The Moretti Heir / Billionaire Extraordinaire: The Moretti Heir / Billionaire Extraordinaire. Katherine Garbera

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СКАЧАТЬ We are launching the revamped Vallerio model. You will surpass the Gran Prix record for most wins…”

      “I am aware of that. Buona notte, Dom.”

      “Buona notte, Marco.”

      He hung up the phone, thinking of his oldest brother. Antonio often complained that Dominic needed to get laid so that the old boy would relax. But Marco suspected that Dominic’s heart was the most vulnerable of all of the Moretti men.

      “Marco?”

      “Coming, mi’ angela.”

      A warm, gentle breeze stirred the air around the balcony as he approached Virginia. Her hair lifted in the wind and for a minute it seemed as if she were part of the night. As if this was the only place she could exist. Almost as if she were a fantasy. But she was a flesh-and-blood woman, as he’d ascertained by kissing her and holding her in his arms.

      “I thought you’d changed your mind,” she said.

      “Not at all. I just wanted to make sure I had everything perfect,” he said, handing her the glass of chilled champagne.

      “Is this part of the charm you promised to show me earlier?”

      “Do you think it is?”

      She laughed, and the sound was like music on the wind. He closed his eyes and let the worries that his brother always reminded him of disappear. For tonight he was nothing more than a winning driver with a beautiful woman.

      “I’m not so sure.”

      He arched one eyebrow at her. “What will it take to convince you?”

      “I’m reserving judgment until morning.”

      He handed her the champagne flute, which she took.

      “To your victory on the track today,” she said.

      He tapped the lip of his glass against hers. “Grazie.”

      He kept eye contact with her as he took a sip of the sparkling wine.

      “To mysteriously beautiful women,” he said, lifting his glass toward her.

      “Grazie,” she said with a shy smile. “But I’m not beautiful.”

      “Let me look again,” he said.

      She stood still, a hesitant, almost fragile smile on her face as he stared at her features. Her wide brown eyes seemed luminous and filled with secrets. The thick eyelashes that surrounded them and the light dash of makeup on her lids made them look exotic.

      Her high cheekbones and creamy skin were next. He lifted his free hand and traced the line of her brow and then down the side of her face. Her nose was thin and long, marking the elegance of her face, but it was her mouth that entranced him.

      Her upper lip was a bit fuller than the bottom one, and both were rosy red and so soft to his touch. He ran his thumb over her mouth, tracing the bow at the top and then stroking her bottom lip.

      “I see nothing to change my opinion,” he said.

      “Maybe in your eyes I’m beautiful, but I promise you other men don’t see me that way,” she said.

      “The eyes of other men don’t matter, mio dolce.”

      “No, they don’t…I just…I’ve never done this before,” she said suddenly, her words coming out in a rush.

      “Come back to a man’s apartment?” he asked, unable to help feeling a bit honored and possessive of the fact that he was the first man she’d felt this strongly attracted to.

      And he couldn’t deny the attraction between them. He hoped she’d never know how much he wanted her and how much power that gave her over him. He needed her in ways he was only beginning to realize.

      “Yes…I’m a bit nervous.”

      “It’s not too late to leave. We can finish our drinks and I can take you back to your hotel.”

      Virginia realized that Marco was making very sure she couldn’t say he coerced her into anything. Or perhaps he was just being a gentleman. What did it say about her that her first thought was that he was protecting himself?

      But there was little he could do to protect himself against her. She wanted nothing more than this night in his arms—and his sperm.

      She felt cold and calculating, thinking the words. She knew that every night millions of people had one-night stands and it meant nothing.

      But she didn’t. She had been pretty sheltered all of her life. After being told early on that love and romance were not in the cards for her, she’d become determined to find a way to make her romantic dreams come true.

      She knew that her motivation for being here was breaking the Moretti curse. But when he’d described her just a moment ago, talked about a beauty she just couldn’t see when she looked in a mirror, she felt as if this encounter meant more than she knew.

      She felt as if Marco wasn’t just the means to an end. That he wasn’t just another victim of a long ago, bitter love feud between their families…felt as if he could be the man who would make her fall in love with him.

      And love for Festa women wasn’t a good thing.

      “Virginia?”

      She shook her head to clear it. Glanced up at the moon and gathered the strength she needed to forget about consequences and right and wrong. For this one night, she wanted to just enjoy the moment with this man.

      “I’m not leaving,” she said.

      He smiled at her, and she realized just what true male beauty was. It was his smile when he looked at her.

      “Are we going to just stand here and wait for sunrise?” she asked.

      “Not at all. I thought we could sit in the hot tub and relax. Enjoy the champagne and the rest of the evening.”

      The warmth of his hand on the center of her back and the low thrum of the hot tub located on the end of the balcony settled her nerves. She let go of all the planning and concentrated on the fact that she was here with a charming and sexy man.

      “I’d like that,” she said.

      “There’s a changing room over there stocked with robes,” Marco said, his voice deep and dark in the moonlit night. He gestured to the small building next to the tub.

      Having spent most of her adult life waiting for this exact moment, she knew it was time for her to act. But action was the one thing that had always scared her. Her grandmother had loved Lorenzo Moretti and that single act had completely ruined Cassia’s life.

      Perhaps sensing her unease, Marco said, “Do you know about the stars?”

      “What?”

      “The stories of the different stars and why the constellations СКАЧАТЬ