Could it be that Cesare was already planning marriage while having a fling with his soon-to-be ex? She swallowed hard, almost choking on a knot of burning emotion.
But why shouldn’t he? This was temporary. Already judicial wheels were grinding their ill-fated marriage into divorce.
Ida made to step away, but he stopped her, his encircling arm like warm steel.
‘Why do you ask, Ida? Doyouhave marriage plans?’
Cesare bent so his face was just above hers, his eyes now unreadable. She sensed something new in him, something that reminded her of his fury when they’d met in London.
‘Absolutely not!’ She paused and hiked her chin higher, ignoring the way it brought her closer to him. ‘I don’t need a man in my life to make me happy.’
Liar. He makes you happy.
Ida saw Cesare’s head jerk back, his jaw flex hard, as if he repudiated her words. But that would imply she’d hurt him.
She digested the idea. Then rejected it. Cesare had made it clear this affair would last only as long as the sparking attraction between them. Which, he’d reiterated, would be transient. Given his greater experience, she had to believe him.
Besides, Ida was no fool. She’d heard Cesare’s pain and contempt as he spoke of his unreliable father, consumed by his passion for one beautiful woman after another.
Or had it been a quest for love after the loss of his wife? How much of Cesare’s view was shaped by the attitude of the grandfather he’d hero-worshipped?
Not that it mattered. The result was the same. Cesare wasn’t a romantic. When he married again, he’d choose someone with a similar background to himself, a suitable CEO’s wife. Not a woman like her.
‘I can’t blame you.’ Cesare’s words were even, belying the glitter in his eyes. ‘The men in your life haven’t treated you well.’
Ida put her hand on his arm, feeling the biceps taut beneath the perfect tailoring. ‘You’ve already apologised, Cesare. It’s in the past. Let it go.’
She knew he blamed himself for the years she’d struggled since their wedding. But they’d made her stronger and shown her she’d survive the unknown future that seemed so daunting.
A future without Cesare.
Ida’s emotions seesawed wildly. She dropped her hand and spun away. ‘It’s time we joined the others.’
But Cesare’s encircling arm held her close. ‘Are you trying to tell me you’ve changed your mind? You’ve had enough, Ida? Enough of me?’
His gruff words caught the breath in her lungs and a band of heat squeezed her ribs. Without thinking she shook her head. ‘No!’
Ida wasn’t ready to leave him. Not yet. Her yearning for Cesare was so potent she tasted the plea forming on her tongue, should he try to send her away.
‘Excellent. Because I’m not ready for you to go.’
Cesare smiled that slow, devastating smile that turned her legs to overcooked spaghetti. Relief hit like a blast of summer heat, leaving her weak and trembling. Every nerve ending sparked as he raised his hand to her hair, massaging slowly as he drew her closer.
His eyes looked inky black and sinfully inviting and her heartbeat took up a thunderous rhythm. Instinctively she understood she would always respond to that look. Always feel the heady rush of excitement and affection.
But he didn’t kiss her. She didn’t expect him to. They never kissed in public.
Because every time their lips touched need rose in crescendo, inevitably leading to far greater intimacies. To their being sated and gasping as they shuddered against each other, hands clutching and breaths mingling.
His hold gentled as he brushed his lips across her temple. ‘Hold that thought,tesoro.’
Then he led her down to the part of the garden crowded with glittering guests. Ida pressed against him, revelling in the feel of his lean body, powerful and reassuring. Reassuring because, far from wanting to leave him, she couldn’t imagine being without him.
Are you really so in thrall to this man?
When had her happiness become linked with Cesare?
The alarm ringing in Ida’s head drowned out the noise of the party.