A Scandal in the Headlines (13 page)

She shook her head, as if she could shake this off. As if she could push him back into those neatly labeled boxes she’d set out for him. She had to do it, or she might die where she stood. She didn’t question that—she simply knew it.

“We were always destined to burn ourselves out, Alessandro,” she said when she could speak. “This was doomed from the start.”

He closed the distance between them then, and took her shoulders in his hands. Kind and gentle. Heartbreakingly firm.

“Do you want me to convince you?” he asked roughly, a broken look in his dark eyes. “Is that what this is? Because we both know I can.”

“What?” Her ears were ringing, louder by the second. “No, I—”

“Tell me what you
want
, Elena,” he said, all of his ferocity and all of the desolation she’d sensed in him right there between them, suddenly. Alive in the damp air. “Do you
want
me to hunt you down, make you accept what’s between us? Do you
want
me to leave you alone? You need to choose. You need to
fight
.”

He dropped his hands then, stepped back, and the distance between them was unbearable. It made her shake.

“You can’t put this all on me,” he continued, his voice low but with the ring of a kind of finality that made everything inside of her twist tight in anguish.

“I don’t know what I want,” she lied, and the look in his eyes then shamed her. Destroyed her. Because he knew she was lying. He always knew.

“I loved you before I knew your name,” he said then.
“I love you more now, even when you lie to my face. All you have to do is own this, Elena.”

She shuddered. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t—

“I do,” she said desperately. “I love you.”

“I know you do,” he replied, a slight curve to that hard mouth, but it wasn’t enough. “But that’s not the issue, is it? It never has been.”

And something in her finally broke then. Pride, fear. Selfishness and vanity. All the things she’d been accused of, all the accusations she’d levied at herself. It all simply cracked into pieces and washed over her.

“I left because I couldn’t bear to be so stupid,” she told him in a rush. “To make such a terrible mistake again.” Her eyes filled with tears, spilled over, wetting her cheeks. “But I married you because I wanted to marry you. I wanted you.”

She wiped at her eyes, then focused on him, and he took up the whole world. Commanding and strong. But waiting to hear what she’d say next. What she’d decide. As if she was the one with the power, after all.

“I still do, Alessandro,” she whispered. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else. I can’t fight that. I tried.”

“You don’t have to fight that,” he said, his dark green eyes so fierce on hers she trembled. “You don’t have to fight me. Just fight
for
this, Elena. Don’t run away. Don’t hide.”

She made a wordless sort of sound, far past the ability to speak, and he pulled her close and let her cry.

“I’m not your enemy,” he murmured into her hair.

“I know,” she whispered into his strong, warm chest. “I know you’re not.”

She shuddered against him, and then he kissed her. Sweet, sure. Hot. Like a promise. Like hope. And when he drew back she saw the future she’d been too afraid to imagine, right there in his dark eyes, that curve of his perfect mouth.

“Come back to Sicily with me,” he said. “And stay this time. Stay for good.”

Elena nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. And this wasn’t surrender, she realized. She wasn’t losing a thing. She was gaining Alessandro—she was gaining
them
.

She was trading in something broken, something ruined and outgrown, for a shared set of wings and the whole bright sky to call their own.

“I want you to meet my parents,” she whispered. “My father. He’s not well, but … I think he’ll like you.”

“That is exceedingly unlikely,” he said quietly. “I’m a Corretti.”

And it was Elena’s turn to kiss him then, to press her mouth against his and set him free with all of that fire that was always, only theirs. To love him with nothing held back, nothing hidden. To bask in that terrible,
impossible, extraordinary love that had slammed into them with no warning, changing them both. Changing everything.

“He’ll love you,” she told him. She looped her arms around his neck and adored the way he smiled down at her. “Because I love you. That’s how it works.”

He was shadow and light. Ruthless and kind. Dark green eyes and that wild, hot heat when he looked at her.

And all of him hers, as he had been from the start. From that single glance across a crowded room.

“I will always be a Corretti,” Alessandro said. It was a warning. Or, she thought, a promise.

Elena smiled. “So will I.”

Read on for an exclusive interview
with Caitlin Crews!

with Caitlin Crews

It’s such a huge world to create—an entire Sicilian dynasty. Did you discuss parts of it with the other writers?

Oh, yes! The other writers were such a huge part of the experience for me—thank goodness, as they’re all so talented! We talked about a lot of different story points, and even shared scenes when we used one another’s characters. I couldn’t have written it without them!

How does being part of a continuity differ from when you are writing your own stories?

It’s a completely different kind of challenge. When you’re writing your own books all the choices you make are organic; they all flow together as you write. In a continuity you have to work inside out, in some respects. You have to back into the characters in order to flesh them out, for example. You have to think a lot about
why
they do the things you’re told they do. I’d say it’s the writing equivalent of coloring in an already drawn character rather than drawing it yourself from
scratch. Either way, you have to make them yours, but the process is a bit different.

What was the biggest challenge? And what did you most enjoy about it?

Learning who my characters really were was the biggest challenge—and then, when I did, I just loved them.

As you wrote your hero and heroine was there anything about them that surprised you?

Many things! I never quite knew what either of them would say, or how dark things would get for them before they found their way back to the light.

What was your favorite part of creating the world of Sicily’s most famous dynasty?

I loved Alessandro and Elena, but I also had a lot of fun researching Sicily. What a fantastic place!

If you could have given your heroine one piece of advice before the opening pages of the book, what would it be?

I would have told her to trust her heart. But we never do, do we?

What was your hero’s biggest secret?

That would be telling!

What does your hero love most about your heroine?

She’s seen the dark side of him and she loves him, anyway—she’s not afraid of him.

What does your heroine love most about your hero?

That she can trust him to be who he says he is, and not to betray her.

Which of the Correttis would you most like to meet and why?

They’re a bit intense, aren’t they? I think I’d like to watch them all from afar, as they’re so fascinating and gorgeous. Maybe if they were all gathered at a restaurant? Particularly one in Sicily, where I could glut myself on the wonderful food and watch a few Corretti dramas play out over the course of the meal….

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

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First published in Great Britain 2013
Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR

THE CORRETTIS: SCANDALS

© Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. 2013

A Scandal in the Headlines
© Harlequin Books S.A. 2013

Special thanks and acknowledgement are given to Caitlin Crews for her contribution to
Sicily’s Corretti Dynasty
series

eISBN: 978-1-472-01566-2