The Italian's Unexpected Heir Read online

  Her baby surprise proves...

  ...that one night will never be enough!

  Reeling from the secrets that have torn his heritage apart, Enzo Bartolini is set on selling his family’s Tuscan vineyard and trying to forget the impulsive, dazzling night he and best friend Sylvie shared in Paris. While the sale moves forward, the thrilling awareness between him and Sylvie is harder to move past...especially when she upends Enzo’s world by revealing she’s carrying his baby!

  The Bartolini Legacy

  A secret, an inheritance, a journey to happy-ever-after!

  A diary...

  After their parents’ sudden deaths, the Bartolini siblings Bianca, Gia and Enzo return home to Tuscany and discover one of them is illegitimate!

  A will...

  As they’re reeling from the bombshell, the will is read. The luxury family estate will be left to the sibling who can generate the greatest income.

  A summer to remember...

  While they wait for the DNA test results, each sibling embarks on their own vision for the vineyard’s future. They have six months that will take them on a journey of self-discovery and finding love along the way...

  Read Bianca’s story in The Prince and the Wedding Planner

  Discover Gia’s story in The CEO, the Puppy and Me

  And find Enzo’s story in The Italian’s Unexpected Heir

  All available now!

  Dear Reader,

  Life is full of surprises—some of them good, some of them not so good. And then there are the surprises you never saw coming that upend everything you thought you knew. That’s what happens to the Bartolini family. And the repercussions shake everyone’s foundations, including Enzo, the eldest Bartolini sibling.

  Since an early age, Enzo had been taught to look out for his sisters. But he wasn’t able to protect them from the pain of learning their family’s long-held secret. And now he feels as though he failed them, as well as betrayed by the people he trusted most in this world—his parents.

  Wedding planner Sylvie DeLuca has never had an easy life. With her father dying before she could know him and years later losing her mother, she’s alone in the world. But when a job assisting with a royal wedding leads to her having a dream job in Tuscany, she wonders if at last she’s home.

  But when her pregnancy test comes up positive just as Enzo announces he’s selling the Bartolini estate, what’s Sylvie to do? Start over elsewhere? Or fight for the estate she’s come to love?

  Happy reading!

  Jennifer

  The Italian’s Unexpected Heir

  Jennifer Faye

  Award-winning author Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published, with books translated into nine languages, she is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award. She has also won the CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award, been named a Top Pick author and been nominated for numerous other awards.

  Books by Jennifer Faye

  Harlequin Romance

  The Bartolini Legacy

  The Prince and the Wedding Planner

  The CEO, the Puppy and Me

  Greek Island Brides

  Carrying the Greek Tycoon’s Baby

  Claiming the Drakos Heir

  Wearing the Greek Millionaire’s Ring

  The Cattaneos’ Christmas Miracles

  Heiress’s Royal Baby Bombshell

  Once Upon a Fairytale

  Beauty and Her Boss

  Miss White and the Seventh Heir

  Snowbound with an Heiress

  Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  Praise for Jennifer Faye

  “Ms. Jennifer Faye always delivers the most poignant romantic stories. Romance is in the air and the ending is truly heartwarming for everyone. Claiming the Drakos Heir is Ms. Faye’s best book, yet!”

  —Goodreads

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from One Night with Her Brooding Bodyguard by Cara Colter

  PROLOGUE

  It took almost losing everything...

  to make peace with a troubling past

  and embrace a loving future

  Paris, France, July

  “CONGRATULATIONS! I KNEW you could do it.”

  Enzo Bartolini turned to the beautiful woman standing next to him. The excitement in her voice and the sparkle in her eyes let him know she was more excited about this evening’s crowning achievement than he was. And that was the exact opposite of how things should be.

  He was supposed to be the excited one—the one who felt as though he was on top of the world. This win was something he’d dreamed of for years. And now that it was here—now that he was holding the plaque with his name on it—the victory felt hollow.

  The exhilaration he’d envisioned for this auspicious moment eluded him. The feeling of accomplishment—of finally being worthy of his father’s praise—was not to be. Shadows of the past smothered the brightness of the moment.

  Still, Enzo forced a bittersweet smile to his face. In truth, he hadn’t truly won anything—at least nothing he felt worthy of claiming.

  He’d encouraged his father for years to start entering his wine in competitions. Enzo knew the worldwide recognition would increase the demand for the wine and in turn raise its value. But his father had been stubborn, as usual. He’d said it was enough for him that he got to work the land each day and make a sizable profit. He didn’t need awards or recognition, too.

  However, Enzo needed it. He needed something to fill the huge gaping emptiness inside his chest. It had once been filled by the constant love of his parents, but they had been ripped from his life. In the time it took his parents to drive to the city for what? Groceries? Supplies for the vineyard? Whatever it was they’d set out to do that day, it had led to a horrific accident and forever changed the lives of their son and two daughters.

  When Enzo had insisted on seeing the accident photos, his stomach retched. Perhaps he shouldn’t have insisted. Perhaps he should have just taken the word of the police. But he’d been in shock, unable to process a life without his very dynamic parents in it. He’d demanded proof.

  And then he’d been shown the photos. He’d only needed to see the one—the photo of a tangled-up piece of metal. It hadn’t even resembled a car any longer. There was no chance his parents could have survived. None at all. Thinking there couldn’t be anything else to compare to that devastation, he’d been wrong.

  Enzo pushed aside those troubling thoughts. Tonight was all about the win. At last, there was once again something good in his life. So then why didn’t it feel good? Why wasn’t he on top of the world?

  He reached to undo his black bow tie as well as loosen th
e top button of his white dress shirt, when Sylvie said, “Don’t. Not yet. I need a picture of you first.”

  His hand hesitated in midair before he lowered it to his side.

  Over the past several months, Sylvie DeLuca had become a good friend. She had the brightest smile—like the one she was flashing him now. And she was a good listener—though he usually didn’t have much to say. However, tonight, beneath the Parisian moonlight, he noticed her incredible beauty. How exactly had he missed it all this time?

  “This is it!” Sylvie tugged on his arm. “We can take the photo here. It’ll look amazing.”

  He stopped and glanced around. The Eiffel Tower was all lit up against the dark sky. So clichéd. And yet so utterly stunning.

  “Stand right there.” Sylvie pulled her phone from her sparkly black purse. “Turn to me.”

  And then he realized she was going to take his picture—all alone. Just like he was in life. The thought stole the smile from his face. He didn’t want to be alone—at least for tonight.

  Tonight he wanted Sylvie to be next to him. After all, she’d dropped everything to come with him on this trip. And he knew it hadn’t been easy for her as a wedding planner to get her work done ahead of time and then show someone else what needed to be accomplished in her absence. Luckily for him, a wedding had been canceled, otherwise Sylvie wouldn’t have been able to accompany him.

  But she was here and she was captivating. It wasn’t just him who noticed but everyone at the awards ceremony. Her black gown with the sparkly, strapless, fitted bodice was tapered at her tiny waist, and a plain, gauzy white material touched her hips and flowed to her ankles. And then the most delicate black heels showed off her painted toes.

  She went from being a businesswoman in her smart tailored suits to a stunning siren who could turn all of the males’ heads—his most especially. And it was making him quite uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure what to say or do around her.

  Because what he wanted to do now was pull her into his arms and kiss those very sexy, very tempting lips. But he resisted—just barely. They were friends. Nothing more. Even if she did look like some sort of goddess in that dress and that makeup that highlighted her alluring eyes, her high cheekbones and kissable lips. Wow!

  She signaled for him to move to his right. “A little more. Perfect.” She held up her phone to snap a picture.

  “Oh, no.” In the glow of her smile, he felt his dismal mood begin to lift. “You have to come over here and have your picture taken, too.”

  Sylvie shook her head. “Not me. I didn’t do anything special tonight. You’re the man of the hour.”

  “But without you, I might not have entered.” It was true. She’d nudged him into submitting his wine to the prestigious contest.

  Was that a blush? He looked harder but it was too dark to be sure. Maybe it was just that he was starting to know her well enough to know his words would cause her cheeks to pinken.

  Tonight hadn’t been some small, local contest. This had been an international event with worldwide recognition. He honestly hadn’t thought their small winery had any chance of winning against the big establishments. But Sylvie had insisted he would never know unless he entered. And so he’d decided he had nothing to lose and entered.

  She snapped a picture. The flash lit up, blinding him for a moment.

  “That’s not fair,” he said. “I want a picture, too.”

  “I’ll send you a copy.”

  “No. That won’t do. I want one of us together, so I’ll have it to remember this night.” It wasn’t until the words were out of his mouth that he realized how they might sound. Or maybe he was just being paranoid because he was having this very intense, undeniable attraction to her. His sister’s friend—his friend.

  He knew following this attraction through to its logical conclusion would be a mistake. Sylvie wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of woman. She was a let’s-get-to-know-each-other-fall-in-love-and-get-married type of woman. And that was the exact wrong type for him at this point in his life.

  He stopped his rambling thoughts. What had gotten into him? He never allowed his thoughts to go in this direction with Sylvie. So why tonight? Was it being in Paris together? Was it one too many toasts to his winning success?

  He latched on to the last thought and clung to it like it was a life preserver and he was a man adrift in a big, stormy sea. Or did he have it all wrong and Sylvie was his life preserver?

  The next thing he knew, she was standing next to him. It was only natural to put his arm around her—for the picture, of course. But then she leaned into him, sending his heart racing.

  Just ignore it. You’ve got this.

  “Smile,” he said—at least, he thought he said it. It was so hard to tell because he couldn’t hear his thoughts over the echo of his heartbeat.

  He snapped the picture. There. It was done.

  But when he went to move his arm, she said, “No. Don’t. Take one more.”

  There was a little voice in his head that said he should get while the getting was good, but that thought was drowned out by the thumping of his heart. It was just a picture. And she was just a friend.

  He once more held the camera out in front of them. “Okay. Are you ready?”

  When she didn’t respond, he turned to look at her. It was the same moment that she turned her head to look at him. And with those stiletto heels, she was closer to his height.

  When he thought back upon this moment, it would be the defining moment. This was when he should have turned away instead of staring deeply into her warm brown eyes that were so expressive. And right now they were saying that she wanted more from him than their platonic friendship. And so help him, so did he. So much more.

  * * *

  Her heart pitter-pattered.

  Her breathing was soft and shallow.

  Sylvie felt as though she was having an out-of-body experience. Maybe that was what she needed to tell herself in that moment to give her the courage to reach out to Enzo. Her hand cupped his freshly shaved cheek.

  If she didn’t do this now and quickly, she knew she would lose her courage. And though she’d been thinking about this for the longest time, if she didn’t act now, she would never fulfill her wish. And the one thing she’d learned in her short life is that you had to grasp the happy moments because they were fleeting and few.

  This was her happy moment. Enzo was the person who made her happy. And right now she felt so many intense emotions, she wasn’t able to put a name to all the jumbled feelings zinging through her body.

  But nothing was going to stop her from doing this one thing. She lifted up on her tiptoes. Even though her heels were high, they weren’t enough for Sylvie to come face-to-face with him.

  And then he was there, directly in front of her. And his mouth was just a breath away from her. An urge—or was it an impulse?—so strong, so swift, came over her. She was helpless to resist.

  Not thinking through the consequences of her actions, she leaned forward, closing the distance. She pressed her lips to his. There was a distinct and swift intake of air on his part.

  She’d surprised him? Really? She may be a virgin but that didn’t mean she was totally naive. She’d seen the way he’d been looking at her tonight when he didn’t think she was paying attention.

  Her body trembled with nerves as her lips moved over his unmoving mouth.

  No. Please. This can’t end like this.

  Inside, her heart was starting to crack. It had taken every bit of nerve to work up to this moment. She knew if she didn’t make the first move, he never would.

  And just when she thought he wasn’t as into her as she’d thought, he reached out to her. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. She followed his lead, letting her hands come to rest on his shoulders—his muscled shoulders gained from long hours of toiling the soil at the vineyard.<
br />
  His lips moved over hers at a dizzying pace. Her heart beat so fast she thought it was going to pound its way out of her chest. She’d been kissed before but nothing like this. Those had been inexperienced schoolboys who’d only pretended they knew what they were doing, but Enzo, he knew exactly what he was doing. And she wanted him to show her more, much more.

  Enzo pulled back. His breathing was ragged. He pressed his forehead to hers. “Sylvie, I... I—”

  “Don’t say it.” She knew he was going to apologize for kissing her and it would ruin this moment—this very precious moment.

  “But I shouldn’t have let things get out of hand—”

  “What if I wanted things to get out of hand?” Her gaze searched his. “I kissed you. Enzo, I’ve wanted to kiss you for the longest time. Tonight I finally worked up the courage.”

  Wow! Where had that come from? She never talked this boldly to men. Maybe that was why she didn’t have a steady boyfriend—why she was still a virgin. In the past, she could blame her limited experience with men on caring for her ailing mother. But now it was all on her—what did or didn’t happen was totally up to her.

  She was tired of standing on the sidelines, watching her life rush past her. It was time to do what she wanted, instead of just dreaming about those things. It was time she took charge of her life.

  And right now she wanted Enzo.

  She trusted him more than anyone else in the world. These past few months they’d spent almost every day together. She knew him and he knew her. He was kind. He was thoughtful. And he had a big heart where his family was concerned.

  And then there was his looks. Mmm...tall, dark and sexy didn’t even begin to describe him. His dark eyes were mysterious and held a host of secrets that she longed to unravel. And his thick brown hair made her hands tingle with the impulse to comb her fingertips through it. And his mouth, well, she’d already proven it was most desirable.

  For a moment Enzo didn’t respond. His eyes registered his surprise at her forwardness. Part of her was proud of herself for speaking up. The other part of her was scared that he would let her down with a painful thump to her heart.