Falling for the Brooding Italian (Hot Italian Nights Book 6) Read online

  FALLING FOR THE

  BROODING ITALIAN

  Annie West

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events, businesses, companies, institutions or locations is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2017 by Annie West

  Cover Design by The Killion Group

  ISBN: 978-1-947414-06-8

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever, including information storage and or retrieval systems, without the express written permission from the author, Annie West, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  Licence notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Dedication

  To all the readers who’ve enjoyed my Hot Italian Nights Series and asked for more!

  And once again, thank you to Guisy C!

  OTHER HOT ITALIAN NIGHTS NOVELLAS

  Back in the Italian’s Bed

  Bought by the Italian

  Bound to the Italian Boss

  The Italian’s Bold Reckoning

  At the Italian’s Bidding

  To find out about these or any other of Annie’s stories,

  Visit her website

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  for advance notice of new releases, giveaways and behind the scenes info

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  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ABOUT ANNIE

  EXCERPT FROM ‘BACK IN THE ITALIAN’S BED’

  CHAPTER ONE

  * * *

  The first time Amber Moncrieff met Aurelio De Laurentis he didn’t speak to her, just nodded during the introductions, then proceeded to brood silently from the other side of the wide conference table.

  Yet she’d felt his eyes bore into her through every stage of her presentation. His scrutiny sent trails of heat snaking through her body to all sorts of secret places. It made her feel nothing like a public relations professional but definitely all woman.

  The second time they met, at a wine expo, she’d felt him before she’d seen him. Every nerve ending had gone onto high alert, the blood rushing faster in her arteries as she turned and found him surveying her across the room, while he talked with the American CEO of a huge multi-national beverage consortium. Amber discovered later that the CEO had tried and failed to acquire De Laurentis Wines.

  The Italian’s stare as it met hers had been unreadable. Yet it made her lower body soften and a hollow ache start up deep inside. She’d known, with the certainty of a woman used to male attention, that sooner or later Aurelio De Laurentis would cross the room and try to separate her from the group she was with.

  She was still deciding whether she’d let him, when she discovered she was completely wrong. He’d left the expo and didn’t come back.

  Amber had been left…unsettled, her body humming with tension as if she’d come too close to high voltage wires.

  The third time their paths crossed, the evening began with them seated at the same table at a wine industry awards night and ended with them in bed together. It was a week before they parted and during that time they barely left the hotel.

  Amber was determined the fourth time would be different.

  It had to be. Too much rode on this.

  She gripped the wheel of her small rental car tighter as she followed the autostrada north out of Rome, towards Aurelio’s vineyard. She told herself determination made her tense. Yet there was a swell of nausea in her stomach too, a flare of nerves. For she’d proved herself far too vulnerable to Aurelio.

  She’d thrown caution out the window in response to the invitation glittering in his dark eyes. He’d given her pleasure, so much pleasure! And excitement.

  And he’d hurt her terribly when he’d walked away.

  This time she wouldn’t let herself be seduced by those black-as-night eyes and the earthy sensuality that seeped from every pore of his hard, masculine body.

  This time she’d be careful. As careful as she’d always been, before Aurelio De Laurentis swept her off her feet and between his sheets.

  This time she wouldn’t be readily available for sex, or so easily ignored afterwards. It still stung, remembering how he’d left her without a backward glance. There’d been not even a text in the intervening six weeks. It was like those seven days sharing the most incredible intimacies and the most exquisite joy had never happened.

  It more than stung. Amber had felt humiliated and confused. Worse, even now when anger fizzed in her blood, the pain of loss was constant.

  Amber’s mouth flattened in a tight line. She had no-one to blame but herself. He’d made no promises. On the contrary, he’d made it absolutely clear he wanted a short affair, no strings, no ties.

  It was exactly the sort of liaison Amber had always avoided. She didn’t do one night stands or casual hook ups, preferring relationships based on more than sex. Yet she’d found herself agreeing, overwhelmed by her response to the laconic, charismatic man who only had to look at her with that intense stare for her to burn up with need. She’d flung aside all caution, letting herself give in to a visceral attraction she’d never before experienced.

  A night had become two, become a week, and they’d shared so much. Aurelio had been open about his humble roots, his love of winemaking despite its challenges and his grand vision for his company. Amber had shared her own hopes for the future, her excitement about being in Italy, and rambled on about her family back home in Australia.

  She’d felt she knew him, as he knew her. Despite his initial comment about a no-strings affair, the bond between them grew strong. She’d even believed it grew stronger than the fierce, ever-present sexual attraction between them.

  She’d been wrong. He’d walked away and never thought of her again. Never once bothered to make contact. Her one call to his phone hadn’t been answered, though she’d rung at a time she knew he’d be in the office, dealing with paperwork. He’d chosen not to answer or call back.

  Amber’s teeth ground in sheer indignation. No matter what the circumstances, he owed her the courtesy of responding. She refused to be fobbed off. She’d thought better of him. She’d never imagined Aurelio could stoop to such rudeness, such callous disregard of her dignity, let alone her feelings.

  Her skin shrank back against her bones as she recalled how thoroughly and how easily he’d brushed her off. As if she, and what they’d shared, were nothing.

  Amber knew it was what he’d stipulated that first night, but it rankled. For somewhere between that first cataclysmic joining, hard up against the door of the hotel room, and the morning she’d woken to find him dressed, packed and on his way home, her heart had got involved.

  She firmed her jaw. Their fourth meeting would be different. This time they’d meet on her terms, not his.

  *

  Aurelio stared at the results of the latest stocktake. As he thought, they’d need more storage space soon. The issue was whether to expand here or further down the valley at the vineyard he’d just purchased. The vineyard that would allow him to increase yield and production to meet market demands, while ensuring quality remained high.

  He refused to sacrifice his standards for easy money despite the pressure for more, more, more. The company had made the transition from well-respected wines to phenomenal success, and high quality was the key.

  He sat back and rolled his shoulders, then stood to straighten stiff legs. The tiny room tucked in one corner of the winery was far too small for all the administrative work these days. Too small for a man as tall as he.

  But he liked being down here, at the heart of the winery, rather than in the new offices he’d installed as the business expanded. He loved the scents of old wood and ripe fruit, the shadows and shapes of vats and barrels, the continuity between him and those before him who’d toiled over this earth for generations, making the wine for which the region was renowned.

  He smiled, thinking of Paolo, the nuggetty, weathered man who’d been his boss and mentor, and was now his friend and partner. The old guy had worked hard for decades. He deserved the comfort of a padded seat and an endless supply of decent coffee while he took a break from vineyard work.

  If only Aurelio could convince him to take it easy more often.

  He glanced at his watch and grimaced. He was late for their meeting. Aurelio waved to one of the cellar hands, reminded him about a vat that needed cleaning, and strode out into the sunlight.

  Instantly his gaze went, not to the new tasting room and administrative building, but to the nearest slope of grapes. The precious bunches were already forming. With luck it would be anoth
er good season.

  Tempted as he was to detour to the vines, he headed for the building. Acquiring a new public relations and marketing consultant was critical. He and Paolo had narrowed the choice down to two front runners to win the contract. But since he was trying to get Paolo to slow down, not devote so much time to physical work, he’d left it to the old man, who had an instinct for people as well as vines, to make the final choice. That minor heart attack last year was a warning. If Paolo wouldn’t heed it, Aurelio did. By hook or by crook, he’d get his partner to spend more time off his feet.

  Paolo favoured the older, established firm. Not Aurelio’s first choice, but he knew the company would do an excellent job. The alternative, an energetic one-woman dynamo, wasn’t Paolo’s style.

  Aurelio’s step faltered. That choice was too fraught to consider.

  His thoughts slewed to Rome and the presentations he’d watched there.

  To Amber Moncrieff.

  His pace slowed even as his pulse picked up, his heart hammering an all-too familiar, needy rhythm against his ribs. Familiar because that’s what happened whenever he thought of Amber.

  She invaded his thoughts on a regular basis. Too regular.

  Sighing, he raked his hand across his scalp.

  He’d done the right thing, ending it.

  He had no regrets. She’d known the score, and so had he.

  Except it still felt like they had unfinished business. He’d left the city a month and a half ago and still he couldn’t settle into routine. It had taken far more willpower than it should have not to answer her call.

  Even as he’d known it was for the best, it hadn’t felt right. He might prefer burying himself in the demands of his vineyard to socialising, but he’d never before stooped to avoiding a call.

  As if he was worried he wouldn’t be able to maintain his distance if he heard her voice, soft and beckoning in his ear!

  Grimacing, Aurelio headed into the new building. He was torn between relief and disappointment that he wouldn’t see her again.

  If there’d been any chance that Amber would win the job, he’d never have slept with her. She’d known by then that she’d missed out on the contract, for he’d made no secret of the fact Paolo was in detailed discussions with the rival firm. Knowing Paolo, Aurelio had understood it was simply a matter of time before the larger company came on board. Which meant there’d been no conflict of interest between work and desire when he and Amber spent that week together.

  In that time Amber hadn’t once mentioned marketing. But then they’d both had other things on their minds.

  It had been hard leaving her. Surprisingly even harder to sever all contact. But their break had to be absolute.

  No ties, no emotional complications. That’s how he needed it. It was the only way he could operate.

  Aurelio marched into the building, feeling out of sorts, only to slam to a halt as his nostrils caught an unexpected scent. Honeysuckle and sunshine.

  He frowned, his senses going into overdrive.

  He was imagining things, he had to be.

  One of the office workers was trying out a new perfume, that’s all. Except this wasn’t just honeysuckle. There was added depth to the aroma. A depth that reminded him of summer but, he’d assumed, was something to do with the reaction of the scent on warm, female flesh. Amber’s warm flesh to be precise.

  Shaking his head, Aurelio strode down the corridor to the meeting room. The woman had even sabotaged his sense of smell — a vital tool for a winemaker!

  Husky laughter caught his attention, the sound swirling like early morning mist around his tight chest. Heat flared, bright and powerful, in his belly, radiating through him, making him overwarm in the pullover he wore while working in the cool winery.

  Yet the skin at his nape prickled. That laugh—

  ‘That will teach you to use a satnav. Give me an old-fashioned map any day. It’s a wonder you found us.’ Paolo’s gruff voice sounded indulgent.

  Aurelio stepped into the room just as a woman spoke. ‘Oh, there’s nothing like a little adventure. You wouldn’t like life to be too boring, would you?’

  He froze, mid-step, head jerking round to the woman who stood with Paolo near the window, looking at the hillside vineyard.

  Something sharp plunged through Aurelio, like a dagger slicing through his internal organs, leaving a terrible, yawning ache.

  Amber!

  What the hell had Paolo done?

  Aurelio blinked but the vision before him stayed unchanged.

  The woman with her back to him wore a sleeveless, white dress that should have looked plain but somehow appeared sophisticated and sexy. Maybe because of the way it hugged her slim curves, or perhaps because it ended so high on her thighs.

  Aurelio swallowed jerkily. It felt like someone had sandpapered his throat.

  His gaze tracked down endless, perfect legs to high heels that stirred something unwanted in his gut.

  Desire.

  But it wasn’t just the sexy shoes. It was the dress, the curves, the legs. Hell, it was Amber. Everything about her was designed to drive a man into meltdown. Even the tender curve of her neck since she’d secured her glossy dark hair high. Aurelio recalled how her hair had felt, soft and silken against his skin, drifting around his thighs as she—

  ‘He’s late. I’m sorry. He loses track of time when he’s in the winery.’ Paolo sounded gruffer than ever.

  ‘That’s understandable.’ Her voice was low, designed for seduction. ‘It takes dedication to produce such superb wines.’

  Aurelio must have moved, must have made a noise, because abruptly she swung round.

  Something slammed into his chest. Something powerful enough to flatten his lungs and steal his breath.

  Elegant bones. Ebony lashes and eyebrows that were arresting when teemed with silvery grey eyes. Neat, even features, and a mouth, full and ripe, that almost made him groan aloud.

  Amber’s was a classic beauty that would make any man keep looking. But Aurelio knew so much more about her, all intriguing, all attractive. Her fiery passion, the exquisite sensitivity of her body, the intriguing mind that lay behind those cool looks…

  He was scuppered, he realised with a sinking feeling.

  In an instant all his certainties, all his control, teetered on the edge of smashing to smithereens.

  Because there was only one certainty when he looked at this woman.

  Want. Pure, simple want.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * * *

  Amber’s stomach fell abruptly, as if she plunged from the very top of a massive rollercoaster to the bottom. At the same time her heart raced to a quicker beat, her breath stalling in her lungs then starting up again, rapid and shallow.

  One look was all it took.

  Every time it was like this.

  She’d hoped that by now, after he walked out on her, she’d have some immunity. But even anger was no protection against this primal response.

  Even if she could ignore the stark attractiveness of Aurelio’s strong features or the powerful masculinity of his tall, rangy frame, there was the memory of his surprising tenderness as he caressed her with those big, callused hands. The unexpected gleam of humour in those liquid dark eyes. The sense, still unbroken, that they shared far more than sex.

  Amber blinked. Even his hair, thick and dark, invited her touch. As for the hint of a cleft in each cheek, half hidden by stubble, she knew precisely how intriguing they became when he smiled. And that mouth…Aurelio’s mouth was sensual and well-shaped. The mere sight of it sent memories rushing through her, of those warm lips kissing her into mindless ecstasy.

  Shock, desire, longing smacked into her, rocking her back on her heels. She felt her eyes widen, her pelvis soften, and that instantaneous, unstoppable response gave her the strength she needed to meet his stare and lift her chin a notch. She refused to be a pushover for this man. Instead she stiffened her knees, ignoring the fact her legs felt as weak as overcooked tagliatelle.