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“That man is gone.” Her chin tilted up. “The man I knew told me everything. The one in front of me is distant, bosses me around—” she leaned in “—and is hiding something.”
Maldito. He started to pull back, but her fingers fisted in his shirt, refusing to let him go. The electricity charging through the night air crackled, changed from angry to sensual in the span of a heartbeat. Her beautiful gaze widened, her eyes drifting down to his lips then back up, searching for answers he didn’t have.
Her fingers fisted in his shirt, the slight scrape of her nails through the fabric making him suppress a groan of need. He needed to let go of her, needed to put distance between them.
“Antonio...”
Her voice nearly undid him. Husky, filled with naked desire. When she’d confessed her feelings on the slopes of the mountains where they’d spent so many hours running wild, it had been shyly, sweetly. Now her voice filled him, electrified every vein. His hands tightened on her waist as his gaze fell on her lips, slightly parted, ready to be kissed...
No!
He stepped back so quickly she stumbled forward. He caught her arm and, once she was steady, released her as if she’d turned to molten lava and walked away.
Away from desire. Away from temptation. It had been so much easier to keep his distance when he’d known he would devastate her world again if he hurt her.
Except it wouldn’t crush her. She’d be hurt, but she would do what she had after the magazinearticle—rise from the ashes and move on. It wasn’t just about sex, either. It would have been so much easier if it was just physical. No,sheinterested him. Anna and her courageous leap from the suffocating love of her family and being unemployed to living in Paris, pursuing her dreams, walking a catwalk and making changes instead of excuses when she realized what she could do better in her own work.
Unlike him. As he stalked out the front door of his suite and down the hall to the elevator, the past roared in with a vengeance, the screech of rubber on asphalt mixing with William’s shout of fear before the world went dark.
He punched the button for the first floor, his hands trembling with suppressed self-rage and grief and guilt.
He didn’t deserve happiness. No amount of atonement would ever make him worthy of happiness, let alone being with someone like Anna Vega.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ANNASTAREDATher reflection in the full-length mirror. She’d pulled her hair into a loose bun at the base of her neck. A video chat with Kess had confirmed that her sundress, a creamy creation with pale green ivy tangling over the bodice and full skirt paired with a wide-brimmed straw hat, was a solid choice for “lunch on the terrace” in Positano. When she’d first spied this material, she’d thought of a gown inspired by the forest surrounding Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The dress had morphed after Paris into a summery concoction with ties on the shoulders for a vintage vibe and an open back for a hint of sexiness. Not the kind of look that would have worked for Kess’s show, but perfect for her first outing.
Pride had her raising her chin. Like the gold gown, this dress feltright. Hopefully, it would capture the right attention when she and Antonio went out for lunch.
Her mind strayed for the fiftieth time to the disaster of last night. When he’d pulled her tight against his body, irritation had fled, replaced by a desire so intense she’d nearly thrown caution to the wind and kissed him.
Embarrassment had been her first reaction, followed swiftly by confusion and a hint of anger. The man made no sense. In Rome, he’d been polite but aloof. That is, until the Via Margutta, when she’d caught glimpses of her old friend. Now...now he vacillated between an overly protective big brother and a cold, distant ass who kept secrets very close to his well-toned muscular chest. She’d told him she didn’t know who he was anymore. Judging by his ever-changing demeanor, he didn’t, either.
After he’d left, she’d curled up in one of the chairs with her book and tried over and over to read. But after an hour of gazing blankly at the same page, she’d finally gone into his luxurious suite, crawled beneath the silk sheets and fallen asleep...only to wake every hour to see if he’d returned. When she’d finally awoken to sun streaming in through the stunning floor-to-ceiling windows, it had been to a empty penthouse suite.
A knock on the door echoed off the walls and made her jump.
“Ready?”
Antonio’s deep voice vibrated through the door. She inhaled deeply. She could do this.
She crossed the suite, her sandals noiseless on the plush Turkish rug. The door swung open silently, giving her a moment to gaze at Antonio standing in the hallway. Dressed in khaki slacks, a perfectly tailored black polo and a stainless-steel watch that probably cost more than her first car, he looked every inch the suave billionaire. Handsome, controlled, with a slight edge to his stance that told everyone who looked upon him thathewas in charge.
Yet as her eyes drifted up to his face, to the slight curve up of his lips and the softness around his eyes as he looked down at his phone, her heart twisted. She still saw her friend hidden behind the walls he’d constructed over the years. What had happened to make him so buttoned up and reserved?
Don’t go there.Business arrangement, not a happy reunion. Be strong.
With that reminder echoing in her head, she walked into the hall. Antonio glanced up.
“One of yours?”
“Yes.”
The smile that spread over his face melted her insides.
So much for staying strong.
“Those bastards don’t know what they’re missing.”
