Page 55 of Awakened in Her Enemy's Palazzo

At the dinner table she was seated opposite Theo, too far away for her to speak to him, but she was beside Luca, who was charming and attentive.

After the meal he left her side to join Sophia at the head of the table as they made their big announcement, and there was not a dry eye in the room including Grace’s. They didn’t produce their babies, who were tucked up and fast asleep. They just said that they’d wanted to share their news with their friends before the rest of the world.

‘You look exhausted,’ Theo said to Grace when they took their seats in the helicopter at last.

‘I’m OK,’ she said, meeting his dark eyes with a blue-eyed stare. ‘But I think we need to talk.’

This only saying the right thing to keep going as long as possible was no longer working for her. It was too exhausting. She owed it to herself to tell him how she really felt, even if the truth put an end to what they had.

He nodded. ‘I agree. There are some things I need to tell you, too.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

THEOWASSPLITTINGopen the envelope when his personal phone rang. He was not surprised to see the caller ID.

‘How is Grace?’ Luca asked.

‘We’re just about to share a nightcap.’

And some home truths, he didn’t add.

Instead he said sincerely, ‘I’m sorry if we were a distraction.’

‘No one noticed—and if we’re talking fault it was my security’s failure. Sophia is with the girls, but she wanted me to pass on a message for Grace. If Grace wants to meet up she is always available to a friend, and if there’s anyone who knows what it feels like to have lies written about her it is my Sophia, the original tall poppy.’

Theo thanked his friend and hung up, promising to pass on the message.

He tipped the contents of the envelope on the table and let them fall—his version of coming clean. The paper that lay on top caught his eye: it was a photocopy of an old newspaper report.

He scanned it and felt his gut freeze. He knew that lightning did, in fact, strike in the same place twice. But this was not lightning. This was a woman being accused of theft...of using her position for financial gain not once but twice—what were the odds?

And what were the odds that he wouldn’t have accepted her word without question if he hadn’t been...well,obsessedwith her? A woman had never made him feel this way before—not just his hunger for her, which was insatiable, but this dangerous need to reach out to her.

A snarl of frustration left his lips, no one could be as good and fine andperfectas she appeared.

He took a deep breath and told himself he wasn’t judging. He’d give her a chance to explain herself—he could not be any more reasonable than that.

The disclaimer didn’t lessen the irrational feeling of guilt he was experiencing. For that he could blame the fact there might be a small part of him that would be relieved if the stories were true.

It would mean he didn’t have to think about this being more than just sex and work out where they went from here. Words likecommitmentmade him uncomfortable.

‘Hello,’ Grace said, walking into the room and interrupting his dark train of thought. ‘What’s happened? You look—’

She shook her head worriedly, scanning his face.

For several moments Theo said nothing. She took his breath away, quite literally, standing there with her skin glowing, a pearlescent sheen against the stark black of the dress.

He imagined seeing her without the dress, still in those killer heels, with only the sapphires and him against her silky skin.

He sucked in a breath and ignored the instincts that were telling him to throw her on the floor and make love to her.

‘You tell me,’ he said.

‘No wonder you coped so well with the tabloid stuff. You’ve been there...done that before...’ he said, watching her face as held out the incriminating clipping to her.

She looked down but didn’t read it. Instead she said quietly, ‘This is an article about a police report saying that a nurse stole a necklace and a pile of cash.’ Her face hardened. ‘This didn’t just appear by magic.’

She walked over to the table and moved her hand across the pile of papers lying there before she looked back.

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