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Reversing direction with another pithy curse, he exited the penthouse, his father’s words ringing in his ears.
The first morning of her freedom.
Odessa stood on the balcony; her face raised to the sun.
Like yesterday evening, the air smelled fresh and crisp, with a tang of lemons that drew a smile. The distinct absence of a sea breeze pressed home the fact that she was no longer in Alghero. That her bold strike had succeeded in removing her from under her uncle’s thumb. That, despite the unanswered questions hanging over her head, she’d slept more soundly than she could ever remember sleeping.
‘Enjoying your liberation?’
She tensed, then turned around to find Ares lounging against the door.
Despite it being barely seven o’clock, he was dressed in formal business attire, his clean-shaven jaw and the slight sheen to his hair drawing attention to his chiselled face.
The espresso cup in his hand next drew her gaze to his long, elegant fingers. Her breath shortened, her traitorous body rousing in appreciation of the virile, sophisticated picture he made.
Odessa gripped the railing tighter to ground herself. ‘Enjoying the morning air, si.’
His gaze lingered. The thundercloud of displeasure he’d exhibited during their plane ride from Alghero to Rome had seemingly dissipated sometime between their arrival at the hotel and now. Her next breath came easier, because while squaring off with him was strangely invigorating, she welcomed the respite.
‘Have you ever been to Rome?’ he asked, almost conversationally, stepping onto the terrace.
She shook her head. ‘Capri for the summer still remains the extent of my travels. Until now, at least.’
Capri was where her father had decreed that the family would vacation. He hadn’t liked going where he wasn’t known, or where he couldn’t effectively lord his status over everyone else. During her late teens she’d been constrained, when most women her age, with the kind of means she’d grown up with, would have been exploring the world. His grip had only tightened in the years after Ares left, with her heartbroken defiance sealing her fate.
She swallowed down the rising bitterness.
As if Ares sensed her thoughts, his lips firmed. A second later he threw back his beverage and set the cup and saucer down on a nearby table.
‘The day is yours. Feel free to explore. We’ll go out to dinner tonight. Rome at night is not as special as Athens, but it’s still quite spectacular.’
Her grip tightened. She knew she couldn’t succumb to the awed sensation attempting to sweep her away. There was a catch. There was always a catch.
‘You didn’t bring me here to play tourist. Are you going to tell me what you want in return for helping me or is it going to hang over my head like the sword of Damocles?’
He strolled closer, his hands sliding into his pockets. The movement threw the breadth of his shoulders into relief, inviting attention to the muscle play beneath his shirt.
‘I thought we already settled that, agapita? We’re getting married.’
Her jaw dropped, and then, after the tiniest wild agitation, her heart along with it. ‘But that’s... No. You just said that yesterday to throw Uncle Flávio and Vincenzo off. It was never meant to be real. I was thinking more along the lines of a fake engagement for a while, maybe a few months, then calling it off...’ Her words trailed off when his expression grew sardonic.
‘Were you?’ he drawled.
Heat filled her face. ‘Don’t mock me, Ares.’
His amusement evaporated. ‘And don’t presume you have any power to dictate how things proceed. You handed that over, remember?’
‘Actually, no. I didn’t.’ She swallowed the knot in her throat. ‘I said anything you want. Not everything,’ she ventured, even while that ‘we’re getting married’ continued to ping wild desires through her blood.
Santo cielo, what she wouldn’t have given to hear that years ago. But it was a pipe dream. Remember that...
He stared at her for a short stretch before glancing down at his watch. ‘I’m going to be late for my meeting. You’ll have the day to yourself, but be ready to go out when I return at seven.’ He started to turn, then paused. ‘Make no mistake, agapita. You will marry me, as per your request. And you will also give me that anything I want.’
She watched him leave, her insides a sickening mess of wild agitation and shock.
Ares wanted to marry her?
Why?
