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She was.
Seeing Graciano again, then, was only a matter of time. And this time, she couldn’t squander the opportunity.
She had to tell him about Annie. She’d gone to the island knowing she must, but wanting to learn more about him first. While he’d always be a form of poison to her, he was also the father of her child.
Nothing else mattered.
Not their past, not their future, not her heart, her wishes, their desire. They shared a daughter, and working out how to deal with that reality had to be their sole focus. It would take every single bit of nerve she possessed, but Alicia could wait no longer. Tonight would be the night.
CHAPTER TEN
SHE’DPRESUMEDTHEaddress would be for an office, but the moment she approached the front of the building, she realised the error of her ways. This was residential, plain and simple. She double-checked the email, seeing that the address included an entry code. She keyed it in and waited as the glass doors swished to let her pass.
The foyer was stately and impressive, with shiny tiles and a double-height ceiling, the wall-to-wall windows showing a view straight through to Hyde Park. It was spectacular. She moved to the bank of lifts and waited for one to arrive, then moved inside, again consulting her phone for instructions. She pressed the button that corresponded with the floor number he’d given her, then stepped back and waited. It whooshed up quickly, leaving her tummy back in the foyer.
When the doors opened, it was into a small room, with a leather bench seat and an impressively ornate mirror. She caught a glimpse of herself, pale and nervous, and pinched her cheeks, sucking in a deep breath before pressing the doorbell for the only door in the place.
Her nerves stretched tight and she discreetly observed the time—just before six. Maybe he wasn’t home? Maybe he’d forgotten? Her heart trembled and she tried to work out how she felt about either possibility, and then, the door pulled inwards.
Graciano stood on the other side, and all she could do was stare, as Diane’s question went round and round in her head.Do you love him?
She’d denied it to Diane, and to herself, but now, she had to face reality: yes, she loved him. Still. As much as ever. She’d never stopped.
‘Alicia.’ Apparently oblivious to her emotion turmoil, he stepped back and waved an arm into the apartment. She hesitated on the threshold, aware that crossing it was a metaphorical hurdle as well as a physical one.
‘I don’t bite,’ he growled, so she startled, moving past him quickly and putting as much distance between them as she could, but his eyes held hers for several beats and then dropped lower, his appraisal swift but fiercely hot, burning her with the intensity of his scrutiny. His gaze scraped hungrily over her frame, over the business suit and two-inch spike heels she wore—a confidence boost, usually. She trembled and turned away from him a little.
Had it really only been ten days since they’d seen each other? It felt like so much longer, and at the same time, it felt like no time had passed at all.
The reality of their situation, of all she had to tell him, burst and suddenly her stomach was in knots. This was terrifying.
‘Thank you for coming,’ he responded, gesturing deeper into the apartment before taking some steps towards the spectacular windows framing a view of the busy street and Harrods just down a little way.
She lifted her shoulders. ‘I’m a professional.’
‘So I gather. I was impressed by your proposal.’
Her heart fired. ‘But you have questions?’
‘I’ll come to that. Would you like a drink?’ He moved to the back wall, into a large, open-plan kitchen that would have been at home in a five-star restaurant.
She shook her head. ‘I’d prefer to get this over with.’
His eyes hummed across her face. ‘Still adamant you don’t want anything to do with me?’
Her nerves jumbled faster. ‘I’m not here to discuss what happened between us.’
‘Why not?’
‘For all the reasons we discussed on the island. Primarily—’ she sighed ‘—there’s no point.’
‘I disagree.’
She hesitated, then moved closer to the kitchen, staying on the opposite side of the bench, glad for the physical barrier between them.
‘I made a mistake.’
She watched as he pulled a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge, then poured two glasses. Alicia pretended fascination with the bubbles.
