'As parties go this one is pretty amazi—I don't
believe it!' Claudia gasped incredulously.
'What don't you believe?' Bella prompted indulgently, her
sister having exclaimed over one wonder or another since the
family's arrival in San Francisco two days ago.
Although Bella had to admit that the view of the San
Francisco evening skyline from this private function room at
the top of one of its most prestigious hotels was pretty
spectacular. She could even see the Golden Gate Bridge lit
up in all its splendour.
'Wow! I mean—wow!' Claudia wasn't looking out of the
window but across the crowded room where the private party,
to introduce the two families of their cousin Brian and his
American fiancée Dahlia Fabrizzi, was taking place on
the eve of their wedding. 'But it can't really be him, can
it?' she queried as she frowned. 'Of course Aunt Gloria has
been dropping huge hints the last few days about Dahlia's
mother being well connected, but, still, I can't believe—'
'Claudia, will you for goodness' sake stop waffling into
your champagne and just—?' Bella broke off abruptly as
she turned to see who was holding her sister so enrapt, and
instantly recognised the 'him' Claudia had to be referring to.
Bella hadn't seen him for five years. Five years! And yet
she had no trouble whatsoever in recognising Gabriel Danti!
No! Claudia was right; it couldn't possibly be him, Bella
assured herself. Not here, of all places. It had to be an
illusion.
Or perhaps just a waking nightmare!
'It is him!' Claudia exclaimed excitedly as she
clutched Bella's arm. 'It's Gabriel Danti, Bella! Can you
believe it?'
No, Bella couldn't believe it. She didn't want to
believe it!
Maybe it wasn't him, just someone who looked a lot like him?
The height was the same, but the dark hair was much shorter
than Bella remembered. The eyes, although dark, were cold
and aloof despite the smile that curved those chiselled lips
as he was introduced to several other guests. The cleft in
the chin was also the same, but this man had a scar running
from beneath his left eye to his jaw to mar the harsh,
sculptured beauty of his face.
Bella remembered that Gabriel Danti had been photographed
sporting a long scar down the left side of his face when he
was discharged from hospital three months after the
horrendous crash that had put an end to his own racing
career and killed two of his fellow drivers.
Months after his accident, Gabriel Danti had returned to
Italy on the family owned jet, had been photographed as he
left the hospital, and then again as he entered the plane,
but had rarely been seen in public since. His racing career
over, he had turned his concentration on the Danti wineries
and seemingly retired from the playboy lifestyle he had once
so enjoyed.
'Do you remember those posters of him I had stuck all over
my bedroom walls when I was younger?' Claudia laughed.
Of course Bella remembered those posters—they had
given her the shivers for months following that night Bella
had spent with him, her relief immense once Claudia took
them down and replaced them with posters of one of the
bad-boy actors of Hollywood.
'He's gorgeous, isn't he?' Claudia sighed dreamily.
'Lovely,' Bella answered insincerely, watching the man
standing across the crowded room now talking to her uncle Simon.
He was several inches taller than her uncle, and had to bend
slightly in order to hear the older man's conversation. He
looked dark and mesmerising, his body lithe and obviously
fit in the black evening suit and snowy white shirt with a
black bow tie.
Could it really be Gabriel?
From the way his mere presence had ensnared the attention of
all the female guests at the party Bella could well believe
it was him. She just didn't want it to be!
'His hair's shorter, of course— Oh, look, he favours
his left leg…' Claudia sympathised as their cousin
Brian moved with the man to introduce him to several members
of his own family who had made the trip over for the wedding
tomorrow.
'His legs were badly crushed in the accident five years ago,
remember,' Bella murmured with a frown.
'You would have thought that all the Danti millions could
have fixed that,' her sister mused. 'You know, Bella,' she
added slowly, 'he reminds me of someone…'
'Probably Gabriel Danti!' Bella said sharply as she finally
came out of the dazed stupor that had held her firmly in its
grip, linking her arm with her sister's in order to turn
Claudia in the direction of the bar. 'Let's go and get some
more champagne.'
'Aren't you in the least intrigued to know if it is
him?' Claudia looked at her teasingly. She was of a
similar height to Bella, but her hair was a short, wispy cap
of ebony, the blue of her figure-hugging knee-length gown a
perfect match in colour for her eyes.
'Not in the least,' Bella dismissed firmly, deliberately
going to the farthest end of the bar away from the crowd of
people where the man who looked like Gabriel Danti was now
the centre of attention, several other people having drifted
over to join the group, obviously as intrigued as Claudia.
Claudia gave a husky chuckle of affection as they stood at
the bar waiting for their champagne glasses to be refilled.
'My big sister, the man hater!'
Bella raised dark brows. 'I don't hate all men—just
those that have gone through puberty!'
'Exactly.' Claudia grinned, her face arrestingly pretty
rather than classically beautiful. 'I wonder if I should go
over and say hello to Brian and see if he can introduce me
to— No, wait a minute…' Her attention
noticeably sharpened as she looked over Bella's shoulder. 'I
do believe our darling cousin is bringing him over to meet
us!' Her face brightened excitedly.
No!
Bella couldn't believe this was happening!
She didn't even want to look at a man who resembled Gabriel
Danti, let alone be introduced to him—
'And last, but not least, I would like you to meet the two
most beautiful women I know after Dahlia,' Brian said
affectionately behind her. 'Bella, Claudi, can I introduce
you to Dahlia's cousin, Gabriel Danti? Gabriel, my cousins,
Claudia and Isabella Scott.'
It truly was Gabriel Danti!
Bella couldn't breathe. Her mind had gone completely blank.
Her knees had turned to jelly. In fact no part of her seemed
to be functioning properly.
Luckily for her Claudia had eagerly grasped on to the
introduction, and was even now enthusing to Gabriel how much
she had enjoyed watching him during his career in Formula
One racing, giving Bella a little time to catch her breath
as she heard the familiar husky accented tones as he
murmured a polite but dismissive response.
Perhaps Gabriel wouldn't remember her? Bella thought
frantically.
Of course he wouldn't remember her!
Why should he remember the student of art and history called
Bella who had once shared his bed for the night?
From his lack of a phone call, she could only assume he had
forgotten her instantly!
'Bella…?' Brian prompted lightly as she still kept
her back firmly turned towards both him and his guest.
Bella drew in a deep, steadying breath, knowing that she had
no choice but to turn and face the man she so longed to
forget, as he had her.
***
Gabriel's expression was blandly polite as Isabella Scott
turned to face him. 'Miss Scott,' he greeted evenly as he
briefly took the cool slenderness of her hand in his before
releasing it. 'Or may I call you Isabella?'
'I—'
'Everyone calls her Bella,' Claudia put in helpfully.
'May I?' The icy darkness of Gabriel's gaze easily held
Bella captive.
Violet-coloured eyes were surrounded by thick dark lashes
the same colour as that wild cascade of hair down the
slender length of her spine…
Bella blinked before abruptly breaking the intensity of
Gabriel's gaze to focus on something across the room. 'Bella
is fine,' she answered him evenly.
Isabella Scott looked self-assured and incredibly beautiful
in an off-the-shoulder gown of the exact colour of her eyes,
and, if Gabriel was not mistaken, her small, pointed chin
was slightly raised in challenge as her gaze returned
questioningly to meet the intensity of his…
'More guests to greet,' Brian Kingston murmured
apologetically as he glanced across the room. 'Excuse me,
won't you, Gabriel? I'm sure Bella and Claudi will be only
too pleased to keep you entertained.' He shot a teasing
glance at the younger of the two cousins before turning and
making his way back across the crowded room to his
fiancée's side.
Gabriel's gaze was hooded as he continued to look steadily
at Bella. 'Will you?'
An irritated frown appeared between her eyes. 'Will I what?'
she prompted sharply.
'Be pleased to keep me entertained?' he drawled with cool
mockery.
Purple lights flashed in the depths of her eyes. 'Do you
need entertaining, Mr Danti?'
'In truth, I doubt I will be staying long enough for that to
be necessary,' he conceded.
Gabriel hadn't intended attending this party at all this
evening, but at the last moment his father had asked him to
represent the Danti side of the family, as he didn't feel
well enough to attend the party of his niece this evening as
well as her wedding tomorrow. Gabriel had reluctantly agreed
to come in his place, his intention to only stay long enough
to satisfy the proprieties.
At least, it had been…
Gabriel Danti wasn't staying long, Bella triumphed with
inward relief. 'I'm sure Claudia and I can manage a few
minutes' polite conversation, Mr Danti.'
Gabriel Danti gave a mocking inclination of his head before
turning his attention to Claudia. 'Are you enjoying your
visit to San Francisco, Claudia?'
Bella allowed her breath to leave her lungs in a soft, shaky
sigh as she at last felt herself released from the intensity
of Gabriel's dark, compelling gaze, and she took those few
moments of respite to study him more closely.
The man she had met five years ago had possessed the
broodingly magnetic good looks of his heavenly namesake.
Along with a lazy self-confidence and charm that was utterly
captivating, and a warm sensuality in those chocolate-brown
eyes that undressed a woman at a glance.
Or, in Bella's experience, made a woman want to undress for
him at a glance!
The man talking oh-so-politely to Claudia still possessed
those broodingly magnetic good looks—the livid scar
down the left side of his face only added a dangerous edge
to that attraction!—but his eyes were no longer that
warm and sensual colour of melted chocolate but were instead
a flat, unemotional brown, and the lazy charm and
self-confidence had been replaced with a cold and arrogant
aloofness.
As far as Bella was aware, Gabriel had never
married—although, in all honesty, Bella hadn't
particularly gone out of her way to learn anything about his
life in the five years since they had parted so abruptly.
What would have been the point? The two of them had shared
nothing more than a night of unimaginable and unrepeatable
passion.
'Would you care for a drink?'
Bella raised startled eyes to Gabriel's, frowning slightly
as she saw the glass he held out to her. Champagne. It would
have to be champagne, wouldn't it?
'Thank you,' she accepted stiltedly.
Gabriel watched beneath hooded lids as Bella's cheeks warmed
with colour as she took the fluted glass from him with a
deftness that prevented her fingers from coming into contact
with his.
His mouth twisted derisively as he asked, 'Is this your
first visit to San Francisco, too, Bella?'
'Yes.'
'You like the city?'
'Very much.'
'Have you done much sightseeing since your arrival?'
'Some, yes.'
Gabriel's gaze narrowed at the economy of her replies.
'Perhaps—'
'Excuse me for interrupting, Gabriel,' his cousin Dahlia,
tomorrow's bride, cut in lightly as she joined them, 'but my
brother Benito is anxious to become re-acquainted with
Claudia,' she added indulgently.
'Really?' The younger of the two Scott sisters glanced
across the room to where Benito stood watching her intently.
Bella felt herself begin to tremble as she was overwhelmed
with an impending sense of doom. If Claudia left then Bella
would be completely alone with—
'You don't mind, do you, Bella?' Claudia's eyes were glowing
with excitement. She had confided in Bella earlier today,
after being introduced to Benito the previous evening, that
she definitely wanted to get to know Dahlia's older brother
better.
Obviously the attraction was reciprocated—which didn't
help Bella in the least when she had no inclination
whatsoever to be left alone with Gabriel Danti!
'I assure you, Claudia, your sister will be perfectly safe
with me,' Gabriel replied with dry mockery before Bella had
a chance to say anything.
Bella shot him a glance beneath her long lashes. She still
had absolutely no idea whether or not Gabriel remembered her
from their night together five years ago— and she
didn't want to know, either.
She remembered him, and that was bad enough!
But before she could add anything to his reply Claudia gave
her arm a grateful squeeze. 'Thanks, Bella,' she whispered
before moving away to accompany Dahlia over to where the
dark and handsome Benito stood waiting.
The sudden silence the two women left in their wake seemed
deafening to Bella.
The room was full of people, at least a hundred or so of the
guests invited to the wedding tomorrow, all of them chatting
or laughing as they either renewed old acquaintances or met
new ones. And yet as far as Bella was concerned she and
Gabriel could have been alone on an island in the
Arctic—the air between them was certainly frigidly
cold enough for them to be on one!
'There is a more—private sitting area next to this one
in which we might talk,' Gabriel bit out abruptly.
Bella raised apprehensive eyes, knowing that wariness was
justified as Gabriel looked down his nose at her with a
glacial brown gaze, his mouth—the mouth she had once
found so sensually mesmerising!—flattened to a thin,
uncompromising line above that cleft chin.
She moistened suddenly dry lips. 'I'm perfectly happy where
I am, thank you, Mr Danti.'
His eyes became even more icy as he reached out and curled
his fingers compellingly about the top of her arm. 'It was a
statement of intent, Bella, not a question,' he assured her
grimly as he began to walk towards the exit, Bella firmly
anchored to his side, the stiffness of his left leg barely
noticeable.
'But—'
'Do you really want to have this conversation here, in front
of Dahlia and Brian's other guests?' he asked harshly as he
came to a halt halfway across the crowded room to look down
at her through narrowed lids.
Bella swallowed hard as she saw the unmistakeably angry
glitter in that dark gaze. 'I have absolutely no idea what
conversation you're referring to—'
'Oh, I think that you do, Bella,' he retorted menacingly.
Bella thought that she did, too!