Reunited By A Shock Pregnancy

‘Come and dance with me for old times’ sake.’ Danny stood up and walked around the table.

Sienna hesitated, unable to explain to herself why she felt reluctant to take his hand. ‘I expect you want to dance with your wife.’

‘Victoria is dancing with her father.’ Danny tugged her out of her chair and led her over to the dance floor. He kept hold of her hand and slid his other arm around her waist. ‘We were good friends when we were younger, weren’t we? Do you remember when a group of us hired a river boat for the day in York and you fell in?’

‘You pushed me in.’

‘Ah, but I jumped in and rescued you, didn’t I?’ Danny went on to recount other stories from their youth, and Sienna was soon laughing at the memories. She had got to know Danny when he had been a regular at her father’s pub where she’d served behind the bar most evenings and weekends, saving up to go to university. Not that her father had paid her much for all the hours she’d worked, but at least while he was being obnoxious to her he had left her mother alone.

Danny De Conti and his public school friends had seemed glamorous and exciting compared to the local boys from the village.

‘Danny’s not bad looking, but his older brother is drop-dead gorgeous,’ the other barmaid, Becky, had told Sienna. ‘Domenico spends much of his time in Italy, but my mum is a cook up at the hall and she heard that he’s coming home next week. By the way, Lady Mandeville is looking for a part-time cleaner and Mum says she’ll put your name forward if you like.’

Which was how, ten years ago, Sienna had been mopping the kitchen floor at Sethbury Hall when Nico had walked in, his riding boots leaving footprints where she had just cleaned. ‘Mi dispiace,’ he’d murmured with barely a glance at her. But then he’d stopped and turned to stare at her, the faint frown between his eyebrows not marring the masculine beauty of his face. ‘Who are you?’

She had been struck dumb; dazzled by the handsome, bronzed god who had materialised in front of her and could not possibly be real. She’d blinked but he had still been there, tall and strong-looking, his exotic appearance emphasised by his golden skin and unexpected brilliant blue eyes. As she’d stared back at him, a slow smile had lifted the corners of his gorgeous mouth and her heart had raced.

‘Perhaps you are not real and that’s why you don’t have a name,’ he’d teased. ‘But if you are real your feet must be wet.’

Confused, she’d glanced down and discovered that the mop was dripping water over her trainers. ‘I’m Sienna,’ she’d blurted out, mortified when he’d run his eyes over her faded jeans and tee shirt. All her clothes had been years old but she hadn’t had money to buy new, fashionable stuff like the other girls she’d known at school. Her tee shirt had been too tight, and because it had been a hot day she hadn’t bothered to wear a bra.

To her horror she had felt her nipples harden, but when she’d hurriedly crossed her arms in front of her she had seen a gleam in Nico’s eyes that had sent a delicious shiver through her. It had been the first time in her life that she’d felt desire, and in that instant she had become aware of her femininity.

‘My name is Domenico, but my friends call me Nico,’ he’d told her.

‘I know, sir.’ She’d suddenly remembered her lowly position and his exalted one. One day he would inherit Sethbury Hall and the title of Viscount Mandeville when his grandfather died.

He had laughed. ‘I very much hope you will call me Nico, Si-enna.’ Even the way he’d said her name had been sexy. ‘You can’t have wet feet for the rest of the day. Take off your shoes and we’ll sit in the garden while they dry. You can tell me why a girl as beautiful as you is working here.’

She had been seduced by Nico’s easy charm and his self-assurance that even back then had sat lightly on his broad shoulders. He had kissed her for the first time that same afternoon while they were sitting in the shade of a lilac tree covered with heavenly scented purple spires. Later she had walked home on air and even her father’s drunken bad temper couldn’t burst her bubble. She’d been in love with a handsome prince who she’d been sure would make all her dreams come true.

Right now, Nico looked as dangerous as the wicked wolf beloved of so many fairy tales. Time shifted to the present and Sienna found herself looking into the glittering gaze of her ex-husband. He was moving purposefully across the dance floor towards her, accompanied by the new Mrs De Conti.

‘Let’s swap. I don’t want to be accused of monopolising your delightful bride,’ he said to Danny, skilfully executing the change of partners before Sienna had time to object.

He swept her across the dance floor so fast that her head spun and her feet barely touched the floor. When she tried to ease away from him, he clamped his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him so that her breasts were crushed against his chest.

‘What are you doing?’ she muttered, struggling to speak with her face pressed against his shirt front. She could see the shadow of his dark chest hairs beneath the fine white silk. The heat of his body was melting her insides.

‘I could ask you the same question,’ he said in a terse voice, and when she glanced up at his face she realised that he was furious. ‘Did you come to Danny’s wedding to cause trouble?’

She was mystified. ‘What do you mean by trouble? What have I done?’

‘Did you give any thought to Danny’s new bride while you were flirting with him in front of the wedding guests?’

‘I was not flirting...’

‘You were all over him like a rash. Dio, you’ve got every male in the marquee panting over you. Why embarrass Victoria like that? Was it to prove that you can have any man you want, including my ass of a brother?’

Sienna sucked in a sharp breath, her temper rising to meet Nico’s. ‘You asked me to come to the reception,’ she snapped. ‘It’s ridiculous to make me out as some sort of man-eater. No one here is interested in me.’

‘I don’t believe you are unaware of the effect you have on men.’

‘I only have an effect on you.’ The words spilled from her mouth before she realised what she had said.

Nico tensed and stared at her, and the hunger in his eyes both excited and appalled her. He was her ex-husband and whatever there had been between them had died a long time ago, she reminded herself. So why did he make her feel dizzy and disconnected from reality?

She was barely aware of the other people on the dance floor. There was just Nico filling her vision and swamping her senses. He was even more dangerously handsome and charismatic than her memory of him but she was determined not to fall under his spell again.

CHAPTER THREE

SIENNA ATTEMPTED TO wrench herself out of Nico’s arms and glared at him when he tightened his hold on her waist. ‘I don’t want to dance with you,’ she told him, her fury mixed with panic that she could not control her response to him. She was tempted to dig one of her stiletto heels into his foot. ‘You can’t make me.’

‘Do you want to put that to the test?’ He laughed softly at her fulminating look. ‘You did not have such a fiery temper when you were my wife.’

‘At eighteen I was too in awe of you to say boo to a goose. But I grew up and I’m no longer the girl who worshipped the ground you walked on.’

‘You’ve certainly changed. You are more confident and assertive, and very sexy, cara.’ The unholy gleam in his eyes was part teasing and part male admiration that sent another sizzle of heat through Sienna. Nico dropped his hands from her waist and perversely she wished he was still holding her.

They had reached the door of the marquee, and when she followed him outside she took a deep breath to steady her racing pulse. In midsummer the days were long, and although it was past nine o’clock, darkness was only just falling, turning the sky a soft purple hue. The air was warm and sultry, filled with the mingled scents of roses and lavender that grew in wide beds in the garden. In the distance there was an ominous rumble of thunder.

‘I should go.’ As she spoke, Sienna checked her watch. She would have to walk back to the village where she had left her car, and it would be completely dark when she drove across the moors to pick up the main road that led to the motorway.

‘Come up to the house for a drink.’ Nico’s voice was casual, but when she glanced at him, something about his intent expression made her heart miss a beat.

‘I can’t,’ she said quickly before she gave in to the temptation to spend another hour with him. It was unlikely she would ever see him again after tonight and she resented the little pang her heart gave. She was so over him, she reminded herself sternly. ‘I had a glass of champagne when we toasted the bride and groom and I’ll be over the limit to drive if I have any more alcohol. Besides, it’s a good five-hour trip back to London.’

He frowned. ‘You can’t make that long journey tonight. Why didn’t you book a hotel room?’

She shrugged, not wanting to admit that she’d made a spur-of-the-moment decision that morning to drive to Much Matcham because she’d mistakenly believed that he was getting married and she had been curious about his choice of bride. ‘No rooms were available at The George, or at any of the local B & Bs. I suppose they were all booked by the wedding guests. If I’m tired on the way home, I’ll stop at a motorway services hotel.’

‘You can spend the night here at Sethbury Hall.’ Nico gave her a speculative look when she stared at him. ‘Why not?’

‘I can think of several reasons why it would be a terrible idea for me to spend the night with you.’

‘As a matter of fact I was going to suggest that you sleep in one of the guest rooms,’ he drawled. The amusement in his voice caused a hot stain of embarrassment to flare on Sienna’s cheeks and she was furious with herself for jumping to the wrong conclusion. ‘To satisfy my curiosity, why would it be a terrible idea for us to sleep together? We are attracted to each other and we’re both consenting adults.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ She shook her head and tried to dismiss the erotic images in her mind of Nico making love to her on his huge four-poster bed.

The gleam in his eyes made her wonder if he could read her thoughts. ‘What are you afraid of?’ he asked softly.

That you will break my heart for a second time.

‘I’m not afraid of anything,’ she snapped. ‘I simply think it’s a bad idea.’ She hated that he tied her in knots and without another word she swung round and started to walk along the gravel path that wound around the side of the house. But she had only taken a few steps when a thunderclap shattered the still air. The noise was as loud as an explosion and Sienna jumped when a bolt of lightning zigzagged like a white scar through the sky that had turned black as the storm clouds mustered. And then the rain fell; big, hard raindrops that stung her bare shoulders and arms.

In seconds it was a deluge. Nico grabbed her hand. ‘Come on,’ he shouted above the crash of thunder. Half-blinded by the torrential rain, she clung to his hand as they raced up the stone steps and across the terrace. Nico opened the French doors and pulled her behind him into the drawing room. Sienna barely noticed her surroundings. She was soaked to the skin and her dress clung to her body. Following Nico’s gaze, she glanced down and saw that her nipples were jutting provocatively through the wet silk.

He had closed the glass doors and the noise of the thunderstorm outside was muted. But inside the room a different storm raged. The sexual tension sparked between them and Sienna’s skin prickled; every one of her nerve-endings acutely aware of him.

Nico took off his jacket and threw it carelessly over the back of a chair. He shoved a hand through his wet hair and prowled across the room towards her, as predatory as a sleek and very dangerous jungle cat. He stood in front of her, so close that the flames of desire in his eyes scorched her and she could not repress the shiver of anticipation that ran through her.

‘Are you cold?’ His eyes were fixed on her breasts and Sienna lost the battle with herself.

‘I’m burning up,’ she admitted in a husky voice she did not recognise as her own. Maybe she was crazy. All right, she was definitely crazy, but she could not make herself step away from Nico. She had wanted him from the moment she’d seen him in the church today. But she was no longer a shy eighteen-year-old, she was a confident woman who knew her own mind and was in every way his equal.

Although Sienna was wearing four-inch heels Nico towered over her. She watched his head descend and impatience swept through her. Pushing herself up onto her toes, she grabbed hold of his tie and pulled his mouth down onto hers. Just like when they had been in the church, the kiss exploded between them as their mouths fused together. He wrapped one arm around her waist and threaded the fingers of his other hand through her hair, cupping her nape and tugging her head back to allow him to plunder her lips with the mastery that was an integral part of Nico De Conti.

Sienna couldn’t resist him. She had never been able to, she acknowledged. He was a sorcerer and when she was in his arms she was enchanted by his sensual magic. His kiss stole her sanity as he increased the pressure of his lips on hers and pushed his tongue into her mouth to explore her with mind-blowing eroticism.

She had missed him so much. Memories she’d tried to suppress for years burst into her mind like fireworks, silver and gold, shimmering and incandescent. The past merged with the present as she pictured them naked, their limbs entwined, his hands sliding over her body just as they were doing now. He eased away from her a fraction so that he could spread his fingers over her breasts and caress them through the silk of her dress. The warmth of his palms was intoxicating but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.

His jacket had taken the brunt of the rain when they had been caught in the storm, but his shirt front was damp beneath Sienna’s hands as she ran them over his chest. She could feel the heat of his body through the fine material and she tugged at the buttons, eager to touch his bare skin. Pulling his shirt tails from the waistband of his trousers, she gave a soft sigh as she spread the edges of the shirt wide and skimmed her fingertips over his bronzed, satin skin overlaid with whorls of silky black hair.

His hands were busy too, sliding up to tug the straps of her dress down her arms. ‘There’s a zip,’ she muttered against his mouth when he broke the kiss so that they could both snatch a breath. He gave a grunt and claimed her lips again, hot and hungry, seeking a response she had no thought to deny him.

She lifted her hands to his shoulders and felt him slide her zip down the length of her spine. He peeled her dress from her breasts and made a rough sound in his throat when he discovered that she was braless. He dragged his thumb pads over her taut nipples, making her gasp and shudder as sensation arced down her body to meet the ache between her legs.

‘You are exquisite,’ Nico said hoarsely, a hard glitter in his eyes as he stared at her firm breasts, each adorned with a dusky pink nipple standing erect. ‘Perfetto.’ Dull colour streaked along his sharp cheekbones and his features hardened, giving him a feral appearance that sent another shiver through Sienna.

‘Let me warm you.’ His voice was like rough velvet. ‘Hold on tight, cara.’ He scooped her off her feet, one arm around her waist and the other beneath her knees. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his throat, her tongue darting out to lick the faint saltiness of his skin. He tasted divine and, driven by an elemental need that only this man had ever evoked in her, she gently bit his neck.

‘Dio,’ he growled, his arms flexing around her as he strode out of the drawing room and across the hall. ‘Wait until we are upstairs and then you can bite me all you like. But be warned that I bite back.’

He carried her up the sweeping staircase as if she weighed nothing. On the landing, he paused and sought her gaze with his bright blue eyes that burned down to her soul. ‘My bedroom is along the corridor on the right, and to the left are the guest rooms. Your choice.’ His tone was as blank as the expression on his far too handsome face.

For a moment Sienna wished he had made the decision for her and simply carried her to his room. That way she could absolve herself of the guilt that she was shamefully weak where he was concerned. But she wasn’t the overawed girl who had married him, she reminded herself. Since their divorce she had taken control of her life and she was entirely capable of making her own decisions. She wanted everything that Nico could give her. For this one night only. A chance to come to terms with the past so that she could evict him from her mind and her heart once and for all.

‘Right,’ she said huskily, ignoring the voice in her head advising her to run as far and as fast from him as she could. He did not ask again, he simply turned and strode down the corridor, shouldered the door into his private suite and carried her through to his bedroom. Closing the door, he set her down on her feet and pulled her into his arms, his mouth seeking and finding hers in a kiss that was hotter and more urgent than anything that had gone before.

The top of her dress was bunched around her waist. Nico tugged the rain-soaked silk over her hips and the dress slithered to the floor, leaving her in just a pair of tiny knickers that were wet from her arousal. His hands were everywhere on her body, sliding down her back and shaping the curves of her bottom before he pushed one hand between her legs and cupped her sex through her damp panties.

She arched her hips towards him and he muttered something in Italian as he shoved her up against the door, his mouth still fused with hers. He kissed her until she was dizzy with desire, until nothing existed but Nico’s lips on her lips, her throat and then, at last, on her breasts as he sucked on one hard nipple and then the other.

Sienna gave a guttural cry; need pulsing through her as Nico tormented the sensitive peaks with his tongue. She skimmed her hands over his chest and flat abdomen, following the arrowing of dark hair that disappeared beneath his waistband. Hesitating for a second, she moved her hand lower and traced the hard outline of his erection straining beneath his trousers. His breath rasped in his throat, and when she lifted her eyes to his, the burning heat of his gaze added fuel to the fire inside her.

She fumbled with his zip, her knuckles scraping across his burgeoning arousal. Nico swore and pushed her hand away, yanking the zip down so that he could free himself from the constraint of his trousers and silk boxers.

Dear Lord, he was huge. Not that she had any personal experience of other men to compare him with, Sienna acknowledged. There had only ever been Nico. And it had been so long since she had felt him inside her. Molten heat pooled low in her pelvis at the thought of what she wanted him to do.

‘I need you now.’ She didn’t realise she had spoken aloud until he made a choked sound, halfway between a laugh and a groan.

‘It’s the same for me, cara. I can’t wait.’ He slid his hand down her body, pushed aside the scrap of lace between her legs and eased a finger into her wet heat. She almost went up in flames. The sensation of him swirling his finger inside her and gently stretching her, before he pushed a second digit into her opening, made her gasp and tense as the first ripples of an orgasm threatened to shatter the remnants of her control.

But she wanted more, and when she felt Nico’s rock-hard erection press between her thighs, her insides turned to liquid. He tugged her knickers down and she stepped out of them. ‘Wrap your legs around me,’ he muttered, his hands cupping her bottom cheeks as he lifted her off her feet. Sienna obeyed him mindlessly, compelled by a primal urge to take him inside her and let him possess her utterly.

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