Chapter One

Tuscany – September

Colin Gregson had given up on falling back asleep this morning, the jet lag he was experiencing after a twelve hour flight that had passed through several different time zones making sleep all but impossible. He’d thrown on swim trunks, a T-shirt, and sandals, not bothering to shave, and began to tiptoe out of the suite of rooms he was sharing with his wife Selina and their young son Lucien, both of whom were fast asleep. Evidently he was the only one of the trio who was suffering the ill effects of their long journey from Hong Kong the previous day, something of an irony considering his frequent business travel around Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

A smile softened his features as he gazed lovingly at his sleeping wife. Selina, who was half-French and half-Chinese, was petite and gracefully slim, her black hair cut in a stylish, chin-length bob. Even in sleep she managed to look sleek and elegant, like the sinuous black cat he’d compared her to once. But her almost ethereal appearance was entirely deceiving, for in actuality his wife possessed one of the most brilliant legal minds he’d ever encountered, and she had caused grown men to wince in reaction from one of her sharp-tongued retorts - himself included.

But Selina also had a soft side to her, especially when it came to the raven haired boy who snored softly in the small bedroom that adjoined their own. Lucien had inherited both Colin’s sense of adventure and his mother’s sharp wit, a rather fearsome combination for a three-year-old. But he was Colin’s pride and joy, just as Selina was the love of his life, and they would be welcoming a second child soon after the New Year.

Next year would be a busy one for the Gregson family, mused Colin as he made his way across the expansive patio of the family villa on his way to the pool. In addition to the new baby, his brother Ian was finally getting married - an occasion that most of the family had begun to fear would never happen. Colin in particular had been convinced that his older brother would remain a stuffy old bachelor for the rest of his life, very much like their Uncle Anthony, who was their mother’s second oldest brother.

So it had been a tremendous shock to Colin when he, along with his parents and Selina, had received the news at dinner last night that Ian was very newly engaged, and planned to be married next June at the company’s not-yet-opened resort in the Napa Valley north of San Francisco.

But that shock had been nothing compared to the one he’d experienced upon meeting his brother’s brand-new fiancée - the very young, very beautiful, and very - well, hot Tessa Lockwood. The stunning blonde was nothing like the other few women Ian had dated in the past, including his former fiancée Davina. The others had been refined and sophisticated, slim and dark haired. And while they had certainly been beautiful, they would have each faded into insignificance when compared to the ravishing young woman who was to be his new sister-in-law.

Not, of course, that Tessa had looked the least bit cheap or tawdry at dinner last night. Colin, who’d always fancied himself something of a clothes horse, was very familiar with fashion and designers, and had recognized Tessa’s bright yellow sheath dress as Lanvin, her strappy, high-heeled sandals as Saint Laurent. She’d worn a minimal amount of makeup, and her only jewelry had been a pair of diamond studded gold hoop earrings and the fabulous blue diamond engagement ring that sparkled on her left hand.

On any other woman, such an ensemble would have looked chic and casually elegant, perfectly appropriate for an al fresco meal with her fiancé’s family. But it had only taken one very brief glance for Colin to realize that Tessa was no ordinary woman. Even to a man like Colin, who’d been an admittedly notorious playboy prior to meeting Selina, Tessa Lockwood was something very, very special. And it was likely the very height of irony that his prim and proper brother Ian had been the lucky man to snag such a prize.

The otherwise conservative yellow dress had emphasized the lush curves of Tessa’s tall, shapely body - those really fabulous breasts, endlessly long legs, and what was probably the most spectacular ass he’d ever seen. Her subtle use of cosmetics had been unnecessary, for the youthful glow of her flawless skin and those enormous sapphire blue eyes didn’t need any enhancements. And any man, no matter how enthralled he was with his own wife or girlfriend, wouldn’t have been able to resist tunneling his hands into all of those long, glorious blonde curls for very long. Ian’s woman was a rare combination of both sophistication and sexiness, innocence and carnality, and Colin had to tip his hat to his older brother for his excellent taste.

He’d half-expected a woman as sexually alluring as Tessa to also be confident, flirtatious, and very aware of the effect she had on men. So, as the evening had worn on, it had certainly been something of a shock to realize that his initial assumptions couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Rather than the bold temptress he would have expected, his future sister-in-law was shy, soft-spoken, and rather on the timid side. But she had also managed, recalled Colin now with a naughty grin, to finally loosen up his starchy older brother - to the extent where Professor Prude, (the very unflattering nickname he’d once bestowed on Ian), could hardly keep his hands off his very tempting fiancée.

Selina had kicked him more than once under the dinner table last evening when Ian hadn’t even attempted to hide his frequent displays of affection toward Tessa - holding her hand; caressing her cheek; wrapping an arm around her shoulders and then pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Colin hadn’t been able to stop his rather filthy imagination from running rampant after that, wondering if his very reserved brother actually loosened up in the bedroom. And even though he was completely in love with his own wife, would never dream of - or dare to - cheat on her, Colin was still very much a man, and hadn’t been able to stop himself from picturing how Tessa’s lush, lovely body would look naked. Or wondering if she liked being fucked from behind. And the mental image of those plush lips wrapped around a man’s cock had made him instantly hard. It had been his very, very bad luck that Selina had been too wiped out from their long journey to even think of having sex last night, because several hours of watching Ian and Tessa canoodling had made him horny as hell.

He wasn’t sure if it was the sound of the water splashing, or that of the two low-pitched voices - one male, one female - that alerted him to the fact the pool was already occupied at this early hour. Colin hung back a bit, staying hidden behind a post of the pergola that covered the section of patio closest to the pool, and had to suppress a chuckle or two at the sight that greeted his eyes.