we’ll order dinner,’ he said.

‘And I get no say in this?’

He spread his hands. ‘I just said we’ll talk in my room.’

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You’re being bossy.’

He shrugged. ‘We agreed to talk. And it makes sense for it to be the hotel; it’s neutral ground, and somewhere we won’t be overheard.’

She locked the door behind her and followed him out to the taxi. He didn’t start a conversation, and she didn’t have a clue what to say without making a fool of herself, so they remained in silence until the taxi pulled up outside a boutique hotel in Bloomsbury.

‘Fountain Hotel’ was etched into the glass of the doors. Definitely a link with Rome, she thought.

‘Is this the hotel you’re thinking of buying?’ she asked as the taxi drove off.

‘Maybe.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘I’m hardly going to go and tell the world what your plans are and scupper your business deals, am I?’

‘I guess not.’

She sighed. ‘Rico, what are you doing here? I mean, with me?’

‘We have unfinished business, Ella
bellezza
. And we’re going to talk about it now.’

They took the tiny lift up to his room. She could still remember the last time they’d been in a hotel room together, and warmth spread down her spine at the memories. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea and she should’ve insisted on them talking in a public place. Then again, what they were going to discuss was definitely something best done in private. She didn’t want anyone else overhearing what a fool she’d made of herself.

When Rico opened the door and ushered her in, Ella was relieved to discover that he’d booked a suite rather than a room. Without a bed in sight, she might just be able to concentrate.

He offered her a seat on one of the sofas. ‘Coffee? Something cold? A glass of wine?’

‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She stared levelly at him as he sat down on the opposite sofa. ‘So, where do we start?’

‘We can start with why you walked out on me in Rome.’

‘You know why. I found out you’d lied to me. I don’t like liars.’ She lifted her chin. ‘Why did you lie to me about who you were, Rico? You let me believe you were a tour guide.’

‘Which I was, for that day.’

‘Why couldn’t you have told me the truth later that evening, when we went out to dinner?’

A muscle twitched in his cheek. ‘Because you would’ve changed.’

She frowned. ‘How?’

‘Instead of seeing me for who I am, you would’ve seen me as the CEO of Rossi Hotels.’

She frowned. ‘And what difference does that make?’

‘You befriended a tour guide, a man you thought didn’t have any money. You responded to me as a man. You liked me for who I was, not for my status.’

She looked at him. ‘You once told me you thought I’d been seeing the wrong sort of man. It sounds to me as if you’ve been seeing the wrong kind of woman.’

He rubbed a hand across his eyes. ‘Maybe.’

‘And, actually, I’m a bit insulted that you think I could be that shallow. I don’t judge people by the balance in their bank account.’

He flushed a dull red. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it personally. It’s just how people always reacted to me in the
past.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘I’m making a mess of this. Ella, what I’m trying to say is that I liked who I was when I was with you. I liked the way you made me feel, and I wasn’t ready to give that up.’

‘But you thought I was shallow enough to respond differently to you once I found out who you were.’ She grimaced. ‘I’m not sure if that’s worse than what I thought originally.’

‘Which was?’

She shrugged. ‘That you were a bored, spoiled rich kid, and you were slumming it with me—having a joke at my expense.’

‘And now you’ve insulted me,’ he said. ‘Rich, yes; spoiled, possibly; but bored and slumming it—no way. I never laughed at you, Ella. Far from it.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘The irony of it is that I was going to tell you about my real job, that last day. Neither of us wants to get involved; neither of us has time for a relationship. But we’re good together. So I was going to suggest that we found a way to juggle things and carry on our fling a little longer.’

She stared at him, stunned. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear.

‘OK, so I was a bit evasive about my background.’

‘A
bit?
’

‘But you’re overreacting. It really wasn’t that big a deal.’

‘Lying’s a big deal to me,’ she said. ‘If you can lie about something small, what’s to stop you lying about something else? How do I even know you’re single and you’re not just turning on the charm? I can’t trust you.’

‘I’m single. I wouldn’t lie about that. I don’t like cheats.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘Who lied to you so badly, Ella? Your ex?’

‘Yes. And I was too stupid to see it.’

‘You’re not stupid,’ he said softly. ‘But if he was plausible,
offering you what you thought you wanted, then maybe it was easier for you not to ask questions or look for problems.’

‘Gullible, then.’

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ He took her hand. ‘What happened?’

‘I …’ Bile rose in her throat at the memory. She didn’t want to drag it all up again, have the top of her scars ripped open.

As if he guessed her thoughts, he said gently, ‘It’s not good to bottle things up. It means you don’t get the chance to heal.’