Lazz's Contract Marriage (The Dante Inferno: The Dante Dynasty Series Book 4) by Day Leclaire

Author:Day Leclaire [Leclaire, Day]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction, Forever Love, Bachelor, Single Woman, Sensual Story Theme, Hearts Desire, Lifetime Love, Life-Changes, Second Chance Reunion, Honesty & Trust, Home & Family, Romantic Schemes, Small Town & Rural Area, Cowboy & Western Romance, Beautiful & Feisty, Love-Family & Forever, Action & Adventure, The Dante Dynasty Series, The Dante Inferno Series, Former Harlequin Series, Family Saga, Multicultural & International, Foreign Country, Italian Nationality & Heritage, Marriage 0f Convenience, Reissued Edition
Publisher: DLI Publishing
Published: 2020-01-31T05:00:00+00:00

“So, how’s married life treating you? You’re celebrating your . . . what? Three-week anniversary?”

“To the day.” Lazz flipped open the menu the waitress handed him and glanced across it at his brother. “And married life is fine.”

“Fine,” Sev repeated. “That’s it? Fine? Most men who’ve been married so short a time would describe it a bit differently. Incredible, maybe. Fantastic.”

Lazz dropped the menu to the linen-draped tabletop. “My marriage to Ariana isn’t real, as you damn well know.” And wasn’t that the biggest crock of manure he’d ever attempted to shovel.

“But you are still planning to keep that one salient detail from Primo and Nonna, right?”

“Yes.” Impatience edged Lazz’s voice. “Penelope, too. Why the inquisition? What’s going on?”

Sev turned to the waitress hovering at his elbow and placed his order, then waited while Lazz placed his, before answering. “No inquisition. I just wondered why you chose to have lunch with me instead of your beautiful wife.”

“Ariana made plans with friends. In fact, she asked me which restaurant would afford the most privacy and best view, and I suggested Fruits de Mer. I expect she’s around here someplace.”

In fact, he knew it. He’d sensed his wife’s presence the moment he’d walked in. The need to go in search of her had been nearly overwhelming, which was why he’d done just the opposite and taken a chair that kept his back to temptation. Not that he’d confess that small detail to his brother. It irritated Lazz enough he had such a strong awareness of Ariana. He wasn’t about to give Sev the opportunity to go off on one of his Inferno rants.

“You know, I brought Francesca to Fruits de Mer on our first official date.” Humor drifted through Sev’s eyes, turning them a burnished gold. “I think we lasted an entire five minutes before we went tearing over to my Pacific Heights place. We couldn’t control ourselves.”

“I assume you’re going to blame that on The Inferno?”

“It was definitely a contributing factor.” Sev’s gaze dropped to Lazz’s hands. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Lazz froze, suddenly aware he was kneading his palm the same way his brothers and grandfather did. They’d always claimed it was one of the side effects of The Inferno, that when the connection formed during their first touch, it caused the bone-deep itch he’d been unable to suppress. Without a word, he picked up his glass of beer and took a long swallow.

To Lazz’s relief, Sev changed the subject. “You didn’t say who Ariana was lunching with.”

“Maybe because I don’t know. Friends.” He shot his brother an inquiring glance. “Is she with Francesca?”

“Ariana isn’t with any of the wives.”

Lazz struggled to shove back a wave of irritation. “And you know this how?”

“Because she’s a half dozen tables behind you by the window. And her luncheon companion definitely isn’t female.”

Lazz stiffened and slowly turned. Ariana sat in a snug table for two, close to a window perched above the Marina District. The sun plunged into the dense darkness of her hair, just as his hands had plunged into that silken mass during their time in Verdonia.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.