LITMIR.BIZ

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might lose his dark self-image and know the amazing man he was.

      He was lying, dozing in the steamy water, but he opened his eyes when she walked in.

      Yes, that shy nervous beauty had gone, as had that guarded woman, yet her eyes were a bit wary, no doubt wondering as to her reception as, for the first time, she initiated things.

      ‘Do you be naked, Miss Abby?’ Matteo said in a servant’s voice and he held out a hand and helped her into the bath.

      ‘Enough of that talk, young Matteo,’ Abby said and any trace of awkwardness evaporated like the steam from the water as they made each other laugh. She sat between his big long legs as he eased himself up and she just wished they could stay in the bath for ever and that he would never have to leave.

      ‘Oh, and you be wearing that lovely necklace,’ he said. ‘Can I feel your jewels?’

      ‘You can.’

      His hand slipped under the water.

      ‘That’s a fine one there,’ Matteo said and he watched her bite on her lip.

      God, it felt good, Abby thought as he moved deeper inside and his legs hauled her closer towards him.

      ‘Can I show you something, Miss Abby?’ Matteo asked and she could only guess what it was.

      She was wrong.

      ‘Lose the voice,’ Abby begged. She didn’t want to play servants any more and, as she climbed on, Matteo completely forgot he’d been about to produce a ring.

      They couldn’t kiss, given his swollen mouth, and so she just held on to his shoulders and moved on him at whim and then bent her head and bit him on the shoulder and wished, how she wished, she’d seen it in Dubai.

      His fingers now dug into her buttocks and he said words that were going to really hurt her later, because he told her that he loved her.

      ‘And I want to be with you for ever,’ Matteo said.

      He was a liar, Abby knew. He would say anything to win, and of course he did, as he pulled her down harder and faster. She was coming, and as he came he told her he loved her again.

      ‘You don’t play fair,’ Abby said, her head on his shoulder, feeling the last flickers of them, and then she pulled back and looked at the most complex man she could meet.

      ‘Can I show you something, Abby?’ Matteo said in his lovely, normal voice.

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘You have to get off,’ he said and, as she did, he added, ‘While you’re up...’

      He made her, dripping wet, get out of the bath and into his jacket.

      ‘I was going to show you this before you so rudely interrupted me,’ Matteo said as she took out a small wooden box that was different, yet somehow the same, as the one she knew.

      ‘What this?’ Abby asked, opening the catch, and what she saw had her body tingle with goose bumps.

      ‘What does it look like?’

      ‘My necklace,’ Abby said. ‘Except it’s a ring.’

      It was the most beautiful emerald that she had ever seen, and the setting was the same as the necklace that they had fought over.

      The necklace that had brought them together, even if it had torn them apart for a while.

      ‘You had this made for me.’

      ‘No,’ Matteo said. ‘I was walking past a shop... Yes.’ He stopped teasing her. ‘I had it made for you when I got back from Monte Carlo. I was going to tell you about the necklace and your father, tonight, in fact, and then I was going to give you this...’

      How badly she had judged him.

      She went to slip it on to her middle finger but it was too small.

      ‘It’s not a dress ring, Abby...’ Matteo said and there was no tease in his voice. ‘It’s an engagement ring.’ All joking was aside. He was as nervous as he’d expected to be, not because of what he was asking her—Matteo knew what he wanted. He was nervous that his past, that his father, that the doubts his own grandfather had about him, that he had had about himself, might have crept into her.

      ‘You want to marry me?’ She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

      ‘More than want to marry you,’ Matteo said. ‘I have to have you in my life. I was going to ask you tonight.’

      ‘I thought it was just dinner.’

      ‘Just dinner?’ Matteo checked. ‘Or did you want sex too?’ he said and Abby smiled as he pulled her back into the bath.

      ‘I wanted sex too,’ Abby said.

      ‘And?’ Matteo pushed.

      ‘Some more time,’ Abby said but then she looked at Matteo and days, weeks or months could never have been enough. ‘I hoped for more but I never dreamt of this.’

      ‘Dream bigger, then,’ Matteo said. ‘And when you can’t, then I’ll do it for you.’

      He always had.

       EPILOGUE

      ‘ABBY!’ MATTEO WAS very firm. ‘You don’t have to give the necklace to him. It was your mother’s.’

      ‘I want your grandfather to have it though.’

      They were in his car, outside the Di Sione mansion, and Abby took the necklace out of its box and held it in her hands. She looked at the stunning emeralds, the colours that she had based her racing team on, only the necklace wasn’t her mother. She didn’t need jewels to remember Anette.

      ‘I can remember the arguments,’ Abby said with a wry smile. ‘Not the one where he gave her this, but that was what my father did time and again. As beautiful as this necklace is, there weren’t many happy memories attached for my mother. I know she’d be thrilled to make your grandfather happy. Clearly it means an awful lot to him.’

      ‘It does,’ Matteo said. ‘I don’t really know why.’

      ‘Why don’t you ask him?’

      ‘One day,’ Matteo said.

      Except those days were running out, Matteo thought as Abby carefully placed the necklace back into its box.

      ‘Come on,’ Abby said.

      ‘You’re sure you want to do this?’ Matteo asked.

      Only he wasn’t asking about the necklace this time.

      ‘I’m certain.’

      It had been two weeks since that terrible row when they’d both thought they had lost everything.

      These were different times now.

      Matteo knocked and then he let them into the house he had grown up in and smiled to Alma, who was walking towards them and beaming.

      ‘You look beautiful,’ she said to Abby and then she looked at Matteo. ‘You’ve shaved!’

      ‘I have.’

      ‘Signor Giovanni’s all ready for you,’ Alma said. ‘He’s in the main lounge. Shall I let him know that you’re here?’

      ‘No.’ Matteo shook his head. ‘We’ll go straight through.’

      Matteo was nervous, wondering how his grandfather would react, not just to the necklace—Abby was the first woman he had brought to his grandfather’s home.

      ‘Matteo...’ Giovanni went to stand but Matteo told him to save his energy and went over and kissed him on both cheeks.

      ‘Nonno, this is Abby...’

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