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led her to say their goodbyes to his grandfather and his mother. There were more congratulatory comments, more camera flashes and an even bigger smile from Salvatore as he gripped his eldest grandson's hand in his. 'You have made me a very happy man, Giorgio. I hoped and prayed you would not give up on your marriage. I knew you would win her back once you put your mind to it.'
    Maya stretched her lips into a smile as Salvatore turned his attention to her.
    'Maya, you are good for my grandson. You bring out the human, more softer side of him. Don't give up on him, mio piccolo. You remind me of my adored wife, Maria. She was so strong, even though like you she looked so petite and fragile. Just like her, you have backbone. I knew it from the first moment I met you.'
    'I hope you enjoy the rest of your party,' Maya said, leaning forward to kiss him on both cheeks.
    She brushed at the tears that had sprung from her eyes and added, 'I love you.'
    Salvatore smiled indulgently as she stood back with Giorgio's arm looping around her waist. 'I have never doubted it,' he said. 'Now, go home with your husband and convince him of the same.'
     

 

     
     

Chapter Four

 

     
     

     
    'WE CAN'T possibly live together in this small flat,' Maya said as she opened the villa door a short time later.
    Gonzo was bouncing up and down, his tail going like a metronome on twelve eight time, not unlike the rate of Maya's heartbeat.
    Giorgio closed the door after waving off a car that had tailed the limousine that had brought them home. He turned and scratched behind Gonzo's ears before straightening to face her. 'Why not?'
    he asked. 'It has a bed, does it not?'
    Maya felt her stomach flip over. 'Y…yes, but only the one.'
    He gave an up and down lift of his brows that sent another shockwave through her belly. 'Then we will have to share it.'
    She took a step backwards, her hands going up to ward him off. 'No way,' she said. 'There is no way I am sharing my bed with you. You can sleep on the sofa.'
    He glanced at the cheap sofa she had picked up in a second-hand sale in one of her staunch attempts to move away from the wealth he took for granted, having had it all of his life. His lip curled in disdain, as she knew it would. 'I wouldn't let Gonzo sleep on that,' he said. 'Anyway, how do you expect to fit the whole six foot four of me on that thing?'
    Maya gave her head a little toss and began to move away. 'Not my problem.'

    One of his hands captured her like a cobra striking out at its prey. One minute she was free, the next she was standing up against the hard wall of his body, his dark eyes burning like embers as they held hers. 'I think you might have missed something in our conversation earlier, Maya,' he said in a deep silky voice. 'This reconciliation of ours is not just a show for the press.'
    Maya felt her eyes widen and her heart gave another uncoordinated sprint. 'What do you mean?'
    She swallowed a tight knot of panic in her throat. 'You surely don't want to…to…' She swallowed again when she saw the way his eyes darkened even further.
    Oh, dear God, he did.
    One of his hands began stroking the length of her forearm, back and forth in a mesmerising movement that was loaded with erotic sensuality. Her skin leapt at his touch, her spine went to water and her inner core contracted as if he were already driving through her hot moistness to brand her as his.
    'We might as well make the most of the situation,' he said into the throbbing silence. 'What do you say? Shall we see if we can still do it like we did the night of Luca and Bronte's wedding?'
    Maya tried to pull out of his hold but it was like trying to disengage from a steel trap. 'Th…this is not what I agreed to…' she said, trying to keep her voice steady and controlled. 'I thought we were just acting, you know…out in public. Not in private. Not when we're alone.'
    His fingers had found her pulse at her wrist and his caress slowed to a drugging pace that made her brain