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The priest rattled through the cereed Poppy trelancing up to encounter sed into her face as she thought of the night ahead but there was anticipation and excitement laced with that faint sense of apprehension She had decided that she was glad that Gaetano would become her first lover Who better than the er? After all, no other ed to wipe out her memory of Gaetano There would be soly as Gaetano retained her hand and his thued the delicate skin of her inner wrist with the understated sensuality that seemed so much a part of him

‘You made me wait tenfor,’ Gaetano quipped as they walked down the aisle again

‘I warned you I’d be late,’ Poppy re you, you’d have preferred to findhumbly for you’

‘No, waiting naked would have been sufficient, late or otherwise,’ Gaetano whispered only loud enough for her ears ‘As for hu type’

Rodolfo hugged her outside the chapel, his creased face wrinkled into a huge smile ‘Welcome to the family,’ he said happily

A beautiful blonde watched with raised brows of apparent surprise as, urged on by the photographer, Poppy wound her arazed at hireat at faking it, she thought appreciatively as Gaetano smiled down at her with that wonderful, charis austerity from his lean, darkly handsome features

‘Congratulations, Gaetano,’ the blonde intercepted them as they made their way to the limo to be wafted back to the hall

‘Poppyham We’ll catch up later, Serena,’ Gaetano drawled

‘Is she the one you al her neck to look back at the sure and face of a top model

‘Oh, don’t do it Don’t roaned in exasperation ‘I didn’t almost marry Serena and, even if I did, what business is it of yours? This isn’t a real wedding’

The colour ebbed from below Poppy’s skin to leave her pale She felt oddly as though she had been slapped down and squashed and she felt enormously hurt and humiliated but didn’t understand why But, unquestionably, he was right Theirs was not a nor and she was not entitled to ask nosy personal questions about exes

As if he recognised that he had been rude, Gaetano released his breath in a slow measured hiss ‘I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that’

‘No, it’s OK I’m just naturally nosy,’ Poppy muttered in an undertone

‘Serena is a very talented hedge-fund er She ain Her ex was envious of her success, which is—apparently—the e failed’

Poppy pictured Serena’s cloyingly bright s soh Gaetano had spoken to Serena recently to catch up Confidences had been exchanged and that sent the oddest little current of dish Poppy She suspected that if the beautiful blonde went to work for Gaetano, it wouldn’t entirely be a career move But even if that was true, what business was it of hers to judge or speculate? She was Gaetano’s wife and soon she would also be Gaetano’s lover yet she had not, it seehts over Gaetano, which suddenly struck her as a recipe for disaster

Woodfield Hall ith guests and caterers Jashter to ask if it would be all right if she took her leave Newly sober, Poppy’s mother did not want as yet to be in the vicinity of alcohol Understanding, Poppy hugged the older woularly on the phone As Gaetano joined her Poppy smiled at one of her few school friends, Melanie, as now amekeeper

Overpowered by Gaetano’s presence, the sushed into speech ‘You ander Mr Leonetti? It’s so ro Gaetano directly, ‘the whole ti up Poppy never had eyes for anyone but you’

Gaetano responded wittily but Poppy was already trying not to cringe before Toby grinned at her ‘Nobody knows that better than me,’ he teased