âI was a virgin!â
âHow was I supposed to know that? Youâre a twenty-six-year-old woman.â
Pepe thought virgins of that age were extinct. It was a thought he kept to himself. Caraâs skin had gone as red as her hair. He didnât particularly fancy being on the receiving end of a slap in front of his entire family, even if she would need a stepladder to reach him.
âYou used me,â she said. âYou let me believe you were serious and that we would see each other again.â
âWhen? Tell me? When did I say we would see each other again?â
âYou said you wanted me to come to your new house in Paris so I could advise you on where to place the Cannelotti painting you bought in the auction.â
He shrugged. âThat was business talk. You know about art and I needed an expertâs eye.â
âYou said it while dipping your finger in champagne and then placing it in my mouth so I could suck it off.â
âWhatâs done is done. Iâve apologised, and as far as Iâm concerned thatâs the end of the matter. Itâs been four months. I suggest you forget about it and move on.â
With that he stalked away, striding towards Luca and Grace, ready to tell them he was leaving.
âActually, itâs not the end of the matter.â
Something in the tone of her voice made him pause.
âItâs impossible for me to âforget about it and move on".â
THE IRRESISTIBLE SICILIANS
Dark-hearted men, with devastating appeal!
These powerful Sicilian men are bound by years of family legacies and dark secrets.
But now the power rests with them.
No man would dare challenge these hot-blooded Sicilians â¦
But their women are another matter!
Have these world-renowned Sicilians met their match?
Read Luca Mastrangeloâs story in:
WHAT A SICILIAN HUSBAND WANTS
March 2014
Read Pepe Mastrangeloâs story in:
THE SICILIANâS UNEXPECTED DUTY
April 2014
And look out for Francesco Calvettiâs story
coming soon!
MICHELLE SMARTâS love affair with books began as a baby, when she would cuddle them in her cot. This love for all things wordy has never left her. A voracious reader of all genres, she found her love of romance was cemented at the age of twelve when she came across her first Mills & Boon>® book. That book sparked a seed and, although she didnât have the words to explain it then, she had discovered something special: that a book had the capacity to make her heart beat as if falling in love.
When not reading, or pretending to do the housework, Michelle loves nothing more than creating worlds of her own featuring handsome, brooding heroes and the sparkly, feisty women who can melt their frozen hearts. She hopes her books can make her readersâ hearts beat a little faster too.
Michelle Smart lives in Northamptonshire with her own hero and their two young sons.
This book is dedicated to Adam, Joe and Zak, my gorgeous Smarties.
CHAPTER ONE
PEPE MASTRANGELO HELPED himself to another glass of red wine from a passing maid and downed it in one. His aunt Carlotta, who had taken it upon herself to shadow him since theyâd arrived back at his family home, was blathering on in his ear about something or other. Probably parroting her favourite inanities about when he, Pepe, was going to follow in his older brotherâs footsteps and settle down. Namely, when was he planning to get married and have babies?
Aunt Carlotta was not the only guilty party in this matter. The entire Mastrangelo clan, along with the Lombardis from his motherâs side, all thought his private life was a matter of public consumption. Usually he took their nosiness in good part, knowing they meant well. He would deflect their questions with a cheeky grin, a wink and a quip about how there were so many beautiful women in the world he couldnât possibly choose just one. Or words to that effect. Anything but admit he would rather swim in a pool of electric eels than marry.
Marriage was for martyrs and fools, and he was neither.
Heâd almost married once, when heâd been young and foolish. His childhood sweetheart. The woman whoâd ripped his heart out, torn it into shreds and left an empty shell.
Now he considered that heâd had a lucky escape. Once bitten, twice shy. Only complete idiots went back for a second helping of pain if it could be avoided.
Not that he ever shared that little titbit of information with people. Heaven forbid. Theyâd probably try to talk him into something ridiculous like therapy.
Today though, his usually quick repartee had deserted him. But then, he wasnât usually fielding these questions with a pair of almond-shaped green eyes following his every move. To make it even harder to concentrate, those same eyes were drilling into him with pure loathing.
Cara Delaney.
He and Cara had been appointed his nieceâs godparents. Heâd been forced to sit next to her in the church. Heâd been forced to stand by her side at the font.