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I scoffed and walked closer. “Let’s be clear.Youare the one who put us in this position. You and your boyfriend. Renato De Sanctis didn’t ask you to break into his warehouse and try to steal his drugs. He also never asked his two goons to shoot Miguel, in fact, he punished them immediately for going against his wishes, right in front of me. You put us in this situation.You.” I stopped in front of her. “How dare you judge me?” I took in Lucy’s ugly sneer and red-rimmed eyes. I couldn’t understand her. My emotional bandwidth had shrunk in the last few days. I had used it all up with my own worries.
“Guilt.”
Renato stood in the doorway of the bedroom. I hadn’t heard him enter.
He stole my breath away. He was in a tux. Midnight couture hugged his built body, perfectly designed to fit his proportions. He wore it flawlessly, a man used to luxury. He stepped into the room, and his eyes fixed on me.
“She feels guilty for getting you into this situation and is lashing out, trying to push you away while at the same time seeking a sliver of hope that maybe this forced marriage isn’t as bad as it seems for you. Isn’t that right, Lucy?”
One glance at Lucy’s face confirmed Renato’s words. Her sullen expression shifted guiltily.
“What your sister doesn’t understand yet, is that all she did was introduce us. The rest of what we are and what we will be, is between us.”
Renato had crossed the room and now put his hand on the small of my back. It warmed me in a way I didn’t want to examine too closely. My anger ebbed in the face of his calm. His effortless dominance relaxed me somehow, and I let go of my aggression toward my sister. He was right, wasn’t he?
I turned and stared up at the man who had stormed into my life and tipped everything on its head. I never felt judged by this man. I never felt shame in his hands. Around Renato, I never felt anything bad about myself. Was it so wrong to like that?
It’s all fun and games until he finds out you’ve betrayed him and decides to cancel the deal.
My sister obviously felt guilty and was lashing out, but wasn’t there truth to her words, too? Maybe that’s what hurt the most.
“I’m going to speak to your sister now,” Renato said to Lucy, leading us out into the living room of the suite.
The room still teemed with Vito and his assistants. “Leave us,” Renato instructed quietly, but his words held power.
Suddenly, the suite was emptying, with Giada escorting Lucy out. I stood in front of the wall of windows, the bright sun of the early winter day shining its pure-white brilliance on me. Renato looked down at me in the morning light and frowned.
“Who did the makeup?” His words were like a whip.
Vito stopped just short of disappearing out the door. “My daughter, Elena.”
“Send her back in ten minutes,” Renato instructed, and with a regal jerk of his head, dismissed Vito.
The door clicked shut, and we were alone. I hadn’t seen Renato since last night, when I’d come in his arms, mercilessly pushed over the edge by his wicked tongue. My entire being flushed hot when I thought of it.
“What are you going to do that’s going to ruin my makeup?” I wondered curiously. I never could tell with him. My mind went immediately to the gutter.
He raised an eyebrow. “While I like where your mind is headed, you don’t seem like yourself with all that makeup on.” He approached me, grabbing a plastic packet of wet wipes as he passed the vanity table. He pulled one free and offered it to me. “I want to see your face. The real one.”
I huffed. “Why do you care? Surely, I should feel beautiful on my wedding day, sham or not.”
“You’re more beautiful without it. I want you to look like you.”
I took the wet wipe, denying the feeling in my chest his words had evoked. My skin was already starting to itch, and the makeup felt like a heavy mask. I couldn’t imagine wearing it all day long, under bright lights.
I rubbed at my cheek with the wet wipe, and about three pounds of makeup lifted off. I suddenly grew self-conscious about how I’d look with a partially made-up face and set to wiping off the rest. Renato waited patiently, even handing me fresh wipes and getting rid of the used ones.
Finally, he set down the packet and nodded. “Much better.”
“So, you came here just to make me wash my face?”
“I came here to give you this,” he corrected and produced a black velvet box from his tux pocket.
He handed it to me, and I opened it carefully, my jaw dropping. Inside sat a dazzling ruby necklace, the huge red stones surrounded by diamonds. Matching earrings sat above it.
“They were mynonna’sand have been in the family for generations.”
“Wow,” I touched the stones, marveling at the twinkle. “You’ve always been rich, then?”
