'Should I fetch one of the guys from the ceremony room?'
Dara shook her head. 'The wedding is due to start in two hours-the ceremony room is priority.' She smoothed down the front of her sleek red pencil skirt, trying to focus on everything but the mismatched flowers above her. Her eyes drifted upwards again.
Mia laughed. 'I'll go and get somebody.'
She disappeared out through the door, leaving Dara alone in the glittering winter ballroom.
The rest of the room was perfect. Her team was talented, and very capable of doing most of the work unchaperoned. She could pick and choose which events to attend, leaving her plenty of time to travel with her jet-setting husband. But it had been three weeks since she and Leo had been together-his newest business expansion into Asia had kept him away much longer than usual.
The restlessness that had plagued her over the past months seemed to have intensified in the absence of her husband. Three weeks was the longest they had spent apart. She was unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong-or perhaps something was about to go wrong.
Their joint venture into charity work in Sicily kept her busy. The Valente Foundation was doing fantastic work in some of the most disadvantaged areas on the island. And with Christmas fast approaching there was lots of volunteer work to do. But, as busy as she kept herself, something still kept her wide awake at night and staring at the ceiling.
Making a snap decision, she grabbed a ladder from nearby and set it up, removing her heels in the process. She didn't need to stand here waiting for a big strong man to fix the problem. There was no reason why she couldn't do it herself.
She quickly reached the top, keeping both hands in front of her on the cold metal for balance. It was true: if you wanted a job done well, sometimes you had to do it yourself. She focused on the arrangement, unhooking it from its place and lowering it down. It was heavier than she had expected, and she gasped as the world unexpectedly tilted on its axis.
'Dio, what is it with you and ladders?' a deep voice shouted from below her as the ladder suddenly righted itself and she was entirely vertical again.
'Leo.' Her heart gave a sharp thump.
Her husband was looking up at her, his hands holding the metal ladder steady. Dara dropped the flower arrangement and cursed.
'It's nice to see you still haven't lost your love of daring stunts, carina.'
Dara descended the ladder as quickly as she could manage and practically fell into her husband's arms. The familiar smell of him surrounded her, making her sigh involuntarily.
'Surprise...' he whispered huskily against her neck.
His permanent five o'clock shadow brushed against her skin and she shivered. Oh, how she had missed those shivers.
'You're a week early.' She pulled back in his arms.
He smirked. 'I like to be unpredictable.'
She loved it when he smiled like that, filled with mischief. Life was too serious without Leo around.
'I've got a surprise planned. Do you think you can manage a few days away from your work?'
'Right now? Leo, that sounds wonderful, but I'm needed here.'
Dara made a noise of protest, only to have him silence her with a finger against her lips.
'Do you remember your wedding vows, Signora Valente?'
Dara remembered their wedding day as if it had been yesterday. She had originally planned a simple ceremony on the beach in the Caribbean. But then they'd both realised there was only one place they could imagine becoming man and wife, attended by a few select family and friends: the castello, which had become the setting for the most romantic day of her life.
'We both agreed to remove that medieval part about obeying one's husband from our vows.' She raised a brow.
'I'm talking about the part where we promised to spend each and every day loving each other.' His gaze darkened as his hand drifted lower on her back. 'And it seems I've got about twenty-two days of loving to make up for.'
His mouth lowered to hers and captured it in a scorching kiss full of dark, sensual promise.
A muted cough interrupted them from their interlude. Mia, accompanied by one of the movers, stood awkwardly at the top of the stairs. Dara stood back from their sensual embrace, her cheeks flaming.
'Nice to see you home safe, Mr Valente,' Mia said and blushed. 'Shall I book you both into the restaurant for lunch?'
'I've come to steal my wife away, I'm afraid.'
Dara placed a hand against her chest, straightening her blazer as casually as she could manage under the scrutiny of her staff. 'Leo, I can't just leave two hours before an event-'
'Actually, you can,' Mia interrupted, blushing even more as both Leo and Dara turned to face her. 'What I mean is, Dara, you've been working so hard... What's the point in being the boss if you can't take some time off? The rest of the team can see this through perfectly well.'
Leo moved forward, grabbing Dara's shoes from the floor. 'Mia, you are the voice of reason.'
Dara shook her head, smiling. 'This is crazy. I have a million things I should be doing.'
'That's what makes stealing you away so much fun.' He winked, pulling her by the hand. 'Mia, you are only to call my wife if there is a fire or some other catastrophic event.'
'Understood, sir.' The assistant saluted, giggling uncontrollably as Leo commandeered his speechless wife from the room in her bare feet.
* * *
'Is the blindfold really necessary?' Dara asked, feeling for Leo's hand in the close confines of his sleek sports car.
'Necessary? Perhaps not,' Leo's voice purred silkily somewhere next to her ear. 'But it adds to my enjoyment.'
Dara reached out, her hand coming into contact with his arm: a band of hard muscle covered in the rich silk of his dark shirt. 'Well, in two years of marriage you've never mentioned this particular fantasy.'
Dara's breath whooshed out of her lungs as a warm hand settled possessively upon her inner thigh. It had been weeks since she'd felt her husband's hands on her body, and the sensation was just as addictive as she remembered.
'I've never been one for power plays, but I must say I am enjoying the effect so far,' he murmured seductively.
'I'm open to the blindfold, but I'm drawing the line at handcuffs,' she replied, focusing on the agonising slowness of his fingers as they progressed towards the hem of her skirt.
'We're hot enough in the bedroom without adding props, carina,' he rasped, gripping her thigh and squeezing gently. 'And I'm liable to stop this car on the side of the road if you don't stop making those delicious little noises.'
Dara smiled to herself, hearing his laboured breathing. 'I'll behave myself if it means avoiding an accident. Still, I'm not opposed to you being so out of control.'
He chuckled. 'I'll make note of that.'
Less than fifteen minutes later the car had moved off the motorway and onto rougher terrain. She had expected him to take her to the private airfield where they normally housed the jet, but he wouldn't have needed to blindfold her for that. The past Christmases of their relationship had been spent travelling abroad. Sipping champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower...exploring deserted beaches in Bali. She wondered what on earth he had planned this year. Curiosity made her stomach jolt with excitement as she felt the car suddenly pull to a smooth stop.
Leo jumped out from the car, ordering her to wait as he opened her door and helped her out into the crisp night air. He gently removed the blindfold, allowing Dara a moment as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings.
She looked up at the familiar facade of Castello Bellamo and felt her breath catch. Thousands of tiny twinkling fairy lights adorned the steps to the double doors. The entrance glowed as though lit up by some kind of magical force.
'The real surprise is inside.' Leo took her by the hand and led her up the steps and through the open doors into the grand hallway.
The castello had always been a magical place to her, with its vaulted ceilings and mysterious corridors. But now it simply took her breath away. Thick garlands of flowers adorned each side of the staircase, and tiny ornamental elves sat on a side table surrounded by candlelight. The light from the chandelier above had been left dimmed for maximum effect, and she could see a warm glow emanating from the doorway leading into the front sitting room.
'Leo, the place looks like something from a fairy tale.' She sighed, wandering through the archway. Her breath caught as she took in the enormous Christmas tree that dominated the room. The tree had to be at least nine feet tall, and was perfectly decorated in an array of red and gold. 'Did you do this all by yourself?' she asked, still stunned by all the effort he'd gone to.
'I had some help,' he admitted. 'I remembered you spoke about how much you loved the traditional family Christmases you had as a child.' Moving his weight onto one foot, he leaned against the archway and watched her. 'Do you like it?'