begged me to do something about you hassling him.’
Ally sent her tongue out to moisten her lips. ‘Perhaps your brother-in-law hasn’t told you everything that went on between us? Have you considered that?’
‘I am looking into it from all angles, so to speak, in case one or both of you is not being up-front and honest with me,’ he said with another penetrating look. ‘But I think I already know who is lying. It is so obvious, is it not?’
Ally felt her nerves start to fray at the edges at his cat-and-mouse tactics. ‘I will not be toyed with by you as I was by your cowardly brother-in-law,’ she said tightly. ‘I am not some cheap tart who can be bought and then thrown away when you’re finished with me. I’m telling you now if I was really involved with you I would not go away without a fight.’
He moved forward again, before she could counteract it, and tipped up her chin with his hard fingers, his eyes clashing with hers. ‘Then you have just met your match, Ally Sharpe,’ he said with a smouldering look. ‘For I like nothing better than a showdown, and this one I can feel in my blood is going to end up with us in bed.’
Ally pulled out of his hold and glared up at him. ‘Get out!’ she shrieked. ‘Get out of here you bast—’
He put his hand over her mouth, blocking the rest of her words. ‘Do not shout at me, cara ,’ he said in an infuriatingly calm tone. ‘The household staff will think we are not as in love as we claim to be.’
Ally tried to say I hate you against the firm pressure of his palm, but it came out muffled. So instead she sank her teeth into the pad of his thumb, hard enough to break the skin. He put her from him with a muttered curse, his mouth covering the place where hers had been. There was something disconcertingly intimate about the action; his mouth was now in contact with traces of her saliva.
She took a step backwards, shocked at her behaviour, ashamed by how she was reacting to him. ‘I—I’m sorry,’ she said, her colour rising. ‘Are you…are you OK?’
He wrapped his thumb in his handkerchief before he met her anxious gaze. ‘It is nothing—just a scratch.’
She stepped forward and took his hand, carefully unwrapping the makeshift bandage and looking at the imprint of her teeth on his skin.
She looked up at him, his hand still cradled in hers. ‘Please forgive me. I can’t believe I just did that. I’m not normally the type of person to lose control like that.’
His dark eyes seemed to be particularly intent as they held hers. ‘Not according to my brother-in-law. And do not forget I have photographs of you acting very much out of control.’
Ally bit her bottom lip as she let his hand go. ‘I’m not really myself right now,’ she said with unintentional irony. ‘I have been having some problems lately…’
‘What sort of problems?’
‘Emotional stuff,’ she said, lowering her gaze a fraction. ‘I’ll be fine now. I’ve finally accepted Rocco is not available. I was naïve to get involved with him. I should have seen the signs. I’m hopeless at reading people—married men in particular. Some are just flirting for the sake of it. I should have left him alone, but I became a little obsessed. I feel embarrassed thinking about it now. It was so out of character and immature of me.’
‘It is of no importance now,’ he said. ‘We have resolved the situation rather cleverly, have we not? In two weeks it will all be over. You can go back to London or Australia and resume your former life.’
‘Yes…’ Ally said, thinking longingly of her neat, ordered lifeback at home. She didn’t want to think about how boring and empty it seemed in comparison. Doing so made the last few hours seem like a hair-raising rollercoaster of emotion—emotion she had never thought herself capable of feeling.
Vittorio moved to the door. ‘I will see you downstairs at seven. I will send Ghita up to show you the way.’
Ally watched as the
Ally sent her tongue out to moisten her lips. ‘Perhaps your brother-in-law hasn’t told you everything that went on between us? Have you considered that?’
‘I am looking into it from all angles, so to speak, in case one or both of you is not being up-front and honest with me,’ he said with another penetrating look. ‘But I think I already know who is lying. It is so obvious, is it not?’
Ally felt her nerves start to fray at the edges at his cat-and-mouse tactics. ‘I will not be toyed with by you as I was by your cowardly brother-in-law,’ she said tightly. ‘I am not some cheap tart who can be bought and then thrown away when you’re finished with me. I’m telling you now if I was really involved with you I would not go away without a fight.’
He moved forward again, before she could counteract it, and tipped up her chin with his hard fingers, his eyes clashing with hers. ‘Then you have just met your match, Ally Sharpe,’ he said with a smouldering look. ‘For I like nothing better than a showdown, and this one I can feel in my blood is going to end up with us in bed.’
Ally pulled out of his hold and glared up at him. ‘Get out!’ she shrieked. ‘Get out of here you bast—’
He put his hand over her mouth, blocking the rest of her words. ‘Do not shout at me, cara ,’ he said in an infuriatingly calm tone. ‘The household staff will think we are not as in love as we claim to be.’
Ally tried to say I hate you against the firm pressure of his palm, but it came out muffled. So instead she sank her teeth into the pad of his thumb, hard enough to break the skin. He put her from him with a muttered curse, his mouth covering the place where hers had been. There was something disconcertingly intimate about the action; his mouth was now in contact with traces of her saliva.
She took a step backwards, shocked at her behaviour, ashamed by how she was reacting to him. ‘I—I’m sorry,’ she said, her colour rising. ‘Are you…are you OK?’
He wrapped his thumb in his handkerchief before he met her anxious gaze. ‘It is nothing—just a scratch.’
She stepped forward and took his hand, carefully unwrapping the makeshift bandage and looking at the imprint of her teeth on his skin.
She looked up at him, his hand still cradled in hers. ‘Please forgive me. I can’t believe I just did that. I’m not normally the type of person to lose control like that.’
His dark eyes seemed to be particularly intent as they held hers. ‘Not according to my brother-in-law. And do not forget I have photographs of you acting very much out of control.’
Ally bit her bottom lip as she let his hand go. ‘I’m not really myself right now,’ she said with unintentional irony. ‘I have been having some problems lately…’
‘What sort of problems?’
‘Emotional stuff,’ she said, lowering her gaze a fraction. ‘I’ll be fine now. I’ve finally accepted Rocco is not available. I was naïve to get involved with him. I should have seen the signs. I’m hopeless at reading people—married men in particular. Some are just flirting for the sake of it. I should have left him alone, but I became a little obsessed. I feel embarrassed thinking about it now. It was so out of character and immature of me.’
‘It is of no importance now,’ he said. ‘We have resolved the situation rather cleverly, have we not? In two weeks it will all be over. You can go back to London or Australia and resume your former life.’
‘Yes…’ Ally said, thinking longingly of her neat, ordered lifeback at home. She didn’t want to think about how boring and empty it seemed in comparison. Doing so made the last few hours seem like a hair-raising rollercoaster of emotion—emotion she had never thought herself capable of feeling.
Vittorio moved to the door. ‘I will see you downstairs at seven. I will send Ghita up to show you the way.’
Ally watched as the
Similar Books
