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‘It is—’
‘I’m very fond of Miles and I have been since we were children—’
‘He’s not a blood relative—’
‘Nevertheless, I’ve always thought of him as my brother. I know that you and he never got on but it meant a lot to me that he was willing to come to our wedding and leave behind all the unpleasantness of the past,’ Kerry confided with conviction.
Luciano vented a harsh, unamused laugh. ‘Per meraviglia! Unpleasantness? How can you dare to call five stinking years in a prison cell…mere unpleasantness?’
Every scrap of colour drained from Kerry’s complexion when she realised how much she had offended. But even while she fully recognised her own clumsy lack of tact, she was dismayed by his attitude and could not help feeling that he was blaming the wrong people for his imprisonment. It was her personal belief that the shoddy police investigation allied with possible prejudice against Luciano being a foreigner had had a greater bearing on the guilty verdict reached at his original trial.
‘I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to make it sound as if I was belittling what you must’ve suffered,’ Kerry responded in an unhappy whisper.
‘This is the last time you will see Miles, so make the most of the occasion,’ Luciano advised, his beautiful, dark golden eyes severe.
He escorted her into the villa and stood by her side while the staff offered their good wishes. His polite social smile did not fool Kerry, who remained painfully aware that he was still furious with her. She had underestimated the extent of his bitterness and in her eagerness to bury the traumatic events that had once destroyed their relationship had badly misjudged the situation. But it shook her that Luciano should demand that she abandon her lifelong friendship with her stepbrother to prove her loyalty. How could he force her to make a cruel choice like that?
During the wedding breakfast that followed, Kerry had little opportunity for private conversation with her bridegroom. But she remained aware of his vibrant proximity with every fibre of her being. Before the dancing began, her grandfather gave a short, amusing speech and concluded by raising his glass to the bridal couple and toasting them in Irish, ‘Slainte agus saol agat…Health and life to you!’
In the ballroom, which was embellished with glorious garlands of flowers, Luciano wound her into his arms, his clear gaze full of regret. ‘You’re the most beautiful bride ever and I’m fighting with you. Let’s not talk again about our unwanted guest,’ he suggested. ‘This is our day and nothing should spoil it, cara mia.’
Much of Kerry’s unease evaporated and only the fear that Miles might approach her while she was with Luciano remained with her. Circling the floor in Luciano’s arms, she discovered that even his warm, virile scent could awaken both her senses and her body to the potency of his attraction. Dry-mouthed, she pressed herself closer to his big, powerful frame and succumbed to a helpless little shiver of pleasure. She felt starved of him and shamefully eager for the forceful possession which the ache between her thighs was already making her crave.
Embarrassed by the way in which she found herself clinging to him, Kerry flushed. ‘I don’t know myself like this…’
‘I do…but, as I can’t drag you upstairs and give you exactly what you want right at this moment, I suggest that we part and circulate rather than torture ourselves,’ Luciano groaned in acknowledgement.
Away from him, that tormenting knot of hungry desire soon began to unravel to a controllable level inside her. Delighted to find herself surrounded by so many family members, Kerry danced with Freddy’s eldest adopted son, Ben, as well as Prince Kareem, her sister’s alarmingly mature six-year-old. Freddy also had a daughter, Azima, and a third son, who was still a toddler, called Akil. She had said that her current pregnancy would be her last but Misty had whispered, ‘If you believe that, you’ll believe anything…she’s nuts about kids!’
Misty and Leone had three little boys, Connor, Niall and Evan, all very lively and full of mischief. Kerry could only smile at the sight of the cool, sophisticated Leone Andracchi crossing the dance floor at speed to recapture his tiny youngest son, who was making frantic efforts to follow his two older brothers even though he had only just learned to walk. Ione had four-year-old twins, Apollo and Diantha, who had immense charm, and a second son called Christan, who was always getting into fights.
When she began feeling a little dizzy, Kerry thought that she had expended too much energy on the dance floor and she went out on to the terrace in the hope that the fresh air would revive her. Approaching the shaded loggia, she was surprised to see all three of her sisters engaged in urgent conversation there.
‘I think she has the right to be told what we found out,’ Ione was saying.
Freddy looked anxious. ‘It’s a very difficult situation but Jaspar believes that it’s not our place to interfere between a man and his wife, particularly over a family matter—’
‘Leone says that that’s why we should just stay out of it too but I have a hideous suspicion that my husband approves of what’s being done.’ Misty groaned. ‘It’s just I feel guilty not telling her and I can’t help thinking she’s in for a heck of a shock—’
‘About what?’ Kerry had halted several feet away with a troubled frown dividing her brows.
Her sisters spun round. Freddy went pink, Ione gave Kerry a calm smile and Misty looked enquiring.
‘I mean…you are all talking about me…aren’t you?’ Kerry prompted, for those mysterious references to a man and his wife and a family matter had seemed to indicate a very probable close connection.
‘Actually, no,’ Misty asserted. ‘We’re discussing a mutual friend who is about to discover that her husband is not quite the pussycat he might seem.’
‘It’s always a big mistake to think that a guy is perfect…or that guys are like us,’ Ione continued ruefully. ‘Occasionally you come across one so ruthless that he makes King Herod look kind, and not only will he not be ashamed of it, he may also even be proud!’
After chatting to her sisters, Kerry went off in search of Miles and found him in the centre of an admiring group. He was telling a funny story with a great deal of panache. Dropping an arm round Kerry, he gave her shoulders an affectionate squeeze. When his punchline had everyone laughing, he plunged straight into another story.
As the minutes passed and Miles still made no attempt to engage her in a private conversation, Kerry was bewildered by his behaviour. Miles was talking fast and furiously but with a clarity that confirmed that too much alcohol was not the problem; her stepbrother seemed to be in an unusually excitable mood.
From across the ballroom, she saw Luciano watching her. The tension stamped in her bridegroom’s proud dark features was evident. Colouring, she tugged at Miles’s sleeve to gain his attention.
With decided reluctance, Miles finally walked her away from his audience. ‘Thanks for the invite. I’m having a fantastic time. You’ll never know how grateful I was for the excuse to escape work for a couple of days.’
‘Is Linwoods still having problems?’ Kerry pressed worriedly.
