Dante's Unexpected Legacy. Catherine George

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      To secure his heir…

      The night that Rose Palmer met enigmatic Italian tycoon Dante Fortinari she threw caution to the wind, allowing him to sweep her off her feet and into his bed! But by the next morning Dante was gone, leaving Rose heartbroken, alone…and pregnant.

      Two years later, Rose comes face-to-face with the father of her daughter and can no longer hide the truth of that night. She knew he’d be angry, but never expected him to demand marriage! She longs to accept, but can her heart withstand life with a man who might never love her back?

      ‘Hold on!’ She shook her head decisively. ‘That’s not going to happen, Dante.’

      He pulled her to her feet and stood staring down at her. ‘We made a child together—’

      Rose held her ground. ‘I didn’t tell you about Bea to force you to marry me, Dante. I don’t want—or need—a husband.’

      ‘But this is not all about you, Rose,’ he flung at her. ‘My daughter needs a father. You have not considered this?’

      ‘Are you serious? Of course I have!’ She sighed wearily. ‘But I like being in charge of my own life—and of hers. If I married you, Dante, I suppose you would expect me to uproot us to live with you in Italy?’

      ‘Naturalmente. I have a home ready for you,’ he said swiftly.

      Rose shook her head firmly. ‘It’s not the basis for a marriage, Dante.’

      ‘You would find it so hard to be my wife?’ he demanded, eyes glittering.

      In some ways not hard at all, but that wasn’t the point. ‘I think it’s a mistake to rush into anything, Dante,’ she said at last.

      Dante stood with long legs apart and arms folded as he stared down at her. ‘I will do whatever it takes to make it happen.’

      ONE NIGHT WITH CONSEQUENCES

      A high price to pay for giving in to temptation!

      When succumbing to a night of unbridled desire it’s impossible to think past the morning after!

      But with the sheets barely settled that little blue line appears on the pregnancy test and it doesn’t take long to realise that one night of white-hot passion has turned into a lifetime of consequences!

      Only one question remains:

      How do you tell a man you’ve just met that you’re about to share more than just his bed?

      If you enjoy DANTE’S UNEXPECTED LEGACY

      why not try these?

      A SECRET UNTIL NOW by Kim Lawrence

      A DEAL WITH BENEFITS by Susanna Carr

      PROOF OF THEIR SIN by Dani Collins

      Dante’s Unexpected Legacy

      Catherine George

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      CATHERINE GEORGE was born in Wales, and early on developed a passion for reading which eventually fuelled her compulsion to write. Marriage to an engineer led to nine years in Brazil, but on his later travels the education of her son and daughter kept her in the UK. Instead of constant reading to pass her lonely evenings, she began to write the first of her romantic novels. When not writing and reading she loves to cook, listen to opera, and browse in antiques shops.

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      This one’s for Justin

      Contents

       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

      CHAPTER ONE

      ROSE SAT RIGIDLY, every nerve on edge as the plane took off. No turning back now. For years she’d been turning down invitations to Florence, flatly refusing to be parted from her little daughter, or to take her child with her. But this time refusal had been impossible.

      ‘Please, please come,’ Charlotte had begged. ‘Just you and me in a luxury hotel for a couple of days. God knows you can do with a break, and I’ll pay for everything and send you a plane ticket, so absolutely no expenses on your part. You know Bea will be fine with your mother, so don’t say no this time. I really need you, Rose. So come. Please!’ she’d added, and because Charlotte was her oldest and closest friend and she loved her like a sister, Rose had finally given in.

      ‘Oh, all right. If it means that much to you I will. But why a hotel and not your place?’

      ‘I want you all to myself.’

      ‘Fabio can’t be cool about this. It’s your wedding anniversary, isn’t it?’

      ‘He’ll be away for it on some business trip,’ said Charlotte miserably. ‘Besides, he doesn’t know about the hotel yet. But I’ve already booked, so there’s nothing he can do about it—not that he would, of course.’

      Rose wasn’t so sure. A possessive husband like Fabio Vilari would surely be anything but cool if his wife took a hotel break in Florence without him, even if it was with her lifelong friend and the bridesmaid at their wedding. But from the moment Rose had said a reluctant yes to the trip Charlotte rang every day to make sure that she hadn’t changed her mind, and in her final call sprang a surprise with instructions to take a taxi from Santa Maria Novella railway station to the hotel. ‘I’ll meet you there later in time for dinner, Rose. I can’t wait!’

      Money, if the