Bought: Destitute Yet Defiant (17 page)

‘It was the most incredible experience of my life.’

‘Then why did you leave?’ He cupped her face in his hands, his tone demanding. ‘The night of the wedding—you just walked away from me. Why?’

‘Because I thought it was the right thing to do. Because I thought I wasn’t good enough for your new life, because I was afraid that being with me reminded you of the life you’d left behind…’

‘I wanted the future to be your choice,’ he said roughly. ‘I wanted you to choose me—us—not because you felt indebted to me but because that was the life you wanted.’

Her eyes filled with tears. ‘I didn’t know I had that choice,’ Jessie whispered, her voice cracking. ‘I didn’t know there was an “us” to choose, Silvio.’

‘You knew how I felt about you.’

‘No.’ Jessie shook her head. ‘I didn’t. I thought I embarrassed you.’

‘You have never embarrassed me.’

‘You kept dressing me up.’

He exhaled slowly. ‘I was spoiling you—you’ve had such a hard life. I wanted to make you happy. And I knew you felt self-conscious so I thought the clothes would help.’

‘I thought that every time you looked at me you remembered the life you’d left behind. You kept trying to turn me into something else.’

He gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘I bought you gifts because that was the only way I knew to show you how much I cared.’

Jessie hesitated. ‘I thought perhaps…Y-you weren’t trying to upgrade me?’

Muttering something in Italian, Silvio hauled her into his arms. ‘I would never want to upgrade you—you’re the only model I want.’

Happiness flooded through her like sunshine on a summer’s day, warming all the chilled corners of her heart. ‘If you really do want me, that’s all I need to hear.’ She felt the muscles on his shoulders tense under her fingers and he leaned his forehead against hers.

‘You’re sure? I’m not pretending you’re the first woman I’ve been with, Jessie—and I’m not pretending I’ve ever been any good at relationships.’

‘Then it’s time you changed your ways,’ she said calmly, the love she felt for him bubbling up inside her. ‘You didn’t need to say any of this to me, Silvio. I grew up in the same place you did. I always knew who you were. I knew where you came from. And I knew what I wanted. I always did.’

‘And what do you want?’ His voice hoarse, he tilted her
face to his with a firm hand. ‘Now that you’re here with the world at your fingertips, what is it that you want?’

‘You,’ she said shyly, her body heating as she felt him hard against her. ‘I want you.’

His mouth came down on hers and he kissed her long and thoroughly. ‘I’m never leaving you again,’ he groaned, sliding his fingers into her hair and holding her face still as he covered her with kisses. ‘And you’re never going to leave me. If there’s somewhere you need to sing, I’ll go with you. You’re getting far too much attention and I need to make sure everyone knows you’re mine.’

Unable to believe her good fortune, Jessie was instantly anxious. ‘Why do people need to know I’m yours? Are you sure there isn’t something else going on? Is this still about those thugs?’

‘My sources tell me the thugs are in custody.’ His touch was both protective and possessive. ‘They won’t bother you any more. And this has nothing to do with them.’

‘Then…’

‘I love you, Jess.’ He said the words fiercely, his eyes burning as he looked down at her. ‘And the best way to show the world you’re mine is to put my ring on your finger. So you’re going to marry me.’

Everything stood still and she stared at him in silence.

Silvio drew in a breath that was decidedly unsteady. ‘That came out all wrong,’ he confessed unsteadily. ‘I really messed it up. I meant to ask you, not tell you. I wanted to be romantic. Can you pretend you didn’t hear? I’ll try again.’

Jessie burst out laughing. ‘Silvio…’

‘I’ve never told a woman I love her before—and I’ve never proposed.’ Uncharacteristically unsure of himself, he ran his hand through his hair. ‘It isn’t as easy as it sounds.’

‘Silvio, I—’

‘Don’t refuse me without giving me another chance,’ he said hoarsely, taking her hand to his lips and kissing it in an old-fashioned gesture. ‘I love you,
tesoro
. Will you marry me? If you agree to take a risk and marry me, I promise you won’t ever regret it.’

There was a lump in her throat. ‘I’m quite good at taking risks.’

‘I’d noticed.’ There was a dangerous gleam in his eyes and he tightened his grip on her hand. ‘So are you willing to take a risk this time, or are you standing there wondering why you’d be stupid enough to marry a guy with a background as unstable as mine?’

‘You’re seriously asking me to marry you? Not just live with you?’

‘I want it all, Jess. If you don’t know that about me, perhaps you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I want everything I can have with you.’

‘I can’t believe you feel this way about me. If you were letting me choose, and you thought I’d chosen this life, why did you follow me?’

He gave a sheepish smile. ‘You didn’t make the right decision.’

‘So I can choose, as long as I make the choice you want me to make?’ Jessie shook her head, her eyes brimming with laughter and tears. ‘You need serious work, Silvio Brianza.’

‘
Sì
, I do,’ he said urgently, ‘and it is going to take you decades to finish that work. So the sooner you get started, the better. Is the answer yes?’

She lifted her hand to his cheek, overwhelmed by the love she saw in his eyes. ‘I assumed you let me go because you’d finished with me.’

‘I hadn’t even started,
tesoro
.’ He pulled something out of his pocket and Jessie felt him slip something onto her finger.
‘I forgot this, didn’t I? Remind me never, ever to propose to a woman again.’

‘Don’t worry, I won’t let you,’ Jessie assured him, feeling slightly faint as she looked at the enormous jewel sparkling on her finger.

‘This is the beginning of our life together. The public are in love with their new star, but you are mine first. You were always mine. This ring tells the world you’re mine.’

So happy that she felt light-headed, Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘It’s stunning—but you have to stop buying me things.’

‘That might be a problem,’ Silvio confessed, pulling her gently towards the chair he’d been sitting on. ‘I’m addicted to buying you things. And I have something else that I think you might like.’ He bent down and picked up a small package.

‘What have you bought me this time?’ Jessie ripped off the paper and pulled out a camera. ‘Oh—Silvio!’

‘You need something with which to record the memories that you treasure so much,’ he drawled softly. ‘In thirty years’ time you can give the photos to our grandchildren.’

Overwhelmed by the thought as much as the gift, Jessie took it from him and stowed it safely in her gold box, which went everywhere with her. Inside were all her old photographs, her ancient stuffed rabbit and another photograph that she hadn’t seen before. It was a photograph of
her
.

She lifted it out, her hand shaking. ‘Did you put this there? When was this taken?’

‘Your eighteenth birthday.’

‘I’ve never seen it.’

‘That’s because I kept it.’

‘You kept a photograph of me?’

‘
Sì
, but please don’t tell anyone or next time we are threatened in a dark alleyway they will be laughing, not retreating,’
Silvio said dryly, prising the box out of her grip and putting it down on the chair. ‘And now I want you to stop looking at memories and create some new ones with me instead.’

Choked with happiness, Jessie flung her arms around his neck. ‘I don’t want to go back to London. I want to live on the yacht and sail to different places. I want to take photographs of everywhere we go.’

‘What about your singing career?’

‘I’ll sing if it fits in with what we’re doing.’

‘We can live on the yacht if that is what you want.’ His tone indulgent, Silvio smoothed her curls away from her face. ‘And when you have my babies and we are nervous parents, I will build you a villa in Sicily near our favourite beach.’

‘Babies?’ It was something she’d never allowed herself to imagine.

‘Of course—we cannot have grandchildren without first having children. That’s the way it works,
tesoro
.’ Amusement shimmering in his dark eyes, he lowered his head to kiss her. ‘I am a Sicilian man. I want a family. A proper family who will stick together and support each other. And you will be an exceptional mother. If they inherit your vocal skills, we will have our own choir. It will make us a fortune.’

Laughing, Jessie rolled her eyes. ‘Does everything have to be a commercial opportunity? Even our children?’

He gave an unapologetic shrug. ‘That is who I am, you know that.’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘Then you will also know that I love you.
Ti amo
.’ Silvio lowered his head and Jessie lifted her mouth to his with a blissful sigh.