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“Signora!”
“Mrs. Moretti!”
Hallie didn’t exhale until they were inside. Then her eyes widened as she breathed, “Wow.”
She looked around the lobby of his new hotel. The Campania Cavello made up for its boutique size by the lavishness of its furnishings and incredible view. Seeing the awe on Hallie’s face, Cristiano felt his heart swell with pride.
“And this is just the lobby,” he said, putting his hand over hers. “Wait until you see the ballroom.”
Joining the other illustrious, glamorous guests, he led her into the gilded ballroom. She stared up at the high ceilings, the bright mirrors, the chandeliers. Multiple French doors opened straight onto an expansive terrace, decked with bright pink flowers, and, beyond that, the moonlit sea.
Whirling back to face him, she breathed, “This place is amazing.” Her head suddenly craned. “Is that Nadia Cruz?”
Cristiano shrugged as the famous Spanish actress, now married to a duke, walked by in a tight dress. He had eyes for only one woman. He wanted her in his arms. Against his body. In his bed.
But the object of the evening was to celebrate the grand opening of the hotel with the celebrities who would be his future guests. Any hotel, no matter how exquisite, depended upon publicity from a certain type of clientele to make the property popular amongst the glitterati.
So for the next hour, he forced himself to greet powerful guests with all the force of his charm. He gave them his complete attention, until the new hotel’s manager privately informed him they were already booked up through Christmas, and the red-carpet arrivals had drawn attention from the press worldwide.
The Campania Cavello was a smashing success.
As soon as the music began, Cristiano took Hallie’s hand. “Dance with me.”
She looked around nervously at all the famous people in the ballroom. “We should let someone else go first.”
“No one,” he said arrogantly, “would dare.”
Holding her hand tightly, he led her to the center of the ballroom floor. He felt the eyes of all the guests on him, heard their whispered comments, and he knew that every man here envied him tonight. Not for his money or power—for the beautiful woman in his arms.
He’d been envied before, as a well-known playboy, a free-spirited billionaire who traveled the world, never settling down in any place or with any person.
This was different. Successful beyond imagination, he was now also married to a beautiful woman who’d been untouched by any other man. She’d not only given him the best sex of his life, she’d given him a son, an heir to carry on his line. Cristiano’s future was secure.
He deserved to be envied.
As they danced, Cristiano looked around the gilded ballroom of the lavish Amalfi Coast hotel. This was his. Cristiano’s hands tightened on Hallie. And so was she.
He’d come a long way from hardscrabble poverty in Naples, when he’d been unwanted, unloved and often hungry and dirty. His parents hadn’t wanted him. His mother had resented him; his father had abandoned him.
Now he had a new family.
From the beginning, when he’d first charmed that rich widow in Rome into selling her palazzo for a song, Cristiano’s charm had been his second-greatest asset.
The first, of course, was his ruthlessness.
I’ve conquered the past completely, he thought. I’ve won.
Dancing with Hallie, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“You are so beautiful,” he said huskily, swaying her in his arms. “Every man here wishes he could be in my place.”
“To own this hotel.”
“To be in your bed.”
She glanced around shyly. “Don’t be silly.”
“You have no idea how desirable you are,” he whispered against her cheek, leaning forward. “Later tonight, you can apologize for that foolishness with Bennato,” he murmured lazily, running his hand down her back. “And I will forgive you. Because I c
