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As for herself, she hadn’t realized how much of an actress she was until today. As she danced with Alex, she tried not to let everyone see how much he affected her. And he knew it, too. That confident, arrogant gleam in his eyes told her how much he knew it with every step they took.
“You look beautiful in that wedding dress,” he murmured, sending her heart pounding like a hammer.
“Thank you.”
“Was it something you just threw together?” he teased.
Her lips twitched. “Actually I designed it for the daughter of a billionaire, but the wedding was called off at the last minute so I got to keep the dress.”
“I hope they paid you for it.”
She glanced away then back again. “We’re still working on that” The father was being obstructive, which no doubt accounted for his billions.
Alex frowned. “Let me know if you need any help.”
Olivia couldn’t help it. She chuckled. “What are you going to do? Set the dogs on him?”
He grinned. “I could rough him up a little for you.”
She laughed again and his grin widened. Maybe it was from being whirled around the dance floor, but all at once she felt giddy—giddy with the pleasure of looking at him. Seconds ticked by, and the gleam in his eyes told her he felt something, too.
The music ended, giving her the chance to move out of his arms. Soon they stood talking to his two brothers and Olivia tried to look calm.
“How’s it feel to be an old married man now, Alex?” Nick Valente teased, his lips curved in a confident smile that must be a family trait.
Alex slid his arm around Olivia, pulling her close to smile down at her. “Can you blame me for wanting to tie the knot with this beauty?”
She felt herself flush, but drew her gaze away from Alex and found both Nick and Matt considering her with piercing eyes.
“No,” Matt drawled. “I can’t say I blame you at all.”
Olivia stared at all three men. Handsome was too tame a word for them. Yet it was more than just looks. It was an innate quality. They were men who knew who they were and what they wanted. Nothing would stop them.
She wondered if they suspected the sacrifice their older brother had made for them. Alex had told her they didn’t know about his father’s demand, but she wasn’t so sure they didn’t suspect something. It was there in the way both men looked at her, as if they didn’t trust any woman or her motives, and especially when that woman had hooked one of them in marriage.
Thankfully, Isabel came up to them with Cesare, sniffing back tears in an elegant manner. “Cesare, I can’t believe our eldest boy is now married.”
Olivia knew that Isabel was Alex’s stepmother, not his real mother, who had died when he was small, but by all accounts he considered Isabel his “true” mother.
Cesare glanced at Alex then away again. “Izzie, he’s a grown man, not a boy,” he said, a hint of gruffness in his voice that made Olivia look at him and wonder if he regretted forcing his son into this marriage. A moment later she came up against a new, determined look in the older man’s eyes that said his moment of regret had passed.
“Oh, Cesare,” Isabel lightly scolded. “I’m allowed to be sentimental today. I’m the mother of the groom.” She hugged Olivia. “And I have a beautiful daughter now, too,” she said, sending a warmth through Olivia that made her suddenly want to cry.
“Pity I didn’t see her first,” Nick joked, giving Olivia a slow wink.
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Alex said, pulling her in even closer against his hip, his voice totally serious. “She was mine from the moment I saw her.”
She gasped, even as Nick stared at Alex and held his gaze. Then whatever he saw had the middle brother nodding in agreement. “I believe you’re right.”
Olivia’s moment of warmth disappeared but before she could take them to task for their comment, Isabel said, “Stop it, you two. You’re embarrassing Olivia.”
But Olivia wasn’t embarrassed.
She was angry.
It was bad enough knowing she’d walked into this marriage with her eyes open, but making her sound as if she was something to be tossed back and forth between the brothers didn’t make her feel exactly civil toward them.
As if Isabel knew, she clicked her tongue and slipped her arm through Olivia’s, drawing her away from Alex. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go see your mother. She’ll be missing you.”
Olivia gladly let herself be taken away, but a few steps on, Isabel squeezed her arm. “Take no notice of them, Olivia. They’re fine men who get a bit carried away with their own self-importance at times.” She laughed lightly. “Their father’s the same.”
Olivia found herself smiling back. It was good to know Isabel understood. This Valente woman knew how to keep her man in line.
Then she realized she was one of the Valente women now. Would she be able to keep Alex in line? Unlikely. She’d probably go mad in the attempt.
Hours later Olivia had changed out of her wedding finery into a soft-pink suit. Alex had also changed out of his tuxedo into dark trousers and a sports jacket. Then they said their goodbyes, hopped in a limousine and headed for the airport, where a private jet would fly them up along the coast far north of Sydney to the Valente holiday home near Ballina.
“So,” Alex said, once they were in the air and comfortable on the luxurious leather chairs opposite each other. “You enjoyed our wedding?”
She gave a polite smile. “The venue was perfect. Thank you.”
“You were wrong about not being able to act. You did well.”
Her smile widened with self-derision. “Perhaps I should become an actress after all?”
His face closed up, his jaw clenching. “After our marriage is over. Not before.”
“I’m not sure your brothers were fooled.”
“Even if they suspected something, I won’t be telling.” Tension suddenly filled the air. “I suggest you stay away from them as much as possible.”
If they’d been a normal married couple she’d think he was a little jealous of her spending time with his brothers. As it was, it sounded as if he was just being possessive of her. She was his now.
Her lips tightened. “I don’t plan on spending any more time with your brothers than necessary.”
“Good.”
Their gazes held for a brief moment before she turned to look out the window. All at once she felt tired. The last thing she remembered was how exhausted she felt by everything.
She woke to find Alex leaning forward, his warm hand clasping her knee, gently shaking her awake. “We’re almost there,” he murmured, his eyes a dark smoky gray, his touch a caress that radiated upward along her thigh.
Quickly she pretended he wasn’t having an effect on her, but that was like pretending he didn’t exist. He did exist, and so did his touch. And knowing he’d been watching her sleep…
She shifted and he dropped his hand. “I hope I wasn’t sleeping with my mouth open,” she said, trying to keep things light.
He leaned back in his chair with a masculine smile that smoldered with awareness. “I’ll let you know tomorrow if you snore,” he drawled, his gaze dropping to the white camisole she wore beneath her jacket.
She could feel her nipples tighten and her cheeks heat up. “I’ve been told I don’t.” There!
His smile disappeared. His eyes flicked out the plane’s window then back. “We’ll be landing soon. Do you want to freshen up? There’s bound to be a photographer or two at the airport.” He sounded detached now.
She groaned inwardly, not wanting to be on show anymore today. “Didn’t they get enough pictures at the wedding?”
He shrugged.
She gave a nod of acceptance then stood, unnecessarily smoothing her skirt. “I’d better go make myself presentable.”
“You’re more than presentable,” he said, a throaty quality to his voice that made her want to break into a run.
Make that a sprint, she decided, ignoring Alex’s gaze down the length of her back as she calmly made her way to the bathroom. Once inside she collapsed back against the door. Whoever said love made the world go round hadn’t got it right. It was more sexual attraction that did that.
The sunset was beautiful as they departed the jet, but Olivia barely had time to notice as they walked through some camera flashes to another waiting limousine. She usually wasn’t unnerved by the media, but right now she was. At the wedding it had been different.
Less personal.
Now she suddenly felt off-balance and—dare she think it—out of her depth with everything. It was bad enough that Alex probably guessed how she was feeling, but she didn’t want the world to know it, too.
Twenty minutes later they drove along a winding road to a floodlit mansion. Set in a lush sub-tropical garden, the two-story house had wide verandas surrounding both top and bottom levels. Palms swayed in the light breeze off the crystal waters and tapped against the louvered-glass windows that covered most of the house.
An older Australian couple greeted them at the door to welcome them to Villa Valente and then Alex suggested she retire to the main suite where they would eat a late dinner.
“I have a couple of calls to make first. I’ll join you in about half an hour.”
She nodded with relief, looking forward to having some time alone as she followed Harriet up the stairs. They had a minor discussion about the wedding, and the older woman, who seemed very nice, showed her around the deluxe suite, which included a small intimate table set for two in the corner.
There was a pale-blue silk gown and matching robe draped on the king-size bed. “Is this from Alex?” Olivia asked, carefully keeping her voice blank, not sure if she liked him buying her clothes. It smacked too much of proprietorship.
“No. It’s a wedding gift from Martin and me.” Harriet’s face softened. “I know you’re a wonderful fashion designer, Mrs. Valente, but I thought you might like this as a personal gift from us. You don’t have to wear it tonight if you don’t want to.”
Olivia relaxed with a smile. “It’s lovely, thank you. And yes, I will wear it tonight.”
“It’s our pleasure.” Harriet walked to the door. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Olivia nodded, but as the door closed she looked down at the bridal lingerie that was even more glamorous than that she’d planned on wearing for Alex, the outfit he would take off her slowly and seduc tively, or perhaps in a hurry. She trembled with fear—not of him physically hurting her—but of him physically knowing her body.
But, she reminded herself, she’d marriedAlex today.
She’d made a promise to be his wife.
When she came out of the bathroom after showering, the man himself was standing near the table. He’d obviously showered in another bathroom then changed into gray trousers and a black polo shirt that made him look drop-dead handsome.
Heat flared in his eyes. “I didn’t think you could get more beautiful,” he rasped. “But you are.”
Giving an inner moan at the way she dissolved at his words, she shrugged. “Harriet and Martin bought it for me,” she said quickly, not wanting him to think she’d dressed like this totally for him. “I couldn’t not wear it.”
He held her gaze a moment more. “They have good taste.”
She stepped forward, looking at the table. “Speaking of taste, this all looks very delicious.”
He waited until she was closer then held out a chair for her. “Yes, it does. Nothing but the best for—”
“A Valente?” she quipped, taking a seat.
“I was going to say for you,” he murmured near her ear.
“Oh.” He was close behind her. She expected his hands to slide over her shoulders and she tensed, preparing for it, almost wanting it. But that was only because she wanted to get this out of the way, she told herself when he sat down opposite and passed her a glass of wine.
His glass clinked intimately against hers. “To us.”
She held his gaze, feeling herself flush. “To us.”
They both took a sip from their drinks, then Alex placed his glass on the table. “Now, what would you like to try first?” he drawled, a roguish glint entering his eyes.
She swallowed hard and tried to act sophisticated. Was he suggesting she try him?
Heavens, if he expected her to take the lead then he was in for a shock. There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t like to make love to him, including herself, but tonight she couldn’t quite bring herself to make the first move. She just wasn’t sexually experienced enough to be blasé about all this.
She swallowed past her dry throat. “The seafood salad looks nice.”
He shot her a knowing look. “Yes,” was all he said, then gestured for them to start helping themselves.
After that they ate and made idle conversation about the house, the weather, the food. It wasn’t a getting-to-know-you time but more a staving off of the inevitable—at least, for Olivia.
And then Alex took a slip of paper out of his pocket and pushed it across the table toward her. “Here’s a check for the rest of the money. I want you to have it now and not after we make love.”
His face was unreadable but something softened inside her, despite her pulse leaping all over the place. It was nice to know he was sensitive about her feelings.
“Thank you,” she whispered, leaving the check where it was for the moment. She’d paid half of his other generous check into her business account and half into her mother’s account in LA. It had held both banks at bay until she could cash this latest check.
As for Alex, any man who put his family first had to have some sort of sensitivity about him, she admitted, liking that he was doing this for his brothers, just as she was doing this partly for her mother. They at least had this in common.
And that reminded her.
She tilted her head at him. “Alex, I like your father. I think his heart’s in the right place.”
In a split second Alex’s jaw hardened. “You’ve known him five minutes and you figured that out, did you?”
Oh damn. She regretted saying anything now. Their moment of bonding had disappeared.
“Sometimes you don’t need to know a person long to know what they’re like,” she pointed out coolly. “You certainly made up your mind about me quickly enough.”
A heartbeat passed, then his hard mouth visibly relaxed and the sexy look in his eyes told her seduction was now on his mind. “Yes, I did, didn’t I?” Without warning, he reached across and lifted her hand in his, tugging her gently to her feet.
The breath stalled in her throat. Oh heavens. What had she started? “Alex, I—”
“And that’s because I know when something feels right,” he cut across her, pulling her the few steps toward him around the table, making her tremble, his intention obvious.
“Alex—”
