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Alejandro compressed his lips, and for the first time since Luca arrived he was conscious of the fact that Sienna was in the room down the corridor, that if they were not careful she would wake and hear this argument. ‘Come onto the terrace.’ He gestured towards the space, the offer not exactly brimming with hospitality, but it was a stunning morning, and he hoped—
‘I don’t want to go onto the damned terrace, Alejandro. You’re not listening to me. Sienna is not a plaything. She is not some bored socialite looking for a night of fun. She is a kind, gentle, sweet young woman who’s been treated like you wouldn’t believe by their mother for her whole life. I asked you to take care of her that night to protect her. Not just from her mother, but from any other guy who might make a pass at her. I asked you because I thought I could trust you—with my life.’
Guilt tore through Alejandro, splintering him into a thousand pieces. There was no defending what he’d done. Luca had relied on him and he’d betrayed him from the very first. But what about his obligations to Sienna, and to their chemistry? It had burned brightest of all, demanding attention. He had been split in two from the instant she’d turned towards him and blinked, as though she’d never seen a man before in her life. He’d focussed on their desire to the exclusion of all else, and yet his greatest fear was playing out right before him. He’d tried to make everything so clear, but what if he’d failed? What if he’d been inviting the same kind of mistreatment his father had meted out to his mother? What if he’d misled her into believing he could offer more? His goal in life was to avoid exploiting women, to prove to himself he was nothing like his father, and yet here he was, taking what he wanted from an innocent, inexperienced woman, using her body’s desire for his justification. Guilt was a rush of arctic wind down his spine.
‘You do not need to worry.’ Except Alejandro was worried now.
‘So this is not my wife’s sister dancing with you? Or are you saying it was simply a dance, and nothing more?’
Scepticism laced the words and acid filled Alejandro’s gut. ‘I am not going to get into the details with you. If that is the only thing you’re capable of speaking about, then perhaps it is better for you to leave.’
‘Are you throwing me out?’
Alejandro ground his teeth together. Was she still asleep? Cristo,he hoped so. But just in case, he switched to his friend’s native language. He knew Sienna spoke Spanish, but not Italian. At least if she heard the conversation, she wouldn’t understand it. ‘I’m not going to talk about Sienna any further.’
‘Fine,’ Luca responded in his own language seamlessly. ‘Then let’s talk about you. What in God’s name did you think you were doing?’
