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Valerio walked out onto the open-air deck, gritting his teeth at the sound of her heels as she instantly followed him. Of course she wouldn’t just meekly accept his terms and move forward; this was Dani, after all.
He closed his eyes and inhaled a deep breath of cold sea air into his lungs. He wasn’t ready for this—for any of it. He needed to get off this yacht and find some breathing room while he built himself up to step back into his old life. Daniela thought she knew everything he had been doing for the past six months. Yes, he was broken, but not in the way that she thought. Despite public opinion, he was far from losing his mind. He had never had a more single-minded focus.
But that focus was entirely set on revenge.
‘Valerio...’ She appeared at his side, her expression a mixture of confusion and concern. ‘Talk to me. Please.’
She believed him to be mad... Let her think that. Maybe then he would be able to shield her from the true monster he had become. Before all this he had been a good man. He might even have deserved a woman like her. Not that he had ever truly considered having her. He had always known she was off-limits to him. His friendship with Duarte had been worth more to him than any pleasure he might have got from pursuing any inconvenient attraction he may or may not have had. She was and would always be his best friend’s sister.
Untouchable.
Now he was just the man who had let her down in so many ways. He’d known that she disliked him before, but now that he’d abandoned her to run Velamar for months without explanation... It was his own fault if she hated him, and perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. The man who stood beside her right now was nothing but darkness and regret. If hating him would keep her safe from getting too close, he’d bear every moment of the burn from her wrath.
He turned away from her, bracing his hands on the railing and looking down at the inky foam of the midnight waves as they crashed along the side of the yacht.
‘You made your demands, Daniela. Now I have made mine. I’m willing to forgive your actions tonight so long as you agree to my terms without any further questioning.’
‘Your terms being the immediate announcement of a fake engagement?’ She was incredulous, her chest rising and falling with outrage.
‘Not just an engagement.’ He turned to face her, noticing once again how much warmth her eyes held. He could almost feel the heat emanating from her, along with that intoxicating scent she wore. The galloping of his heart seemed to slow when he considered the deep golden-brown depths of her eyes.
‘You will be my wife.’
As he spoke the words and saw the shock turn to anger in her eyes, he felt a strange calm settle within him. He had known for six months that it might come to this. He had known that she would fight him every step of the way. And now, seeing her ablaze with fury and outrage, he thought maybe she would withstand the burden of being tied to him. He had to believe that. He had no other choice.
Dani stood frozen, her mouth refusing to form words, as Valerio took a step forward.
‘A long time ago Duarte told me to keep the hell away from you unless I planned to marry you.’ Valerio shook his head, looking out at the darkness that surrounded them. ‘I doubt he ever thought things would come to this.’
‘This is ridiculous.’
Dani turned and walked inside, needing to move away from him. He had no idea what he was saying. How hurtful it was on so many levels. Even when she’d moved back to London and become engaged to another man, she’d fought not to let herself think of him. She growled in her throat, marching into the living area and reaching for her laptop—only for a large male hand to close over hers, stopping her.
‘Valerio, stop. Let me show you my plans and we can discuss this rationally.’
‘Your brother knew the kind of guy I am. He knew the perfect way to ensure I would never touch you.’
‘You never wanted to touch me!’ She practically growled it. She felt heat rise into her cheeks at her own words...at the hint of years of hidden feelings under the surface.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then paused. For a moment there was nothing but weighted silence between them and the sound of the waves outside the open door.
Valerio cleared his throat, waited until she met his eyes. ‘The day before Duarte was killed, we planned an escape. He told me that if anything happened to him and I survived, I was to keep you close. To give you my name and protect you.’
‘I don’t need a husband for protection. That is my choice. Not his.’
Dani fought against the lump of emotion that tightened in her throat at the thought of her brother instructing his best friend to care for her. He must have known that she would never agree to this kind of archaic showing of duty, or whatever it was.
Valerio turned away briefly, pushing his hands through his hair. ‘I swore to him. I promised that I would follow his wishes. And I spent the last six months...’
Dani looked up at him, seeing a strange look in his eyes. ‘You spent six months...what? Trying to find a way out of it? That’s what it was all about?’
‘No...you don’t understand.’
‘I think I understand far more than you do, Marchesi.’ She picked up a small bag from under the desk and threw it onto the low sofa between them. ‘I’m done here. I apologise for wasting your time tonight. Believe when I say I wish I hadn’t bothered. The code for the wheelhouse is in that bag, along with your mobile phone. Order the Captain to take you wherever you need, so long as you’re off this yacht by morning.’
‘This won’t just disappear because you order me away. I’m coming to Monte Carlo. You say you need me for this board meeting, so I’ll be there.’
‘I’ll find another way. I always do.’ She fought to keep her voice level, to hide her hurt and anger under the professional veil she wore so well. ‘Pretend tonight never happened. Consider yourself officially relieved of your duties to Velamar. To me. All of them.’
