Morris, Stephanie - Unfinished Business [Indulgence 3] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Read online

  Indulgence 3

  Unfinished Business

  There is one man that Daníella Mangino has never been able to resist or say no to—her ex-husband, Carlo Carabelli. The moment he asked her to marry him, she’d known it would be forever…or so she thought. Still, the last thing she expects is for him to return, asking her for a second chance at their relationship. The timing couldn’t be worse. But what Carlo Carabelli wants, he gets…

  Carlo Carabelli regrets the day that he asked his ex-wife Daníella Mangino for a divorce. The car wreck that left him struggling with learning how to walk again had nearly crushed him. He couldn’t be the man for Daníella that he swore he’d always be. Truth be told, he has never stopped loving her, but he has a secret that, once discovered, might just mean a permanent end for him and Daníella.

  One thing is certain—Daníella and Carlo have unfinished business…

  Genre: Contemporary

  Length: 52,660 words

  UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  Indulgence 3

  Stephanie Morris

  ROMANCE

  www.BookStrand.com

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  A SIREN-BOOKSTRAND TITLE

  IMPRINT: Romance

  UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  Copyright © 2012 by Stephanie Morris

  E-book ISBN: 1-61926-199-5

  First E-book Publication: January 2012

  Cover design by Jinger Heaston

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To Ivy, Tamara, Cynthia, Soneni, Natalie, and all of my other readers who asked for Daníella and Carlo’s story.

  Happy Reading!

  UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  Indulgence 3

  STEPHANIE MORRIS

  Copyright © 2012

  Chapter One

  Daníella Mangino had seduction on her mind—pure seduction. It was the only thing left for her to try, and this plan had to work. Entering her apartment in haste, she didn’t completely close the door behind her. She headed into the living room and put her stuff down. Ignacio, the man she’d been dating for a year—the man she’d decided to seduce tonight—would be right behind her, which meant there wasn’t much time to get ready.

  She made her way upstairs quickly, needing a shower. Part of being a seductress was to smell like one. The best part was Ignacio had no idea of what she had planned. He was going to be so surprised—and hopefully aroused. Daníella paused when she heard a moan, a female moan. Her ears had to be deceiving her. There shouldn’t be another woman’s moan filling her apartment. Continuing up the stairs, she frowned as she cleared the landing and saw the bedroom door was partly open.

  Daníella always left her door completely open to help with circulation of cool air. She walked toward her room quietly, pushing the door open slightly, knowing someone was on the other side, but not knowing who.

  Her mouth dropped open in shock at the sight before her. Her stomach churned. She wondered how it would be best to announce her presence to the occupants in her bed. They were so busy they didn’t even notice her. Daníella tried to collect herself, to think rationally, but it was hard to do with the sight before her. An evil smile spread across to her face as she thought of the perfect way to alert them to her presence. It would ruin her bed, but she could live with that because she had no intention of ever sleeping it again.

  It made her sick to think about how long this had been going on—and in her bed of all places. Daníella stepped back from the doorway as quietly as she could. What she really needed to do was clear her head and get away, but there would be time for that later.

  The happiness she’d felt earlier when she’d entered her apartment was nothing but a distant memory now. It had been a long time since she’d experienced true happiness. Daníella was thankful for everything she had. Yet, there was something missing. Something she thought she could find with Ignacio. Now it appeared that was a joke. Was it too much to ask for that kind of happiness? The sort of happiness she’d had four years ago? Unfortunately she couldn’t dwell on that. Right now she had this to deal with.

  Daníella went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. The corners of her mouth curved upward when she spotted the secret weapon she needed. As sadistic as it seemed, she took her time heading back up the stairs to her room where the couple was still locked in a passionate embrace. They weren’t going anytime soon from what she’d seen. Why rush?

  After pushing the door wide open, she walked over to the writhing couple. Either the woman was a good actress, or Ignacio might have been worth the trouble she’d gone through. Oh well. She would never find out for herself. Daníella took a deep breath and poured the pitcher of ice water on the couple in her bed. A small hysterical giggle bubbled up from her throat as she had the pleasure of watching the couple jerk apart in a mixture of shock and surprise.

  She turned around and walked out of the room, the sounds of Italian curses following her out of the room. A moment later Ignacio bellowed.

  “Daníella!”

  Daníella smiled at the anger and shock coloring his voice.

  Good. Now he knew how it felt.

  Not breaking stride, she kept walking but heard the sounds of her bed creaking, followed by his footsteps. She was appalled that he had the audacity to come after her. But what else should she expect? Continuing down the stairs, she focused on getting as far away from Ignacio as possible. The sooner he was gone, the better.

  “Daníella, where the hell are you going?”

  She stopped on the bottom stair before turning to look back at him.

  “The question is where are you and your whore going, Ignacio, or did you forget this is my home?”

  Daníella had the pleasure of seeing him flush with embarrassment, or it could have been anger. Either way, she didn’t care.

  “That’s what I thought. Now, I would appreciate it if the two of you could get dressed and remove yours
elves from my apartment.”

  Daníella turned back around and went to step off the stairs when Ignacio’s next words stopped her.

  “If you had called to let me know you would be home early, we could have saved ourselves this unpleasantness.”

  Her mouth almost hit the floor with shock. How dare he try to turn this back on her like it was her fault that she’d walked into her own home to catch him screwing another woman in her bed.

  “Excuse me?”

  Her tone was so hostile Ignacio stopped on the stairs he’d begun to descend. Ignacio immediately tried to smooth over his approach.

  “Oh, come on. I am a man. What do you expect?”

  The look of contempt she shot in his direction made him flinch. “I expect you to control yourself and behave like a man, not rut like an animal.”

  The woman he’d been in her bed with appeared at the top of the stairs behind him, giving Daníella more ammunition to accuse him with—and fortunately she had the decency to put her clothes on.

  “Then again, with a woman who looks like that, how could you?”

  It was a direct shot at the woman who now resembled a drowned rat after the ice bath she received. Still, she had the nerve to give Daníella a haughty look.

  “Ignacio, who is this awful woman?”

  Daníella felt her eyebrows shoot up at the description. “Yes, Ignacio, please tell your whore who this awful woman is?”

  A feminine gasp of outrage sounded as Ignacio began stammering, trying to explain his relationship to either woman. Daníella cut him off effectively.

  “What lover boy here is trying to say is I’m the woman he’s been dating for over a year and the owner of this apartment.”

  Daníella watched the woman frown, but it actually looked more like a pout, and she fought the urge to roll her eyes.

  “But, Ignacio, you told me this was your place.”

  Daníella almost lost it, grabbing onto the railing for support. The man had actually claimed her apartment for his own?

  That was it.

  Her teeth were clenched when she spoke. “I sincerely suggest both of you remove yourselves from my home as quickly as you can before I find something hot to douse the two of you with.”

  Ignacio seemed to be lacking the little intelligence he had left because he started toward her.

  “Daníella, she means nothing to me. This is just a fling.”

  Is? Not was?

  Daníella’s eyes widened in shock—which was more of a response than the one his lover emitted. Either she was used to being degraded, or she had no class. Maybe it was a little of both.

  “That may be, Ignacio, but I’m sure this isn’t the first fling and it won’t be the last. But this will be the last time you see me.”

  He gave her a pleading look. “What was I supposed to do? You weren’t willing to have sex with me.”

  Before she could stop herself, Daníella struck him. She was seething with anger. The fact that he was trying to make this her fault because she had wanted to save herself for the right moment pissed her off.

  “Get the hell out of here, Ignacio. Now.”

  “But—”

  Daníella growled and turned to walk away from the infuriating man before she did resort to violence. Right now she was very close. What she needed more than anything was to get away from this whole situation so she could think clearly. Just time to try to figure out why she hadn’t listened to her friend’s advice about Ignacio. Better yet, to figure out why she’d wasted over a year of her time on this loser. She should have known better.

  Daníella had barely taken another step before she ran into a warm, solid mass. A solid mass that shouldn’t be there, and her first instinct was to fight, especially when solid arms encircled her to keep her from falling backward. Inhaling deeply, she stiffened as soon as a familiar scent drifted over her—one she would recognize as long as she lived.

  “Carlo, what are you doing here?”

  She looked up into a face full of danger and a hint of anger, but his expression softened a little when he looked down at her.

  “I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by.”

  The explanation was ridiculous, but she didn’t bother to question it. Right now she had a houseful of guests she was dying to get rid of—including the man who now held her in his arms. When she realized she was still in his arms—and willingly—she quickly pulled away. The last thing she needed to do was get comfortable in the arms of this man. If Carlo did notice how rapidly she pulled away, he didn’t show it. Instead his deadly gaze was focused on Ignacio.

  “If I’m not mistaken, I heard the lady ask you to leave—several times.”

  Daníella shivered at the tone in his voice. She’d been on the receiving end of it once. He had been telling her to leave and never come back as well. After a slight resistance, she had walked away from the man who had once meant everything to her.

  She turned back around to face Ignacio and the woman who’d had enough sense to come down the stairs and try to make what resembled an exit. Ignacio, however, was still lacking common sense.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  As if it were possible, she felt Carlo’s body become even more rigid.

  “The man that is going to pick you up and carry you out if you don’t do what the lady asked you to do.”

  She could see Ignacio’s chest began to puff out and feel Carlo’s body harden even more as if he were ready to accept the challenge. A slight panic ensued within her as she tried to figure out a way to diffuse the situation without having anything valuable in her house broken. She had done a good job so far.

  Luckily the bimbo behind Ignacio knew what to do. Reaching out, she touched Ignacio’s hand.

  “Why don’t we take our fun somewhere else?”

  Daníella cringed at the words. The woman must be used to this. Ignacio turned to look at her as if her were going to say something unpleasant but quickly changed his mind.

  Instead, he smiled and took the woman’s hand. “You’re right, Valencia, we do need to go somewhere else.”

  Ignacio turned his attention back to Daníella, a sickening look of confidence on his face. “I’ll call you later.”

  Looking at him with pure disgust, she struggled to keep herself from heaving. “Don’t bother. I’m getting my number changed, as well as the locks. So I would advise you not to contact me ever again.”

  The idiot started to say something else, but Carlo moved forward, and Ignacio smartly moved quickly out of her front door. When it closed again, the only thing she became aware of was her heavy breathing. Breathing as though she had just finished running a marathon—a sign of her remaining anger. It was just one of the several feelings rushing through her. She seriously wondered what she’d been thinking to waste her time on Ignacio.

  She hadn’t been thinking. That was the problem. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to get past her desperation to be happy, and she ended up making herself even more miserable. The entire situation was awful. What was she supposed to do now? Especially since the man she’d once had true happiness with was still standing behind her. He had disregarded her like trash as well. It had taken her two and a half years to move on. The main reason being she’d always held out hope he would come back to her.

  Even then she had been desperate. What was it with her and desperation for men? She began to feel more awful than she already did, even though it didn’t seem possible.

  As if he knew she was thinking about him, Carlo’s hand came out and touched her shoulder. Her body stiffened automatically.

  “Are you okay?”

  She turned around and gave him an incredulous look. The answer to the question should have been obvious.

  “Do I look like I am okay? Would you be okay?”

  His small smile actually made her heart flutter. Damn her heart. She couldn’t afford to be weak behind this man again. The fact that he was still here in her apartment alone with her was dangero
us enough. What she wanted was to be by herself, and as quickly as possible. Taking a deep breath, she tried to smile and was pretty proud of her attempt.

  “Actually, Carlo, I’m fine. More than fine. All I want to do is take a hot bath and relax.”

  He chuckled. “This wouldn’t be a ploy to drown yourself, would it?”

  Daníella gave him an irritated look at his teasing expression even as she couldn’t help but to laugh.

  “No, Carlo, I’m not going to drown myself.”

  “Is this an attempt to get rid of me?”

  She answered him truthfully. “Yes, Carlo, it is. Nowadays it seems I’m destined to be alone, and I might be better off that way given my choice in men.”

  Carlo flinched at the words as if they actually bothered him. Not wanting to give herself false hope, she made her way into the living room and picked up her discarded bags. When she touched the bag she’d bought for tonight, her hand shook. It was another reminder of her failed attempt at seduction. Daníella didn’t know whether she should cry or laugh. Crying won out, and as the tears came to her eyes, she tried not to sniffle. Tried not to give away the fact she was more hurt than she wanted to be. It bothered her deeply that she was shedding tears over a loser. She felt Carlo walk up behind her a heartbeat before he made her put her purse and bag down. When he pulled her into his arms, she went a lot more willingly than she should have, which only made her cry harder.

  “Come on, tesoro mio. Don’t cry. I don’t like it when you cry.”

  Hearing the endearment she hadn’t heard in over four years only made her cry even harder. It wasn’t fair that he could walk in and do this to her all over again, yet it felt so good to be in his arms she couldn’t help herself. Carlo ran his hands up and down her back soothingly whispering to her in Italian, a gesture she always liked. She had to fight this. Not even minutes ago the man she invested time in for a year had walked away from her with another woman on his arm. At least she could give Carlo some credit. When he pushed her away, it hadn’t been because of another woman. Fortunately he wasn’t that sort of man. To be honest, she had no idea why he pushed her away after his accident. As far as she was concerned, it was too late to discover why. Still, something in her wanted to know, but right now she was content to lay her head on his shoulder and let him console her.