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She felt an enormous sense of pride in her company—and then froze, wondering when on earth she had begun thinking of it as hers and not Duarte’s. It was as if hearing that his death was about to be confirmed had forced her to start accepting that he was not coming back to claim what should have always been his.
She found herself struggling to keep up with the jovial conversation during the rest of dinner, and fell into silence on the short drive up the coast to the villa Valerio had leased for the weekend.
It was nestled high on the side of a hill in a small inlet, with a short private beach visible between the cliffs below. The house itself was a warm peach-coloured creation of concrete and salvaged wood, surrounded by beautiful potted trees. Wild flowers grew up its façade, along with green foliage along the windows.
She stepped out of the car, breathing in the warm sea breeze. There wasn’t a sound around them other than the chirping of birds and the muted crash of the waves on the wind. It took her breath away. It was as if her own personal postcard fantasy of an island paradise had been dreamed into life.
But even such a spectacular panorama couldn’t cut through the heavy cloud that had come over her. Grief was a strange thing. It seemed to disappear then pop back up when you least expected it.
She followed Valerio as he led the way past the front door, following a lamplit paved path around the side of the house. The manicured gardens stretched for what seemed like miles around them, sloping gently down towards a sharp cliff edge. Whoever had designed this space had ensured a perfect symmetry between the smooth curving lines of the house and the natural beauty of the landscape.
Her heart felt both happy and sad as she inwardly acknowledged that her brother would have loved it.
‘This place is magical,’ she breathed softly as she wandered around to a sprawling terrace at the rear of the villa, which stretched out from the cliff face on what seemed like stilts, dug down into the rock itself. It was quite literally as if you could walk right out into the clouds from here.
At this northernmost point of the island, the Caribbean stretched out endlessly to one side, the Atlantic Ocean in the distance on the other. On a clear day, she’d bet you could see all the way to the neighbouring island of Martinique.
‘I’m glad you like it.’ Valerio had a smile in his voice as he spoke, stopping at the polished wooden balustrade beside her. ‘I was thinking that, instead of the courthouse, we could just get married right here.’ When she was utterly silent, he continued awkwardly. ‘I have my security team on-site... It would be easier to contain. Plus, I thought it might be a bit of a nicer view than stacks of paperwork and musty bookshelves.’
Dani felt every romantic cell in her body light up from the inside out, the idea of saying her vows in such a place making her eyes water. But then she remembered that they weren’t real vows, and that she wasn’t to be a real bride in this picture-perfect setting. That the reason he had to keep her safe was because someone wanted to hurt her.
She felt herself deflate like a helium balloon coming down from the heavens. As beautiful as this place was, no amount of dressing it up would make this wedding any less painful.
CHAPTER SEVEN
VALERIO WAS PUZZLED by the sudden change in Dani as she simply nodded and murmured something non-committal about his idea sounding ‘nice’. He pursed his lips, ignoring the sinking disappointment in his gut at her reaction.
He wasn’t sure why he’d hoped she would be happy with the setting—they both knew that this was just a quick formality that needed to be done. It really didn’t matter if they signed their licence and said their vows by the side of a road—only that the legalities were seen to.
He watched as she wandered down the terrace, briefly taking in the impressive pool area, then moved inside the house to explore. Valerio kept a few steps behind her as she looked around, commenting on the vibrant colours of the potted plants and the flowers around each room. For the most part, the rented house was decorated in neutral tones of
white and grey. It was lacking an owner’s touch of personality.
The kitchen looked like a relatively new addition, as did the state-of-the-art surveillance system and security room. The privacy and safety of the house had been one of Valerio’s main concerns when booking, and he had advised his two guards to take shifts in the guest cabin at the gate. He wasn’t going to take any chances.
‘I’m going to go unpack my stuff...maybe take a shower.’
She wandered away through the house and Valerio watched her go, a feeling of unease within him. She was unhappy—he had seen it in the set of her mouth all the way through dinner. He had respected her silence in the car with difficulty, wanting to give her space in whatever bothered her, but he had also wanted to stop the car and demand she tell him what was wrong.
But it wasn’t his place. He wasn’t the man for her to confide her innermost feelings to...to lean on when she was sad. If he started blurring those lines, who knew what would come falling down next? Distance wasn’t just wise with Dani; it was absolutely necessary.
Ignoring the sudden increase of tension in his spine, he moved to the fridge and found it fully stocked, as requested. Fresh fruit and pre-cooked gourmet meals lined the shelves—enough to keep them going for a couple of days while they waited for the paperwork to go through.
Suddenly, the idea of sitting around waiting for the formalities of their elopement just didn’t sit right with him. If they had any hope of making this work, they needed to get back on the same team. He needed her to trust him, and not to feel like a coiled spring in his company.
Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do.
The tiny beach restaurant was a hidden gem Valerio had heard about on the east side of the island. Dani had initially worried aloud that her simple turquoise shift dress might make her feel underdressed, but that had been before Valerio had revealed that he’d booked out the entire venue for their exclusive use.
‘There’s no one else here,’ she whispered as they were seated at a small table overlooking a pebbled beach. Small lanterns lit the way down to the shore and a light scent of salt was in the cool night air. ‘I understand we need to be cautious, but it’s so quiet.’
He nodded towards an area at the edge of the deck and watched as she turned and saw the duo of island musicians setting up under a string of fairy lights. Soon the sound of a steel drum and a rhythmic guitar began to flow through the air. She smiled as she closed her eyes and swayed a little.
‘You should do that more often,’ Valerio said silkily, taking a sip of his soda water and lime to distract himself from the hum of attraction that had refused to shift since she’d walked down the stairs in that flowy knee-length dress. She shifted and crossed one leg over the other, revealing a long, smooth expanse of perfectly curved skin. He cleared his throat, looking up to her face and away from those damn thighs. ‘I want you to enjoy these few days here. Take it as a chance to recharge before we have to return to reality.’
‘Or at least the new appearance of reality.’ She smiled again.
‘Exactly.’
