Rush to the Altar

Laughter rumbled out of Riley. Nicco’s chuckles joined his as he scratched the ears of both dogs. Riley moved closer.

“This big boy here is Valentino. Put your hand out and he’ll give you five.”

Riley got down on his haunches and did as Nicco suggested. The boxer was almost human the way he hit his paw against Riley’s hand. More laughter ensued from both men.

The pug proceeded to run laps around Riley.

“Chloe, on the other hand, is a complicated lady who hates my helmet and doesn’t trust strangers. Give her time and she might allow you to rub her head, but don’t hold your breath.”

After she’d run out of steam, she sat there panting. Riley had made pets of several stray dogs in his youth. On impulse he put his hand on the ground and started walking it slowly toward the pug with his fingers.

The dog made a strange cry in her throat, then got down on her belly and shimmied toward his hand. Riley kept it going until the pug’s flat nose came up against his fingers. She butted at him several times, then turned over on her back in invitation.

Triumphant, Riley began rubbing her belly. He noticed she was missing a toe from each front paw.

“The man with the velvet touch,” Nicco murmured in awe. “Chloe’s my wife’s dog. She should be out here to witness this.”

“I just did, and still can’t believe it,” a female voice answered in a tone of wonder.

Riley lifted his head, but he received the shock of his life when he found himself staring into the fabulous green eyes of the only woman in the world who’d ever turned him down flat for a date. Her rejection, delivered without the slightest hesitation, explanation or apology, had been a wound to his pride he’d never forgotten.

Annabelle Lassiter as he lived and breathed!

Less than a year ago she’d been the gorgeous American blonde on the set of the latest Cory Sieverts film, a big Hollywood box office hit. At the time there’d been no talk about her being married.

What in the hell was going on?

Nicco had said his wife was a veterinarian who loved motorcycles. They had a daughter Anna who was almost three months old. That meant she’d been pregnant when she’d cut Riley to the quick in front of the film crew.

The unpleasant experience still had the power to twist his gut if he allowed himself to think about it.

Had she become a vet before she’d ventured into acting?

How and where had she met Nicco Tescotti of all people? A man with whom Riley already felt a rare camaraderie.

Why were they living on this palatial estate?

Reeling from a tumult of conflicting emotions, not to mention unanswered questions, he rose to his feet.

“Riley Garrow? I’d like to introduce you to my wi—”

“We’ve already met,” he broke in before the other man could finish.

“We have?” Her expression looked totally puzzled as she clung to her husband.

A wave of anger swept through him.

She was pretending not to remember that incident at the studio, but he knew better. There’d been an attraction between them, a strong chemistry unlike anything he’d felt before. She’d felt it, too. It was something you couldn’t hide, but she hadn’t acted on her feelings.

If it hadn’t been for the explosion on another set that had sent him to the hospital, he would have found a way to meet her again and break her down.

At the time he’d assumed she’d reacted as she’d done because the force of her feelings had frightened her. If they’d been anything like his, he could understand. She’d shaken his world, too.

If she was carrying Nicco’s child, then it explained why she was so damn scared. Why in the hell hadn’t she just come out and told him she was living with a man, or was secretly married?

This was a day full of shocks, both good and bad. Right now her acting ability was in full evidence. She even spoke passable Italian. No doubt she was praying he would let go of his determination to force a confrontation.

Out of deference to her husband, Riley decided to play along until the moment when he could get her alone to deliver a few home truths.

“If you don’t recognize me, then I guess I’m mistaken. With that braid, you reminded me of someone I once met.”

She hadn’t been wearing her hair in a braid on the set. It had been arranged long and loose, like one of those cascading waterfalls in Brazil that caught the sunlight, robbing him of breath.

Nicco’s eyes held a mysterious gleam. “Could you possibly be thinking of the woman on the cover of International Motorcycle World?”

At the question, something clicked in Riley’s head.

His gaze darted from the other man to Annabelle. “Of course—the mad vet from Prunedale!”

“That’s my wife.” Nicco kissed her neck.

“Up to my knees in mud.” She blushed in her husband’s arms. “I’m never going to live that picture down.”

“It hooked me,” he said purposely in English because he wanted to jolt her.

Her eyes rounded, giving him the reaction he’d hoped for. “You’re an American! I thought you were a hundred percent Italian like Nicco.”

She spoke English now, playing the innocent to the hilt.

Nicco squeezed her. “Like you, my love, Riley’s a man of many talents. He even has the distinction of winning over Chloe on a first encounter. I think I’m jealous.”

“Dr. Wood won’t believe it when I tell him.”

“Dr. Wood?” Riley drawled.

She smiled. “He’s the vet in Prunedale who hired me out of medical school. He was the only person besides me Chloe would allow to touch her.”

“What about your husband?”

Nicco shook his head. “Let’s just say she was territorial about letting me sleep with my bride. It took her a week before she’d deign for me to stroke the back of her neck. I think it was a month before she rolled over so I could rub her belly.”

His black eyes flashed. “If your secrets translate to the track, Riley, I’m already feeling sorry for the other poor devils when you start to make your moves.”

“So you race?” she cried out with excitement.

She was good at dissembling. The best he’d ever seen.

“Never as a pro like your husband.”

“Why don’t we finish this conversation inside?” Nicco murmured against her cheek. “I don’t know about our guest, but I’m starving.”

“While you show Mr. Garrow where to freshen up, I’ll check to make certain Anna’s asleep, then meet you in the dining room.” She slipped away from Nicco and hurried inside with the dogs at her heels.

No doubt she was relieved to escape before she gave anything away. He couldn’t fault her for trying to make a go of her marriage.

Why out of all the many beautiful, exciting, exotic women he’d known in his life did he have to be hung up on the one female forbidden to him from the beginning?

Though he was no saint, he’d made it a rule never to become involved with a married woman. Little did Riley know another man had already claimed her when he’d met her on the set.

He supposed he should be admiring rather than angry of her devotion to her husband when Riley knew in his gut she’d once been as attracted to Riley as he’d been to her.

Riley was privy to a secret all right, one she didn’t want Nicco to know about.

Back then the head of the Danelli empire hadn’t won his bride’s heart and soul yet, otherwise those green eyes wouldn’t have come alive with desire for Riley when they’d first looked at each other.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He should have known this day was too good to be true.

You are in a great hurry, rushing down a path even more dangerous than the one before.

Riley liked Nicco. He sensed this was the kind of man he would want for a true friend. But under the circumstances, it wasn’t going to work. The wisest course would be to heed Mitra’s warning, excuse himself on some pretext and leave the country tonight.

“Shall we go in?” Nicco prompted him after parking his bike near the bushes. “Earlier in the day my wife told me Ann was making our dinner tonight. Between you and me she’s not as good a cook as Callie, but she’s a lot better than she used to be and she’s trying hard to learn Italian. Be patient with her when she makes the effort.”

Riley blinked. “Who’s Callie?”

“My wife.”

He was totally confused. “Then who’s Ann?”

“My wife’s twin sister. She flew in from the States last night for a visit.”

CHAPTER THREE

ANN swept through the door connecting the kitchen to the small dining room of the palace carrying a hot platter.

“I’m glad you’re home, Nicco. This chicken has been done for quite a while and—”

She suddenly stopped talking because she discovered her brother-in-law wasn’t alone.

As far as Ann was concerned, her sister had married an Italian Adonis. There’d only been one man Ann had ever met whom she’d thought was better looking. To her shock that man was standing there in the flesh next to Nicco dressed in a stunning tan suit with shirt and tie.

The platter literally slipped from her hands to make a thud on the table. “You—” she blurted when she could finally say something.

His sensuous mouth curved into a cruel half smile of acknowledgment. Her heart might as well have been a gong going off in the background.

Gorgeous, hunky, devilishly dark and handsome with silver eyes… No matter how many adjectives came to mind, none of them adequately described Riley Garrow. Inside that powerful male body he possessed a virile essence. It could swallow you alive just by looking at him.

No woman was immune from his intangible charisma.

Lover today, gone tomorrow.

That was his reputation. It preceded him wherever he went as Hollywood’s most sought after stuntman.

Oh, yes. She’d heard all about him long before he’d stepped foot on the set of her last movie. He was star material. Loaded.

No one could understand why he preferred to double for the hero in a dangerous scene rather than be the hero himself. No leading man had his matchless drawing power for women, his instincts for survival or his polish.

It was like some incredible dream to see him here inside the Tescotti palace of all places.

Worse, she felt irrational anger to discover he was even more attractive than she’d remembered. The line of his right eye tilted a trifle at the outer corner. When he stared at Ann through his heavily lashed lids, she felt seduced by his gaze and went hot all over.

What was it about men like Nicco and Riley who deliberately put their lives in mortal danger? How come they were better looking and more exciting than the average male? They might as well be a delectable poison.

Though she’d been tempted at the time, the rational part of her had been wise enough to turn him down for dinner after they were through shooting for the day. But her delight in thwarting him hadn’t lasted long because he never came near her again. He never called. So much for a true interest in her on his part.

Once again she was thankful she’d spared herself the grief of spending an evening with him, only to find out he had plans with another woman the next night. And the night after that, ad infinitum.

No thank you.

She felt Nicco’s speculative gaze. “It seems introductions aren’t necessary.”

“Not when it comes to the human cannon ball,” she mocked, feeling flushed and totally out of control.

Riley shifted his weight as if welcoming her aggression. “You’re referring to my father. He was the one billed ‘The Human Rocket.’”

Still so smooth and unflappable, as if nothing could disturb him. Damn him for that cloak of sophistication he wore like an invisible mantel, setting him apart from ordinary men.

Nicco wasn’t the only person to radiate a daunting indifference on occasion without being aware of it. Riley Garrow moved through life and women as if he were a prince of royal blood. The divine right of kings was alive and doing well inside him, title or not.

She wanted no part of him and sat down before either man could help her. “Shall we eat?” she suggested. “Anna was fussing, so it might be a while before Callie joins us.”

Riley sat next to Nicco at one end of the table. She sat at the other end and began eating her salad while they helped themselves to the main course.

The stove in the kitchen heated differently than the one at her condo. Everything cooked faster here. She feared her roast chicken dinner was overdone. When Nicco passed her the food, one taste of the dry potatoes and she knew her meal was a fiasco.

To both men’s credit they pretended to enjoy everything, but their guest overplayed his hand when he complimented her several times on the tasty chicken. To be patronized by Riley Garrow was the last straw.

At one point she happened to lift her head and met Nicco’s puzzled glance.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear about Riley’s famous father. Around the same time Callie and I were married, he was killed doing a stunt at Iguasu Falls in Brazil.”

Ann averted her eyes. She didn’t know that.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Callie and I lost our father years ago, but it’s still hard.” There were still times when she missed him horribly.

Riley wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “It’s an inevitable fact of life we all learn to deal with one way or the other.”

Growing more uncomfortable by the minute she said, “Are you planning to succeed him?”

Before he could answer, Callie entered the dining room and sat down at Nicco’s other side. The dogs circled the table hoping someone would feed them.

“Forgive me for taking so long. Anna didn’t want to settle down. She must know there’s a guest in the house.” Callie filled her plate. “This looks delicious, Ann.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, aware of Riley’s unsettling gaze every time she happened to look up.

Nicco put a hand on his wife’s arm. “I was about to tell your sister Riley has left his stunt work behind and is going to race for Danelli.”

With her natural enthusiasm for the sport she loved, Callie said something about it being wonderful, but Ann’s fork dropped on her plate. She stared pointedly at Riley.

“Out of the frying pan into the fire. Isn’t that how the old saying goes? Except in your case I guess that doesn’t apply since it appears you survived that, too. If you’ve had a death wish, it hasn’t happened yet. Lucky you.”

He didn’t move, but his gray eyes turned molten as they held hers over the top of his wineglass.

“Ann—” her sister admonished in a loud enough whisper for everyone to hear.

Her head reared back. “Don’t worry, Callie. Mr. Garrow knows what I mean. After he did the scenes for the film I was in, he was caught in an explosion on another set doubling as a firefighter and ended up in the hospital for smoke inhalation. All part of a day’s work.”

“That’s horrible!” Callie cried. She shot Ann a withering glance before giving their guest her attention. “How long did they have to hold up the filming for you to recover?”

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