Sicilian's Shock Proposal

‘I need to think about what I’m prepared to agree to, but before we go any further there is something that you need to know.’ They were face-to-face as Luka said it. ‘I willnevermarry you.’

‘You’ll do whatever it takes …’

The spitfire he had known was returning, and Sophie jabbed a finger into his chest as if to make her point.

‘Whatever. It. Takes—’

‘No,’ he interrupted calmly.

Despite the cool façade she attempted, he knew that she was as Sicilian as the volcanic soil they were from, and as he watched her struggle to hold in her temper he didn’t suppress his triumphant smile. She was just as volatile and passionate as he remembered. Those traits in Sophie were everything he both loved and loathed.

‘After what you did … after what you said about me in court …’

‘Lose the drama, Sophie.’ His voice was completely calm. ‘I accept that I have a moral debt to you, given all that has happened, but even with several years’ interest added I do not owe you that much. I will agree to be your fake fiancé, but never your fake husband. Know that now, or get out.’

He hoped for the latter. Get out of my life, my head, my heart. Just get out!

Instead Sophie must have accepted his terms, for she sat down again.

It was time to talk business.

Playboys of Sicily

Taming Italy’s most notorious men!

Tycoon Luka might agree to be ex-flame Sophie’s fake fiancé … but at what cost?

Sicilian’s Shock Proposal Available July 2015

Bella hasn’t seen millionaire Matteo since that night. He’s as irresistible as ever, but will he still want her after he discovers her secret?

His Sicilian Cinderella Available August 2015

You won’t want to miss this sizzlingly dramatic new duet from USA TODAY bestselling author Carol Marinelli—available only from Mills & Boon® Modern™ Romance!

Sicilian’s Shock Proposal

Carol Marinelli

CAROL MARINELLI is a Taurus, with Taurus rising, yet she still thinks she’s a secret Gemini. Originally from England, she now lives in Australia and is a single mother of three. Apart from her children, writing romance and the friendships forged along the way are her passion. She chooses to believe in a happy-ever-after for all, and strives for that in her writing.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Playboys of Sicily

Title Page

About the Author

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

PROLOGUE

‘A WOMAN WHO says she’s your fiancée is in Reception, asking to see you.’

Luka Cavaliere looked up from his computer and saw the wry smile on his PA’s face.

‘I thought I’d heard it all until now,’ said Tara.

Women would try anything to get an audience with Luka, but to have someone pretending to be his fiancée was a first. Tara knew from bitter experience that the woman in Reception was lying—the only thing that Luka ever fully committed to was work.

She certainly wasn’t expecting his response.

‘Tell Reception that she can come up,’ he said in his rich Italian voice.

‘Sorry?’

Luka didn’t respond to Tara’s question. Instead, he got back to the work he was doing on his computer. Certainly he did not need to repeat himself to his PA, nor explain things to her.

‘Luka?’ Still Tara hovered at the door, unable to believe that he knew who this woman was—he hadn’t even asked for her name.

‘Do you want a second warning?’ Luka checked. ‘I have already told you that I should not have to give out my instructions twice.’

‘No, you want to give me a second warning so that soon you can fire me.’ Tara’s voice was thick with tears. ‘You want me gone...?’

Of course he did.

‘It’s because we made love, isn’t it?’ she simpered.

He could correct her but he chose not to. Luka didn’t make love—he had sex.

Often.

His wealth attracted shallow women, but his dark good looks and skills in the bedroom did not lead to the fleeting encounters that he preferred. Always they wanted more than he was prepared to give. He knew that he should never have got involved with his latest PA, especially when he’d just trained her up to be useful.

‘I’m not going to get into a discussion,’ Luka said. ‘Send her up.’

‘But you never said that you were engaged. You never even gave a hint that there was anyone else—’

Bored now, Luka thought. ‘Take as long as you like for lunch,’ he interrupted. Yes, he wanted her gone. ‘Actually, you can take the rest of the day off.’

Tara let out a hopeless sob and then turned and rather loudly left the office.

The slam of the door made Luka’s eyes shut for a brief moment.

It had nothing to do with his PA’s brief outburst, or the noise from the door—it was what would happen in the coming moments that he was bracing himself for.