VITTORIO'S LOVER (Vittorio Series) (5 page)

He’d been with enough women to know when a
physical response was real or contrived. Jenesa was deliberately putting distance between them because she didn’t trust herself when they got too close. There were tell-tale signs that gave her away; the dilated pupils, the way her breathing became shallow and ragged, and how rapidly her pulse throbbed in the vein just above her collarbone. Her body became soft and pliant, her creamy skin excessively warm to the touch and flushed with color, and she trembled like a newborn fawn trying to get its footing.

Ultimately
, the inability to take control of her emotions would be Jenesa’s undoing, but for now he would use it to his advantage. Admittedly, the love-starved routine was a nice touch; it appealed to his masculinity while the guilt-stricken look brought out the protective side of his nature. Staged as her actions were, Jenesa’s response to his physical nearness was one hundred percent genuine. It was deeply satisfying to know he had that kind of power over her.

Purposely keeping his voice low and seductive, Raffaele
slowly inched forward as he spoke. “Listen to me, Jenesa. I need to explain something about my relationship with Caroline. You see…it isn’t what it appears to be. Our fathers grew up together in Italy and remained good friends even after my parents moved to America. As the only child of an extremely wealthy family, Caroline led a very pampered and sheltered life.”

She looked up at him with injured eyes. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you and I share a connection that I’ve never felt with anyone else and I think it would be a huge mistake to let you go without seeing where it could lead us.”

“It won’t
lead
anywhere
,” she said, “how could it? You’re engaged to another woman, or have you forgotten that minor detail?”

“But I’m not engaged. There hasn’t been an announcement…”

“
Yet
, you mean.”

“What I mean is there may not be an announcement. Just hear me out, okay?”

Jenesa crossed her arms, clearly not receptive to listening. “You’ve got two minutes and then I walk.”

Raffaele wasn’t about to let her go anywhere near the house even if
it meant physically carrying her out the back entrance to the gardens, although he doubted it would come to that. She was vulnerable right now and it wouldn’t take much to wipe that mutinous look off her face, but that didn’t necessarily mean she would fold completely. Somewhere along the way, getting Jenesa to leave with him willingly had become a challenge, something he wanted to call attention to when the charade was over and she attempted to lay the blame on him.

He was actually enjoying the game and couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so exhilarated
. Tripping her up was going to be a pleasurable experience, but not nearly as gratifying as taking her to bed and watching her shatter into a million pieces. He would destroy her, make her regret she’d ever heard the name Vittorio. What was it his father used to say?
Mess with the bull and you’re going to get the horns
. Raffaele smiled to himself. Jenesa didn’t look like a matador, but she had definitely taunted him by waving the red cape; it was time to stop pawing the ground and get down to business.

“I
am not in love with Caroline,” he said honestly, “and she is not in love with me. When her mother and father were killed in a car accident eight months ago, my parents took her in and asked me to watch over her. I know they were hoping a relationship would develop between us, and in a manner of speaking it did. Caroline is young, naive. She needs someone strong to protect her, someone she can trust and depend on who isn’t interested in the vast wealth she inherited upon her parent’s death.”

“
Let me guess; you cast yourself in the role of her knight in shining armor?”

“I suppose I did,” he replied absently, thinking of Luca and how selflessly he was sacrificing himself for Caroline’s sake.

Why are you doing this?
He’d asked Luca one evening after Caroline had gone up to her room.

Luca had shrugged.
Because I do not want to see her innocence ruined at the hands of some ruthless bastard who is only interested in her money.

But to marry a woman you don’t love…a woman who is as cold as the stone on Grandfather’s grave?

Be careful, little brother,
Luca’s voice had hardened,
that is my future wife you are talking about. I may not love Caroline, but she is a beautiful woman who will give me equally beautiful children.

Raffaele had wisely refrained from commenting, although he couldn’t help thinking Caroline would be as indifferent to their children as she was to Luca.

Turning his attention back to Jenesa with a grim smile, he continued to weave the story he’d
fabricated in his head. “I didn’t realize until it was almost too late that I would condemning us both to a life of misery. It was you who made me see how barren my nights would be if I was bound to a woman who could never satisfy me in bed. Perhaps Caroline realized it was a mistake too.

That was her on the phone a moment ago,” he said, mentally patting himself on the back for his ingenuity.
“When I told her we needed to talk, she jumped on it. She said when or
if
we make an announcement, it will be because we believe wholeheartedly that it is a sound decision and not one that was made due to pressure from friends or family or the media.” He maneuvered a little closer, sensing victory as her tongue darted out to nervously moisten her lips. “Give me the chance to prove I’m not the lecherous man you think I am. Come away with me,
cara mia
. You want to, I know you do.”

“
You don’t know anything about me, least of all what I want.”

“Let me get to know you then. Spend the week
with me.”

“
Spend the…? No,” she shook her head. “Absolutely not. No…hell, no!”

Injured pride aside, Raffaele was perplexed. He’d just handed her the perfect opportunity to get exactly what she’d come here for and she was turning him down? It didn’t make sense.
What better way to insure he remained enamored of her than to spend time alone with him? The only thing he could think of was that Luca wasn’t the target after all; it was about the money and always had been.

“I’m not talking about sleeping together,” Raffaele said.

“Y-you’re not?”

“No, I’m not.”

“But you said you wanted to indulge in…in…” Jenesa’s voice faded, her cheeks burning a furious red as if she was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

“I know what
I said,” he spoke softly. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t want you,
carissima
, because I do. The chemistry between us is volatile, you cannot deny that, but I meant what I said about getting to know you and wanting the chance to prove I’m not the insensitive ogre you think I am. Please, Jenesa, say yes.”

“I…I don’t
think that’s a very good idea.”

Raffaele could see her weakening
, so what was holding her back? Even if she was reluctant to sleep with him, it was a prime opportunity to solidify her blackmailing position, especially after taking Caroline out of the equation. Then again, claiming she was pregnant with Luca’s child wouldn’t have nearly the impact if he was no longer considering marrying Caroline. Unless she was planning on going to the media with the allegation that
she
was the reason for their break-up. Whatever malicious scheme she had brewing, it was imperative that he keep her away from tabloid reporters, as well as any gossip mongers at the party.

“What is so wrong
with wanting to learn more about one another? We shared something very intimate, and with the possibility of a baby on the way, I would like to know more than just your name. I should think you would want the same. Listen to me,
cara
,” he said gently. “I swear I will not try to seduce you. We can incorporate a very strict hands-off policy that I will adhere to the moment we step inside my house. I will even give you my pilot’s cell phone number so you can call for the chopper any time you want.”

A battle of indecision waged behind her beautiful eyes. Funny, he distinctly remembered thinking she wasn’t much to look at when he’d first spotted her at the party, but here in the soft moonlight she
looked like a golden-haired angel. With her ivory skin and delicately boned features, Jenesa had an ethereal quality that stirred something deep inside him.
It is an illusion
, Raffaele told himself. She only seemed desirable now because she had denied him so emphatically, and looks could be very deceptive; he’d learned that lesson long ago.

“What have you got to lose?” he prompted.

                                                      ***

What did she have to lose?
Besides her sister’s love and her own self-respect, Jenesa was in serious danger of losing her heart. He was right about the connection between them; it swamped her senses, made her feel as if she was drowning and floating on a cloud at the same time. And when he touched her, it was like receiving a jolt of electricity that left her skin tingling afterwards. Whatever chemistry was in play here, it was intense and growing more powerful the longer she remained in his presence.

Still, Jenesa felt it was her duty to find out m
ore about this man. Maybe once she determined he really hadn’t meant to use Jillian in such a cold manner, she would tell him the truth. Of course, that meant Luca would realize his attraction to her was based off his feelings for Jillian. Acknowledging that left a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach but he was bound to uncover the truth sooner or later. If she
did
decide to go with him, she could tell him things about her sister so that he truly was learning more about the woman he’d spent the night with.

Both s
he and Linette would feel better if they knew for sure Luca was the type of man to own up to his responsibilities and be there for Jillian if she was pregnant. But what if he wasn’t? What if he didn’t want anything to do with Jillian or the baby? Jenesa wasn’t sure she wanted to be the one to divulge such heartbreaking information to her sister. And if it turned out Jillian wasn’t having his baby? Was she strong enough to reintroduce Luca to her sister so they could develop a relationship when what she really wanted was to escape to this island of his and keep him all to herself?

Her thoughts were a myriad of contradictions. She wanted to do right by her sister
but she’d been broadsided by the emotions Luca Vittorio elicited in her and knew in her heart that no man would ever affect her the way he did.
This is not about you
, Jenesa reminded herself. If she went with him, it had to be for Jillian’s sake. Regardless of her personal feelings, she knew she would never act on them if it meant Jillian would get hurt as a result.

Peering up at his expectant face, Jenesa drew in a deep breath
and gave him the answer he wanted to hear. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

“I promise you will not regret this,
cara
.”

Jenesa was already beginning to regret her decision. The smile he flashed at her took her breath away
, reviving that weightless, dizzy sensation. Taking her hands in his, Luca lifted one trembling palm to his lips and then other before trapping them both against his chest.

“You have made me very happy, Jenesa. I just have to make a quick call and we can be on our way. You will love the island; there
is a serenity about it that makes you wish you could stay there forever. I am going to enjoy showing you around and having…”

“Wait…Luca, we can’t just leave without discussing it first.”

“I don’t understand. What is there to discuss?”

“For one thing, I’m not sure I can get away for an entire week. I need to pack some clothes and
a few personal items, run by the bank for cash, call my sisters and let them know I’ll be gone and for how long. My parents are out of the country, but I’d still like to give them a quick call and…” Jenesa was silenced with a brief but devastating kiss.

“
I have a feeling our night together was the only spontaneous thing you have ever done.”

She could hear the laughter in his voice and
silently chastised herself for the twinge of jealously that shot through her at the reminder it was Jillian who had spent the night in his arms. Her younger sister never considered the consequences for anything she did; she lived for the moment and regretted nothing. Until her encounter with Luca Vittorio, that is. Jenesa was just the opposite and played her life like a game of chess – strategically planning every move and every possible outcome. Linette and Jillian teased her mercilessly about it, and now it seemed Luca was doing the same. Well, she would show them all that she could roll with the punches!

“I have no problem being spontaneous,” she said rigidly, garnering another heart stopping smile. “I don’t,” Jenesa insisted. “I just don’t see any need to throw responsibility out the window in this particular case. I certainly can’t wear this dress all week, can I?”