HELEN BIANCHIN - The Italian’s Ruthless Marriage Command

He couldn’t possibly know what she was thinking, surely? Oh, for heaven’s sake…it hardly mattered if he did .

Taylor offered Gianni directions to her apartment, and she felt a sense of relief when the car slid to a halt at the kerb outside what had once been a stately double-storeyed villa which developers had converted into four apartments.

‘Thanks for lunch,’ she acknowledged quietly as Dante withdrew Ben and set him onto his feet on the pavement.

Ben’s hand curled into his uncle’s much larger one as he looked up at her. ‘Can Zio come up and see my bike?’

How could she refuse? ‘Of course. If he’d like to.’ She almost qualified it with ‘if he isn’t too busy’, and stilled the words before they could find voice.

Did Dante sense her reluctance? Perhaps, although she told herself his thought process was of little interest.

Her apartment was one of two situated on the upper floor, reached by a wide central staircase, and she unlocked the door, disarmed the alarm system, then indicated the hallway. ‘Would you like coffee?’

‘Thanks, that would be nice.’ He smiled down at Ben’s anxious features. ‘Let’s go see your bike, shall we?’

The apartment was relatively spacious and pleasantly furnished. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, the usual utilities. Feminine, but functional, he noted as Ben led him into a room where floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined two walls. A home office, sans a desk, computer or the usual electronic equipment.

Instead stuffed toys lined the bed, and there were several toy cars and trucks neatly parked together on the floor. A few childish prints were attached to the wall above the bed, together with an enlarged framed photo taken in happier times featuring Casey, Leon, Ben as a young babe and Taylor.

Dante’s gaze lingered, settled briefly on Taylor’s features, noting her happy smile, the laughing eyes…as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

‘This is my bike.’

Dante hunkered down and ran a careful hand over the gleaming paint, the seat, and commented on its racy three-wheeler design.

‘Daddy bought it for me, before—’ He paused, bit his lip, then reiterated with extreme care, ‘Before.’

Dante suddenly felt a fierce need to draw Ben close and assure him everything would be fine. Instead, he rubbed a gentle palm over Ben’s shoulder, kept it there for a moment, then offered warmly, ‘Maybe we can take it to a park one day soon and you can show me how well you can ride.’

Dark brown eyes regarded him solemnly. ‘Can Taylor come too?’

‘Of course.’

A tentative smile widened his mouth. ‘Are you going to stay with us?’

‘Would you like that?’

‘You can have my bed.’

Such an earnest offer, and one that pulled at something deep within. This was Leon’s son, his godson. A child who needed every reassurance he was safe, secure and loved.

‘That’s very kind,’ Dante said gently. ‘Perhaps we should run it by Taylor?’ It would allow her the opportunity to reveal their imminent move to Watson’s Bay.

Which it did, and he silently applauded her explanation, added his own together with the benefits of sharing a larger residence.

They kept it simple, logical…and received Ben’s slow nod of acceptance, pursued by a worried frown. ‘Will I still go to the same kindergarten?’

In a time of complete change, it was important to retain a constant. ‘Yes.’ Dante’s assurance echoed that of Taylor’s, and Ben’s expression cleared.

‘And can Sooty come, too?’

Dante raised an eyebrow in silent query, and Taylor quickly explained, ‘Sooty is a cat.’

‘Of course.’

Taylor opted for informality, choosing to serve coffee at the dining-room table, where Ben sat enjoying his glass of milk and afternoon snack.

Dante’s presence had an unsettling effect…one she endeavoured to overcome as she focused on Ben, waiting for the moment Dante would leave.

Except he seemed in no hurry, and she felt her nerves stretch increasingly taut.

Almost as if he knew, he made a play of checking his watch. ‘If you’ll excuse me?’

She caught the faint gleam of amusement as he rose to his feet, and for a brief moment her eyes flared in silent response as he placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘And Taylor.’

Dante’s smile held affection. ‘Yes. Taylor, too.’

It wasn’t difficult to summon a degree of warmth as she preceded him to the door, and she determinedly held his gaze for the few seemingly long seconds before he passed into the small lobby and descended the stairs to the main entrance.

There was a sense of relief as she secured the lock, then she summoned Ben for his routine of bath followed by dinner. Then she read him a bedtime story…extended by a host of inevitable questions which she managed to answer with the assurance he needed.

It was only later as Ben slept that she contemplated her own need for reassurance.

As from tomorrow she’d be living with an inimitable man and, despite the large house, there would be far more togetherness than she felt comfortable with.

So get used to it .

At least on one issue they each stood firm…taking care of Ben. That had to be a good thing.

Dante made it sound so…simple. A large mansion, separate living wings, he’d be overseas more often than he’d be at home.

Why, they’d probably rarely see each other!

CHAPTER THREE

ATTENDING to the packing of both Ben’s and her own belongings involved more than simply transferring a number of boxes in one car. She needed her reference and research books for her current work in progress, laptop, printer, fax, as well as several notebooks, disks.

Then there were personal items, such as her and Ben’s clothing. It was just as well Dante had offered Claude’s services and a four-wheel drive, for it took three trips before Taylor closed up and secured her apartment, then followed Claude in her Lexus.

It was way too late to have second thoughts as she entered Dante’s mansion and attempted to accept this was now her home for the foreseeable future.

The home itself didn’t faze her…but its owner did. A telling admission, and one she tried hard to dismiss. Without success.

For the umpteenth time she wondered at her sanity, only to once again temporarily banish her reservations by reaffirming the sharing of Dante’s home was the best option for Ben.

And the best for Ben was what Casey would have wanted.

Taylor offered Claude a genuine smile and thanked him for his help as she followed him upstairs, where Anna, bless her, had supervised the boxes into each guest suite.

Together they completed Ben’s suite, involving him in the process by suggesting he display his toys, before setting up her home office. Lastly, her own suite, which she assured she’d tend to herself.

All told, the moving and unpacking process took most of the day, and there was time for a quick shower, a change of clothes before she readied Ben for dinner.

Please let it just be the two of us, Taylor bade silently as she took Ben’s hand and they made their way downstairs to the dining room. The thought of sharing a meal and conversation with Dante accelerated her nervous tension a few levels, and she offered up a silent appeal to the deity both she and Ben might eat alone.

Except the appeal went unanswered, for Dante was there as they entered the room, standing tall, without his usual attire of jacket and tie, his shirtsleeves rolled to halfway on his forearms, an easy smile softening the hard planes of his face as he moved forward with the grace of a jungle cat.

‘I believe you’ve settled in?’ The query was directed to include both of them, and Taylor inclined her head, while Ben offered solemnly,

‘We put all my toys out. And Taylor’s room is close to mine. Sooty has her bed and kitty litter in my bathroom.’

She watched as Dante lifted Ben and rested him into the crook of his arm.

‘Sooty stays with me at night.’ Ben spared Dante an anxious look. ‘Taylor lets her sleep on my bed.’

Please don’t say no, Taylor begged silently.

‘I used to have a cat who slept on my bed when I was young,’ Dante confided, and Ben’s eyes widened.

‘You did? What colour was your cat? Sooty’s black. She has a white patch on her nose.’

‘I had Baci, a tortoiseshell.’

‘Baci means kisses,’ Ben relayed importantly, and Dante smiled in acknowledgment.

‘Yes, it does.’

An innocuous remark, Taylor conceded…so why did it suddenly send awareness spiralling through her body?

Because she was tired, fraught and feeling way out of her depth. Why , she agonised silently, when she had nothing to fear from the man whose home she occupied?

A good night’s sleep was all she needed. A day or two to accept concrete evidence of her new reality.

At that moment Anna appeared bearing a tray containing a steaming casserole and a dish of rice, together with a platter of assorted vegetables.

Taylor took the chair Dante indicated and seated Ben next to her, while he took the chair opposite.

Did he sense her nervousness? She hoped not. Yet she found it impossible to relax, and she ate mechanically. At the end of the meal she selected fresh fruit in lieu of dessert, and requested tea instead of coffee.

In a way it was a relief when the meal concluded, and Ben provided the perfect reason to escape.

‘Can I please go upstairs and check Sooty? I think she might be lonely.’

‘Of course. I’ll come with you,’ Taylor said quickly, and caught the faint amusement evident in Dante’s dark gaze.

‘Perhaps we could go together,’ he suggested. ‘You can show me your toys.’

Ben didn’t hesitate, and for the ensuing hour man and boy communed on the merits of almost every wheeled vehicle currently on offer…including planes, trains and automobiles. For so young a boy, Ben could reel off a number of brand names…his favourite being a red Ferrari. Something he fervently hoped to own one day. Together with a motorbike.

Every boy’s dream, and he happily didn’t protest when she declared it was time for bed.

‘Taylor reads me a story every night.’ He looked at his uncle. ‘Will you stay and read me one, too? Please, Zio Dante.’

‘Of course, if you’d like me to.’

Something Dante appeared only too willing to do…whenever he was home, she added silently, which hopefully wouldn’t be too often.

A prediction which didn’t hold true, for he shared breakfast with them the next morning, and sat down to dinner each evening. Ben’s bedtime story became a nightly event, and Friday evening Dante added to Ben’s wish-list by suggesting they visit a dog breeder at the weekend in order to choose a puppy.

Not, praise heaven, Taylor begged silently, something with the potential to grow too big.

‘A Llasa Apso,’ Dante revealed, sparing her a musing glance.

Did he read minds? Or were her thoughts merely too easy to interpret?

‘They’re a small breed, and in this instance they’re already trained.’ He reached into his shirt pocket, withdrew a folded coloured print and showed it to Ben. ‘What do you think?’

Taylor saw Ben’s expression change into instant love, and the look he cast Dante held a degree of reverent awe. ‘Can I really have one?’

‘Yes, and we can bring it home.’

‘You’re the best.’ Ben’s eyes shone as he lifted his arms and gave Dante a hug. ‘Thank you.’

Dante returned the embrace and brushed his lips to his nephew’s forehead. ‘Time to go to sleep, hmm? Tomorrow will be a big day.’