CHAPTER THREE

      SERGIO WAS SITTING at the table with the best view of the river, sipping a glass of Scotch on the rocks and doing his best to relax, when his phone rang.

      His heart jumped, his gut twisting into knots as he glanced at the caller ID, a wave of relief hitting him with the force of a tsunami. Because it wasn’t Alex, ringing again to say they would be even later. The caller ID was blocked. Which meant it was Bella, calling him back. Thank God. Sergio suspected he would not have been able to sleep tonight if she hadn’t. He would have had to do something really ridiculous, like hire a private investigator to find out her number, or her address. Or some way of contacting her.

      How pathetic was that?

      Truly, Sergio, get a grip!

      But it was futile advice, his fingers tightening around the phone as he lifted it to his ear. But his voice—when he spoke—sounded wonderfully calm and seemingly relaxed. ‘Hello, Bella.’

      ‘Heavens! How did you know it was me?’

      ‘You blocked your ID,’ he explained. ‘No one else who uses my private number does that.’

      ‘Oh, I see...’

      ‘So what happened earlier? Why did you hang up?’

      ‘Sorry about that. But Mum suddenly came to my door and I didn’t want her to know I was ringing you.’

      Sergio was truly taken aback. ‘Your mother lives with you?’

      ‘Lord, no. I live by myself in New York. But I came back to Sydney a few days ago for a holiday. More fool me,’ she added drily. ‘Look, have I called you at a bad time? Are you too busy to talk? Where are you? I can hear quite a bit of noise in the background.’

      A loud group of men had just passed by Sergio’s table.

      ‘I’m in a restaurant, waiting for some friends of mine to arrive. But they’re running late. London traffic is not conducive to punctuality.’

      ‘New York’s just as bad. So you’re still living in London?’

      ‘I bought an apartment here,’ he told her, wondering what she was getting at. He was also beginning to see that his earlier concern for her welfare had been ridiculous. But that was typical of his reactions where Bella was concerned. They were always over the top and dangerously lacking in logic.

      ‘So how can I help you, Bella?’ he asked, knowing full well that her problem would be nothing like he’d been imagining.

      ‘I was wondering...do you still have that villa on Lake Como? You didn’t sell it after your father passed away, did you?’

      ‘No. I would never sell the villa. It’s been in the Morelli family for generations. Why?’

      ‘I...I need to get away, Sergio. Somewhere private and peaceful. I was hoping to rent it from you for two or three weeks. Maybe even a month.’

      ‘I see,’ he said, suppressing his annoyance with difficulty. If she wanted to rent a damned villa on Lake Como there were plenty on the market. Why ask for his? One part of him wanted to tell her to go to hell. But that other part—the one that still wanted her, despite everything—could not resist the opportunity to see her again. In the flesh. Her absolutely gorgeous exquisite flesh.

      ‘So when would you be wanting to stay there?’ he asked, casually.

      ‘Straight away,’ she said. ‘Or at least as soon as I can get there. Like I said, I’m in Sydney at the moment.’

      At her mother’s house, he thought bitterly, the one his father had generously given to that gold-digger as part of their divorce settlement.

      ‘I gather that Dolores won’t be coming with you to the villa, then?’

      ‘Good God, no. I want to come alone.’

      That shook him, since he had presumed that she would be coming with her latest lover. Suddenly, Sergio could not contain a rush of dark excitement. He’d never pursued Bella over the years, despite his obsessive desire for her. And he could have, once he was older, especially after their wine bars had been such a great success and the money had started rolling in. After all, she was no longer his stepsister, no longer forbidden fruit. So why hadn’t he?

      For lots of reasons, he accepted. Pride mostly. He was Italian, after all. He would not have reacted well to rejection. Running after a woman—any woman—was not his style. Running after the daughter of the gold-digger who’d broken his father’s heart would have felt like the ultimate betrayal, plus the height of stupidity. After all, the apple never fell far from the tree, did it? If Bella had responded to his advances, he would never have been sure if her feelings were real, or faked, especially after he’d become seriously rich.

      But this was different. Her placing herself in his debt made it different.

      ‘I’m sorry, Bella,’ he said, relishing his moment of power over her, ‘but I can’t let you rent the villa any time soon. I’m going to be staying there myself all during July.’

      ‘Oh,’ she said, conveying a wealth of disappointment and dismay in that one word.

      ‘But you can stay there with me free of charge,’ he offered. ‘If you don’t mind having a bit of company.’

      ‘Just you?’ she said, sounding slightly hesitant. ‘I mean...you won’t have anyone else there with you?’

      ‘No. Just me. And Maria, during the daytime.’

      ‘The same Maria who used to do the cooking and cleaning back in the old days?’

      ‘The one and the same. But she doesn’t live in now. She’s married and lives in a nearby village with her husband, Carlo. He does the garden, when it needs to be done, and the pool, during the summer. Maria comes in regularly when someone is staying there. Which isn’t all that often since my father passed away.’

      Her sigh sounded sad. ‘I still feel terrible about your father.’

      Sergio gritted his teeth. He didn’t want her apologising again.

      The sight of Alex and Jeremy entering the foyer brought Sergio to a quick decision. ‘I’m sorry to cut you off, Bella, but my friends have just arrived. If you could give me your phone number, I promise I’ll ring you back later this evening and we’ll make concrete plans.’ A quick mental calculation reassured him that it would still be morning in Australia, even at midnight in London. ‘Meanwhile, book a flight to Milan and get yourself packed. And for pity’s sake, don’t tell your mother where you’re going. In fact, don’t tell anyone where you’re going. I don’t want the paparazzi hovering over the villa in a helicopter trying to get a shot of the infamous Bella and her latest lover, okay?’

      ‘What? Oh, yes, yes, I see what you mean. They do like to jump to conclusions, don’t they? Especially about me. I promise I won’t tell a single soul. Gosh, you’ve no