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The thought was in her head before she could stop it. But Dante was speaking, banishing it as swiftly as it came.
‘Raf,’ he said, his voice dry, ‘is what I believe in English is called “a smooth operator”. Getting him to the altar, or anywhere close, will take a very clever female indeed...’
Connie frowned. ‘Maybe he’ll just find he’s fallen in love one day, with the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.’
Dante didn’t answer, and she twisted her head slightly to glance up at him. The veiled look was back in his eyes. Then he gave a shrug.
‘That’s a very romantic view of life,’ he said.
There was a definite edge in his voice. Connie could hear it.
‘Raf’s far too cynical to believe in love. He’s a born lawyer.’
Then his expression changed, with the veiled look disappearing and a far more open one taking its place—one Connie was all too familiar with.
He dropped a soft, sensual kiss on her upturned lips. ‘Why the hell are we discussing Raf?’ he said in mock indignation, kissing her again.
His kiss deepened, and Connie felt herself melting into it, as she always did when he kissed her like this. In moments all thoughts of Rafaello, all thoughts of anything at all, were lost—and so was Connie, drowning in the sweet sensuality of Dante’s kisses...
CHAPTER SEVEN
DANTEDEPRESSEDTHEACCELERATOR, speeding up along the autostrada. They were closing in on Rome and would be there in time for dinner. Beside him, Connie was gazing with interest at the passing landscape, as she had all the way from Milan.
‘There’ssomuch to learn about Italy!’ she exclaimed. ‘I just want to gulp it all down now that I’m living here.’
Dante made no answer, focusing on overtaking a lorry irritatingly in the way of his powerful, fast, low-slung car. But Connie’s words echoed in his mind. Hung there a moment.
Then she was asking him another question, about a town the exit to which they had just passed, and he gave her the best answer he could, glad of the distraction. He was not entirely comfortable about why he’d been glad of it, but he put it out of his mind. He was looking forward to Rome. Looking forward to squeezing a few days away from the business clients he was seeing while he was there and showing the city off to Connie. They’d meet up with Rafaello one evening, but that was all.
And if Raf damn well tries any of his tricks—oh-so-amusing to him but to no one else, like he did with Bianca in Milan—he can take a hike!
He glanced at Connie, his expression softening as it always did when he looked at her. She’d enjoy Rome, he’d make sure of that, for he always wanted to please her. And in turn she was so appreciative—as sweet-natured as she had always been.
He knew and rejoiced in the fact that she was finally without the cares and worries that had assailed her while she was looking after her grandmother, even though their marriage had eased the financial pressure on her. Now there were no pressures on her at all, and he could ensure that she was enjoying herself as she so richly deserved.
And he could share in that enjoyment. He was enjoying all they did together, whether it was sightseeing or having quiet evenings in Milan, cooking dinner together, vegging on the sofa, watching undemanding TV and then heading off to bed, with her as eager as he was to reach their final destination of the day.
Has it ever been like this for me before?
It was an unnecessary question. He knew it hadn’t been. And it was all thanks to Connie.
She’s so easy to be with—happy, good-tempered, sweet-natured... And as passionate in making love with me as any man could dream of. She gives herself completely...
And he, in return, did all he could to show her how much he desired her in return.
His thoughts turned to how quickly she could arouse and inflame and then satiate him...
‘Where are we going to be staying in Rome? Remind me again?’
Connie’s question interrupted thoughts that were getting too heated for a long car journey, and he was a little relieved.
‘The Falcone,’ he answered, overtaking another lorry that was going as slowly as a slug, relishing the acceleration of his powerful car at his command. ‘It’s a little out of thecentro storico, but quieter for that reason. Just a taxi ride from all the sights in Rome. Speaking of which—what’s top of your agenda to visit once I’m clear of my business appointments?’
‘Ooh, there’s so much to choose from!’ she answered.
They ran through some of the major attractions, drawing up a flexible list, and continued to discuss them that evening over dinner at their hotel.
The Falcone, converted from a grand nineteenth-century villa, was set on the slope of one of Rome’s fabled hills, surrounded by extensive gardens and with a view over the city. There was a pool in the grounds, and Connie had assured Dante that she would be more than happy to spend her first day enjoying it and the hotel’s amenities in the still-warm weather of early autumn, while he went off to his business meetings.
