The Temporary Mrs Marchetti. Melanie Milburne

      The rules of engagement...

      When Cristiano Marchetti proposes to former mistress Alice Piper, the deal has an expiry date. He has six months to fulfil the conditions of his grandmother’s will. But the hotelier has another agenda—exacting revenge on Alice for daring to walk away seven years before!

      Alice needs the financial security her enemy is providing, but soon their every clash is a shockingly tempting encounter. Yet as she uncovers the man beneath the hard-hearted exterior, the future Mrs. Marchetti wonders if she could break the rules of their engagement...and walk down the aisle as more than Cristiano’s temporary bride!

      Alice brought her gaze back up to Cristiano’s glittering one. ‘You’re surely not going to go through with this…are you?’

      A smile that wasn’t quite a smile courted the edges of his mouth. ‘But of course. It is what Nonna wanted. Who am I to disregard her last wishes?’

      Alice frowned so hard she might have frightened off twenty ampoules of Botox. ‘What happens if I don’t agree?’

      ‘To me?’ He gave a careless shrug. ‘Nothing—other than losing a few shares in the company, which will pass to a relative if I don’t comply with the terms of the will.’

      Alice wondered how important those shares were to him. Was his easy-come-easy-go shrug disguising deeper, far more urgent motivations? Enough to marry someone he now hated?

      She sent her tongue out over lips so dry it felt as if she was licking talcum powder. ‘So…why would you want to marry someone who clearly doesn’t want to marry you?’

      His dark-as-night gaze gleamed, making the floor of Alice’s belly shudder.

      ‘You know why.’

      Alice arched one of her brows, trying to ignore the pulsing heat his words evoked deep in her feminine core. ‘Revenge, Cristiano? I thought you were a civilised man.’

      MELANIE MILBURNE read her first Mills & Boon at the age of seventeen, in between studying for her final exams. After completing a Master’s Degree in Education she decided to write a novel, and thus her career as a romance author was born. Melanie is an ambassador for the Australian Childhood Foundation and a keen dog lover and trainer. She enjoys long walks in the Tasmanian bush. In 2015 Melanie won the HOLT Medallion—a prestigious award honouring outstanding literary talent.

      Books by Melanie Milburne

      Mills & Boon Modern Romance

      Unwrapping His Convenient Fiancée

      His Mistress for a Week At No Man’s Command His Final Bargain Uncovering the Silveri Secret

      The Ravensdale Scandals

      Ravensdale’s Defiant Captive

      Awakening the Ravensdale Heiress Engaged to Her Ravensdale Enemy The Most Scandalous Ravensdale

      The Playboys of Argentina

      The Valquez Bride

      The Valquez Seduction

      Those Scandalous Caffarellis

      Never Say No to a Caffarelli

      Never Underestimate a Caffarelli Never Gamble with a Caffarelli

      Visit the Author Profile page

      at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

      The Temporary Mrs Marchetti

      Melanie Milburne

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To Sarah Lewer.

      Thanks for the inspiration for this novel and thanks also for being such a wonderful beauty therapist and gorgeous person.

      XXXX

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       About the Author

       Title Page

       Dedication

       CHAPTER ONE

       CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX

       CHAPTER SEVEN

       CHAPTER EIGHT

       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       CHAPTER TWELVE

       Extract

       Copyright

       CHAPTER ONE

      THE FIRST THING Alice noticed when she came to work that morning was the letter on her desk. Something about the officious-looking envelope with its gold embossed insignia made her skin shrink against her skeleton. Letters from lawyers always made her feel a little uneasy. But then she looked closer at the name of the firm. Why would a firm of Italian lawyers be contacting her?

      She picked the letter up and her breath came to a juddering halt when she saw it was postmarked Milan.

      Cristiano Marchetti lived in Milan.

      Alice’s fingers shook as if she had some sort of movement disorder. Surely he hadn’t...died? A sharp pain sliced through her, her breath coming in short, erratic bursts, making not just her fingers tremble but her whole body.

      Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.