Page 194 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

In the days that she had been back in Venice, Rae had seen him only a handful of times. He was staying true to his word about living separate lives in private, and that suited her just fine. She was able to devote her alone time to her bridal design business, working on new ideas as well as her ongoing orders, and when she needed a break she would take a leisurely wander of the city that had long ago captured her heart, strolling along the narrow waterways or enjoying the bustling piazzas from outside a coffee shop. However, that lack of contact or communication in private created a greater nervousness about being with him in public, because they were going from one extreme to another. From zero interaction to pretending to be in love.

Obviously, she had realised when she’d agreed to return that the pretence would be necessary, but she’d been so preoccupied with her emotions about returning that she hadn’t given much—any—thought to the practicalities of it.

But now all Rae could think about was all the ways Domenico would be touching and holding her.

How he would casually drape an arm around her shoulders or her waist, stroke his fingertip across her cheek, brush escaped tendrils of hair from her face, all with a gentleness of touch that was at odds with his brute size and that provoked a seismic reaction beneath her skin. And he would probably kiss her, holding her captive beneath that dark chocolate gaze before slowly, so her anticipation built, lowering his lips until they met hers in an eruption of quiet, screaming passion.

As she imagined it all in excruciating slow motion, something rippled across her skin—something Rae wanted to pretend she hadn’t felt or recognised. Because to give a name to it would make it real and she didn’t want it to be real. Couldn’t let it be real. Not if she was going to emerge intact at the end of their six-month arrangement.

Despite her unease, on the allotted night she was dressed in her finery and descending the palazzo’s long curved staircase to meet Domenico. Although he had given her a new credit card to cover all of her costs, Rae had selected a dress from her old wardrobe, a previously unworn classic creation of black silk from a renowned Italian designer that floated around her like air. The straps were thin and delicate and the design cut very low on her back, showing more skin than she ideally wanted to display, but it had been the only black dress amongst her existing collection. She had set her mind on wearing black, hoping it would attract less attention than a bolder hue, not that it really mattered when Domenico always attracted so much attention, never mind with the addition of all sorts of swirling rumours...

He was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase, his back to her, and her heart stopped at the sight of his broad back, sheathed in the pristine fabric of the expertly fitted tuxedo. It showed to perfection the raw strength of his body and Rae found herself gripping the banister for support as her knees suddenly felt too weak to keep holding her up.

Naked, he was mesmerising, a mouthwatering specimen to behold, but Rae had always thought that he was as much of a sensation clothed and the thrill of him in that moment did nothing to dispel that opinion. One of her favourite things about evenings when they’d attended some fancy soirée had been knowing that at the end of the night her hands would have the privilege of sliding the fine clothes from his body to find the hot skin beneath. Not that she had that privilege any more, or that she wanted it, she reminded herself sharply, hurrying the final few steps as though she could leave those feelings behind her.

Hearing the click of her heels against the floor, Domenico spun around, his eyes crashing into hers. Rae swallowed as his glittering gaze swept over her, his jaw tightening fractionally though he offered no comment.

‘You should wear this too,’ he said, turning to the table behind him and lifting a velvet box that, when he popped it open, revealed a diamond choker.

‘That was Elena’s,’ Rae breathed, stunned that he was presenting it to her.

‘Yes. A much-admired piece of her collection. She wore it often, and you wearing it tonight should signal that everything in our marriage is perfect. I would hardly let someone I didn’t love and was estranged from wear something so precious, would I?’

Rae swallowed again, unable to read beneath the hard glint of his richly dark eyes or the silkily lethal drawl of his words. But his willingness to allow her to wear such a priceless heirloom reminded her just how important this charade was to him and, as much as she wanted to refuse, she knew it wouldn’t be a wise way to start the evening and so simply turned as he lifted the jewels from the box.

With deft fingers he fastened it around her neck, his hot fingers brushing her trembling flesh. The quivers racing over her skin sank even deeper into her and for the second time in as many minutes she thought her legs were about to give way. And it didn’t help that he was standing so close that Rae could feel all the strength and heat of his body and she so badly wanted to press back against it, to feel the power of him enveloping her once more.

Domenico moved her by the shoulders so she was standing before an antique mirror.

‘What do you think?’ he asked, his dark eyes so steadily fixed on hers that he would see anything she felt.

Slowly, Rae met his gaze and, as she did, feeling throbbed in every inch of her. ‘It’s stunning.’

Their eyes held and her breath grew shallower. Could he feel it too? That pulse of passion and longing streaming between them. There seemed to be a million thoughts and feelings locked in the darkness of his gaze—emotions he had no intention of giving voice to. But Rae couldn’t speak either, strangled by the heavy emotion coursing through her, thudding hotly in her sex in a beat that refused to be ignored.

She frantically searched his face with her eyes, wanting some sign that his blood was running as hot as hers, scared by the thought that it was and equally scared that it wasn’t.

‘We should go,’ he said, stepping back easily and moving towards the front door.

Her skin instantly chilled, though her blood still ran hot and she cursed her stupidity. If she couldn’t evenstandclose to him without turning into a puddle, what would it be like when he actually did touch her? The last thing she wanted was a repeat of what had almost happened in the upstairs corridor the night of Elena’s funeral, when she’d gone up in sizzling flames at the barest of touches. The only way to keep that from happening, Rae realised, was to set some boundaries.Now.

‘Before we go...’ Rae began, seizing the moment to assert her will in a way she never would have thought to previously. ‘I know everyone needs to believe that we are madly in love, but I was thinking we should establish some ground rules.’

Domenico arched a brow. ‘Such as?’

‘I know we need to be affectionate with one another and that’s fine. But within reason. So I would prefer it if we didn’t kiss on the mouth,’ she specified assertively. ‘It’s not unreasonable, I think. Many other couples restrain from such displays in public.’

‘I don’t recall us being one of those couples,’ he drawled, evidently finding the idea ridiculous, and he wasn’t wrong. They’d never succeeded in keeping their hands off one another, but Rae had also never previously imposed her will on their relationship and look at her now. She was proof that things could change.

Holding herself steady beneath his unflinching regard, because she knew that he was expecting her to back down, she said in a controlled voice, ‘I have faith that we can convince people we’re happy without being overt in our displays of affection.’

‘Hmm. Fine,’ he agreed, his jaw locked tight. ‘We’ll keep kissing off the agenda for the evening. But let’s make sure everything else is convincing,sì?’ he added with a look of warning. ‘Vincenzo D’Aragona is still in the city and it’s likely he too will be attending tonight.’

Rae nodded, that tiny lump in her throat tripling in size. As if she hadn’t felt enough pressure without knowing their judge and jury would there too!

The ballroom was full of people by the time they arrived and as they walked through the doors Domenico clasped her hand tightly in his. Rae wished it didn’t feel so good, so right, to have his strong fingers wrapped around hers, to be claimed as his again. As expected, all eyes followed their arrival and beneath her beautiful dress Rae’s heart thrashed against the cage of her ribs.

She tried to focus instead on the opulence of the venue. The high ceiling, the trio of glittering chandeliers, the string orchestra arranged in one corner and mammoth vases of fragrant flowers delineating the perimeter of the room.

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