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Curiously, her anger defused slightly. She found herself wondering why he’d decided to walk. Was he having a fit of conscience? Wondering if he really could go through with a marriage of convenience to someone who hated him?
And did she hate him? She hated this situation she was in. But she had to admit that in other circumstances she would find Gianni intriguing, and far too dangerously attractive. He was so composed. Controlled. And ruthless. Something roiled inside her to think that after all she’d been through, some part of her psyche resonated with powerful ambitious men like her father.
And then she had to realise that by pursuing this dogged and crazy plan, she was doing nothing less than exhibiting her own ruthlessness and ambition. The fact that she embodied those traits, too, did not sit well for a moment.
A very rogue image slid into Keelin’s mind; of her, coming out of the hotel behind Gianni and slipping her hand into his. And of him turning to look down, a smile on his face. The kind of easy smile that she’d seen him bestow on people all night at the party but not her. Because when he looked at her it was always with a mix of mockery, disdain or anger. But maybe he’d stop this time and turn and put his hands around her face and there would be a different look in his eyes—
What the hell was wrong with her?
Keelin whirled away from the wall with enough force to make her stumble slightly. She was breathing heavily, her heart racing. Damn Gianni Delucca. What was she doing mooning after him like some kind of groupie, forgetting about the bombshell he’d just dropped?
Keelin went back up to her suite, and once inside, she kicked off her heels and paced up and down, restless at the thought of the wedding happening in a few days. She had nothing to hide from Gianni any more. They were on a level playing pitch now, so as far as she was concerned, nothing had changed and it was still very much game on to derail this wedding and she would utilise whatever arsenal she could lay her hands on to achieve this.
As if the universe wanted to help her, Keelin noticed the front of the local newspaper that was delivered to her suite every day. It featured a colourful picture of a famous celebrity leaving the rival Chatsfield Hotel in Rome.Keelin’s mouth curved into a smile as an audacious plan took root in her head.
* * *
As Gianni approached his apartment and office building after walking from the Harrington Hotel, he still felt restless. And he knew it wasn’t just the pent-up lust in his system. He still wasn’t quite sure how he’d kept his hands off Keelin after that incendiary kiss at the party. And just now? She’d looked as mad as hell and sexy with it. Her vibrant red hair tumbled over one pale shoulder. Cheeks pink, mouth still slightly swollen from that kiss. Green eyes flashing when he’d imparted the news of bringing the wedding forward, a mutinous set to her jaw.
Knowing how determined she was to get out of this marriage, Gianni had decided to bring the wedding forward, telling himself it was purely a strategic business move.
So why had he had to steel himself inwardly and call on the kind of ruthlessness he employed when making a tough business decision when he’d told her? Because when Keelin had confided in him about her time in Andalusia, it had impacted him on a level he hadn’t expected. He’d been able to see that fresh-faced image of her all too easily and it was a million miles from the kind of woman he might have believ
ed her to be, even without all the fake tan and blingy jewellery.
And the fact that she always seemed so ready to fight, to rebel, had impacted on him too. Gianni had the strong and uncomfortable feeling that life for her had been one battle or another for a long time. He didn’t like how that made him feel, almost protective.
So he’d had to push all that down. Be remorseless. For all he knew, it was a sob story, concocted to appeal to his sympathies. Although something about the reluctance with which she’d told him made it ring true. And now he couldn’t get that image of her smiling face out of his head.
But he had to. Because she would be upping her game now and pulling out every trick in the book to try and sabotage this wedding and Gianni would be the biggest fool on the planet if he didn’t suspect as much and act accordingly.
* * *
‘Miss O’Connor, are you sure that Signor Delucca has agreed to this?’
Keelin smiled sweetly. ‘Oh, yes, my fiancé has given me carte blanche to make all the arrangements and he really doesn’t expect to be bothered with questions. You can leave all that to me.’
The nice wedding planner, Allessandra, looked at Keelin a little doubtfully but then smiled too, and said confidentially and not without a little relief, ‘In all honesty I find Signor Delucca quite intimidating.’
Keelin patted the girl’s hand. ‘I understand completely, so it’s better this way.’
It was two days before the wedding and Keelin had finally pushed Gianni so far with a never-ending list of questions about the arrangements that he’d texted her the previous day and said succinctly, Do what you like, Keelin. I don’t care if you turn up in a clown’s outfit on Saturday afternoon as long as you’re there. G.
So she had taken his words to heart and was calmly and diligently wreaking a little havoc with everything Gianni had ordered for the wedding.
The first thing to go had been the wedding dress he’d apparently chosen for her. She’d taken one look at it and felt a betraying hitch in her breathing. Because if she had one uncynical bone left in her body, one tiny atom left where she harboured any kind of romantic dream of marrying a soul mate, then this was the dress she would wear.
It was elegant, off-white. Strapless with an unstructured sweetheart neckline, it hugged the breasts and torso before falling in delicate folds of chiffon to the floor. Whimsical and romantic.
So naturally, she’d chosen another, altogether far less suitable dress. Not that she had any hopes he’d actually see her in it. But it would be enough that she might be photographed in it to add to the furore.
She’d barely seen Gianni in the past few days because he’d been busy with meetings. This suited Keelin fine. She was still suffering from sudden and random memory flashes of the rough and smooth slide of his tongue against hers as he’d kissed her senseless in front of everyone at the engagement party. And she couldn’t even blame him!
She pushed down the niggle of her conscience as she made the most drastic changes to the wedding yet, and told herself that she was doing this for her very survival.
* * *
Gianni cursed volubly when his cufflink slipped free for the third time while trying to close it.
