Page 21 of Resisting the Bossy Billionaire

She was silent another long moment before quietly saying, ‘I’m the second youngest of five girls. I had no clearly defined role in the pack. I wasn’t the oldest or the baby—Sinead came eleven months after me—or even the rebellious middle child. I was the one whose name no one could get right first time. If Mum wanted me, she’d always call one of my sisters’ namesfirst, which I know is normal but it always felt like I was the only one whose name wasn’t on the tip of her tongue, the insignificant one. I could hide in my room for hours and she wouldn’t even notice I wasn’t there.

‘Grandma was terrifying but she knew exactly who I was. She never forgot me or my name.’

An image danced in his mind of a pretty little redhead sitting on a floor, stepped over and unnoticed by the crowd surrounding her.

Blinking the image away, his stare was caught by the grown, beautiful redhead curled on his bedroom sofa, the beautiful redhead whose stifled laughter had stayed at the forefront of his memories like a warm glow for months before he’d grabbed the opportunity to employ her.

‘There is nothing forgettable about you, Victoria,’ he said with simple honesty.

Her eyes widened.

There was an almost imperceptible rise of her shoulders and then, just as he was about to jerk his stare away, he saw it.

The dark pulsing in her eyes and the creep of colour over her cheeks.

A bolt of electricity exploded in his chest.

Silence chimed loudly.

The hazel eyes widened into orbs. A trembling hand pressed against her breast...

Suddenly fighting for breath, Marcello wrenched his stare to the sheet gripped tightly in his hand. Auto-pilot kicked in and, the room in pitch silence, he fought the under-sheet until it submitted, then worked quickly to place the pillows and duvet from the guest room onto the bed, all the while trying to convince himself that he hadn’t just seen what he’d seen. Told himself it had been a trick of the light. A manifestation of his desire in the form of an illusion.

He had to force himself to look at her again. Had to clear his throat to speak. ‘I need to make some calls. I won’t be far, just in the office.’ The office he’d had a second desk added to so Victoria could work from the apartment when needed. ‘Do you need anything?’

Even darker colour stained her cheeks and she hastily turned her face away and shook her head.

‘Bene.’

He left the room without another word.

Victoria’s knees were drawn to her chin, her mouth pressed tight against them.

Her heart was racing.

He’d seen.

Marcello had seen.

Oh, God.

Hot blood was whooshing in her head.

She couldn’t think what to do.

He’dseen. She knew it.

It had been the starkness in both his expression and voice when he’d said there was nothing forgettable about her. The emotion that had ballooned in her...

In that moment she’d been helpless to stop her burgeoning feelings from showing on her face, and he’dseenit. And he’d recognised it for what it was. She knew it. There was no hiding it now. From either of them.

Oh, God, the pained look that had flashed over him.

He’d been unable to get away from her fast enough.

What was she going to do?

More sleep, she decided desperately. Bury herself in oblivion until it was safe to leave the apartment.

---