Dante's Blackmailed Bride by Day Leclaire Read Free Book Online

fixing his grandfather with an uncompromising stare. “I want to know what the hell happened to me and how to make it stop.”
    “What happened is Dantes’ Inferno,” Primo answered simply. “Some call it a family curse. I have always considered it a family blessing.”
    The name teased at a far-off memory. No, not a memory. More of a childhood story, carrying a grain of truth amid the more fantastical elements. “Explain.”
    Primo released his breath in a deep sigh. “Come. The story sits better with a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other.”
    Brushing plant detritus from his slacks, he stood and led the way into the kitchen. Cool and rustic, huge flagstones decorated the kitchen floor while rough-hewn redwood beams stretched across the twelve-foot plaster ceiling. A large table, perfect for a substantially sized family, took up one end of the room, while a full compliment of the latest appliances filled the other. After washing up, the two men helped themselves to bottles of homemade honey beer and took a seat at the table. Primo produced a pair of cigars. Once they were clipped and lit, he leaned back in his chair and eyed his grandson.
    “I did try and warn you,” he began.
    “You didn’t issue a warning. You told us a fairy tale when we were impressionable children. Why would we put credence in something so implausible?”
    “It was real. You just chose not to believe. Not to remember.”
    The quiet words held an unmistakable conviction, one that threw Sev. “So now I’m supposed to accept that you and Nonna took one look at each other and it was love at first sight? A love inspired by this…this Inferno?”
    His grandfather shook his head. “Not even close. I took one look at your grandmother and it was lust at first sight.” He studied the burning tip of his cigar and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. “And then I touched her. That is when The Inferno happened. That is when the bond formed—a bond that has lasted our entire lives. Whether you are willing to believe it or not, it is a bond our family has experienced for as long as there have been Dantes.”
    “Lightning bolts. Love at first sight. Instant attraction.” Sev shrugged. “All names for the same spice. How is our story any different from thousands of others? What makes it ‘The Inferno’ versus the simple chemistry most lovers experience?”
    Primo took his time responding. When he did, he came at his answer from a tangent. “Your grandmother belonged to another man. Did you know that?” Bittersweet memories stirred in his distinctive eyes. “She was engaged to him.”
    Aw, hell. “Not good.”
    “Now that is an understatement if ever I heard one,” Primo said dryly. “You need to understand that all those years ago an engagement was as much a commitment as marriage vows, at least in our little village. So, we fled the country and came here.”
    “Have you ever regretted it?” Sev asked gently.
    Primo’s expression turned fierce, emphasizing the contours of his strong Roman nose and squared jawline. “Never. My only regret is the pain I caused this other man.” His mouth compressed and he lifted his beer for a long drink. “He was mio amico. No, not just my friend. My best friend. But once The Inferno strikes…” He shrugged. “There is nothing that can stop it. Nothing that can come between those who have known the burn. Nothing to douse the insanity but to make that woman yours. She is your soul mate. Your other half. To deny it will bring you nothing but grief, as your father discovered to his misfortune.”
    Sev wanted to refute his grandfather’s words, to dismiss them as an aging man’s fantasy. But he hesitated, reluctant to say anything now that Primo had mentioned Sev’s father. And one other fact held him silent. Everything Primo said precisely matched his reactions last night, which created a serious dilemma for him. He had plans for Francesca, plans other than taking her to bed. To restore