Chapter One

The workroom in Tess Medici’s Boston apartment was strewn with discarded scraps of material, and most of the surfaces were covered with half-finished costumes. “Why on earth would I want to go to such an uptight garden party?” She jabbed a long sewing needle into the waistband of the long gown on the mannequin before her.

“Thank goodness there isn’t a person inside that dress.” Her best friend Chris relaxed on the over-stuffed couch, sipping a glass of red wine. “She’d be poked full of holes. What’s wrong with you today? I just asked you to a party. I didn’t ask you to marry the man, for God’s sake.”

Tess put her fingers to her temples and let out a resigned sigh. “I talked with my father last evening.” Her voice changed, and with her perfect nose up in the air, she spoke with her best pompous British accent. “He wishes for me to return to London, so he can introduce me to some acquaintances.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not sure how many times I’ve told him I’m not looking for a husband. I guess last night might have been the thousandth time.” She jammed the needle into the garment again, stamped her foot, and growled at the stubborn material.

“This won’t be anything like what your father would put you through. No one will take a second look at you.”

She put her hands on her hips and huffed at Chris. “Thanks, I appreciate the compliment.”

“That’s not what I meant. I only meant they wouldn’t look at you for wife material for Maximilian. You’re obviously not New England blue blood.”

“My mother was born in New England, so what am I?” She glared at him.

“You’re a beautiful, voluptuous woman.” Chris scanned her body. “You have a figure other women envy. Men drool after you. And I love your ability to think for yourself. But I’m only your best friend. I’m sure a lover might have other things to say about you.”

“So that makes me less appropriate for Maximilian’s wife?” She smirked. “The fact that I’ve had lovers.”

“No.” He tapped his chin with his forefinger. “You’re a combination of Italian goddess with a hint of blue-eyed British stuffiness to your backbone. Most men like Maximilian would find you too difficult to handle. You weren’t raised to put up with a man who wants his wife to be beautiful and keep her mouth shut. You may have been born in Massachusetts, but you’ve got a fiery personality.”

“Much to my father’s frustration. I’m more like my mother, although she’s working on husband number three, and I’m not looking for a husband at all.”

“So then you have nothing to fear about the party. You can come and enjoy the mansion by the water, eat delicious food and sip expensive champagne. Please. I really need a date or my parents will think I’m gay.”

“Chris, you are gay. Why don’t you just tell them?”

“Not a chance. I don’t want to give either of them a coronary and have my brother going on about how he knew. He’s such a jerk-off.”

Tess shook her head and sighed. “You’ll owe me big time. I’m thinking somewhere along the line of dinner at Top of the Hub, with a table by the windows and all the trimmings.”

“Deal. I’ll even throw in a straight guy to warm your bed if you like. I do know a few who would love to wrestle with you under the sheets.”

“No, thanks. I’ll find my own lover in my own good time. For now, I’ve sworn off men so I can get on with my career.”

“A hot twenty-seven-year-old celibate babe…that is definitely an oxymoron. You need to have your itch scratched every now and then so you don’t become a bitch.”

“Spoken by a man who just drools over guys because he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s gay.”

“When I travel, I dabble. Maybe you need to go on a vacation. A trip to London just might be the ticket. Relieve your itch and then come home.”

“A trip to visit my father would not be a vacation. Maybe a trip to visit my mother in Italy might be okay, but then I would have to put up with her calling me a friend because she doesn’t want anyone to know she has a daughter my age. Really, I’ll just stay here and focus on my work.” Tess grabbed a larger needle and attempted to secure the sash around the waist of the costume. No amount of adjusting looked right. Tonight might not be the time to sew.

“The party is Sunday at noon.” Chris stood and stretched. “We’ll leave here at eleven, so we don’t arrive late. Aunt Millicent is a stickler for punctuality, and my mother would never hear the end of it if I didn’t arrive on time.”

“Millicent and Maximilian. Who thought of those names?” Tess scrunched up her nose and gave a soft snort.

“We Westfields have very traditional names. I’ve talked about my brother, William III. He’s named after my father, William II. He married my mother, Edith.”

“And you are the second son, so you got stuck with Christopher. It will be fun to meet them. Won’t they be surprised you’re bringing me?” She tossed her needle on the table and followed him out to the kitchen where he deposited his dirty wine glass in the sink.

“Since I’ve mentioned a nonexistent woman on occasion, they insist on meeting her. Thus I’ll bring you.”

Who’s Maximilian’s father?”

“He was Maximilian II. They say he died of a heart attack on the golf course. But rumor has it he died in his mistress’s arms, and she moved the body in the dead of night.”

“Now you’re lying.” Tess gave her friend a sideways glance.

He shrugged. “Nothing was proven, but he didn’t have both of his socks on when the groundskeeper found him.”

She laughed so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “So I guess talking to Max about his father might not be appropriate.” She choked out.

“Correct. And don’t call him Max, either. It’s Maximilian.”

“Oh, this should be so much fun.”

He opened the door to leave and looked back when Tess stopped him.

“Chris, don’t forget to introduce…”

He held up his hand and interrupted her. “I know. Introduce you as Tess Medici, not Staffordshire. You have no room to talk about me not being honest about who I am.” He raised his eyebrow at her and left her standing in the middle of her apartment.

It was rare Chris got the last word. She chuckled, wishing he wasn’t gay. He made such a great sparring partner, he had to be a sexy lover.

****

Sunday morning a horn beeped below, and Tess grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She hiked up her skirt to slide into the low bucket seat and winked at Chris.

“Not only will my parents think I’m getting some action, my brother will be so pissed he didn’t find you first. Watch out for him. He has a fiancée but still looks for lovers. He’s such an ass. I love your dress by the way. Is it your own design?”

“A little bit of my twist on a famous design. I would never pass it off as my own.”

“I don’t understand why you’re not a fashion designer instead of a costume designer.”

“I don’t like working with bitchy models. I love the real bodies on both the men and women in the theatre. They play real characters, and I help create moods with the wardrobes. I enjoy making clothes for myself because I’m not a bitch.”

Chris laughed. He zipped along the highway in his BMW roadster, the top up so hair stayed in place.

She liked the way his perfectly spiked hair added a touch of sexiness to his close-trimmed beard. The reddish tint of the stubble accentuated his green eyes, and he looked hunky in his black slacks and white shirt. His sports coat would be laid out in the spotless trunk so it wouldn’t be wrinkled when they got there. Knowing him, he would’ve left his pants in the trunk if he could’ve figured out how to put them on without witnesses.

Millicent Westfield’s home stood on a bluff near Marblehead. The wind-swept trees bent away from the water and added a rugged appearance to the landscape.

“Some people call this a castle sitting on the hill.” Chris’s voice held a boastful tone as they approached the large stone and weathered-shingle mansion.

“You Americans,” Tess teased. “In England, this would be considered a cottage. It would fit in the downstairs of my father’s country house. Even he doesn’t call that a castle.”

“If I were you, I’d keep that bit of information to myself if you don’t want them to get a whiff of heiress. Smile and tell them it’s a lovely home.”

He handed his keys to the valet, walked around the car to grab his coat and escorted Tess inside. “Let me find my mother and father, so I can introduce you. Remember, they think we’re dating.”

“No problem. We go out together.” She gave him a flirty shrug. “We’re just not boyfriend and girlfriend.”

He led them over to a couple that appeared well preserved or altered to look younger. Tess couldn’t tell. People mingled all around the large space. She found it odd that no one sat on the white furniture, but instead stood to talk and sip cocktails. Colorful summer dresses adorned most of the women while the men wore pale linen sports coats with crisp shirts and khakis. Chris’s parents stood off to the side of the crowd, not mingling with the younger groups around them.

“Mother and Father, I’d like you to meet Tess Medici. Tess, this is my mother, Edith Westfield, and my father, William Westfield.”

His father held out his hand, and Tess reached out to shake it.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Medici. I’d like to say our son has told us all about you, but he doesn’t tell us much these days.” He scanned Tess’s body with a quick glance before he glared at Chris.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” She didn’t comment on his father’s remark. She didn’t think he would appreciate knowing she and Chris had been friends for three years.

“I better introduce Tess to Aunt Millicent. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” He steered her away as his mother opened her mouth to speak. “Try to avoid my parents, especially my mother, unless you want to be drilled about our relationship.”

“I can stretch the truth with the best of them.”

“And what would you say to her if she asked you point blank if we’ve slept together?”

“Well, we have slept together. Remember the time we went skiing and had to share a hotel room? So I wouldn’t be lying if I said yes.”

“Therein lies the trap. She doesn’t really want to know if we slept together. She wants to make sure I’m not gay and then condemn you for having sex before you’re married. You can’t win with my mother, so avoid her.”

Once on the terrace, Tess paused. She loved the ocean. It was never the same color twice. She would love a palette of fabric in all the blues and grays that culminated in glorious silver waves that crashed against the rocks.

“There’s my aunt. And how fortunate I can introduce you to Maximilian himself. She’s throwing this party to line up prospective brides for him.”

Tess looked in the direction Chris led her. The air around Maximilian filled her senses, and she inhaled a breath. Lime, sandalwood and a touch of salty sea air.

“Aunt Millicent, Maximilian, I’d like you to meet my friend, Tess Medici. Tess, my Aunt Millicent and cousin Maximilian.” Tess focused on their faces as she tried not to stare at the woman’s ghastly cotton-candy pink outfit. It was made of shantung, and the soft material should have caressed the woman’s curves, but instead, it bunched in all the wrong places, accentuating her flaws.

“My dear, it is so nice to meet a friend of Christopher’s.” Millicent angled her head like an arrogant queen spending time with the common folk. “He so rarely brings a woman to family gatherings.”

Maximilian shook his head; a small twitch of a smile played at the corner of his mouth as if he knew a secret.

“It’s nice to meet you both. You have a lovely home, Mrs. Westfield.”

“Thank you, dear. Please, call me Millicent. Is Tess short for anything?”

“I suppose many things. But I go by Tess.” She noticed the twitch was back at the corner of Maximilian’s mouth, and with apparent superhuman strength, he wrestled it down and remained stoic. She’d love to see him smile. He must do it now and then because there were a few laugh lines at the edges of his soft gray eyes. His sun-streaked dark hair lay in neat waves, and the urge to mess it up made her fingers flex. He had no stubble on his face like Chris. His jaw didn’t need the added shadow to make it stronger. Tess would’ve enjoyed scanning his body, but she didn’t dare in front of his eagle-eyed mother.

Instead, she plastered on the artificial smile she used for her father’s acquaintances. “Chris was giving me a tour of the beautiful grounds, so we won’t keep you from your other guests.” She took his arm, and he led her away from the glare of his aunt.

“Why didn’t you just tell her it’s Teresa?” Chris mumbled. “I think she thinks you’re rude.”

She shrugged. “My name is Tess. Why wouldn’t she accept that and say hello?”

“Never mind, let’s get a drink. A glass of champagne sounds really good right now.”

“You grab one, I’m not thirsty. I’ll stand here and admire the view. The ocean is majestic today. The sun has caused the wave caps to turn a brilliant white as they wash to shore. I’d love a view like this.”

He got a glass of champagne from the bartender and returned to Tess. “It comes with a hefty price, and I’m not talking money. Having to deal with Aunt Millicent would be enough to turn anyone against the view and wish for a peaceful mountain setting. Why don’t we stroll around the gardens?” He maneuvered her around a group then came to an abrupt halt. “Oh shit!”

“What?” She followed his glare.

“My brother and his fiancée are heading in this direction. Quick. Inside.” He nudged her through the French doors and wove through the throng of people milling around the dining room and down a hall, opened a door, and pulled her into the library.

“Oh, my…” Tess spun around. “Now this is impressive.” Books had always been her solace when she was growing up. Her parents were rarely around, and the only staff person who talked to her was Lizzy, the housekeeper. Her tutors made sure she could read, write and do math, but books opened up the world to her.

She scanned the different shelves and caressed the leather that covered poetry books. Shelves and shelves of art books stretched to the ceiling, only reachable by ladder. “Chris, why don’t you go find another glass of champagne? I’ll stay here and enjoy the sun coming in on the window seat and read some poetry.”

“If you’re sure? Now that Mother and Father have met you, I can mingle, and I doubt anyone will disturb you in here. It doesn’t seem like it’s ever used. I’ll come and find you in a little while. Or feel free to wander around and enjoy the sights when you get bored. Buzz my cellphone if you need me.”

With the click of the door, Tess turned her attention to the books and removed a volume by Rainer Maria Rilke. Duino Elegies, one of her favorite books of poems. This copy had been translated into English, but years ago she’d first read it in German. She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the window seat and relaxed like a cat in a pool of sunshine.

****

Maximilian couldn’t take his eyes off of Tess. The way her bottom moved in her fitted dress made his cock twitch to life. Her soft, dark curls bounced over her bare shoulders and down her back as she walked with Christopher. When his mother questioned her name, Tess’s blue eyes flashed a hint of defiance. Without flinching, she rebuffed the woman.

Nothing about her screamed boring like most of the available women at the party. Even the few married women who still flirted with him, hoping ten years later he would revisit their beds, didn’t move him the way this seductress did. How in the world Chris found her was beyond him. The man couldn’t possibly please a woman like Tess. He would love to give it a try. Kissing the smirk off her luscious red lips would be exciting.

His mother kept pulling him into conversations with available women, all insipid creatures who knew how to bat their eyelashes and bow their heads in submission. When Tess stood in front of him her eyes never once left his face. Her gaze had assessed every inch of his features while she irritated his mother with her blunt answer. Her name would never show up on a prospective wife list for him. His mother would see to that. But he didn’t care about her as a wife. Oh, the things he’d love to do with her.

Maximilian strolled among the guests, keeping one eye on Tess’s sultry hips. He looked down to answer a question from an older woman, and when he looked up again, Chris and Tess had disappeared. He moved to the edge of the terrace and scanned the grounds. The beautiful brunette and his blond-headed cousin were nowhere in sight. He pivoted on his heel, and his gaze came to rest on the open French doors. That was the only way they could have gone if they didn’t pass him or go out into the yard.

He grabbed a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and moved into the house, scanning the sea of people for his elusive beauty. He hesitated. She wasn’t his anything…yet. He made it to the hall and spotted Christopher in front of the door to the library. He quickly stepped into an alcove so his cousin wouldn’t see him. The man looked from side to side and walked away. Maybe Chris and Tess had…Hell, that was impossible. He shook his head and scoffed. Christopher was gay, or Maximilian would eat his hat.

He straightened his jacket and eased the door open to the cool, quiet room. The vision of Tess sitting on the window seat with her bare feet tucked under her lush ass had him adjusting his pants, looking for relief from the sudden strain of the zipper.

“Hello.”

Tess jumped, and her hand jerked from the book to cover her heart.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I just came in to get away from the constant chatter in the other rooms.”

Her smile widened. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting here. Your library is amazing, and I’m not one for crowds.”

“What are you reading?”

“My favorite poet. Rainer Maria Rilke.”

“Ah, Duino Elegies. That book is one of his best. Read me your favorite passage.” He sat on the other side of the window seat and relaxed back like a prince waiting to be entertained. The champagne in his glass glistened as the sunlight danced off the bubbles.

Tess swallowed hard. His gaze unnerved her. His broad shoulders overwhelmed the tiny space, and she wanted nothing more than to lean against his chest and listen to his heart beating. Did its pace match hers?

She flipped through the pages and started reading from the Second Elegy.

The lilting words were about lovers and satisfaction. The beauty of sensations from the merest touch. Her voice rose and fell with the poetic thoughts about passion. The author questioned his connection with the woman he loved. Hands touching, breaths mingling, a promise of eternity. What more could a couple want? She couldn’t keep a note of wonder from her voice when she read the last words. She finished, set the book down on her lap, and waited for Maximilian to comment. Could the man have a romantic bone in his body if he lined up women to pick out a wife?

“Your voice is hypnotic. Interesting choice in passages. Read me another one.”

She fought the urge to flip the page and read more about love and eternity. Maximilian’s presence took her breath away as he leaned closer to her, expectation written on his face. She bit her lower lip, tempted to oblige, but changed her mind. Damn, she could use a glass of champagne. “I think we’d better return to your guests. Your mother is probably looking for you, and if she found the two of us here in the library, she wouldn’t be pleased.”

He laughed. “You’re right.” He stood and held out his hand. “Let me show you a special place before we return to the rabid pack of husband hunters.”

“Apparently you put up with that type of thing. I don’t see you leaving.” Tess slipped on her shoes and put the book away then turned and waited. The next move was his.

“This way.” He pointed in the direction of a corner bookshelf, its frame a little different from the rest of the shelves. Tess took his hand, and he led her into the darkness that appeared with the shift of a book on the middle shelf.

“Secret passages, how delicious.” Her hand still grasped in his, she climbed two narrow flights of stairs. “We must be close to the top of the house.”

“You’re right. The staircase leads to the nursery.” They emerged into a room with child-sized furniture, all covered with drop cloths.

“You wanted to show me the nursery?” Tess smirked.

“No. Come on, we’re almost there.” Maximilian left the room and continued down a hall. He stopped at an old varnished ladder bolted to the wall at a gentle angle. It had brass rails for the climber. “Follow me.” He hesitated at the top to push aside the hatch in the ceiling, and light flooded the hallway. He climbed through and reached down, grabbed under her arms, and lifted her the rest of the way into the space. For a moment his touch made her pulse beat faster until she got a glimpse out the windows.

She stepped across the small, glass-enclosed widow’s walk, mesmerized by all the different shades that flooded the space from the water and sky. “This is phenomenal. The view of the ocean goes on forever.”

“For some reason, I knew you’d like it. Being this close to the sky, your eyes have turned a deeper blue. Amazing color,” he murmured.

“Maximilian.” She hesitated and then said, “Does anyone ever call you Max?”

“Never.”

Her shoulders sagged.

He lifted her chin and gave her a devilish grin. “But if you let me kiss you, you can call me Max.”

She tilted her head at him. “Even though you know I came with Chris, you still want to kiss me?”

“We both know you and Christopher are not sexually compatible. So yes, in answer to your question.”

“For a kiss, I can call you Max?”

“Only when we’re alone.”

“Since that will be for the next five minutes at most, I don’t think it’s a fair bargain, Maximilian.” She swished her tongue over her top lip, and his gaze narrowed. Yes, teasing him satisfied her naughty streak.

“What if I include dinner in the city some night?”

“Now it’s a little more enticing. Dinner and a kiss…be still my heart.” She rested her hand on her chest, and his hooded gaze followed the gesture that drew his attention to her ample breasts. She made no move to bring his gaze back to hers. Let him salivate over what he wanted.

“What do I need to do for a kiss?”

With a tilt of her head and an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Would your kiss even be worth it? Are you a good lover?”

Max pulled her up against his chest and growled. “Let me show you.”

His mouth found hers in a hard kiss. Shocked, she widened her eyes. As he deepened the kiss, her eyelids fluttered closed. He tasted like champagne and a hint of mint. The heat from his body made the small space warmer. He sank his hands into her hair to hold her in place and tilted her head at the perfect angle to drive his tongue in deeper. She moaned.

His hand snaked down her body, lifted her dress, and exposed her barely covered bottom. When his fingers delved inside her silk thong, she clung to his arms so she wouldn’t faint.

The straight-laced man she teased a moment ago disappeared. In his place, an experienced lover held her close to his hard body. He nipped her neck. His hand lowered the zipper of her dress, and he pushed it down off her breasts with his mouth. Hard lips wrapped around her nipple and sucked until a wave of exquisite pain made her arch her back to seek more torture. His chuckle vibrated against her skin, and she whimpered with frustration as he placed a trail of tiny kisses over to the other breast.

“Patience, love. I’m enjoying myself.”

Her knees trembled and he eased her down on the seat cushion. The sunlight reflected off his hair as he buried his face against her other breast, sending goose bumps over her skin. He sucked and his hard cock dug into her thigh. When his fingers found her clit, her body reacted like fireworks on the Fourth of July. He captured her scream with a hungry kiss. She clung to his neck, drinking in his taste like a woman dying for water.

“Max.” She caressed his cheek and rested her head on the soft cushion, Sated, she closed her eyes while she caught her breath. The sound of voices outside drifted up to the loft. A minute later she sat up and said, “We’d better get downstairs.” She adjusted her dress and re-zipped the back. “Is there a bathroom on this floor?”

“Right below us.”

She stood in front of him and pushed down her skirt, hiding the view of her delicate skin. “I’ll look forward to you calling me about dinner.” She reached into her clutch and pulled out her card. “That’s my number on the bottom. I’ll find my way through the nursery—you’d better go a different way.”

She stopped before she climbed down the ladder and said, “Thank you, Max.” She leaned down, gave him a brief kiss then traversed the ladder like an expert.

Maximilian leaned back on his heels, stunned to find himself alone, the sweet taste of Tess’s kiss still on his lips. He fisted his hands and took a deep breath. “Fuck.”