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‘Why not? I can afford it.’
Registering from the flare in his brilliant eyes that she had offended, Kerry forced a smile. ‘I suppose you can now that you’re rid of the responsibility of Ballybawn.’
He quirked a brow. ‘But I’m not rid of it.’
That was the moment when Kerry grasped the worst drawback of avoiding the discussion of sensitive issues with both him and her sisters. ‘But I just assumed that you would accept my sisters’ bid for the castle—’
‘Why would I allow them to dictate what I do?’ Luciano demanded. ‘You have more right to Ballybawn than they have. But for your efforts, your grandparents would have lost their home years ago.’
Kerry was taken aback by his attitude. ‘That’s not how I feel. If you let my sisters buy Ballybawn, it will still be in the family. That’s all that matters and I just want peace. I can’t believe that you’re being so stubborn—’
‘Believe it, mia carina,’ Luciano urged as he pulled her close to his lean, sun-warmed length. ‘I never liked being bullied. Stop worrying about me. I can look after myself.’
‘You’re very obstinate.’ Kerry met slumberous golden eyes full of amusement. ‘I gather that nobody has yet tried to put you out of business.’
‘Not so far. Dio mio, I want you all the time.’ Tasting her lush mouth, dipping his tongue into the moist, tender interior to make her shiver, Luciano slowly tugged her back down to the rug and came over her. She could feel him, hot and hard and hungrily aroused against her stomach. In answer tiny tremors of desire quivered through her and damp heat burned at the heart of her.
It was not the most timely moment for a mobile phone to start ringing from the Toyota Landcruiser parked only a few feet away.
‘Don’t answer it. I wish you’d switch it off,’ Luciano commanded as he angled back from her. ‘If I can leave mine off, so can you—’
‘But it might be Freddy, and with the time difference between Europe and Quamar it’s so hard for her to reach me at a reasonable hour—’
‘Misty sent you a mobile that works abroad so that you could be reached twenty-four hours a day. Do you know why? Not one of your sisters can bear to wait five minutes for anything!’ Luciano breathed with an amount of derision that shook her. ‘You are the latest toy in your sisters’ lives. Some day soon, I will smash that phone—’
‘Look…the call might be something important.’ Endeavouring to ignore his annoyance, Kerry got into the car to reach for the phone she had left lying there. It was Ione, ringing to ask whether or not Kerry would be attending the party Ione and Alexio were holding to celebrate their wedding anniversary the following month.
Conscious of Luciano’s brooding scrutiny as he stood by the driver’s door, Kerry reddened and lowered her head, her fingers plucking nervously at the pocket of her skirt. ‘I’m not sure yet how I’m going to be fixed that week.’
‘That’s what you said the last time I asked. Can’t you make a move without Luciano?’ Ione groaned ruefully.
Kerry flushed. She was uneasily conscious of Luciano’s proximity, for he had settled into the driver’s seat beside her. ‘How many moves do you make without Alexio?’
Without the smallest warning, Luciano lifted her phone from her hand and slotted it into the handset on the dashboard so that the call would be broadcast over the car speakers.
In the tense silence, Ione’s voice emerged as clear as a bell. ‘I’m married. You’re still single and free to do as you like. If the date doesn’t suit Luciano, come to the party on your own!’ Her sister laughed. ‘Do I have to bribe you by promising to line up some hot Greek guy for you?’
Dark colour had fired over the fierce slant of Luciano’s cheekbones and shimmering outrage blazed in his incredulous golden eyes. ‘Kerry is not free to do as she likes!’ he interrupted her sister with raw emphasis, speaking so that the microphone above the driver’s door would pick him up. ‘Nor should I need to state the obvious…a hot Greek guy would be superfluous to your sister’s needs.’
An aghast silence buzzed at Ione’s end of the line before her sister exclaimed, ‘Is that Luciano I’m speaking to?’
‘Yes, and I can tell you right now, Kerry won’t be attending your party!’
‘Luciano, stop it…’ Kerry hissed in embarrassment.
‘Do you make a habit of listening to my sister’s calls?’ Ione asked worriedly.
‘From here on in, I’ll be listening to all of them!’ Luciano ground out without any hesitation whatsoever. ‘I won’t let you interfere in our relationship.’
‘But I wasn’t trying to interfere between you,’ Ione contradicted in audible dismay.
With an angry stab of one lean brown hand, Luciano cut off her sister’s call.
Kerry did not know who she was most annoyed with: Luciano for eavesdropping or Ione for her provocative sense of humour. In silence, Luciano swept up the rug and the picnic hamper and pitched them into the Land-cruiser with a violence that spoke louder than any words could have done.
Indeed, Luciano was so enraged that he did not trust himself to speak. His worst suspicions had been proven true. He was now convinced that all Kerry’s sisters were working against him and pouring spiteful poison into her innocent ears in an effort to cause trouble.
But that was not the least of it. Some hot Greek guy? Luciano seethed at that basest of all insults. How could Ione Christoulakis offer to set Kerry up with another man? That was downright immoral and disgusting! The very idea of it made Luciano feel sick to the stomach. He wanted to tell Kerry that she was never under any circumstances to accept a call from one of her sisters again. After hearing Ione in full flow, he knew he would be equally unhappy about allowing Kerry to even visit her siblings’ homes. It would be like sending a little child into a den of iniquity.
