Page 18 of Their UnBearable Destiny

Clara propped open the door with a little wooden block and re-entered the café, giving them a little space.

Uberto leaned closer. “We didn’t have to-”

“Yes,” she countered him, “we did. I was being ridiculous.”

He stopped just shy of the door, lowering his voice because as a human, Clara wouldn’t be able to hear his words from that distance. “You are not and never could be ridiculous, Ana. Why did you think that?”

She lifted her chin and forced herself to meet his eyes, he appreciated the effort. Her proud Bruno blood didn’t leave much room for her softer feelings. Her sister was very much like their mother, but Emiliana held the raw power of her bear on a tight leash. Knowing that, the slight tremble of her lower lip made him hungry, but not for the desserts that he could smell in the café. For her

“I could tell,” she confided in him, “I could smell her interest from here.”

He looked at the doorway and nodded, but they continued on as if she wasn’t sure he had accepted her explanation.

“She wants you. Even when we were younger,” she cleared her throat, “she wanted you.”

Uberto held back the smile that threatened to touch his lips. Emiliana would surely misunderstand his humor. “I don’t remember her very well.”

“She made her feelings very clear,” she assured him. “The way she looked at you made her interest impossible to ignore.”

He turned slightly and drew her closer to him, leaning down to meet her gaze with his own. “And yet, I don’t remember her.”

She nodded her head, but he could see that she hadn’t gotten over her earlier upset.

“What’s wrong, Ana?” A smile tugged at her lips for a heartbeat, but he could tell she wasn’t really happy. “Tell me.”

He watched her lips tighten to a white line. The contrast against her full lips was distracting, but he managed to focus on her rather than his need to taste her lips.

“I’m not jealous.”

Uberto nodded carefully. “Okay.”

“I’m not,” she insisted.

And he nodded again. “I believe you.”

She took in a breath and quickly let it out. “You shouldn’t, because while I have no reason to be jealous, I am. I didn’t like seeing her rush to the door. I didn’t like how she looked at you.”

He lightly trailed his fingertips along her forearm and felt her shiver. “And I didn’t notice either of those things, Ana. I was thinking about you.”

Nodding she blinked and looked up at him. He drew her closer, just enough that he could almost feel her warmth from his knees to his chest.

“Don’t ever doubt that I’m thinking about you, Ana. No matter what happens, you are the one for me.”

He saw a shadow pass over her features and felt himself studying her closely. Hesitant wasn’t something he wanted to see on her features, ever. Emiliana was a force of nature, and even when that force was filled with anger, she was the most breathtaking sight he’d ever seen. He just wasn’t sure he could stand to see any of that fade, especially if he had a hand in the cause.

“If you don’t want to go in and have some coffee, we can move on and come back later,” he felt her tense in his arms, “or not at all.”

He set his hands on her hips and gently smoothing them up her back.

“I’m not terribly jealous.” She looked up at him with a smile on her lips. “Still, if she tries to touch you, I may have to rip her hand off.”

His eyes opened in shock. “Blood thirsty, are we?”

“If you try to touch her-”

He held up his hands in surrender. “You’ll have no problems from me. I meant what I said. It’s you, Ana. Just you.”

She turned her head slightly to look at him. “Even after all of these years? Even after I pushed you away?”

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