Free The Moretti Heir by Katherine Garbera Page A

me. Cassia died a lonely, bitter woman, and my mother lost the only man she loved. And I…”
    “What?”
    “I have spent the last two years of my life studying the curse and trying to figure out why my grandmother never married and had only one child, a daughter—my mother. And why my mother’s life followed the same pattern. And I realized something as I looked at my family and the curse my nonna put on you. She cursed you with an ancient spell. One that has a backlash to keep the balance.”
    “I’d like to say I care, but right now I’m too pissed off.”
    “I don’t blame you. But you are hardly a man who hasn’t had affairs before.”
    “True enough. But I’ve never left woman in the middle of the night.”
    “I’m sorry, but if you will just hear me out. There is a silver lining to this.”
    He shrugged again. “What did you mean by balance?”
    “The balance of justice. The balance of everything in nature. The curse gave my grandmother what she desired, but it also required that she give up something to get her wish. And she craved Lorenzo’s unhappiness. She needed him to feel the same heartbreak that she had felt….”
    Marco went to the wet bar and poured himself two fingers of Scotch. “Cassia sought revenge because she was jilted. And she got it. My nonno was unhappy in love all the days of his life. His marriages failed, though he did get sons whom he worshipped. My own father couldn’t make the business successful, but he had the love of my mother to make up for it.”
    “I had heard that about your family. I’m glad that you and your brothers grew up in a house filled with love.”
    “Are you?” he asked caustically.
    “Yes. My own home was filled with bitterness. With that expectation that life wasn’t anything but a series of disappointments.”
    “Indeed, it can be. Why don’t you tell me why you are really here? Is it for money?”
    “No, Marco, I don’t want your money. I want your progeny.”
    Marco wasn’t sure he could handle any more surprise announcements from Virginia.
    “My prog—You want to bear my child?”
    “Yes,” she said.
    Marco poured another glass of Scotch and tossed it back. His emotions were in turmoil. This night was turning into an all-out high-speed ride. It was something he’d only ever experienced with Virginia. With her, he never knew what to expect and couldn’t plan beyond the road he could see in front of him.
    Then he realized what she’d said. She wanted his baby, so did that mean…
    “Did you lie to me when I asked if you were on the pill?”
    She flushed and turned away.
    That was all the answer he needed. “God, is there one thing you’ve said to me that is the truth?”
    “It’s not like that. I mean—well, it is like that, but I’ve been lying to make things right. Doesn’t intention count for anything?”
    “No. Hell, I don’t know. Why me?”
    “Um…well, it doesn’t necessarily need to be you. Just a Moretti man.”
    “So, again I ask, why me?” he asked, becoming even more incensed. He was half-tempted to call his lawyers and find some reason to drag her into court.
    “You were the easiest Moretti brother to get close to. And when I looked at you and your brothers, I just felt drawn to you.”
    He’d felt a spurt of jealousy when she’d said it didn’t have to be him. That jealousy was assuaged a bit when she said she was drawn to him, but he didn’t like the fact that to Virginia he was just a means to an end.
    “Why do you want my baby, Virginia?” he asked, still trying to get his head around the fact that she’d lied about birth control. He came from a loving family. He was always very careful to make sure he didn’t have any consequences from his affairs.
    She twisted a long strand of her hair around a finger and walked a bit closer to him. She wore only his shirt and he realized how small and vulnerable she looked. With only the faint lights from the bedroom and balcony illuminating the room, she