He slid from the bed, careful not to wake her, the movement jarring his head. The tiny men in hobnailed boots each grew a second set of feet. He stifled another groan and headed to the en suite.
He needed to shower to shave to drink some fluids and become at least semi-human before he could talk to Elisa and tell her what was in his heart.
She woke f
rom a gentle brushing on the top curve of her breast. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up. Salvatore sat beside her on the bed, freshly showered, looking much better than he had the night before. He’d donned a robe, but nothing else.
She looked down where the backs of his knuckles continued to brush back and forth against her soft flesh. The sheet was around her waist and her breasts were bare to his sight a fact he had definitely noticed.
She reached for the sheet, feeling vulnerable all of a sudden.
He stayed her hand. ‘No amore. You are so beautiful’ it is a crime to cover such perfection.”
The words were said so reverently that she could not take issue with them but she curled her fingers around his wrist to stop the tantalizing movement of his hand. ‘We need to talk.”
‘Si. ” His dark brown gaze caught and held her own. you said you do not hate me, is this the truth?”
‘yes ”
‘
you were very angry last night. My thoughtlessness hurt you and for this I do not know how to make amends.”
‘you wanted to marry my sister.”
‘I did not ” He sounded so sure that she had to believe him.
‘I don’t understand.”
‘you scared me. The way I felt when I was around you scared me.”
She shook her head back and forth on the pillow. uNo. Nothing frightens you.”
Not even gunmen. She would never forget how she had had to blackmail him into the vault.
‘Si. Scared. You evoked strong emotions I did not want.”
‘Because of Sofia.”
‘Si. My first reaction to you eclipsed any feelings I ever had for her. You did not only threaten my self-control you threatened my heart.”
Her breath paused and then came out in a big whoosh.
‘That sounds as if you cared.”
‘I fell in love with you before you ever left Sicily, but I refused to admit it. Did not need to admit it.
You allowed me to seduce you, gave me all of your spare time. I was happy.”
‘And then I told you I was pregnant.”
‘And I destroyed what we had because of fear old wounds and a stupid misunderstanding.”
‘you kept trying to see me.”
‘I could not let you go. You are the other half of myself. Without you I am not half-alive, I am dead ” She shivered at the finality and sincerity of his words. He’d said he had fallen in love with her.
‘Do you still love me?”