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Paloma shoved the painful memories of her marriage back into the compartment in her mind markedDo Not Open. Goodness knew how many glasses of wine she’d drunk last night. The alcohol had made her feel relaxed and it must have gone straight to her head, but it did not excuse her suggestion that Daniele should practise kissing her.
He had looked appalled, and he’d shot out of her room faster than a cheetah that had spotted its lunch. But he had returned to reassure her that he would protect her. She turned her head on the pillow and felt relieved that he was not still sitting next to the bed.
She was ashamed of herself for being so pathetic. Her life had been spinning out of control for the past few days, but she had to get a grip, Paloma told herself sternly. It was not surprising that Daniele had accused her of being immature. Howcouldshe have asked him to stay with her? But her fear had been genuine. So many disturbing things had happened recently, and the dismissal of the security staff from the palazzo had been the final straw.
She staggered into the bathroom, and after she’d had a shower and swallowed a couple of painkillers, she felt almost human again. It was early in the morning, and the view out of the window of the soft mist over the hills, and the sky streaked with hues of pink and gold as the sun rose, urged her to go outside. She pulled on yoga pants and a matching bra top and braided her wet hair.
Stepping quietly out of her room, she looked across the hallway and saw that Daniele’s bedroom door was open. He was sprawled on the bed, the sheet draped across his hips. The regular rise and fall of his chest told her that he was asleep. Her heart missed a beat as she wondered if he slept naked.
Get over him, she ordered herself. She would marry him because it was the only way she could prevent her great-uncle Franco from seizing control of her grandfather’s company. But her fake marriage to Daniele would end on the day she turned twenty-five. She grimaced as she imagined the tabloid headlines when she divorced for a second time.
Unlucky in love!Or perhaps,Money can’t buy happiness!
Both statements were true, she thought bleakly. Although of course there was zero chance of her falling in love with Daniele.
In the kitchen, she made a fruit salad and added a dollop of thick yoghurt. Two cups of black coffee gave her the caffeine hit she craved, before she opened the door and stepped out into the courtyard, blinking in the bright sunshine.
A shadow fell across the cobblestones, and she froze in terror. Her heart felt as if it were about to explode inside her chest. Was the person hiding around the corner of the house planning to snatch her, or worse? Had they been sent by whoever had organised her kidnapping in Mali? Blinding white fury took over from her fear. She was tired of being a victim.
She remembered the advice from her martial arts, self-defence instructor.Hit first, hit hard and run fast.
It felt like a lifetime but her thought process had taken seconds. When the figure stepped out of the shadows, Paloma leapt forwards and brought her leg up, ramming her shin—the hardest part of her leg—into his groin. She heard him groan as he doubled over. The sun was in her eyes and she could not see his face. She held her left arm out in front of her in the block defence position and brought her other arm up to strike the assailant’s throat with her clenched fist.
He grabbed her wrist, catching her off guard so that she toppled to the ground with him, and her body landed on top of his. She yelped in pain when he forced her arm behind her back and captured her other hand in his as she tried to jab her fingers in his eye.
‘You crazy wildcat!’ Daniele’s eyes blazed with fury. ‘Where the hell did you learn Krav Maga techniques?’
‘I didn’t know it was you.’ The adrenaline surging through Paloma fuelled her temper. ‘Why were you creeping around? You were in bed asleep. I thought I was going to be attacked, so I attacked first.’
‘You’re lucky I didn’t seriously hurt you. I may never father children,’ Daniele muttered, wincing when her pelvic bone pressed against his groin. ‘Your kick was right on target.’
She bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I go for a run most mornings. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I left the house by the exterior stairs.’
Paloma glanced over at the set of stone steps on the side of the house and realised that they led directly up to his bedroom. She looked down at Daniele. Her shock was fading, and she was intensely aware of his muscular body beneath her. She noticed that the dark stubble on his jaw was thicker with a night’s growth. His amber eyes gleamed with an intensity that made her wonder if he could read the thoughts inside her head. She hoped not, because those thoughts were inappropriate, considering their current position. Her tense muscles were softening, and it would be too easy to melt into him so that every dip and curve on her body fitted snugly to his lean frame.
‘You can let me up,’ she muttered.
‘Not so fast.’ He released her wrist that he’d been holding behind her back and moved his hand down to the base of her spine, clamping her against him. ‘Tell me how a fragile English rose is proficient in a martial arts combat system developed by the Israeli army and used by military special forces in many countries.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘I’m not fragile. I brought you down.’
‘Only because I hadn’t expected to be confronted by a ninja warrior.’
‘Youintroduced me to Krav Maga years ago. I had been visiting my grandfather at the palazzo and he told me about the IT genius he’d employed to develop Morante Group’s online marketing. Imagine my surprise when, instead of the computer nerd I was expecting, I saw a fit guy on the lawn, practising martial arts. You made it clear that you had no time for an annoying teenager, but you explained that Krav Maga combines boxing, judo and ju-jitsu.’
‘You thought I was fit?’
She blushed. ‘You know I did. When I left boarding school and went to university, Nonno was concerned for my safety, and to keep him happy, I signed up for some self-defence classes. The local gym ran a Krav Maga course for women. Today was the first time I’d ever been in a situation where I was able to defend myself and I’m proud that I kept my nerve.’
Paloma felt empowered. She had been terrified when she’d thought an intruder was in the courtyard, but she’d pushed past her fear and used the self-defence techniques she had been taught. ‘Obviously, if I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have gone into attack mode,’ she told Daniele apologetically.
He moved suddenly and rolled them both over so that she was briefly lying beneath him before he stood up and offered her his hand to pull her to her feet. His eyes narrowed on her face, and she sensed that he was about to say something, but then he gave a slight shake of his head. ‘You did well,’ he said gruffly. Paloma felt ridiculously pleased by his praise. ‘Come into the barn and show me what else you have learned.’
The barn must originally have been used to store farm equipment, but now it was a well-equipped gym. Daniele walked over to an area of the floor covered with thick mats. ‘The best way for any woman—or man, for that matter—to keep safe is to avoid confrontation if possible. That’s especially true for someone of your petite build. There is no shame in running away.’
‘I confronted you when I believed you were a threat, and I won,’ she said indignantly.
