The Italian Inheritance (10 page)

“Of course,” he said but there was nobody to hear him. Anna had disappeared into the hotel, leaving only her floral scent behind to tantalise him. 

H
e considered going after her, but then decided against it.
He was still reeling
and felt very much off guard—w
hich was unusual for him.

His plan to illicit information out of her had backfired. He’d learned nothing he could use against her. She hadn’t given him anything that supported or refuted her claim. They’d somehow steered clear of anything personal
,
yet Rafael had so enjoyed himself that he’d completely forgotten to press her for information.

She was certainly bewitching with her white-blonde hair and
violet
eyes. He frowned, remembering how he’d done most of the talking himself tonight.
Ironically
,
he’d set out to break down her defences and instead he
’d been driven b
y a primal need to impress her, to make her laugh.

He gave a self-deprecating chortle.
If he wasn’t careful she’d have him under her spell in no time at all.
If that kiss was anything to go by...

“Bella e pericolosa donna”, he whispered as he
propelled himself along the tiny pathway towards his villa in Annacapri, on the other side of the island.

“Come in, Anna,” beckoned Rafael from the doorway.

Anna nodded at Christina
,
who
was looking perfectly voluptuous
in a tight
dress suit
cut just below the knee and two inch
heels,
as she walked towards Rafael’s office. Entering, she
smiled a greeting at the man whose kiss had plagued her thoughts for the last ten hours. Even now glancing at his full lips set in that sardonic half-smile made her pulse flutter.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Perfectly, thank you,” she lied, flicking her hair over
one
shoulder. No way would she ever
admit she’d tossed and turned
for hours
, hot with desire,
before falling into a torturous sleep
. Even then her dreams were
plagued
by
images of Rafael kissing her
...
Rafael undressing her... Dreams in which she
writhed in frustration,
desperate
to feel his hands on her body.

Anna wore a summ
e
ry sleeveless dress she had bought in Ibiza a few years ago which showed off her slender waist and smooth skin which was already turning golden brown after
only
a few days in the sun.

“And you?”

Rafael nodded, avoiding her gaze. “Your letter
.
”
He handed
her the folded piece of paper from the safety of behind his desk.

Anna took it, careful not to touch him. The memories of last night’s kiss were too vivid. To feel the warmth of his skin against her own, even accidental
,
might unleash a desire that she didn’t know whether she was equipped to handle. She was venturing into unknown territory here. Never before had she been so stunned by a mere kiss.

Previous kisses had been tentative, exploratory at best. A kiss was like a test, she used it to judge how compatible she was with a man.
It was always controlled, measured. Never wild and passionate like with Rafael. Kissing him
made her feel vulnerable and out of control.
She wasn’t sure she liked it.
Sometimes feelings were better left in check. It was safer that way.

“Shall we get down to business?” suggested Rafael, indicating Anna sit in the leather chair opposite him.

Anna nodded and sat down. With the big mahogany desk between them acting as a barrier the situation seemed under control. Rafael’s businesslike air also intimated that there would be no returning to the dalliances of the night before.

Anna was relieved. “Sure. Let’s get this over with. I thought I might head down to the beach after this and catch up on some reading.”

Looking at him sitting stiffly behind his desk, a laptop open in front of him and various files scattered around, the events of last night were feeling more and more surreal.

“I’ll try my best not to keep you longer than necessary,” drawled Rafael, not without a hint of sarcasm. “After all, it’s only
ten
million dollars we’re talking about here.”

As if Anna didn’t know that. “Yes, I was wondering about that,” she remarked
casually
, causing him to raise an eyebrow. “What happens if Giovanni’s heir is never found?”

“Are you admitting you’re not Giovanni’s heir?” Rafael looked at her quizzically.

“Crumbs, you’re suspicious. No, I’m just asking, hypothetically-speaking. What happens to the money if the heir is not found?”

Rafael blinked. “It remains in a trust.”

“Run by you?”

“That’s right.”

“
So you would
be the sole beneficiary too, right?”

“What are you implying?” he said sharply, eyes boring into her.

Anna was not deterred. The thought had been plaguing her since yesterday morning. She may as well get it off her chest and out into the open. “Well, it struck me that it might be in your best interests not to find Giovanni’s daughter. You’d be
quite a bit
richer if she were never found, wouldn’t you?” She paused. “
Hypothetically
-speaking, of course.”

“I don’t need
Giovanni’s
illegitimate daughter’s inheritance, for your information.”

“Is that becau
se you
get
the money if you don’t find his heir
?”
The question hung in the air like a poisoned arrow.

Eventually Rafael said, “That is none of your business.
Like I said before, I don’t need Giovanni’s money. I haven’t done too badly on my own.
”

Anna’s gaze dropped to the Rolex.
“But it’s true, isn’t it? Giovanni left the other half to you. I bet you would have got
ten
it all too, if I hadn’t come along.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not in the clear yet.”

“Will I ever be?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “
Ten
million dollars is a lot of money.”

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” snapped Rafael, leaning forward in his chair and glaring at her. “It’s my job to vet every person th
at claims to be Giovanni’s heir, however unlikely that person may seem.
”

“Or likely, as in my case.”

Rafael shrugged. “That remains to be seen.”

“And when my details check out, then what are you going to do? Because they will, you know. I am who I claim to be. I’m not a fraud like those other women. I’m not here under false pretences to steal Giovanni’s inheritance, despite what you may think.”

“How would you feel about a DNA test?”

Anna
answered without hesitation
. “Sure, why not? I’ve tried every other scenario to get you to believe me. If that’s what needs to be done, then fine. At least it would be ‘concrete proof’, right?”

Rafael nodded. “You can’t get more concrete than DNA.”

A DNA test would solve everything. The only problem was this was Capri. These things took time. Anna would have to give a sample. That sample would have to be analysed, then compared to Giovanni’s and finally, a result delivered.
They were looking a
t a
m
inimum
of
one week.

Rafael studied Anna who was sitting
bolt upright
in the leather chair, her clear blue eyes fixed on his face.
They didn’t waver.

Was she a fake?
He wished he knew for sure. Not only had she not let anything slip last night, but she was willing to do a DNA test so she
must
really believe she was
Giovanni’s daughter.
Rafael knew there
was no way
one
could fake a paternity test.

He couldn’t discount the fact that she may truly be Giovanni’s legitimate heir. The consequences of that was something he didn’t want to think about just yet.

Last night had been an emotional wake-up call. Rafael couldn’t remember when last he’d felt so alive. That kiss! Where had all that passion had come from? 
She’d certainly surprised him. The problem was, now
all he could think about was
kissing her again.

If he hadn’t been so floored by what had happened, he would have taken her straight upstairs to her hotel room. B
ut such was his astonishment—and hers—t
hat they’d simply stared at each other until Anna had cut the night short, saving them both from their confusion.

Even now, right here in his office, he wanted to peel off that flimsy dress and feel her soft skin and taste her luscious lips once again. Except this time it wouldn’t stop there. Rafael knew instinctively that making love to Anna would be an experience like none other. If that kiss was anything to go by... But he couldn’t think like that right now. He had a job to do and he needed to be focused. Giovanni’s legacy was at stake.

“How did you become so jaded anyway?” asked Anna catching him unawares.

“What do you mean?” Rafael dragged his thoughts back to reality.

“You’re so cynical? It’s not normal to question everything and everyone all the time. Don’t you trust anyone at all?”

Rafael shrugged.
“No. Not many people are worthy of my trust.
You have to earn trust. It takes time.
”

Anna cocked her head to the side.
“Can’t be much fun being you
.
Not everyone is out to deceive you, you know. There are honest people in the world.”

Rafael
laughed. A
dry, humourless sound. “You wouldn’t say that if you grew up where I did.”

She looked at him contemplatively.
“
How about
Giovanni?
Did you trust him?
”

Rafael only hesitated for a second. “Yes,” he said. “Giovanni was an honourable man.”

“I’m glad he was there for you
,”
she said quietly
.

“
Why did you ask me
that?”
enquired
Rafael curiously.

“Obviously you have...
had a special bond with him. I’m not sure how
,
but there was some sort of relationship between you two, and I don’t mean lawyer and client.”

Rafael frowned.
“I told you, he was my mentor.”

“Yes. Yes
,
you did,” Anna acknowledged, chewing on her lip. “Except he left you
ten
million dollars which suggests something more...
fatherly?”

At Rafael’s surprised expression Anna knew she’d hit the nail on the head. “He’s your father too, isn’t he?”

Then a
disastrous thought struck her. She gasped,
hands
flying
to her face. “Oh
,
my God
! T
hat means
...
I kissed my half-brother!” She
peeked at him through her fingers, afraid to look at him in the face.

“Adopted brother,” cut in Rafael, his eyes glowing softly. “You don’t need to panic.
G
iovanni adopted me when I was nine years old. He took me in, educated me and got me off the streets. Everything I am today I owe to that man. He was not only a mentor; he was a father to me.”

The relief was instantaneous. “Oh, thank heavens for that,” she whispered. “For a moment there I thought...”

Rafael shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

Anna composed herself and then glanced at Rafael who was watching her speculatively.

“So you were
an orphan
?”

He nodded and said abruptly. “Yes, but luckily Giovanni changed all that. He showed me how to make a success of my life.”

Anna studied him curiously. So he had been an orphan
,
too, like her. Until Giovanni had adopted him. She looked at the expensive suit and the watch. He’d certainly
done well for himself if that was the case. Obviously her first impression of him had been incorrect. When she’d assumed he hadn’t experienced hard times, she couldn’t have been more wrong. He must have kn
own loss and abandonment too—a
nd growing up on the streets, that was rough. At least she’d had her mother and a comfortable house, until she was twelve, anyway.