“Nervous?” Rafe asked as he downshifted the car.
They climbed farther into the hills overlooking Sausalito along a winding road that led to Primo and Nonna’s. Each bend showcased breathtaking views one minute and then equally breathtaking villas the next. It was pointless to pretend she wasn’t nervous, so Larkin nodded.
“A little. Your grandparents can be rather intimidating. And now there’s the rest of the Dantes to contend with….”
She trailed off with a shrug that spoke volumes. A far greater concern was whether any of them would somehow make some sort of quantum leap and connect her to Leigh. With such a large contingent of Dantes present for Sunday dinner, she’d be lynched for sure.
Rafe spared her a flashing smile. “Try not to worry. The intimidation factor is aimed at me, not you. I’ve already received a half dozen lectures from various family members who are worried about my intentions toward you. Afraid I’ll corrupt you or something.” Pulling into a short drive, he crammed his car behind the ones already parked outside his grandparents’ home. “Other than that, I have a terrific family.”
“Big. You have a big family.”
He glanced at her, curious. “Is it the size that worries you?”
“Everything about your family worries me,” she announced ominously.
He chuckled at that. “Just do what I do and ignore all the drama. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to.”
“I’ll tell them you said that, but somehow I doubt it’ll work.”
She opened the car door and climbed out, smoothing the skirt of her dress—something she rarely, if ever, wore. It was new, a purchase that both Nonna and Elia had insisted on making, despite her hesitation. In all reality, it was more of an oversize shirt than an actual dress, right down to the rolled-up sleeves and button-down collar. Unfortunately, she felt as if she’d forgotten half her outfit. Still, she couldn’t deny it suited her.
A dainty gold belt cinched her waist, making it appear incredibly small, while the shirttail hem flirted in that coy no-man’s-land between knee and thigh, drawing attention to her slender legs. She just hoped it didn’t also draw attention to the thin network of silvery-white scars that remained a permanent reminder of her broken leg.
“Stop fussing. You look amazing.” Rafe circled the car and took her hand in his. “They’re all going to love you as much as Mamma and Nonna.”
Despite her nervousness, she couldn’t help finding the Italian inflection that rippled through his voice endearing, especially when he referred to his mother or grandmother. It was as beautiful as it was lyrical.
“I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?” She blew out a breath. “I mean, even if they don’t like me it really doesn’t matter. It’s not like this is re—”
He stopped the words with a kiss, the unexpected power of it almost knocking her off her legs. Every last thought misted over, vanishing beneath his amazing lips. She shifted closer and wound her arms around his neck, giving herself up to the delicious heat that seemed to explode between them whenever they touched. She couldn’t say how long they remained wrapped around each other, doing their level best to inhale one another. Seconds. Minutes. Hours. Time held no meaning. When he finally lifted his head, she could only stare at him, dazed. He grinned at her reaction.
“Interesting,” he said. “I’ll have to remember to do that anytime I want to change the subject.”
“Who…? What…?” She took a tottering step backward. “Why…?”
His grin broadened at her helpless confusion. “You were about to say something indiscreet,” he explained in a low voice. “I kissed you to shut you up. You never know who might be listening.”
Larkin’s brain clicked back on, along with her capacity for speech. “Got it.”
It was so unfair. For her their embraces felt painfully real. But for Rafe… Didn’t the heat they generated melt any of his icy composure? She could have sworn it did. She sighed. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part, which meant she was putting herself in an increasingly vulnerable position if she didn’t find a way to keep her emotions in check.
“I’ll be more careful from now on,” she added, as much for her own benefit as for his.
She drew in a shaky breath and aimed herself toward a large wooden gate leading to the back of the house. To her profound relief, she discovered she could walk in a more or less straight line without falling down. Rafe opened the gate, and they stepped into a beautifully tended garden area filled with a rainbow of colors and a dizzying bouquet of fragrances. An array of voices greeted them, coming from the people who spilled across the lawn or sat at a wrought iron patio set beneath a huge sprawling mush oak.
The next hour proved beyond confusing as Rafe introduced her to an endless number of Dantes. Some were involved in the retail end of the Dantes jewelry empire. Others, like Rafe and his brother Luc, ran the courier service. Still others handled the day-to-day business aspects. She met Rafe’s father, Alessandro, who was as easygoing as his son was intense. And she met the various wives, their radiance and undisguised happiness filling her with a wistful yearning to enjoy the sort of marital bliss they’d discovered with their spouses. Not that it would happen. At least, not with Rafe.
“Have all of the married couples experienced The Inferno?” she couldn’t help but ask at one point.
Rafe gave a short laugh. “Or so they claim.” She considered that with a frown, one that he intercepted. “What?”
“Well, you’re the logical one, right?”
“No question.”
She indicated his relatives with a wave of her hand. “And every couple here, including your parents and grandparents, claim that they’ve experienced The Inferno.”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve come to the conclusion that the Dante family suffers from a genetic mutation that causes mass delusion. Thank God I was spared that particular anomaly.” His gaze drifted toward his younger brother and sister. “Time will tell whether Draco and Gia escaped, as well.”
That earned him a swift grin. “Mutations and anomalies aside, Primo mentioned that he and Nonna have been married for more than fifty years. And I gather your parents must have been married for thirtysomething years, right?”
“Your point?”
She suppressed a wince at the crispness of his question. “Despite your unfortunate genetic anomaly, doesn’t logic suggest that, based on all the marriages you’ve seen to date, The Inferno is real? I’d also think that the fact that you didn’t experience it with Leigh and your marriage failed only adds to the body of evidence.”
He didn’t have a chance to answer. Draco dropped into the conversation and into the vacant chair beside them. “You’re not going to convince him. Rafaelo doesn’t want to believe. Plus, he’s a dyed-in-the-wool cynic who isn’t about to allow something as messy and unmanageable as The Inferno steal away his precious self-control.”
“If you mean I refuse to be trapped in another marriage, you’re right,” Rafe responded in a cool voice.
Draco leaned toward her. “Oh, and did I happen to mention that he doesn’t want to believe?”
Despite the pain that Rafe’s comments caused, Larkin’s lips quivered in amusement. “You may have said something to that effect once or twice.”
“Tell me you’re any different,” Rafe shot back at his brother. “Are you ready to surrender your current lifestyle to the whims of The Inferno?”
Something dark and powerful rippled across the even tenor of Draco’s expression. Something that hinted at the depths he concealed beneath his easygoing facade. Larkin watched in fascination. The dragon stirs came the whimsical thought.
Draco took his time responding, taking the question seriously. “Answer me this…. If your Inferno bride dropped into your arms out of the blue, would you push her away?”
Rafe spared Larkin a brief glance. “Is that what you think happened to us?”
“To you?” Draco seemed startled by the question. His dark gaze flashed from his brother to Larkin. “Sure, okay. Let’s say it happened to the two of you. Are you going to turn away from it?”
“It didn’t happen to us,” Rafe stated with quiet emphasis. “It didn’t because there is no such thing as The Inferno, so there’s nothing to turn away from.”
Draco flipped a quick, sympathetic look in Larkin’s direction before responding to his brother. “In that case, either you deserve an Academy Award for your performance tonight, or you’re a lying SOB. I can’t help but wonder which one it is.”
Rafe regarded his brother through narrowed green eyes. “You should know which one, since you’re responsible for staging this little play.”
“I may have orchestrated the opening scene,” Draco shot right back, “but that’s where my participation in this comedy of errors ended. Your role, on the other hand, appears to have taken on an unexpected twist.”
Draco struck with the speed of a snake, snagging his brother’s wrist. Larkin’s gaze dropped to Rafe’s hand and she inhaled sharply. He’d been caught red-handed—literally—rubbing the palm of his right hand with the thumb of his left, just as she’d been doing ever since they’d first touched.
“Part of the act,” Rafe claimed.
But Larkin could see the lie in his eyes and hear it in his voice and feel it in the heat centered in her palm.
“Keep telling yourself that, bro, but in case you’re wondering, I’m choosing Option B. That’s lying SOB, in case you’ve forgotten.” Draco deliberately changed the subject. “Hey, sister-to-be, I see I’m not the only one with an eventful childhood.”
The change in subject knocked her off-kilter. “Sorry?”
He gestured to the nearly invisible network of scars along her leg. “We match. Mine was due to falling out of a tree. How about you?”
He asked the question so naturally that she didn’t feel the least embarrassed or self-conscious. “Did a pirouette off a stage.”
He winced. “Ouch.” He nudged Rafe. “Of course, my ordeal wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Rafe’s.”
“Rafe’s?” She turned to him. “Did you break your leg, too? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t break anything.”
“Except a few hearts,” Draco joked. “No, I meant what happened to him when I broke my leg. Didn’t he tell you?”
Larkin shook her head. “No, he hasn’t mentioned it.”
“Oh, well, since we’re all going to the lake next week, not only can he fill you in on every last gory detail, but he can show you the very spot where it went down. I’d point out the tree that started the trouble, but Rafe went crazy one year and chopped it down.”
“It was infested,” Rafe responded with a terrible calm. “It needed to come down before it infected other trees.”
“You know, I’ve finally figured it out,” Draco marveled. “If reality doesn’t match the way you want your world to exist, you simply change your version of reality. Well, I’ve got news for you. That doesn’t make it real. That just makes you delusional.”
Larkin flinched at the word. She didn’t know what had happened to Rafe all those years ago, but she could feel the waves of turbulence rolling off him, his impressive willpower all that held the emotions in check.
“I think we’re being called to dinner,” she said, hoping to defuse the situation. Standing, she offered her hand to Rafe. “I can’t wait to sample Primo’s cooking. Everyone I’ve spoken to has raved about it.”
To her shock, he scooped her close. Lowering his head, he took her mouth in a slow, thorough kiss that caught her off guard and had her responding without thought or hesitation. “Thanks,” he murmured against her lips.
“Anytime,” she whispered back. Especially if it meant being rewarded with a kiss like that.
The kiss hadn’t escaped the notice of Rafe’s relatives, nor did she miss the gentle laughter and whispered comments that followed the two of them inside. She might have been embarrassed if not for the relieved delight on their faces. It didn’t take much guesswork to understand why. Clearly, Leigh had done quite a number on Rafe and they were thankful that he’d finally put the trauma of his marriage behind him. She winced.
If they only knew.
“You didn’t mention that we were expected to join your family at the lake next week,” Larkin said.
“Sorry about that.” He opened the door leading into the utility room off the kitchen and held it for her. “Is going to the lake with me a problem?”
With the exception of the few monosyllabic replies she’d offered in response to his various attempts at conversation, she hadn’t spoken a word since they’d left Primo’s. Rafe couldn’t decide whether to be relieved or concerned that she’d finally started talking again. Clearly, something was eating at her. If their visit to the lake was her main concern, he could handle that and would chalk the evening up as a reasonable success. Otherwise…
“No. I just would have appreciated a warning.”
Damn. She still wasn’t looking at him, which meant her silence wasn’t because of the trip to the lake. A lead-in, perhaps, or an oblique approach to the actual problem. But definitely not the problem itself. She crouched to greet Kiko, scanning the area as she did so.
“I don’t see any damage in here. Maybe we should do a quick walk-through, just to be on the safe side.”
“I’m sure she was fine.” He stooped beside the pair and gave Kiko a thorough rub. The dog moaned in ecstasy. “Weren’t you, girl?”
Sure enough, a quick inspection of the house revealed no damage. Once Larkin satisfied herself that Kiko had behaved while they were gone, he inclined his head toward the patio. “I’m not ready for the evening to end. Why don’t we go outside before turning in for the night?”
She hesitated, another ominous sign. “Okay.”
He removed a bottle from the refrigerator and nabbed a pair of crystal flutes, then followed her into the moonlit darkness. “Hmm. For some reason this has a familiar feel to it.”
She tossed a smile over her shoulder, one filled with feminine enchantment. “Been there, done that?”
He set the bottle on the table. “Close, though a bit different from what I have planned for this evening.”
She eyed the bottle and stilled. “Champagne?” A frown worried at the edges of her expression. “Are we celebrating something?”
“I guess that depends on how well this goes over.” He removed a small jewelry box from his pocket and flipped it open, revealing the glittering ring within. “I couldn’t wait until Monday,” he explained in response to her look of shock. “Hell, I barely made it through last night.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, Rafe. What have you done?”
His eyes narrowed. “You knew this was coming. I just moved up the timetable by a day or two. After last night…”
She actually blushed, which he found fascinating. At a guess, she didn’t often wander around naked in the moonlight. A shame. It suited her. It also suited him.
She took a quick step backward. Not a good sign. “It’s just…” She trailed off with a shrug.
“Just what?”
He resisted the urge to follow her. Instead, he set the ring on the table beside the bottle of champagne, realizing that he’d been so focused on his own needs, he hadn’t taken Larkin’s into consideration. The ring and all that went with it could wait. He wanted her to enjoy their first time together, not be distracted by worries he could help ease.
“Honey, you barely spoke a word the entire way home. So either it’s that, or it’s the trip to the lake, or there’s something else worrying you. Why don’t you tell me which it is?”
He closed the distance between them and gathered her hands in his. It felt so right when he held her like this, felt the wash of warmth that flowed between them. Why did his family have to take something so basic, so natural, and wrap it up in myth and superstition? It was simple sexual attraction. Granted, the connection between them felt amazing. But couldn’t they just call a spade a spade and let it go at that? Did they have to cloak a simple chemical reaction behind a ridiculous fairy tale?
“What’s wrong, Larkin?”
Her gaze swept past him to fix on the table. “The only reason you bought me champagne and a ring is so you could make love to me.”
He winced. Stripping it down to the bare-bones truth tarnished what he’d considered a romantic overture. “I thought—”
She cut him off without hesitation. “You thought that since you were buying my services, a bottle of champagne and a ring were sufficient. That you didn’t have to turn it into some sort of big romantic gesture. I get that. It’s not real, so why pretend it’s anything more than sex, right?”
He released her hands. “Hell.”
“I want to make love to you. But this…” She shivered. “An engagement ring is real, Rafe. It’s a serious commitment, just like marriage. You’re treating it like it’s some sort of casual game or a fast, easy way to get me into bed.”
Anger flashed and he struggled to contain it. “I’m well aware that marriage isn’t a game. Cold, hard experience, remember?”
She stepped away from him, melting into the surrounding shadows, making it impossible to read her expression. “You hired me to do a job. You hired me to play the part of your fiancée for your friends and family and I’ve agreed to do that even though it goes against the grain to lie to them. You didn’t hire me to sleep with you.”
The comment had his anger ripping free of his control. “I’d never reduce it to something so sordid. One has nothing to do with the other. I wouldn’t dream of putting a price tag on that aspect of our relationship. It would be an insult to both of us.”
“And yet, you’re only offering me that ring so you can get me in bed. Seems to me that’s a hefty price tag.”
He went after her and pulled her from the shadows and into his arms. “You know damn well why I offered you that ring. I made a promise to Primo, a promise I won’t break. Do I want to make love to you? Hell, yes! But I can’t and won’t do it unless you’re officially my fiancée. It’s going to happen eventually. Why not now? So I woke Sev this morning to open up Dante Exclusive and I picked out a ring for you. And not just any ring. A ring that reminded me of you. That seemed tailor-made for you.”
He could tell his words had an impact. Her attention strayed to the table, her eyes full of curiosity and something else. A wistfulness that tore at his heart. “I won’t be bought.”
“And I’m not buying you. Not when it comes to this part of our relationship.” His anger dampened, allowing him to rein it in. He didn’t understand how she could rouse his emotions with such ease. He’d never had that problem with any other woman. “As far as I’m concerned, what happens in bed has nothing to do with your posing as my fiancée. If we’d met under different circumstances, we’d still have ended up there. You just wouldn’t have had my ring on your finger.”
She took a deep breath, conceding the point. “Show me the ring.”
He took that as an encouraging sign. Crossing to the table, he collected the jewelry box. Removing the ring, he gathered her hand in his and slid it onto the appropriate finger. Even in the subdued lighting, the stones took on a life of their own.
The central diamond—one of the fire diamonds that made Dantes jewelry so exclusive and world renowned—sparkled with a hot blue flame. On either side of it were more fire diamonds, each subsequently smaller and bluer, the final one as pale and clear and brilliant a blue as Larkin’s eyes. The stones were arranged in a delicate filigree Platinum Ice setting that seemed the perfect reflection of her appearance and personality.
“It’s…” She broke off and cleared her throat. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s from the Dantes Eternity line.”
Her gaze jerked upward. “The ones that were being showcased at the reception?”
“The very same. Every last one is unique and each has a name.”
She hesitated before asking, “What’s this one called?”
It was such an obvious question. He didn’t understand her reluctance to ask it. But then, what he didn’t understand about a woman’s emotions could fill volumes. “It’s called Once in a Lifetime.”
“Oh. What a perfect name for it.” To his concern, tears filled her eyes. “But you must see why I can’t accept this.”
Okay, it was confirmed. He did not—and never would—understand women. “No, I don’t see. Explain it to me.”
“It’s Once in a Lifetime.”
“I get that part.” He fought for patience and tried again. “Just to clarify, you can’t accept a ring from me? As in any ring? Or you can’t accept this specific ring?”
A tear spilled out, just about sending him to his knees. “This one.” It took her an instant to gather her self-control enough to continue. “I can’t—won’t—accept this ring.”
He planted his fists on his hips. “Why the hell not?”
Now her lips and chin got into the act, quivering in a way that left him utterly helpless. “Because of the name.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” He snatched a deep breath, throttled back on full-bore Dante bend-’em-till-they-break tone of voice and switched to something more conciliatory. “If you don’t like the name, we’ll just change it. No big deal.”
She shook her head, loosening another couple of tears. They seemed to sparkle on her cheeks with as much brilliance as the diamonds in the ring she couldn’t/wouldn’t accept. “I’m sure you can see how wrong that would be.”
“No, actually I can’t.” He tried to speak calmly. He really did. For some reason his voice escaped closer to a roar. So much for conciliatory. “It’s a prop. Part of the job. And it’s yours once the job ends.”
She tugged frantically at the ring. “Absolutely not. I couldn’t accept it.”
His back teeth locked together. “It’s compensation,” he gritted out. “We agreed beforehand that it would be.”
Her chin jerked upward an inch. “It’s excessive and taints the meaning of such a gorgeous ring.” She managed to tug it off her finger and held it out to him. “I’m sorry, Rafe. I can’t accept this.”
Damn it to hell! “You’re required to wear it as part of your official duties. Once the job ends you can keep it or not. That’s up to you.”
“I won’t be keeping it.”
He shrugged. “Then I’ll give you the cash equivalent.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth in obvious agitation. “I think it’s time we amended our original agreement. In fact, I insist we amend it. When you initially mentioned my keeping the ring, I didn’t realize we were talking about something of this caliber.”
“If I offered you anything less, my family would know our engagement isn’t real.”
“Which is the only reason I’m willing to wear your ring.” She drew back her hand and gazed down at her palm with a hint of longing. “Maybe a different one? Something smaller. Something that doesn’t have a name.”
“Sev knows which ring I chose. It’ll cause comment if we exchange it.” He didn’t give her the opportunity to dream up any more excuses. Plucking the ring from her palm, he returned it to her finger. To his relief, she left it there, though his relief was short-lived.
“About that amendment…” she began.
He folded his arms across his chest. He should have seen it coming. Now that she had him between a rock and a hard place, she could name her terms and he’d be forced to agree. Or so she thought. He’d soon disabuse her of that fact. Just as he had Leigh when she’d pulled a similar stunt.
“Name your demands.”
Larkin blinked in surprise. “Demands?”
“That’s what they are, aren’t they? I’ve introduced you to my entire family as my fiancée. We’re committed to seeing this through. And now you want to change the terms of our agreement.” He shrugged. “What else am I supposed to call it?”
Everything about her shut down. Her expression. The brilliance of her gaze. Her stance. Even the way she breathed. One minute she’d been a woman of vibrancy and the next she might as well have been a wax figurine. “I don’t want your money, Rafaelo Dante.” Even her voice emerged without inflection. “You can keep your ring and your cash. I only want one thing. A favor.”
“What favor?”
She shook her head, her features taking on a stubborn set. “When I’ve performed my duties to your satisfaction and the job has ended, then I’ll ask you. But not before.”
“I need some sort of idea what this favor is about,” he argued.
“It’s either something you can grant me, or not. You decide when the time comes.”
He considered for a moment. “Does this have something to do with the person you’re looking for?”
“Yes.”
Her request didn’t make the least sense. “Honey, I’ve already said I’d help you with that. I’m happy to help. But I hired you for a job and you deserve to be paid for that job.”
She cut him off. “It’s not just a matter of my giving you a name to pass on to Juice. There’s more to it than that. For me, that something is of far greater value to me than your ring or cash or anything else you’d offer as compensation.”
“I think I’ll make that determination when the job is over. If your request doesn’t strike me as a fair bargain—fair for you, I mean—then I’m going to pay you. If you don’t want the ring, fine. If you don’t want the money, fine. You can donate it all to charity or to the animal rescue group of your choice.”
Even that offer had little impact. “Do you agree to my terms?” she pressed. “Yes or no?”
Depending on the favor, it struck him as a reasonable enough request, though he suspected he’d discover the hidden catch at some point. There had to be one. He’d learned that painful fact during his marriage, as well as from a number of the women who’d preceded his late wife, and also those who’d followed her. When you were an eligible Dante, it was all about what you could give a woman. Once they’d tied the knot and Leigh had dropped her sweet-and-innocent guise, she’d made that fact abundantly clear. Well, he’d deal with Larkin’s hidden catch when it happened, because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it would be a “when” rather than an “if.”
“Sure,” he agreed, wondering if she could hear the cynicism ripping through that single terse word. “If it’s within my power to give you what you ask, I’m happy to do it.”
“Time will tell,” she murmured in response. “I do have one other request.”
“You’re pushing it, Larkin.” Not that his warning had any impact whatsoever.
“It’s just that I was wondering about something.” She continued blithely along her path of destruction. “And I was hoping we could discuss it.”
He gestured for her to finish. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“What happened at the lake when Draco broke his leg?”
“Hell. Is that what’s been bothering you all night?”
“What makes you think anything was bothering me?” she asked, stung.
“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe it was that long stretch of silence on the trip back from Primo’s. Or the fact that you’ve been on edge ever since our conversation with Draco.”
He shouldn’t have mentioned his brother. It brought her lasering back to her original question. “Seriously, Rafe. What happened to you that day at the lake? The day Draco broke his leg?”
When he remained silent, she added, “Consider it a condition of my leaving this ring on my finger.”
Damn it to hell! “Now you’re really pushing it.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
He crossed to the table and made short work of opening the bottle of Dom. Not that he was in the mood for a celebration. What he really wanted was to get rip-roaring drunk and consign his entire family, the bloody Inferno and even his brand-new, ring-wearing fiancée straight to the devil. Splashing the effervescent wine into each of the two flutes, he passed one to Larkin before fortifying himself with a swallow.
“Rafe?”
“You want to know what happened? Fine. I was forgotten.”
Larkin frowned. “Forgotten? I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
He forced himself to make the admission calmly. Precisely. Unemotionally. All the while ignoring the tide of hot pain that flowed through him like lava. “I mean, everyone went off and left me behind and didn’t realize it until the next day.”