At The Italian's Bidding

By Annie West

She’s out of bounds but how can he resist?

Niccolo might risk his neck on the racing car circuit but there’s one thing he won’t risk — his friendship with the De Laurentis family. Which means he dare not give in to his feelings for his best friend’s sister, Lia De Laurentis, no matter how impossible it is to keep his distance. Yet when he needs a pretend girlfriend, just for a weekend, who else can he trust to play the part?

Lia can’t believe she says yes to Niccolo Marchesi’s outrageous request. Her teenage crush on her brother’s daredevil friend has turned into full-scale infatuation, so how is she supposed to withstand two whole nights of temptation, pretending to be his lover? She knows every touch is a lie but it feels like the real thing. When honour and passion clash, will his scruples prove stronger than her willpower?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annie West
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781947414013

Annie West

Annie has devoted her life to an intensive study of charismatic heroes who cause the best kind of trouble in the lives of their heroines. As a sideline she researches locations for romance, from vibrant cities to desert encampments and fairytale castles. Annie lives in eastern Australia with her hero husband, between sandy beaches and gorgeous wine country. She finds writing the perfect excuse to postpone housework. To contact her or join her newsletter, visit www.annie-west.com

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AT THE ITALIAN’S BIDDING

Annie West

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events, businesses, companies, institutions or locations is entirely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Copyright © 2017 by Annie West

Cover Design by The Killion Group

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever, including information storage and or retrieval systems, without the express written permission from the author, Annie West, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Licence notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

About Annie

Excerpt From ‘Back in the Italian’s Bed’

Prologue

Come and spend the weekend with me, Lia. I need you.

Lia reread the message in disbelief.

Niccolo Marchesi wanted her to spend the weekend with him?

Her heartbeat kicked from normal to frantic, revving just like the engine of Niccolo’s latest race car.

She darted a look around the elegant hotel lobby, still empty of guests needing her assistance, then stared at her phone.

Niccolo never messaged her. Oh, they talked. Whenever he visited her family home for some celebration or when she caught up with her brother Matteo in Rome, Niccolo was often there. Niccolo and Matteo were still close after all these years, and Niccolo treated her as a little sister to be teased and indulged.

But he never went out of his way to seek her company.

Who could blame him? He knew full well about that teenage crush she’d had on him years ago.

The memory of his kindness then, his understanding, sent heat washing through her. No woman, not even a half-grown one, wanted pity instead of passion. And at seventeen it had been passion she’d desperately yearned for.

Thank goodness, at twenty-two, she was over him. She was busy with her own career, her own life. And if she took extra care to look good whenever she knew she was going to meet him? Well, who wouldn’t? Niccolo Marchesi wasn’t just a celebrated, phenomenally successful international race driver. He was handsome and sexy, always with at least one pretty girl in tow. Pretty? Make that gorgeous.

Lia frowned at her phone. Had he meant to send this message to Matteo? But no, he mentioned her by name.

How did he have her number, anyway?

The answer was easy. Any of her older brothers would have provided it. They treated him as one of their own.

Matteo had brought him into their home years ago. Niccolo had worked a season at the prestigious, historic hotel in the Italian Alps owned by his ultra-wealthy family. He’d been sent to learn the value of hard work. Lia’s brother Matteo had worked there part time and the teenagers had hit it off instantly. After that Niccolo had spent all his spare time in the De Laurentis home.

Being addicted to speed and thrills like all Lia’s brothers, Niccolo had returned every winter, since their mountain provided challenging slopes and perfect powder snow.

I need you.

Lia could imagine him saying it, an earnest look in his extraordinary dark eyes. His voice rich and deep and just a little husky as he reached out to her.

She blinked and thrust the fantasy aside.

As if! One thing she’d learnt about Niccolo – he might be a nice guy beneath those movie-star looks, he might even take it upon himself to be kind to a skinny, smitten kid, but he was not attracted to her.

In the years since she’d grown into a woman, he’d not once looked at her with anything approaching male interest.

To him she was the little sister he’d never had. So if he needed her it wasn’t because he’d suddenly discovered he’d been pining for her all this time.

Lia settled back in her leather chair behind the reception desk and again surveyed the hotel foyer. Through the window sunlight shone on the cobblestones and tourists clustered to take photos of picturesque Bergamo, the quaint hill town with its small but ultra-luxurious boutique hotel owned by her brother Luca. She was even a part owner of the enterprise along with the other staff, due to Luca’s innovative profit-sharing scheme.

Right now there were no guests needing attention. Nothing urgent to do. She turned back to her phone.

How could Niccolo possibly need her? At twenty-nine he was at the peak of his career, with so many wins under his belt the press were lauding him as a once-in-a-century sportsman. In addition to the millions he’d made from racing and sponsorship, he came from a well-heeled family. As for his love-life — he had the pick of women. It was well documented by the press and her brothers ribbed him about it all the time.

Need me for what?

She sent the message before she could have second thoughts.

Resolutely she put the phone aside and busied herself, double-checking bookings that had already been checked, and making a list of extra services that might be required. The American couple had spoken of a tour to Verona and—

A message pinged into her phone.

Need your help. Please?

Lia’s heart fluttered. Niccolo needed her help?

The idea tugged at her conscience. Hadn’t he come to her rescue when she needed him?

At seventeen, she’d been so fixated on him she’d almost convinced herself he reciprocated her feelings. When cornered by the other girls, taunting her about not having a date for the all-important local dance, she’d defiantly announced that Niccolo Marchesi, the newest, hottest star on the international racing circuit, would be her date.

It was a moment of insanity she regretted as soon as she’d spoken but then it was too late. The news spread like wildfire. Right to her brothers. And from there to Niccolo.

She remembered his solemn tone when he’d called to ask if it was true, and she’d stumbled, stricken, over her reply. The damning silence while he took it in. And the elation when, unbelievably, he’d promised to escort her, though it meant squeezing the visit into his already packed schedule.

She’d danced on air that night, radiant with happiness. Until he’d taken her home, gently kissed her on the forehead and made it clear that, while he cared for her like a sister, he had a girlfriend waiting for him elsewhere.

The fact was, she owed Niccolo. He’d stood by her and never reproached her for her foolishness. He’d saved her pride when it would have been far easier to let her face the consequences of her wishful lie.

More than that, he’d helped her family in so many ways it was impossible to count. Through knowing him, Luca, her eldest brother, had got valuable contacts who’d helped him as he developed his own chain of resorts. Because of that, Lia herself had a promising career in hotel management.

Another message arrived. This one promising an explanation on Friday afternoon, if she was willing to spend the weekend at his family’s villa at Lake Como.

Lia chewed her lip.

Lake Como with Niccolo or spring cleaning her little flat?

Besides, there was that debt of honour. Niccolo needed her.

Lia ignored the flush of heat that thought evoked and told herself she was doing a favour for a friend. Whatever trouble Niccolo was in, she’d help him. Then she’d walk away, pleased to have helped and lighter for having cleared that ancient debt.

Chapter One

‘Your