A Breathless Bride. Fiona Brand

       “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

      “Not yet.”

      The soft demand froze her in place. In that moment she registered that Constantine wasn’t just angry, he was furious.

      She had seen him furious only once before—the day they had broken up—but on that occasion he had been icily cool and detached. The fact that his formidable control had finally slipped and he was clearly in danger of losing his temper ratcheted the tension up several notches.

      A heady sense of anticipation gripped her. She had the feeling that for the first time she was going to see the real Constantine and not the controlled tycoon who had a calculator in place of a heart.

      His gaze dropped to her mouth and she was suddenly unbearably aware that he intended to kiss her.

      Dear Reader,

      The idea for THE PEARL HOUSE miniseries had its beginnings with strong-willed Sienna Ambrosi, on a mission to keep the family’s luxury Sydney-based pearl business afloat. Pretty and resourceful, with a focused, perfectionist streak, she is just the kind of character I like; she never gives up. Already walking a financial tightrope, Sienna gets hit by a serious reversal by the name of Constantine Atraeus.

      The Atraeus and Ambrosi families have a history, and so did Sienna and Constantine, until debt terminated their previous engagement.

      It’s kind of ironic, then, that debt should bring them back together, although useful would be the term that Constantine would use. Underneath his ruthless exterior, he’s a nice guy with a sense of humor, and he has never forgotten Sienna. He had been trying to figure out an excuse to see her again when out of the blue her company literally dropped into his hands.

      Now, if only she’d just see him, instead of his bottom line …

       Fiona

      About the Author

      FIONA BRAND lives in the sunny Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Now that both of her sons are grown, she continues to love writing books and gardening. After a life-changing time in which she met Christ, she has undertaken study for a bachelor of theology and has become a member of The Order of St Luke, Christ’s healing ministry.

      A Breathless

       Bride

      Fiona Brand

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      For the Lord. Thank you.

      On finding one pearl of great value,

       he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

       —Matthew 13:46

       One

      With a wolf-cold gaze, Constantine Atraeus scanned the mourners attending Roberto Ambrosi’s funeral, restlessly seeking … and finding.

      With her long blond hair and dark eyes, elegantly curved body and rich-list style, Roberto’s daughter Sienna stood out like an exotic bird among ravens.

      His jaw compressing at the unmistakable evidence of her tears, Constantine shook off an unwilling surge of compassion. And memories. No matter how innocent Sienna looked, he couldn’t allow himself to forget that his ex-fiancée was the new CEO of her family’s failing pearl empire. She was first and foremost an Ambrosi. Descended from a once wealthy family, the Ambrosis were noted for two things: their luminous good looks and their focus on the bottom line.

      In this case, his bottom line.

      “Tell me you’re not going after her now.”

      Constantine’s brother Lucas, still jet-lagged from a long-haul flight from Rome to Sydney, levered himself out of the Audi Constantine had used to pick up both of his brothers from the airport.

      In the Sydney office for two days of meetings, Lucas was dressed for business, although he’d long since abandoned the jacket and tie. Zane, who was already out of the car and examining the funeral crowd, was dressed in black jeans and a black shirt, a pair of dark glasses making him look even more remote.

      Lucas was edgily good-looking, so much so that the media dogged him unmercifully. Zane, who was technically their half brother, and who had spent time on the streets of L.A. as a teenager before their father had found him, simply looked dangerous. The outer packaging aside, Constantine was confident that when it came to protecting his family’s assets both of his brothers were sharks.

      Constantine shrugged into the jacket he’d draped over the back of the driver’s seat as he watched Sienna accept condolences, his frustration edged by a surge of emotion that had nothing to do with temper.

      Grimly, he considered that the physical attraction that had drawn him away from The Atraeus Group’s head office on Medinos, when his legal counsel could have handled the formalities, was clouding his judgment.

      No, that wasn’t it. Two years ago Constantine had finally learned to separate sexual desire from business. He was no longer desperate.

      This time if and when Sienna Ambrosi came to his bed, it would be on his terms, not hers.

      “I’m not here to put flowers on Roberto’s grave.”

      “Or allow her to grieve. Ever heard of tomorrow?” Lucas shrugged into his jacket and slammed the door of the Audi.

      Constantine winced at Lucas’s treatment of the expensive car. Lucas hadn’t been old enough to remember the bad old days when the Atraeus family had been so poor they hadn’t been able to afford a car, but Constantine could. His father’s discovery of a rich gold mine on the Mediterranean island of Medinos hadn’t altered any of his childhood memories. He would never forget what it had felt like to have nothing. “When it comes to the Ambrosi family, tomorrow will be too late.” Resignation laced his tone as he eyed the press gathering like vultures at a feast. “Besides, it looks like the story has already been leaked. Bad timing or not, I want answers.”

      And to take back the money Roberto Ambrosi had conned out of their dying father while Constantine had been out of the country.

      Funeral or not, he would unravel the scam he had discovered just over a week ago. After days of unreturned calls and hours of staking out the apparently empty residences of the Ambrosi family, his patience was gone, as was the desire to finish this business discreetly.

      Lucas fell into step beside Constantine as he started toward the dispersing mourners. Grimly, Constantine noted that Lucas’s attention was fixed on the younger Ambrosi daughter, Carla.

      “Are you certain Sienna’s involved?”

      Constantine didn’t bother to hide his incredulity.

      Just what were the odds that the woman who had agreed to marry him two years ago, knowing that her father was leveraging an under-the-table deal with his, hadn’t known about Roberto’s latest scam? “She knows.”

      “You know what Roberto was like—”

      “More than willing to exploit a dying man.”

      Constantine made brief eye contact with the two bodyguards who had accompanied them in a separate vehiele. The protection wasn’t his choice, but as the CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation, he’d had to deal with more than his share of threats.

      As they neared the graveside, Constantine noted the absence of male family members or escorts. The wealthy and powerful Ambrosi family, who had employed his grandfather as a gardener, now only consisted of Margaret—Roberto’s widow—the two daughters, Sienna and Carla, and a collection of elderly aunts and distant cousins.

      As he halted at the edge of the mounded grave,