Untouched Until Marriage (8 page)

But she could not forget Raul's aunt's comments—particularly the one about how Raul would grow bored with her. The sexual attraction between them was white-hot at the moment, but how long would it last? And what would happen when it died? Would he take a mistress? Perhaps conduct a discreet affair at his apartment in Rome and return to the Villa Giulietta to play happy families when it suited him?

The terrace extended out from one side of the villa and overlooked the lake to one side and a long rectangular swimming pool, set amid a lush green garden, on the other. Tall marble pillars reached up to a roof formed from the entwined stems of ivy, jasmine and climbing roses, which created a fragrant shady bower.

Raul was seated at the table, idly skimming through a newspaper. His hair gleamed like raw silk in the sunlight, and although his designer shades hid his eyes, nothing could detract from the masculine beauty of his sculpted features. Libby was conscious of a molten sensation between her legs as she walked towards him. It was ridiculous to feel possessive of a man who, until a few days ago, she had never even met. But the idea of him making love to another woman was unbearable.

Could physical attraction alone be responsible for the way her heart skittered in her chest when he got to his feet as she approached and welcomed her with a sensual smile that stole her breath? What else could it be? she asked herself irritably. She might have been mad enough to agree to marry him, but it was only so that Gino would grow up with two parents. She would never be so stupid as to fall in love with him.

Gino grinned when he spied Raul, and held out his chubby arms to him, chuckling when Raul swung him
high in the air. The bond between man and child was already undeniable. Lauren suddenly felt ridiculously shy, and could not bring herself to meet Raul's gaze. ‘It's so beautiful here,' she murmured, looking around at the expertly landscaped garden and the view of the lake beyond.

He nodded in agreement. ‘I thought you might like to spend our honeymoon here at the Villa Giulietta, so that you can get to know the house and grounds properly. But of course if you would prefer to go away somewhere I will arrange it.'

Libby gave him a startled glance. ‘There's no rush to plan the honeymoon, is there?'

‘Certainly there is. We are to be married in two weeks' time. The necessary paperwork is already being taken care of.'

‘Two weeks!' Shock caused Libby's voice to rise several octaves. ‘That's too soon.'

Raul had strapped Gino into his highchair and the baby was now happily chewing on a rusk. ‘I see no reason why we should wait,' he murmured as he moved to stand in front of her.

Her body instantly reacted to his closeness; her breasts felt heavy, and her nipples tightened and pushed against the restriction of her bra. She was embarrassed by the effect he had on her, but she could not prevent her eyes from focusing on his mouth, remembering how he had kissed her earlier and longing for him to do it again.

‘We both agree that Gino's needs are paramount. And he needs both of us,' Raul insisted. ‘The sooner we marry, the sooner I can start proceedings to adopt him. Who knows? Maybe his first word will be Papa!'

Emotion washed over Libby. Papa was going to be such an important word in Gino's vocabulary. She knew that marrying Raul was the right thing to do, but she couldn't forget his aunt's assertion that he had had countless mistresses. She stared at his handsome face and felt a sharp stab of jealousy at the thought of all the beautiful women he must have slept with.

‘If this is going to work, there will have to be certain ground rules,' she said abruptly.

She flushed when Raul gave her a look of arrogant amusement. ‘What kind of rules?'

‘Well, fidelity for one. I think we should agree that we will both remain faithful within our marriage. Children are very perceptive, and I don't want Gino to grow up thinking that it's okay for his father to have affairs with other women. You are going to be his most important role model and you should set a good example…' She tailed off, her face scarlet as she wondered if she had revealed too much of herself and her insecurities. ‘Your aunt says that you've had hundreds of mistresses, but none of your relationships last long and you'll soon grow bored with me.' The words spilled out in a rush.

Raul frowned. ‘When did you speak to Carmina?'

‘Oh, we had a run-in just before I came to find you.' Libby grimaced. ‘She doesn't like me, and she made it clear that she disapproves of you marrying me.'

Having already been subjected to his aunt's views on his choice of bride, Raul was not surprised by the tremor in Libby's voice. What
did
surprise him was how angry he felt with Carmina, and the surge of protectiveness he felt for Libby. ‘I'm sorry if my aunt upset you. She will not do so again,' he promised grimly. ‘I will arrange for
her to return to her house in Rome immediately. It is a move that is long overdue anyway,' he explained, when she looked worried.

He studied her speculatively for a few moments. ‘As to my previous relationships—I am a thirty-six-year old red-bloodied male, and I have not lived like a monk. But I certainly have not had hundreds of lovers.' Libby seemed to have developed a sudden fascination with the marble floor tiles and only reluctantly lifted her head when he cupped her chin and exerted gentle pressure. ‘I agree with the fidelity rule. We may not be marrying for conventional reasons, but I am prepared to make a serious commitment to you as well as to Gino.'

It was ridiculous to feel so relieved by his statement, Libby told herself impatiently. And even more ridiculous to feel a little pang of regret because he had underlined the fact that they were marrying for convenience rather than love. She was too old to believe in fairytales, and Raul was not her prince.

He was still holding her chin so that her face was tilted to his. He brought his other hand up and tangled his fingers in her bright silky curls, the expression in his eyes causing her heart to miss a beat. ‘I don't think there's a chance I will grow bored with you,
cara
. You are fiery and exciting and no woman has ever turned me on the way you do.' He stared down at her and desire coiled in his gut. ‘I'm glad you decided to wear your new clothes,' he murmured. Her dress was a simple sheath of pale blue silk which moulded her breasts and the slight flare of her hips. She looked elegant and at the same time sinfully sexy—and he had never professed to be a saint.

After his disastrous marriage to Dana he had been adamant that he would never marry again, and his desire for full control of CC was the major factor in his decision to marry Libby. But it was not the only factor, he acknowledged as he brushed his lips across hers and felt her instant response. There would be compensations to taking Libby as his wife. Heat surged through his veins when she opened her mouth so that he could slide his tongue into her moist warmth, and he gave in to the temptation to slide his hand over her silky dress and cup one soft breast in his palm. Only the presence of Gino prevented him from pushing her skirt up and taking her on the table, and he was breathing hard when he tore his mouth from hers.

‘Two weeks cannot pass quickly enough for either of us,
cara
,' he said thickly, satisfaction surging through him when she stared at him with dazed eyes and ran her tongue over her swollen lips. ‘When you have had lunch I will take you to Rome so that you can choose a wedding dress.'

T
HE
following days flew past with frightening speed. The wedding was only to be a small civil ceremony, and as Raul had taken charge of all the arrangements Libby felt strangely detached from it all—while at the same time it loomed on her horizon like a dark and ominous cloud.

‘Do you wish to invite any of your family or friends from England to the wedding?' he asked during dinner one evening.

Since his aunt's departure from the villa they had taken to eating on the terrace rather than in the formal dining room. Dinner by candlelight with the view of the lake spread before them was romantic, and Raul was no longer a coldly arrogant stranger but such a charming and attentive companion that Libby looked forward to the evenings when they were alone together.

To her relief he never made any reference to her supposed affair with Pietro—indeed, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid the subject, and encouraged her to talk about her childhood living in Ibiza.

She turned her head from where she had been staring dreamily at the sun as it sank below the horizon, streaking the indigo sky and the vast expanse of water beneath
it with crimson and gold. ‘I lost contact with many of my friends when I moved from London to Cornwall,' she explained. ‘My closest friend Alice would have come, but she's tied up in a big court case and can't get away.'

Raul was puzzled that she made no mention of her mother, but refrained from asking about her. He knew that Libby had had an unconventional childhood, living in the commune, and in his opinion her mother had been an irresponsible parent. He wondered if Libby had fallen out with her, but decided that it was none of his business.

She seemed to confirm his suspicions when she said cheerfully, ‘There'll just be me and Gino on the Maynard side of the church. I hope you don't have hundreds of relatives, because I'll feel totally overawed.'

Beneath her breezy tone Raul heard the loneliness in her voice, and something tugged in his chest. Libby might act tough, but underneath she was achingly vulnerable. Perhaps she had sought a relationship with Pietro, who had been so much older than her, because she had hoped he would give her the security she had never had during her childhood? He brooded, startled by the unexpected surge of protectiveness he felt for her.

He had come to realise that, far from being the gold-digger he had first assumed, she had no interest in money. Indeed, his insistence that she should buy a wedding dress had resulted in a furious row, with Libby arguing that it would be a waste of his money and that she would wear one of the outfits she had bought when she had first arrived in Italy. Eventually, after much bullying, she had reluctantly agreed to choose a dress,
but the bill she had presented him with had been small change compared to the forty thousand pounds his first wife's designer wedding gown had cost.

‘If you have no close family members who did you appoint as Gino's guardian in the event of your death?' he asked her.

Libby gave him a startled look. ‘I didn't. I mean, I'm twenty-two and perfectly healthy…'

‘I appreciate that, but nothing in life is one hundred percent certain. I assumed you would have planned for Gino's care?'

It hadn't even occurred to her, Libby thought guiltily. And her oversight was all the more unforgivable when Liz's failure to appoint
her
as Gino's guardian was the very reason she had deceived Raul into thinking that
she
was the little boy's mother. Raul was right: life did not come with a guarantee. Supposing she had been killed in an accident? she thought, feeling sick. Gino would have been left all alone in the world and reliant on Social Services to care for him. The idea was too awful to contemplate, but fortunately she did not have to—because she was going to marry Raul, and he was going to adopt Gino, and whatever happened in the future he would be safe.

 

Libby clung to that thought a few days later, when she stepped into the dress she had chosen to get married in. It was not remotely bridal, she acknowledged as she twirled in front of the mirror and admired the way the multi-coloured silk skirt, overlaid with layers of chiffon, swirled around her legs. Aware that Raul disapproved of her favourite purple tie-dyed skirt and her penchant for green and orange, preferably worn together, she had
planned to buy something elegant and sophisticated in a pastel shade, but the moment she had seen the dress she had fallen in love with its jewel-bright colours.

It was not as if theirs was a conventional marriage—there was no reason why she should wear a conventional wedding dress, she reassured herself. Raul was marrying her for the same reason that she was marrying him—for Gino. In all probability he would not care what she wore.

But despite her bravado her heart was thumping when she walked out of her bedroom for what, she realised shakily, was probably the last time. Her clothes had already been moved to the master bedroom that she would share with Raul, whilst another room further along the first floor corridor had been turned into a new nursery for Gino.

They might not be marrying for conventional reasons, but Raul had insisted that their marriage would be a real one, which meant that tonight he would expect her to join him in his huge bed and then he would—her imagination came to an abrupt halt. She only had a school textbook knowledge of what would happen next, and the realisation that she was going to have to act as if she knew what she was doing weighed heavy on her mind.

She rounded a corner and halted at the top of the great sweeping staircase which led to the marble floored hall below. Raul was there, looking so breathtakingly handsome in a dark, expertly tailored suit and white silk shirt that her heart thudded harder. He was unaware of her presence, and she studied him greedily, noting how his jet-black hair gleamed like raw silk in the sunlight, and how he moved with lithe grace for such a big, powerful
man. He was holding Gino, who looked gorgeous in his new blue and white sailor suit, but when the baby squirmed restlessly in his arms he set him on his feet and hunkered down beside him, holding Gino's hands to help him balance.

Walking was Gino's new discovery, and although he could not yet take any steps unaided he loved being on his feet. He gurgled in delight as Raul patiently guided him across the floor, his little face alight with pleasure and trust in the man who was supporting him.

A lump formed in Libby's throat as she watched them. During the past two weeks she had become convinced that Raul would be a fantastic father. Every day he had visited the nursery to play with Gino, and the incongruous sight of him crawling around the floor with the baby, or patiently stacking bricks for him to knock down, had left her deeply impressed. There was genuine affection in his voice when he spoke to the little boy, and Gino patently adored Raul.

She moved to the top of the stairs just as Raul scooped Gino back into his arms, laughing as he said, ‘Up you come,
piccolo
, before you wear those little legs out.' He glanced up and fell silent as Libby walked down the stairs, his expression unfathomable as he studied her appearance.

He hated her dress, she thought miserably. Why hadn't she chosen that cream silk suit that had made her look ultra-sophisticated?

‘I realise it's probably not what you had in mind,' she burst out when she reached the bottom stair and he still made no comment.

‘No,' Raul conceded, wondering what it was about this woman that caused fire to surge through his veins,
not to mention other pertinent areas of his body, he thought derisively, supremely conscious of his rock-solid erection. ‘But you never fail to surprise me,
cara
.'

‘I did try on a cream outfit in the bridalwear shop, but it just wasn't me,' she told him earnestly. ‘I love bright colours.'

‘I realise that.' Raul swept his eyes over her, taking in her glorious red curls and the brilliantly coloured dress that moulded her full breasts and emphasised her tiny waist, while the floaty layers of the chiffon skirt drew attention to her slender legs. She was vibrant and intense, and he was climbing the walls with his ferocious need to take her to bed and enjoy the fiery passion she exuded from every pore. ‘You look very beautiful,' he said deeply. ‘You would not be you without your rainbow colours. And I have to admit that orange and green are growing on me.'

Startled by the serious note beneath his amused comment, Libby's eyes flew to his face, and she felt a curious fluttering feeling inside at the warmth of his gaze. A silent message seemed to pass between them, as elusive as a wisp of smoke. It drifted away before she could grasp it or comprehend it, but the fluttering feeling grew stronger when his mouth curved into a sensual smile.

‘I made the mistake of thinking you would wear a conventional wedding dress and so I ordered flowers to match,' he said, taking a bouquet of pure white rosebuds from the dresser behind him and handing it to her. ‘I hope you like them.'

The arrangement was starkly simple and yet exquisitely lovely, with the petals of the mass of rosebuds just beginning to unfurl to release their delicate perfume. Tears stung Libby's eyes and she dared not look at Raul
in case he should see them. She had never expected flowers on her wedding day. ‘They're perfect,' she said quietly. ‘Thank you.'

His smile widened. ‘Come,' he invited, holding out his hand to her. ‘I believe we have a wedding to attend, Ms Maynard.'

Raul's mobile phone rang as they walked out of the villa. He frowned, knowing that it was likely to be a business call, and was tempted for the first time ever to ignore it. But the ringing persisted, and when he took his phone from his jacket he saw that the caller was his lawyer, Bernardo Orsini.

‘I'm sorry, but I need to take this,' he apologised to Libby as they reached the car where his driver, Tito, was waiting to take them to the wedding hall in the nearby town.

‘Bernardo?'

‘I just wanted to let you know that everything is in place for you to be confirmed as sole chairman of Carducci Cosmetics once Elizabeth Maynard is married.' The lawyer laughed softly. ‘I assume that
is
the reason for your hasty trip down the aisle? I congratulate you, Raul, for acting so swiftly. I presume you will allow a suitable amount of time to pass before you file for divorce? I hope the duration of your marriage will not be too disagreeable.'

Raul watched Libby as she bent over to strap Gino into his baby seat in the back of the car and felt an uncomfortable tightening in his groin as he studied the rounded curves of her bottom, moulded so enticingly beneath her silk dress. ‘I'm sure I'll survive,' he assured the lawyer dryly.

But as he climbed into the car beside her and inhaled the delicate, floral fragrance of her perfume he was shocked to realise that his desire for control of CC had not been uppermost in his mind for days. It was his desire for Libby which dominated his thoughts.

 

The day passed in a blur, leaving Libby with a kaleidoscope of images that she knew would remain with her for ever. First there had been the ornate wedding hall in a beautiful
palazzo
overlooking Lake Bracciano, where she and Raul had made their vows. The ceremony had been witnessed by Tito and Silvana—who had somehow persuaded Gino to sit quietly on her lap—and Raul's close friends Romano and Flaviana Vincenti. Libby had met the couple and their two cherubic little daughters a few days before the wedding, and assumed Raul had told them that he was marrying her so that he could be Gino's father. But to her surprise they clearly believed that it was a love match.

‘We never thought Raul would marry again after what he went through with Dana,' Flaviana said at the end of the ceremony, when she kissed Libby's cheek and offered her congratulations to the newlyweds. ‘You must be very special to have stolen his heart.'

‘Oh… But…' Libby was prevented from replying when Raul's dark head swooped and he claimed her mouth in a long, fiercely passionate kiss that left her dazed and hot-cheeked. When he finally released her she realised that a photographer had been busily snapping them.

‘The reason for our marriage is a private matter between us,' he murmured as they filed out of the wedding hall. ‘Flaviana is an incurable romantic, and I see no reason to shatter her illusions.'

And that, presumably, was the reason why Raul was so attentive throughout the wedding reception: a celebratory dinner at a charming little restaurant, followed by a cruise along the lake, during which the adults drank pink champagne and the Vincentis' little daughters ran excitedly up and down the boat, much to Gino's entertainment.

It had been an unexpectedly beautiful day, Libby mused as she crept out of the nursery after checking on Gino later that night. She stood in the doorway and listened to the regular sound of his breathing for a few moments, relieved that he no longer made the horrible rasping noise in his chest. A few days ago she and Raul had taken him to see a top specialist, who had given him a thorough check-over, sent him for X-rays, and finally assured them that the pneumonia had not caused permanent damage to his lungs.

‘You have a fine son, and I am confident he will grow up to be a strong, healthy boy,' the doctor had said with a smile as he handed the baby back to Raul.

As soon as the adoption process was complete Gino would have a father and would grow up with the love and security of two parents, Libby thought as she walked down the corridor towards the master bedroom. It was what she wanted—the reason why she had married Raul. But now their wedding day was over and their wedding night was about to begin. She felt sick with nerves, yet at the same time she was conscious of a frisson of anticipation at the thought of Raul making love to her.

The chemistry between them was almost tangible; every time they were in the same room she was aware of the simmering sexual tension that made his eyes darken and evoked a restless ache deep within her. Her fear was not so much of losing her virginity, but the knowledge that she must fool him into believing that she had had sex before.