When Ettore glanced at her, there was surprise in his gaze, and more than a little relief. “You mean, he never—”
“Never,” she said. “I told him my gift for scrying would only last as long as I was a virgin. Since I made him wealthy with my visions, he apparently decided he enjoyed collecting his money more than he would enjoy abusing me.”
He smirked. “Clever girl. Except for one thing.”
She felt a blush creep over her cheeks at the reminder.
She wasn’t a virgin. She had given that part of her to Ettore. It had been their one and only time together.
The next night, he was gone.
“Fortunately, Massioni never doubted me. I think he might’ve eventually, but he had other women to slake his needs.”
“Thank God,” Ettore muttered. He frowned, his hazel gaze turbulent with stifled fury. “What about your visions, Bella? Did you never see any hint of your brother’s troubles in your scrying bowl?”
She shook her head. “I don’t see visions that relate to myself or the people I care for. My ability has never worked like that.”
Which was why she’d never seen Ettore either, although it hadn’t stopped her from trying to find him with her gift over the years he’d been gone. But her scrying had never found him.
Not even as he’d planned for and carried out his attack on Vito Massioni.
She dearly hoped Ettore had been successful, because if Massioni were alive to get his hands on her now, his punishment would be beyond brutal.
Ettore’s mouth flattened into a grim line. “I never should’ve agreed to leave, no matter what your family wanted. It wasn’t their decision to make. I didn’t understand that until after I was gone.” He reached over and stroked her cheek. “I should’ve come back for you, Bella. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
She turned into his caress, feeling no animosity toward him, only gratitude. And an affection that went far deeper than that.
Far deeper than the desire she felt simply for being seated so closely beside him, his comforting touch lingering against her face.
“You’re here now,” she said, pressing a soft kiss to the center of his palm.
His eyes flickered with sparks of amber light as her lips met his skin. She only meant the contact to be one of gratefulness and caring, but she felt the jolt of awareness too.
Her chest tightened, heat spreading across her breasts, licking down to her core.
Oh, yes, she still cared for him.
She wanted him.
Memories of stolen kisses and secret, tender embraces filled her head. She’d had only one night with Ettore, naked in each other’s arms, but she had held it close to her heart ever since.
Neither the cruelty of time nor fate had diminished anything she felt for him. To the contrary, it had only made the craving deepen. It had only made her recognize how keenly she had felt his loss all this time.
And how profoundly happy she was to be reunited with him now.
Even if in a shadowed corner of her heart she dreaded that fate wasn’t nearly finished with them yet.
Chapter 7
Savage didn’t know how he’d managed to endure more than an hour in the truck, seated so close to Bella. Her thigh had rested against his the whole trip, contact that had distracted him, soothed him…aroused him beyond reason.
ardly realized how badly she’d craved that feeling until now. With him.