His commanding tone made Kathy redden with annoyance. Wondering what on earth was the matter with him, she made a hurried excuse and promised to call Bridget back later. She set the receiver down and moved forward. ‘Bridget and Renzo have been dating for months and he’s just asked her to marry him. That was the secret but it wasn’t mine to share.’
Sergio regarded her closely, not a muscle moving on h
is lean strong face, his shrewd dark eyes unrevealing. ‘I had no idea that they were seeing each other, but Renzo’s private life is not my concern.’
Her tension increased, for she could tell that something was wrong. ‘Why are you angry with me?’
‘I’m not angry. But I’m afraid there’s been a change of plan. We’re leaving now, not tomorrow morning.’
Her smooth brow indented. ‘Now? Like, right now? I’m just out of the shower!’
‘I would really appreciate it if you were ready to leave in ten minutes,’ Sergio drawled.
‘But I haven’t even packed!’
‘The staff will deal with that. Just get dressed.’
Obviously something had happened. Anxious now, she put on a green dress that he had admired on her a few days earlier and paused only to pin up her damp copper hair with a clip. Sergio was on the terrace talking urgently into his phone. One glance and her husband still took her breath away. Black hair gleaming in the sunlight, his classic profile in evidence, he was the living image of sleek Italian sophistication in a caramel linen jacket worn with the sleeves pushed up and teamed with pale fitted jeans.
Kathy approached him as he switched off the phone. ‘Please tell me what’s up.’
‘Nothing unexpected, amata mia.’ Stunning dark golden eyes rested on her worried face. He strolled over to her and bent his arrogant dark head to crush her full pink lips beneath his.
The erotic probe of his tongue set off an alert through every nerve-ending in her slender body. At her most vulnerable, she quivered in bewildered response. Her senses singing, she leant into the muscular heat of his tall, powerful frame. Freeing her again, he closed a hand over hers and urged her down the steps to the helipad.
‘You never said where we were going,’ Kathy said breathlessly.
Sergio helped her into the helicopter. Ella was already snuggled in a safety seat demonstrating her amazing ability to sleep like a log through every interruption and noise. ‘No, I didn’t, did I?’
The mystery was cleared up within the hour. The pilot flew out over the Mediterranean and just as the light was fading in rosy golden splendour across the sky landed on a vast ocean-going yacht.
Fifteen minutes later, Ella was stashed in another cot in a cabin with her excited nannies in tow. Kathy joined Sergio in the dazzlingly plush décor of the main reception area. ‘So what’s going on?’ she pressed, fed up with being kept in the dark…
‘Leonidas has a lot of media connections. He warned me that tomorrow a tabloid newspaper is running a story on your criminal record,’ Sergio explained, his strong jaw line clenching. ‘I decided it would be a good idea to keep you and Ella somewhere the cameras can’t get near you. While Diva Queen stays out at sea, you’re safe.’
Shock hit Kathy in a wave of physical reactions. The colour drained from her complexion and nausea upset her tummy. Feeling sick and dizzy, she sank down on the nearest seat in silence. A split second after that, other responses kicked in and they hurt her a great deal more, for she discovered that she no longer had the courage to meet her husband’s gaze for fear of what she might see there. Revulsion, anger, derision? How could she blame him for loathing the public exposure of her shameful, embarrassing past? What decent man wanted it known that his wife had once been prosecuted for stealing from a sick old lady?
Yet there was nothing, absolutely nothing, Kathy acknowledged wretchedly, that she could do to change the situation.
CHAPTER TEN
‘I’M SORRY about this,’ Kathy admitted tightly.
‘I believe we were both aware that this situation was on the cards,’ Sergio countered levelly. ‘But I’m surprised it’s happened so quickly.’
Kathy had still to look at him. Coffee was served. Her heart was thumping in what felt like the foot of her throat and the sick hollowness in her tummy was refusing to abate. Oh, yes, she was sorry all right. Even though she had served her time in prison her conviction was still the equivalent of a giant rock anchored to her ankle. And it seemed that it always would be.
But what was really tearing her apart was the change in Sergio. He was not a male who could ever have envisaged having a wife who was a social embarrassment. She could not forget that he had once tried to persuade her to change her name and move to France to escape her past. Now his forecast of public humiliation was coming true and it was a miracle that her Alpha male had yet to voice a single I-told-you-so. A total miracle, Kathy conceded miserably. His cool façade of formality could only be concealing the furious frustration that he felt he had to contain.
‘Fortunately, I did prepare for this eventuality,’ Sergio informed her.
‘Am I going to disappear at sea?’ Kathy mumbled, for in her opinion only a bigger scandal would wipe out the one about to break.
The silence was electrifying.
Sergio released his breath in a slow hiss. ‘That’s not funny, Kathy.’
Kathy had rarely felt less like laughing. There was an intolerable ache of tears in her throat. Only hours earlier, she had been naively rejoicing in her contentment. In so far as he was able, Sergio had contrived to forget her prison record. But it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Sergio had conservative views on crime and punishment. He abhorred dishonesty. He was ashamed of her now. How could he not be? He was striving to be sympathetic, but she could sense his reserve like a wall inside him.