Secrets of a Powerful Man

Secrets of a Powerful Man
Chantelle Shaw

Salvatore Castallano is haunted by the accident that left a blank in his memory. His young daughter is the one bright light in his dark existence and he’ll do anything for her… Even if that means moving a delicious temptation under his roof!Darcy Rivers can’t refuse Salvatore’s proposal. Unemployed and fleeing the memories of her recent divorce, time in the grand Torre d’Aquilla castle maybe just what she needs.But the closer she gets to this powerful man, the closer he gets to uncovering her secrets!

‘Be grateful that fate intervened tonight, cara. I am not the man for you. You are curiously innocent, but there is a blackness in my soul that I fear would destroy you.’

Salvatore dropped a hard kiss onto her mouth and his gut clenched when he felt her immediate response. He closed his eyes briefly and thrust her away from him.

‘Get out. Run from me, Darcey. Because if you don’t I will take your lovely body and crush your gentle heart.’

His eyes glittered when she did not move and he hauled himself to his feet. Pain seared through his leg and he staggered against the bureau.

‘Did you hear me?’ he snarled. ‘If you know what’s good for you—get out!’

THE BOND OF BROTHERS

Bound by blood, separated by secrets

Dark, powerful and devastatingly handsome, the Castellano brothers have fought much to overcome their difficult childhood—but separation and secrets have left their scars.

Now these two men must ensure that their children do not inherit their painful legacy…

You read Sergio’s story in:

HIS UNEXPECTED LEGACY September 2013

Read Salvatore’s story in:

SECRETS OF A POWERFUL MAN November 2013

Secrets of a Powerful Man

Chantelle Shaw

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CHANTELLE SHAW lives on the Kent coast, five minutes from the sea, and does much of her thinking about the characters in her books while walking on the beach. An avid reader from an early age, she found school friends used to hide their books when she visited—but Chantelle would retreat into her own world, and still writes stories in her head all the time.

Chantelle has been blissfully married to her own tall, dark and very patient hero for over twenty years and has six children. She began to read Mills & Boon

romances as a teenager, and throughout the years of being a stay-at-home mum to her brood found romantic fiction helped her to stay sane! Her aim is to write books that provide an element of escapism, fun, and of course romance for the countless women who juggle work and home life and who need their precious moments of ‘me’ time. She enjoys reading and writing about strong-willed, feisty women and even stronger-willed, sexy heroes. Chantelle is at her happiest when writing. She is particularly inspired while cooking dinner, which unfortunately results in a lot of culinary disasters! She also loves gardening, taking her very badly behaved terrier for walks and eating chocolate (followed by more walking—at least the dog is slim!).

Recent titles by the same author:

HIS UNEXPECTED LEGACY (The Bond of Brothers) CAPTIVE IN HIS CASTLE AT DANTE’S SERVICE THE GREEK’S ACQUISITION

Did you know these are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

CHAPTER ONE (#ud17e7a2e-fe41-5369-a714-3ec50c08cedb)

CHAPTER TWO (#uc9124689-f4c8-5abd-ae77-51f51848105b)

CHAPTER THREE (#uf804a821-fd42-59f9-820e-76e78a8df87d)

CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE

‘THERE’S SOMEONE HERE to see you. A man...’

Darcey looked up from her desk, surprised that her usually unflappable secretary sounded flustered.

‘He says his name is Salvatore Castellano,’ Sue continued. ‘He has been referred to you by James Forbes and wishes to arrange speech therapy for his daughter.’

‘But James knows that the unit is closing.’ Darcey was puzzled. James Forbes was head of the paediatric cochlear implant programme at the hospital and he had been vociferous in his condemnation of the financial cuts affecting the speech therapy unit.

Sue shrugged. ‘I explained that, but Mr Castellano is insistent that he wants to see you.’ She added in a conspiratorial voice, ‘I think he’s used to getting his own way, and he is demanding to speak to you. He’s very Mediterranean—you know the type... Dark and intense. I know I shouldn’t say this when I’ve been married to Brian for twenty-four years, but he’s hot.’

He was demanding to see her? Darcey’s brows rose, but she had to admit she was intrigued by this man who was responsible for turning Sue into a wilting heap of hormones. Fortunately she had no concerns that he might have the same effect on her. She was off hot men. From now on she would be perfectly happy with lukewarm and safe, perhaps even slightly boring, but definitely not a showman...like her ex-husband.

She glanced out of the window and noticed a sleek black saloon car parked next to her Mini. Her contract with the health authority had been terminated and she did not have to meet this Salvatore Castellano. But what the hell? There was only an empty house waiting for her, and a solitary dinner—if she could be bothered to cook.

‘You’d better show him in.’

Sue stepped back into the corridor and Darcey returned to the task of clearing the drawers in her desk. The filing cabinets had been emptied and all that remained to do was take down the certificates on the wall which gave details of her qualifications: BSc (Hons), MSc in Speech and Language Therapy and an Advanced Clinical Skills Diploma for speech and language therapists to work with the deaf.

It was a pity that being an expert in her field had not been enough to save her job, she thought ruefully. The Inner London health authority’s budget had been drastically cut and she had been made redundant. Losing her job had forced her to think about her future—and acknowledge the necessity of coming to terms with her past. Her decision to take a career break for a couple of months over the summer was primarily so that she could make plans for the private practice she intended to set up. But, more importantly, she was hoping to put her divorce behind her and get over her cheating rat of an ex-husband once and for all.

Her gaze fell on the nameplate on her desk. She had become Darcey Rivers when she had married Marcus and had kept his name after the divorce because she was reluctant to revert back to her maiden name and the notoriety that went with it. It had been painfully humiliating when she had realised that Marcus had married her because he had hoped that joining the famous theatrical Hart family would boost his acting career. Unfortunately she had been so in love with him, so bowled over by his wit and charm and undeniable good looks, that with uncharacteristic impulsiveness she had accepted his proposal four months after they’d met.

Darcey walked over to the window and picked up the potted plant on the sill. She had inherited the Maidenhair Fern two years ago, when she had taken up the post of senior specialist speech and language therapist. It had been half-dead and Sue had offered to throw it out— apparently this type of fern was notoriously difficult to grow successfully. But Darcey liked a challenge, and under her care the plant had thrived and was now a mass of bright green lacy leaves.

‘Don’t worry, I’ll take you home with me,’ she murmured. She had read that plants responded if you talked to them, and her words of encouragement seemed to have worked—although that was strictly between her and the fern. After all, she was a highly educated professional and sensible was her middle name; her family and friends would be astonished if they knew that she talked to plants.