The Italian Billionaire’s Nubian Queen (BWWM Romance Book 1) Read online

  Alyssa bit her tongue because he sounded like he had an answer to everything, and anyway, thinking of next time was beginning to give her stomach butterflies.

  “Would you be more comfortable barefoot when you’re pregnant?” he asked, as if he was asking how she liked her coffee, as she pulled her coat on. He had, thankfully, put on his coat. At least the abs of steel were out of sight. They did strange things to her self-control when they were visible.

  “What? I have no idea, I haven’t thought of it. Why would I? I don’t plan to be pregnant for ages!”

  “You do want a family, though, don’t you?”

  Alyssa shrugged.

  “Sure, I mean… Later, when there’s time to spare, and I won’t have to worry about running the business into the ground when I take time off to raise children. I’m sure there are women who can do both together but I really don’t know if I’d be able to stay sane doing that. Then there’s the father. You can’t really have children without a father for at least the first part of the process, you know? And I’d like to be a in a good relationship with a good man who wants to be a loving and responsible father before I have children. I remember my father. He was a lovely man. I miss him even now. I know I can’t control everything, but I want my children to have a chance to remember their father fondly like I do, at the very least.”

  Alyssa stopped, wondering where all that had come from. It wasn’t news to her. She'd thought of all of it before. But she was telling all of her deepest thoughts to somebody who was practically a stranger to her, even if they'd shared something that intimate, and now she was taking him home with her.

  It occurred to her that she wasn’t acting rationally, either. She had a lot of nerve, judging Brianna for being impetuous about whatever she was doing with Gabriel! At least Brianna hadn’t jumped his bones at her workplace and then taken him home with her.

  She owed her sister an apology.

  “I have good memories of my father, too. He taught me most of what I know, but I changed many things to suit me.”

  “I know. Your father had more of a small family business. You turned it into a multi-billion dollar company. You have a lot of other holdings, too, don’t you? I mean your business. It’s not just wines and vineyards, you do a lot more.”

  “I have a couple of restaurants, holdings in a few hotels, real estate.”

  “That’s what I thought. Not that I’ve done any extensive research. You know, just because I was curious.”

  “You have an inquisitive mind. It’s very appealing. And quite sexy. Now, shall we make a run for it?”

  “We don’t have to, my car is right there,” said Alyssa, nodding towards the four-wheel drive.

  “That’s your car?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “It’s… big.”

  “Sure. It’s handy. I pick up a lot of stock myself. It’s a lot easier if you have a big car. Mind you, I just liked it, too. It’s expensive even second-hand, but it’s fine, it’s worth it. I keep telling myself that a lot of things are worth it. They have to be, eventually, don’t they?”

  “You’re worth it.”

  “Well, I have a hood for my coat so just wait here. I’ll get in, open the door, and then you can dash in.”

  “Of course. I don’t think I remember the last time a woman drove me home. This is novel.”

  Alyssa had to grin. He was acting like a kid who’d found a secret stash of Halloween candy. It was quite adorable. She made the dash, opened the door, and waited. She had to admire how lithe and quick he was as he moved and got into the car, barely getting wet again. He began to get out of his coat.

  “Umm, so, the heater doesn’t work that well,” she lied. “So you might want to keep your coat on.”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll have to make sure your heater is fixed.”

  Alyssa frowned, but she let it go.

  They were obviously not on the same page. They might not even be reading from the same book. Or even books from the same shelf. Hell, maybe they were in entirely different libraries. But it seemed churlish to point that out right at that moment, so she drove home.

  Was it odd that it didn’t feel odd to be taking Matteo home? She knew that she hadn’t tidied up so there would be a mess, but it didn’t embarrass her like it would have with most people. It was all right. She was taking him home.

  “Your home isn’t far.”

  She went still before shifting gear and driving on.

  “You looked up where I live?”

  “You Googled me, too Alyssa. I have more resources to use. I needed to be able to find you after landing here, in case I was delayed.”

  All right, that was reasonable enough, but still…

  “Still weird.”

  “I suppose so, but we’re fated, Alyssa. We might as well accept it.”

  “Wait, what?”

  “Fated. I should’ve known. It’s a family legend.”

  “It’s a what, now?”

  “My grandfather was an orphan. That’s why our surname is Colombo—it’s a name given to orphans. He was found in a basket in front of a church. It used to happen quite often, unfortunately. When he was found, there was a letter in the basket. It said that he had been made in love, but the love could not be. She would not rest in peace until the love was found and sealed again.”

  “What was that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, nobody can be sure, but it sounds like the poor woman—my great-grandmother—conceived out of wedlock and found no support. She did the best she could, but knew her soul would never have peace until love was found and sealed again.”

  “And what does that have to do with me?”

  “You’re my love. I was supposed to find you.”

  “That is quite a leap, and a great stretch, and very unlikely, Matteo.”

  “The story goes that my grandfather was left at the church on a stormy night. Tonight is a stormy night.”

  “Sure, but that’s also called a coincidence and it doesn’t mean anything more,” pointed out Alyssa.

  “I have been dreaming of storms, and that cliff. You have, too, haven’t you?”

  Alyssa’s pulse scrambled.

  “What?”

  “There was a drawing, in the basket, too. It was exquisite—and it was of a cliff, and the sea underneath it. I always believed that my great-grandmother couldn’t live with her own guilt. I believe that she took her own life.”

  “Wow, that’s bleak.”

  “But you have been dreaming of storms and that cliff.”

  “I… Well, the weather has been bad and my life has been pretty weird lately so it’s really no big deal that I’ve been dreaming of storms.”

  “Dreams mean things, Alyssa. This is not all there is to life. I believe we are fated. My dreams got worse after I went back. I couldn’t find you in them.”

  “That’s… Well, you know, because you went back, I guess. Look, this is home.”

  She pulled into the short driveway of the tiny house that had belonged to her grandmother, and had that feeling of being home that she always did.

  “It’s very lovely.”

  “Thank you. My grandmother used to keep quite a garden. I’m not as good at it as she was, but I try. Nothing’s blooming yet, though. In a few weeks, maybe. I… Look, the storm is letting up! That’s good. Come on.”

  “Yes,” said Matteo, simply, and he took her hand as they walked into the little house that she called home.

  ***

  Matteo knew that Alyssa was looking at him as if he was slightly crazy, and to be fair, he couldn’t really blame her for it. But she would see. She would see, because he knew that he loved her, and he was sure that they were fated to be together. She would see that, too.

  Matteo wasn’t a fanciful man. But he saw patterns, and he had an open mind. He believed in souls and he believed that pain lingered. He believed that some dreams were more than just dreams.

  But he believed it because he'd seen it—he'
d seen himself going to her that night, and he'd tried to fight it, until he'd given in. The weather forecast had mentioned no storms. The skies had turned gloomy right after he'd landed. Sometimes, dismissing signs because they simply could not be true was another way of being obtuse. Of being too arrogant to admit that you do not have all knowledge.

  He believed in fate too. Without that belief, he would never have been able to risk everything his grandfather and his father had built. He'd believed that he would make his grandfather’s dreams come true, and he'd done so. His grandmother, God rest her soul, had instilled enough respect in him for what you couldn’t see and touch.

  Now he'd seen it, and maybe he'd even touched it. What kind of arrogance must a man need to deny it?

  He didn’t blame Alyssa for not believing him. Not yet, not fully. But he knew she'd felt it, too. She’d felt it when they’d touched. No matter what, they were meant to be together, in the home of his ancestors, doing the thing they both loved, that they both had so much passion for. Why, look at what she'd done with her shop! That was just more proof that she'd always been meant for him.

  His grandmother, thought Matteo, would have loved her. She would have loved her practical nature, her desire to work hard and succeed, her commitment to family, and her values for her own children. If he had one regret, it was that his grandmother had not lived long enough to meet her. But she would look on and bless them both. He knew she would.

  The clouds cleared as he stepped out of the car—of course his woman was unpredictable in her choice of car, he appreciated that about her, too, just like everything else—and walked up to her porch. It was a sweet house. Of course, not anywhere near as big and comfortable as the mansion that would be their home, but it was sweet, and it reminded him of her. It was her grandmother’s, too. Another connection, thought Matteo, though perhaps he was stretching it a little bit there.

  “I have a washer and dryer out back, we’ll pop our clothes in there and then I’ll put dinner together. Does that sound good?”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  “All right, then. Now, I have to warn you. It’s a bit of a mess…”

  “I’m sure it’s as lovely as you are.”

  “I hope I’m better than that,” she muttered, and opened the door. The lock was inadequate. Once the press got wind of their relationship, she would need much better security. He added it to the list of things he needed to do.

  “I like your house.”

  “Thanks, so do I,” said Alyssa, picking up a pair of shoes and a scarf from the floor, setting a few books straight. She was, he decided, adorable. It was adorable that she wanted her house to look nice for him.

  He would give her so much more.

  “Here,” said Alyssa, interrupting him from his close examination of the photos displayed on the mantelpiece.

  “What?”

  “Clothes.”

  “Oh, right, of course.”

  “The bedroom is there.”

  “Sure. Thanks,” said Matteo, and walked in, leaving Alyssa alone.

  ***

  Alyssa figured that as long as she kept moving, she wouldn’t have to start thinking. She didn’t think she’d be able to stop screaming if she started thinking. Her life was going batshit crazy. She had no idea how anybody was supposed to handle any of this.

  When her phone rang, she grabbed it gratefully. For once, she was happy her phone was ringing.

  “Aly?”

  “Bree! Tell me you need me.”

  “No, it’s just… Is Matteo there?”

  “What?”

  “I knew he was wrong. It made no sense, right?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Gabriel has been acting a little off for the last couple of days. He’s been saying that Matteo has his eye on you.”

  “Oh. Why would he say that?”

  “Something about knowing his brother. Anyway, I just had to call and make sure, because he told me that Matteo is a bit of a playboy. He doesn’t sound all that great, to be quite frank.”

  “A playboy? Really?”

  “Sure. He travels a lot for work and he has a girl at every port, says Gabriel.”

  “Oh. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, Gabriel wouldn’t lie to me. Anyway, he’s been telling me that Matteo has had his eye on you and I should warn you. I thought it was all irrelevant. I mean, if you were involved with somebody, you’d tell me about it, right?”

  “Right,” said Alyssa, a little weakly.

  “Yeah, that’s what I told Gabriel. Anyway, he planted that little seed in my head and I had to call and check because I couldn’t really get it out of my mind, but I was sure it was nothing. He said that Matteo has been engaged to somebody for the longest time, too.”

  “What?”

  “Somebody named… Martina? Martina Totti? She’s a socialite in Milan. I think we might have seen photos of her or something.”

  “He’s engaged to Martina Totti?”

  “They’ve been engaged for about four years, apparently. A very cosmopolitan arrangement, according to Gabriel. I guess it suits some people, but not people like us. We like honesty and loyalty, don’t we?”

  Alyssa swallowed, hard, and tried to keep her head from spinning by pressing her hand to her forehead.

  It didn’t really work. Her head kept on spinning, anyway.

  It couldn’t be true. It really couldn’t be true, could it?

  “We do,” agreed Alyssa, not sure what she was saying they did.

  “They make a gorgeous couple, though. Hold on, I’ll send you a photo.”

  “What?”

  “They held a family engagement party or something. Well, Gabriel’s mother threw a party for the couple. You know who she is, right?”

  “Alexandra Tiffany,” said Alyssa.

  “That’s her. Gabriel has her eyes. Anyway, I wanted to call and warn you about it, but obviously it’s not necessary. There, I sent you the photo. Did you get it?”

  Her phone beeped.

  “I guess. I’ll have to check later, data isn’t turned on,” she lied.

  “Oh, all right, no rush. It’s not important or anything. Oh, Gabriel wants to come by the shop and see you, and then take us both out to dinner. Wouldn’t that be nice? And he wants to go home on Sunday to have dinner with mom, too. I’m telling you, Aly, he’s wonderful. I can’t believe how much he likes me. I really can’t believe how well this is all going.”

  “Bree, has Adam been in touch with you?”

  “No. Not yet. And I don’t care. He can live his life however he wants to, with that secretary of his.”

  “Oh.”

  “Anyway, I’ve got to go. I’m on an ice cream run, I have to get back home. Gabriel said he’d come by later.”

  Brianna hung up, and Alyssa tried to hang on.

  Chapter 9

  Alyssa stood in her kitchen, holding her phone. There was a photo open on it.

  It showed a very lovely couple. A ring—a very big and very expensive diamond engagement ring—winked and sparkled on the blonde beauty’s ring finger. At least, she assumed it did, alive with light and promised. It was just a steady glow in the photo.

  That was definitely Matteo beside her, though, with his arm around her. There was no doubt about that. That was an engagement photo.

  Martina Totti was as unlike Alyssa as it was possible to be. She was petite, blonde, blue-eyed and absolutely gorgeous, so perfectly groomed that she could have stepped into a fashion magazine shoot without a second thought. They made a lovely couple indeed.

  Four years—they’d been engaged for four years, according to Brianna. Four years, and an arrangement.

  So now she was part of the arrangement, she supposed. What else could she imagine?

  “Alyssa?”

  Matteo came into the kitchen, wearing an old pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt that had once belonged to Liam. Liam, had chipped away at her heart for about three years. She'd loved him, hadn’t she?
>
  She had. She'd hoped to spend her life with him. There had been so many evenings of drowning her feelings in ice cream and wine because he'd chipped away at her heart a little more every time, and every time, she'd gone back to him. He'd been wiped clean from her mind when she’d seen Matteo.

  But now there Matteo was, having broken her heart, too. He'd done it all at once. No chipping away slowly for him.

  That was when she realized that she'd fallen in love with him.

  Not just a strange obsession. Not something weird she couldn’t explain, a passing fancy that might heat her up, burn her up, but would burn out.

  She'd fallen in love with him.

  How odd that she needed heartbreak to see it!

  Well, there was no point beating around the bush. She'd blamed Brianna for not being honest with her husband, hadn’t she? She would practice what she preached, at least.

  She took a deep breath, and let go.

  “Are you engaged?”

  “What?”

  But she knew the answer from how he looked at her. She saw the guilt in his face, in his eyes. There were no words that could make up for how he looked at her when she said the words.

  “Are you engaged, Matteo?”

  “Alyssa…”

  “Please. That is not the kind of answer that needs an explanation, is it? There can’t be a middle of the road answer for that. It’s either yes or it’s no. Either you’re engaged or you’re not. Which is it?”

  “It’s not how it looks,” began Matteo, and Alyssa’s heart broke a little more.

  Maybe he was right. Maybe they'd been fated to be together. But even fate couldn’t do much in the face of a betrayal like that. Even fate couldn’t do much in the face of lies.

  Fate couldn’t mend a broken heart, either.

  “It looks like you’re engaged to Martina Totti. Look, it’s pretty obvious. Four years ago—this was taken four years ago, right after you got engaged to her, according to this. Are you still engaged to her?”

  “Alyssa, it wasn’t like that. Four years ago, I needed to do it.”

  “Why?”

  “I needed to let it be known that Colombo would have an heir.”

  She shook her head.

  “What? That makes no sense.”