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"Dea."
"Don't you want details?"
"No. I'd like to give your father some credible assurance that he didn't have to worry about your innocence until we got married," I replied and promptly started laughing.
I couldn't care less what adventures Amedea'd had – her father certainly wouldn't be happy with that knowledge.
Besides, I didn't want to permanently have the image of her being between two men or even in any man's arms. That simply felt wrong. More than that.
"It's so annoying. I wish he would stop trying to control my life." She snorted and shook her head, though it still rested on my shoulder.
"He will. After the party, he can go home, and if I hear from him again…" I left the sentence unfinished and hoped she didn't see my scowl.
I wouldn't be involved in anything more than this party. No evidence. In any form whatsoever. He would see us together once; after that, she was mine alone, and he would play no part in her life unless she specifically requested it.
It was as simple as that. Wasn't it?
"You're doing it again."
"What?"
"You ponder like a nasty gangster boss how to get rid of your enemies."
"That's my job,raggio di sole."
I could have sworn she rolled her eyes, so I bit my tongue not to say any more on the subject.
"Do you think he'd buy the whole charade of a happy marriage if he could see us now?"
I thought about it seriously before putting my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a more intimate embrace. More physical closeness. More familiarity. "Like this, maybe."
Most importantly, he would see two drunk people, one not wearing a wedding ring and the other wearing two – not exactly what would convince her father.
I looked up at the sky and at the first stars that were rising. Not long now, and pitch black would reign around us.
The tingling in my legs told me very clearly how bad an idea it was to be thinking about descending. The probability that we would break some bone in our body was higher than that we would reach the bottom unscathed.
"You just won a night in this charming cabin," I announced.
"Me? What about you? Are you going to sleep out here on the floor or what?"
In fact, that had been my exact thought.
Amedea, however, made an indignant noise. "Don't be like that. I'm not poisonous, nor do I bite. Besides, your arm is still around my shoulder. It certainly doesn't get much cuddlier in there."
That was quite an announcement. I was tempted to pull back my arm simply to make my point. However, I let it go. Mainly because I felt her shivering a little. At least, that was what I told myself.
12
Amedea
Although there was all-encompassing darkness in the cabin, I saw in my mind exactly how everything looked. The dark stained wood, the small camp kitchen, the table with just one chair. The tiny windows, from which one could not even observe the starry sky, and the mezzanine, where a low mattress, a sleeping bag, and a pillow lay.
None of it smelled fresh. The air was stagnant throughout the cabin, and not even the open door made a difference, even though it was a few degrees cooler outside.
I lay on this very mattress. With Vincenzo, whose body was so close to mine, I felt the warmth emanating from him and his irregular breaths. He was not asleep.
I was wide awake, listening to my pounding heart and staring into the darkness. Should I scold myself for my suggestion? Lying next to this man just felt wrong on so many levels.
