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‘A liite the miracle-worker, aren’t you’?’ Philip remarked under cover of the general conversation. ”You went from rank outsider to winner and took us all by surprise.’
‘l’m not sure 1 understand.’
The thickset banker vented a suggestive laugh.
”Who wouldn’t be impressed? A bimbo with a beautiful body has caught one of the world’s richest men. 1 can only assume that you’re a real goer in the bedroom! ‘
Lydia reddened, realising in dismay that her unease in Philip’s radius eighteen months earlier had been well founded. Some sixth sense had warned her that he was a creep even before she’d heard him discussing that infamous bet.
‘Don’t speak to me like that.’
‘lf I’d come along before Cristiano, you’d have been singing a very different tune,’ Philip asserted with unmistakable meaning.
‘No…never in this lifetime.’ Lydia could not hide her look of revulsion, and she saw angry resentment harden his florid face before she turned gratefully away.
So that, she thought with an inner shudder, was what she had sensed in Philip Hazlett. He had been attracted to her, and seeing her with Cristiano would’ve annoyed him-for Philip cherished a high opinion of himself. He was charm personified with women he accepted as his equals, but an ignorant swine with those he considered to be socially beneath him. What a shame that he should be such a close friend of Cristiano’s, she reflected uncomfortably. She wasn’t planning to tell tales. But Philip would have to get over his need to put her down.
Cristiano strode into the bedroom when she was fresh out of the shower. His dark golden eyes glittered and her tummy flipped, because she knew what that shouldering look meant.
‘You smell wonderful,’ he breathed, pulling her back against him with single-minded purpose.
‘Soap.’
Laughing huskily, he brushed her glorious hair out of his path and pressed his sensual mouth to her neck. A little gasp broke from her lips and she trembled. After forty-eight hours without him, sudden contact made her feel shamelessly wanton.
‘My hair and my make-up still have to be done,’
she muttered, more than willing to be over-ruled.
‘l know…and 1 won’t make you late tonight, cara mia. ‘
Cristiano set her back from him with a distinct air of self-denial.
‘Maybe 1‘11 drag you into a dark corner around midnight. 1 don’t think 1 can restrain myself much longer than that. 1 missed you so much.’
Later, Gwenna came to keep Lydia company.
‘So, tell me, what do you think of Cristiano’?’
Lydia asked almost shyly.
Gwenna pulled a comical face.
‘He’s a good sport. When 1 cornered him in his office, he kept his cool.’
”You like him’?’
”What woman wouldn’t like him? He spent fifteen minutes talking to me downstairs. 1 felt really important.
‘He’s a total babe Gwenna’ Lydia laughed.
”With that amount of charisma, he’s definitely a catch.’
‘His friend Philip would certainly agree with that. Unfortunately he sees me as a bimbo, who used sex to trap his mate into marriage,’
Lydia confided with a grimace.
‘surely the dreadful man didn’t dare to say that to our face’?’
Lydia told her story, her wounded feelings soothed by Gwenna’s annoyance on her behalf. Predictably, Gwenna thought she should tell Cristiano, but Lydia grimaced at the idea. She knew she was probably being silly, but she was scared that if she repeated Philip’s comments Cristiano might start wondering whether there were any grains of truth in his friend’s derisive opinion of his approaching nuptials.
When men talked with other men about such things they could really be quite obnoxious, she thought worriedly, her memory dwelling on that ghastly betting business. Even Cristiano had not been proof against the masculine need to seem ultra-cool and callous. Did some sort of pack instinct come out in guys when they got together? An hour later Lydia, stunning in a magnificent pale green ball gown that bared her shoulders, descended the wonderful Georgian staircase. Diamonds sparkled like white tire at her ears, throat and wrist. The society photographer waiting to record her appearance took several shots and Cristiano, the very epitome of sleek male fashion, in a cutting-edge designer suit and open-necked black shirt, joined her for another few.
Philip Hazlett was in the crowd of guests watching the photo session, and she glimpsed his sour expression before hurriedly looking away, determined not to let anything spoil her engagement party.
Cristiano whirled her round the ballroom.
”You’re on edge, and it’s not like you.’
Lydia rested her brow against his shoulder. She was getting really annoyed with herself. It was a wonderful party, and their guests were having a terrific time. Only Philip had been rude. Why was she letting that bother her so much?
Was she getting precious? Did she expect everyone to like and approve of her? But she knew what was the matter with her, didn’t she? Being reminded that all she had to offer Cristiano was her body had been painful. He wasn’t in love with her, and that made her feel insecure and vulnerable. Love was like a glue that could keep people together through rain and shine. Cristiano, however, was perfectly happy to settle for amazing sex. He had discovered that he wanted a child, and she had been in the right place at the right time when he decided that he would like to try settling down. That was why she had a dazzling diamond on her engagement finger.
But with such a foundation wasn’t he likely to get bored with her? And, when he did, what would they use for glue? Her love?
Around midnight, she noticed that Gwenna was still dancing with the same man and she smiled. Feeling warm, and wondering where Cristiano was, she walked through the house to the suite of offices he used. She was already deciding what she was going to say if she found him there working when he shouldn’t be. The rooms, however, were in darkness. Beyond the windows the gardens had been transformed with glimmering fibre-optic lights. She was thinking how beautiful it looked, and grinning at the sight of the young man being chased by not one but two giggling girls across the lawn, when she heard a noise behind her.
‘1 thought I’d never get you on your own.’
Lydia spun round, her oval face taut.
Philip Hazlett was leering at her from the doorway.
”What will Cristiano think if he finds you’ve been down here with me? We’ve been friends all our lives. He trusts me like a brother. Who do you think he’ll believe if 1 say you were flirting like mad and gagging for it’?’
Cold apprehension clutched at Lydia. She could feel his menace. She could feel him savouring her fear. If she screamed it was unlikely anyone would hear her above the music emanating from the party. Philip was blocking the only exit, and he was built like a concrete cube of muscle.
‘l’m meeting Cristiano here.’
Philip advanced.
‘Don’t waste your breath. He’s in the main hall, talking business over a brandy’ Lydia took a sidewise step, staying out of reach, her heart thumping so hard inside her chest that she felt sick.
‘Stay away from me-‘
‘You’ll be too scared to tell him I’ve had you. You have too much to lose,’ he asserted smugly. It’ll be our little secret for evermore…’
Lydia jerked as she saw movement behind Philip.
Someone flipped him round and hit him so fast and hard that he crashed down like a felled tree. Trembling, she just stood there gaping as Philip leapt back up only to be flattened a second time with an even harder punch.
”You filthy bastard! ‘ Cristiano growled, only backing off to extend a strong supportive arm round Lydia, whose state of shock was patent.
‘lf you had laid one finger on her I’d have killed you for it! But you f
rightened her, and that’s bad enough. I’m calling the police-‘
‘No-no police,’ Lydia mumbled unevenly.
‘He didn’t touch me. Don’t let him spoil the party. Just get him out of here! ‘
Arnaldo gave her an approving nod and anchored a hand like a giant meat hook in Philip’s jacket, to remove him from the scene.
Lydia was shaking like a leaf.
‘How did you know twas here’?’
‘Arnaldo was keeping an eye on you and on Philip all evening. 1 suspected Philip had said something to you when you arrived. You went all quiet, and 1 noticed the freaky way he was watching you. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed his interest in you.’ His strongjawline squared.
‘He always wanted you, bella mia.’
”You knew that’?’
Cristiano gave her a rueful look as he shepherded her out into the corridor.
‘Look in the mirror. All my friends wanted you. couldn’t make it a hanging offence. 1 didn’t think anything of it eighteen months ago. But this time around, with Philip engaged to Jodie, 1 found it offensive and rather disturbing.’
‘1 thought he was your best friend.’
‘Did he tell you that? I’ve tolerated him because 1 do a lot of business with his father, who is everything the son is not. 1 have nothing in common with Philip now. What friendship we had left withered over that crass bet. Tonight… ‘
Cristiano paused, his dark golden gaze gleaming over her pallor and hardening to cold steel.
‘Tonight 1 could have killed him.’
‘1 was really scared-‘
‘Blame me for that. 1 had no idea that he might have an assault in mind,’
Cristiano breathed with fierce regret.
‘1 thought he might be pestering you and making a nuisance of himself. I intended to put a stop to it. But you were never in any danger. Arnaldo would have intervened had I not arrived.’
‘l suppose we should go back to our guests.’
But Cristiano directed her up a flight of service stairs.
”They don’t need us present to party. You’ve had an unpleasant experience and you need time to recover from that. If that bastard had managed to touch you-‘ ‘But he didn ‘t…’ Stretching up on tiptoe on the landing, Lydia rested a placating finger against his parted lips.
