Miracle for the Girl Next Door (14 page)

“I’ll only give you a warning this time, Signora Casali,” he said with a smile.

“Did you hear that,
bellissima
?” He’d undone his harness and leaned over to give her a lingering kiss on the lips. “You’re very fortunate they are being so kind to you. Thank them nicely,
per favore
.”

While she muttered something indistinct, they took pictures of her, of them, of the Ferrari. If the officers didn’t have a job to do, they’d have probably hung around Valentino all afternoon and evening. No doubt they’d never pulled over a celebrity as famous as her husband.

When all the
arrivederci
s had been said and they’d driven off, she finally found herself alone with Valentino. “They did us a great favor today. I saw the way that officer was looking at you. It’s a good thing I married such a beauty or your punishment could have been a great deal worse.”

Too many emotions were fighting for expression. She
squinted at him and could tell his shoulders were shaking. “I’m glad you think this is so funny.”

“Don’t you? I knew you were brave, but I never dreamed I had such a little daredevil on my hands.”

“Neither did I,” she admitted before she found herself laughing, too. “It’s the car’s fault.”

“That’s as good an excuse as I’ve ever heard.” Their shared laughter filled the empty spaces in her heart.

She started the car and they took off again, but she forced herself to stay within the speed limit. When they reached the town she had the feeling they were being followed.

“Tino?”

“I’ve already seen them. It’s the paparazzi. They no doubt listened in on the police band. We’ve been found out. Keep driving to the villa. They won’t be able to follow us past the gate.”

He was so used to being followed and harassed, she could tell he took it in his stride, but this was a new experience for her. “I wish I were in a tank, then I’d mow them down until they resembled a sheet of aluminum foil.”

“Putting you behind the wheel has brought out the spitfire in you. I would never have believed it.” Valentino was still chuckling after they’d parked the car and gone inside the house.

Once inside he fastened his dark brown eyes on her. “I’m starving and imagine you are, too.”

“I have to admit our adventure has given me an appetite.”

“Good,” he said, getting down two small liqueur glasses. “This is the perfect time to try out your homemade aperitif. A good appetizer should improve our meal.” He pulled the cork from the bottle sitting on the counter and inhaled the aroma. “I can smell your family’s lemon grove.”

Her pulse sped up. “It’s the taste that’s important. I hope it won’t put you off your food.”

He poured a little of the yellow liquid into each glass, then
took a drink and savored it for a moment before swallowing all of it. She watched him nervously before he poured himself another glass.

Like déjà vu he lifted it. “I’d like to propose a toast.” His penetrating gaze sought hers. The way he was looking at her made it difficult to breathe. “To the success of my brilliant wife.”

“At least you didn’t choke on it.” She clinked her glass with his and they both drank. “You’re a terrific sport.”

His expression sobered. “I don’t think you understand. This liqueur is going to put your name on the map.”

She smiled. “I don’t want it to be on the map, but you’re very sweet to say so.”

Lines marred his features. “I’m not sweet at all. You’ve got a recipe here someone would kill for. Does your teacher at the college have a copy of it?”

His question surprised her. “No.”

“Do any of the students?”

“No.”

“Where is it?”

“In my school notebook at the farm.”

“We’ll pick it up tomorrow.” He put the cork back in the bottle. “This needs to be kept in a safe place.”

While he put it in one of the cupboards, she started getting a meal ready. Soon they were able to sit down and eat. She kept looking at him while he devoured his food.

“You’re acting preoccupied just like you used to when you were working on your scooter designs. What’s going on?”

“This and that,” he murmured evasively.

He wouldn’t tell her about his trip to Rome until he was ready. “You sound tired. Why don’t you take a nap, while I phone Bianca? You’re going to be up again most of the night.”

Valentino shot her a glance. “We’ll take a rest together.” They’d done the same thing yesterday. It had been heaven. “No
matter how well you’ve felt today, you need some downtime, too.”

“I confess that sounds good.”

They left the kitchen and headed into the bedroom where both of them took off their shoes and stretched out across the top of the quilt. “Here. Use my phone.”

“Thank you.” She took it from him and called her family’s home number. Her mother answered.

“Clara? I heard you came by yesterday.”

“We were sorry to miss you, Mamma. How’s Bianca?”

“She’s resting right now, but she’s going to be fine.”

“The poor thing. She needs to get a lot of sleep.”

“We’ll see to it. Don’t you worry about anything.”

She glanced at her husband, whose eyes were closed. “Tino won’t let me. He keeps me too busy to think.”

“That’s good.”

“Guess what I did today?” For the next five minutes she related the experience driving his car.

Her mother gasped several times. “You could have gotten both of you killed!”

Ever since the police had pulled her over, Clara had been regretting her impulsive behavior. If anything had happened to Valentino because of her…

“I won’t ever speed again, Mamma.”

With those words Valentino’s arm caught her around the hips. “Promise me,” he whispered.

She’d thought he’d fallen asleep. “I promise.”

“What did you say, Clara?”

“I’m sorry, Mamma. I was just answering Tino.”

“I can tell you’ve had a good day.”

“A wonderful day.”

“That makes me happy.”

“Me, too.”

“I’ll talk to you soon.”

“
Ciao
, Mamma.”

The minute she hung up, Valentino pulled her closer. “Let me hold you like this for a while.”

She made a little moan of consent and nestled against him with her head lying on his shoulder. If they both slept now, she would read her mystery tonight. They used to read to each other when they had literature assignments. Maybe he’d like her to read aloud to him. They could hash over the plot. She’d lived for their lively discussions. He had the most fascinating mind…

No one knew how much she’d missed him over the years. To have him back in her life like this constituted some kind of miracle. As her eyes closed her hand slid to his chest without conscious thought.

She had no idea how long she slept, but when she was once again cognizant of her surroundings it surprised her that she and Valentino had changed positions. While she lay on her side, he was now turned toward her with his head buried in her neck. His hand roved over her back in ever tightening circles, wringing tiny sounds of pleasure from her throat.

When his mouth found hers, it seemed natural to indulge in a giving and taking that grew more sensual with each breath. “I love the taste of you. Your body feels made for mine.” He drew in a deep breath. “I want to make love to you, Clara. Is it selfish of me to want you so badly?”

Her breath caught. He wanted her. “How could it be selfish? I don’t understand what you mean?”

“Would it make you feel worse?”

Worse— “I’ve never felt better, but if you’re asking me for health reasons, I couldn’t honestly tell you how it would affect me,” she whispered against his lips, unable to get enough of them. “My body seems to dissolve a little more with every kiss.” She didn’t want to talk right now.

“Have you ever been intimate with a man before?”

“Not like this,” she murmured, thrilling to each caress.

Maybe it was her imagination but she thought she heard him groan. “Has your doctor given you any guidelines?”

“No. The subject never came up. Does it matter?” She tried to get closer to him. “I don’t want you to stop kissing me.”

His hands stilled on her arms. “That’s my fear—that I won’t be able to stop.” His breathing sounded shallow.

“Would that be so terrible?” she asked, kissing him more passionately.

“Considering your condition, it would be unconscionable if I got you pregnant,
piccola
. Even the best protection isn’t completely safe.”

While she was digesting the long-term ramifications, he untangled his legs from hers and rolled out of reach. When he stood up, she couldn’t bear it. All her joy evaporated. “Please come back to bed. We’ll just hold each other for the rest of the night.”

He shook his dark head, taking another step away from her. “I’m afraid not. Carlo will be pulling up in the drive any moment.”

Carlo
. She’d forgotten all about his coming again. Valentino had taken her to another world. If the clinician were to walk in right now, he’d find her a throbbing mass of needs her husband had aroused. She couldn’t imagine getting to sleep. If he refused to touch her from now on, it would be like a second death.

W
HEN
Clara awakened early Saturday morning and opened her eyes, she saw that Valentino was already up and dressed in a pullover and jeans. Normally he slept in until ten to catch up on his sleep. During those hours she would get out of bed and leave him alone while she followed through with her own routine. Deprivation was one sure form of self-preservation.

However this morning there was an air of expectancy about him. When he was up to something, he couldn’t hide it from her. She loved that quality about him. In truth she loved all his qualities, which were too numerous to count.

Valentino took amazing care of her. What little she did for him by being a listening ear when he chose to divulge his inner thoughts could never make up for the hours he watched over her while administering her treatments. During those hours while she slept, he balanced his time between helping her and running his business from the laptop.

After six consecutive nights of dialysis she felt so normal, she had a hard time believing there was anything wrong with her.

His dark eyes swept over her face and hair. “If you feel as good as you look, I’ve arranged a surprise for you.”

She got excited because his surprises weren’t like anyone else’s. Every day they went out on the scooter to explore
neighboring villages and enjoy picnics. They traveled to all their old haunts and sought new ones, finding delight in everything they did.

But with each passing hour, her physical attraction to him was growing more intense. The only time she could legitimately touch him without worrying what he might think was when she clung to him on the back of his scooter.

He represented the epitome of male sensuality and could have no idea that each time he squeezed or kissed her coming and going he added to the fire raging inside her. If he thought they could go on this way indefinitely, then he truly didn’t know how deeply her desire burned for him.

Despite the fact that she was ill, the nature of their relationship would have led to intimacy by now
if
they were in a normal marriage. But they weren’t! Valentino needed her as a friend. Though he was a flesh and blood male with the normal urges, he’d been careful not to let things go too far.

She, on the other hand, had to fight not to reveal that a little friendly loving was slowly destroying her.

Feeling his gaze on her, she said, “Judging by the way you’re dressed, we’re doing some kind of activity outside. Shall I wear my leather jacket?”

“I think you’ll prefer a parka, but bring your gloves. I’ll meet you out in the kitchen in a few minutes.”

Within twenty they’d eaten breakfast and had stolen away from the villa in the Ferrari. Dawn still lay over Monta Correnti. Clara had always considered it a magical time of day when there was a crispness in the air and all was quiet. Valentino must have been enchanted, too, because he didn’t talk. They wound their way past the church where the road made a descent and disappeared into the picture-book countryside.

She didn’t understand when he eventually turned off onto a
dirt road bordered by well-tended farms. Maybe he’d found another property for sale he wanted to show her.

Ahead of them she saw a van pulled to the side. A couple of men were walking around carrying items. “Uh oh. They must have had car trouble.”

“Let’s find out,” Valentino murmured. He pulled to a stop behind them and got out of the car.

Clara craned her neck to find out what was going on and got the shock of her life to see them unraveling a huge balloon over the ground. A thrill of excitement tinged with alarm shot through her. Valentino had arranged to take them for a balloon ride?

Once she’d extricated herself from the seat harness, she joined him. The men, a father and son, greeted her with broad smiles. Evidently they were good friends of Valentino’s. He introduced everyone.

“
Buon giorno
,
signora
. You have chosen the perfect morning to go up.”

Valentino’s gaze flicked to hers. She saw a definite look of concern in those dark brown depths. “What do you think,
piccola
? Do you want to try it?” He didn’t ask how she was feeling, but she knew he was worried.

Clara had never been on a plane, let alone anything that had ever left the ground. But this was Valentino Casali who’d established a record for the longest solo balloon flight over the Caribbean. She didn’t want to let him down and would show him and his friends that daredevil side he’d accused her of having when she’d driven his Ferrari for the first time.

“I’m dying to find out what it’s like!”

Her unintentional slip of the tongue washed over the men, who got busy inflating the balloon, but she saw Valentino’s lips tighten for a moment before he moved behind her and slid his hands to her shoulders.

He kneaded them with increasing pressure. “As I’ve told you several times, you’re a woman of great courage, but this is one time when you have to be completely honest with me, or we won’t step foot inside the basket.”

She took a fortifying breath. “Physically I feel fine, but I’ll admit to being scared.”

He kissed the side of her neck, sending rivulets of yearning through her body. “That’s natural. At first it will feel like you’re in a lift that doesn’t stop. Then you’ll float over a world only the eagle sees. You’ll be so full of wonder, you’ll never want to come down. I’ll have hold of you every second.”

Whatever happened, if she could remain in his arms like this, nothing else mattered.

The multicolored balloon straightened as the men filled it with hot air. Valentino knew when the moment was right and helped her into the basket. “While his father is in charge, Agostino will follow our progress in the van. When we descend, he’ll drive us back here.”

She nodded and clung to him.

In a few minutes he whispered, “Clara?” There was a sense of urgency in his tone that caused her to lift her head. Maybe it was a trick of light, but she thought she glimpsed the heat of desire in his eyes before his mouth covered hers. The moment he deepened their kiss, she forgot where she was or what was happening around them.

Not even she could mistake the force he was unleashing as anything less than a husband’s kiss. She’d been needing this for so long, her hunger for him took over and her passion flared. It would have been impossible to hold back even if she’d wanted to for propriety’s sake. She had so much to tell him, show him. At this point nothing but a total merging of their bodies would satisfy her.

In the throes of rapture she cried his name with longing.

He drew one more molten kiss from her mouth before he said, “We’re up now. Take a look.”

She could hardly make sense of what he was saying until she opened her eyes. Then a gasp flew out of her. “Tino—”

They were airborne!

Clara had missed the ascent because she’d been devouring her husband in front of his friend with an eagerness that made her blush scarlet just thinking about it.

Valentino kept her clamped at his side while she marveled at the vista unfolding several thousand feet below. She’d never seen such a sight, let alone experienced a sensation like it.

“I feel like we’re fruit blossoms being carried along by the breeze.”

He folded her right up against him and kissed her hard. “You feel a little more substantial to me than that. I wish there weren’t so many clothes separating us.”

The unexpected admission rang of need rather than playfulness, robbing her of breath. This was the passionate side of Valentino he’d revealed before he’d had the presence of mind to end what was rapidly burning out of control.

In a moment of truth she confessed, “I had the same thought.” For the next half-hour she kept her hot face buried in his neck. They passed over the fantastic tapestry best seen from this altitude, but Valentino had just unlocked a door to her own private fantasies.

At the height of her euphoria, sharp searing pain, bitter and real, attacked without warning. Please, God. I don’t want to die.

He kissed her hair, increasing her agony. “What did you say,
piccola
?”

“Th-that I wish this day could go on forever,” she dissembled in a tremulous voice.

“Why can’t it? When we get back, how would you like to drive to Monaco? We’ll stay for a few days. I’ll take you to the
track where we practice. I want to show off my gorgeous wife to the team. I love this new life with you, Clara.”

I love it, too, her soul cried out in fresh anguish. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part, but Valentino
did
seem happier lately, more relaxed. It couldn’t all be an act, could it? Not after they’d come close to making love—unless he was carrying his husbandly duty to the extreme.

She’d lived with him long enough to know he was capable of doing anything to make life more enjoyable for her. Knowing her days were numbered, would he go that far? To add to her torment, Silvio’s silent questions kept flashing through her mind.

Is he in love with you
,
Clara
?
Did he say those words to you
?
Because if he didn’t
…

They landed without incident in the middle of another country road. The van was waiting there to take them back to their car. She shook the men’s hands. “
Grazie
,
signori
. It was
stupendo
.”

On the return trip to the villa Valentino said, “While you pack, I’ll go by the restaurant and talk to Papa and Isabella so they know our plans.”

Clara nodded. “Would you like me to put some things in a suitcase for you?”

He kissed the end of her nose. “I’d like that very much. So far there’s nothing about our marriage that doesn’t make me happy. I can’t think why I waited so long. Do you have any complaints?”

“Except for the fact that you fish for compliments when you don’t need to, you know I don’t. Thank you for another wonderful experience I’ll never forget.” On that note she leaned over to peck his jaw, then got out of the car and hurried inside the villa to get ready for their trip.

Unless something unforeseen happened, she wasn’t going to die today, tomorrow, or even next week. That meant she should make the most of living on the borrowed time dialysis was granting her.

When they reached Monaco, she would forget her illness and love Valentino in all the ways he would allow her. If they both used protection, there would be no worry about her getting pregnant.

Clara had loved him her whole life, but today she realized she was a woman
in love
. She couldn’t go back to their platonic relationship. Not now. It wasn’t possible.

On the way to the restaurant Valentino’s thoughts were on Clara and the way she’d clung to him during their balloon ride. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. For purely selfish reasons this countdown needed to come to an end.

He reached for his phone to let his sister know he was coming, but realized he’d left it on the dresser back at the villa. It didn’t matter. When he parked out back and joined Isabella upstairs, he found her still in the apartment making breakfast for their father. The timing was perfect. Valentino could eat with him while she went to market.

As he entered the kitchen it struck him how warm and colorful she’d made the apartment. The place looked lived in and comfortable, the antithesis of his villa in Monaco as well as the one he was living in now. He discovered he couldn’t wait to move into his own farmhouse with Clara.

On top of the upright piano in the corner his sister had put photographs of their mother and the family. He wandered over to it and studied the likeness of her he remembered best. Because of a certain conversation with Clara, his stomach didn’t clench as it usually did. His wife had changed him so much already, he didn’t know himself.

“Izzy?” He headed into the dining room where she’d set the table. “I’m taking Clara to Monaco with me for a couple of days. I have to meet with my sponsor. He knows I’ve quit racing, but I’d like to tell him in person.”

“Is she well enough to travel?”

“The nightly dialysis has made a new woman of her.”

Her eyes watered. “I’m so glad, but waiting for a kidney must be so hard on both of you.”

“We’ve been doing our best not to think about it.” Valentino didn’t tell her that he was waiting for a phone call from Dr. Arno with the results of his own tests.

“Trust me to bring it up.”

He gave her a hug. “Thank you for caring so much. I didn’t want to leave town without telling you and let you think I was deserting you again.”

She shook her head. “I wouldn’t think that, but I’m glad you’re here. Papa’s been asking about you. I’ll get him.”

“Let me do it,” he interjected. “You go. I’ll take care of him until you get back.”

“Thanks. I realize you’re anxious to get going so I won’t be more than a half-hour.”

“Perfect.”

Once she was out the door, he walked down the hall and knocked on his father’s bedroom door. “Papa?”

“Is that you, Valentino?”

He always said that, even though he knew who it was on the other side. “Who else? I came to eat breakfast with you.”

“Ah—I’m coming.”

“Don’t forget your cane.”

“No one will let me forget it!” he grumbled as he emerged in his tan trousers and matching sport shirt. His eyes stared at Valentino. “How is your Clara?”

“Good, all things considered.”

His father’s progress was slow. They finally reached the dining room and sat down at the table where Isabella had left warm rolls, fruit and cappuccino. Valentino helped adjust the chair for him and rested his cane against the table leg.

“She’s a brave woman. Noble, too.”

“That’s an interesting choice of words, Papa.” Valentino had thought the same thing about her, but didn’t expect to hear his father express it.

“Well, isn’t she? The way she carries on with that sunny disposition makes me ashamed of the way I’ve been complaining.” He cleared his throat. “While we’re alone, I want to tell you how proud I am of you for taking such good care of her.”