The contact sent a shock of electrifying awareness through her slim body. She had only to look at him to recall the hard power of his male body in hers, the wet satin skin beneath her seeking fingers. She raised her eyes to his; his hair was still damp and fell in a slight wave across his broad forehead. Her face burnt, her pulse quickened. It wasn’t fair that only one man should be so fatally attractive to her, when she knew, sadly, there must have been dozens of women in Jake’s life over the past few years. The thought rapidly cooled her fluttering emotions.
‘I want you to have this.’ Jake’s voice quivered along her nerves, and she looked down to where her hand lay in his in time to see him slip a diamond-encrusted gold ring on to her wedding finger.
‘What? Why?’ she stammered, staring in amazement at the glittering jewel, alongside the plain gold band. It must have cost a fortune.
‘Because it’s necessary for the wife of a man in my position.’ His dark eyes sought and held hers, something unfathomable in the indigo depths. ‘And, as I quickly discovered, a simple gold band was never really your style, was it?’
Lexi stared back at him, speechless; he could hurt her so easily with one unkind slur.
‘Well! Do you like it, Lexi darling?’ he demanded hardly.
She masked the flicker of pain in her violet eyes by quickly lifting her hand and admiring the diamond ring. ‘It’s lovely. Thank you,’ she said politely, thinking that if Jake had truly loved her a ring-pull from a beer can would have done.
‘So gracious, so polite. Oh, hell!’ Jake suddenly swept her into his arms, his mouth covering hers; she expected an angry ravishment, instead his lips moved over hers in an achingly tender kiss. ‘Sorry, Lexi, I swore tonight I would keep my cynical barbs to myself. Tonight is yours.’
Lexi gazed into his serious face, her violet eyes wide and puzzled. Jake lifted her hand and kissed the glittering ring on her finger.
‘Forget what I said before. I bought you the ring because I wanted you to have it. Five years ago, it wasn’t your fault.’ He grimaced wryly. ‘You were so young and I swept you into marriage without giving you time to think. I didn’t think much myself at the time. I was thirty, a lot older and should have known better, but I wanted you. I saw you, took you, and I never even bought you an engagement ring. Then to cap it all I broke my promise to you.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Lexi murmured. He had finally admitted he was to blame for their separation, and somehow it gave her no joy.
‘But it does. Do you realise these past two weeks are the nearest I have had to a holiday in my whole life? You were right...’
Startled, Lexi waited, sure she was about to hear something of vital importance to their relationship, but at that moment the doorbell rang, and the moment was gone...
‘Damn, the limousine is here. We’ll continue this later, Lexi,’ Jake said softly and taking her arm ushered her out of the house to the waiting car.
‘Why the chauffeur?’ she asked as she settled in the back seat of the huge car and Jake slid in beside her.
‘Because tonight, my sweet, we are celebrating, and I intend to drink champagne with my very lovely wife, and I don’t fancy risking the Amalfi Drive after downing a few.’
The party was a total and utter surprise to Lexi, but a delightful one. Jake led her into the foyer of the Piccolo Paradiso, saying he had some papers to collect from Lorraine, and did she want to have a word with Anna on Reception while she waited for him? Lexi hid her dismay at the mention of the other woman and, totally unsu
specting, she crossed the marble foyer towards the reception desk, idly noticing the dining-room doors were closed, which was unusual. Still, it wasn’t her problem any more, she thought with a tinge of regret.
Then suddenly the doors were flung open and a crowd of laughing, smiling faces swept into the foyer, all shouting, ‘Augurio!’ Lexi felt Jake’s familiar arm curve around her waist as she was swept into the dining-room. Moisture hazed her lovely eyes as she saw the banner over the small band-stand. ‘Good Luck, Long Life and Happiness, Lexi.’
She was swamped with well-wishers. The whole staff of the hotel appeared to be present along with the guests; it made a huge glittering, laughing crowd. The champagne flowed like water and to her amazement she spotted Signor Monicelli.
‘Is Marco all right?’ she asked after hugging the old man.
‘Doing very well, thanks to your good husband,’ Signor Monicelli replied, adding, ‘Marriage suits you, Lexi, you look radiant.’
Anna grabbed her arm and demanded to know if there were any more back in England like Jake. Franco, all the housemaids, the porters, even the kitchen staff insisted on congratulating her, and all the time Jake kept at her side.
Someone shoved a glass of champagne in her hand, and before she knew it she was up on the stage being presented with an exquisite bronze sculpture of a sea nymph. Signor Monicelli made a brilliant and flattering speech, extolling Lexi’s virtues, until she was scarlet with embarrassment.
Lexi held the beautiful bronze in one hand and stroked it gently with the other... A lump formed in her throat and she could hardly speak, one tear escaped from her hazed eyes. She swallowed hard, and then Jake’s hand clasped her waist, giving her his support, and she managed to make a rather tearful but heartfelt speech of thanks. ‘Thank you all, and I will never forget you.’
Jake led her from the stage and she glanced up at him, a question in her lovely eyes. ‘You did this for me, Jake?’
‘Your friends insisted,’ he said, non-committal.
‘But what about the hotel guests.’ Most she recognised as regular visitors, but a few were strangers to her.
‘I simply told them the hotel dining-room was closed for the night, but they were welcome to join the party.’
‘It must have cost you a fortune,’ she murmured—the champagne was vintage, she noted, and dinner was a superb buffet, with lobster and caviar, the long table groaning with the weight of the food.