Page 201 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

‘That’s one thing that didn’t change, I guess.’ She smiled, her eyes rapidly sweeping over him, hungry to take all of him in all at once. In looking so close, Rae noticed how tired he looked. His dark eyes were ringed by even darker shadows, strain leeching out of his gaze. ‘Were you working all night?’ she asked with an undisguised note of concern.

She knew he hadn’t returned by the time she’d fallen asleep in the early hours because her ears had been straining to detect any sign of his return. Upon waking that morning, she’d wondered if he had returned with the dawn to change his clothes before returning directly to the office, but, judging by this suit, which, although immaculate, was the same one he’d been wearing last night, Rae guessed that hadn’t been the case.

‘Pretty much.’ Domenico rubbed at his jaw, dusted with uncharacteristic dark stubble, and Rae had the sudden urge to be close enough to feel it scrape against her skin.

‘Did you manage to save the deal?’

‘No. But I did get their CEO to agree to meet me in person to work out the problem.’

‘Is he coming to Venice?’

‘No. I’m going to him.’ An alert sounded on his phone and he glanced at it, his fast fingers tapping out a reply in seconds. ‘He has a luxury estate in Majorca and he’s invited us to stay for the weekend.’

Having been ruminating on his absence over the weekend with a somewhat strange feeling spreading across her chest, it took Rae a second to process what he’d said.

‘Us?’ she repeated with an arch of her brow. Her pulse picked up as he began a slow stroll towards her.

‘Sì.He invited me to bring my wife along and it would look odd if I showed up alone, don’t you think?’

Her head started to spin as he drew closer, the scent of him hitting her first, and then the closeness of his body—forbidden, but welcome, oh, so welcome. Rae couldn’t help but admire the outline of his chest through his shirt, the definition of hard muscle, coaxing her to touch. With superhuman effort, she dragged her eyes up to his, just in time to see the small smile playing around his lips.

‘It also means we will have the opportunity to continue our conversation from last night.’

Rae knew that was her moment to tell him that conversation was closed. That it had started and ended last night. But, for some reason, her mouth wouldn’t move and the words wouldn’t form. And then his eyes were tracing over her face, pausing when they moved across her lips, and his fingertip was weaving a feather-light trail across her cheek and Rae was so close to forgetting her own name as sheachedfor him to lower his mouth to hers, to have the taste of him on her tongue.

‘But later,’ he drawled, leaving her lips still aching for that kiss as he dropped his hand. ‘Right now, we both need to pack. We’re wheels up in ninety minutes.’

Rae stilled, her heated thoughts draining away with the cold bite of reality.

Ninety minutes.She couldn’t do that.

So far, there had been no conflict between Domenico and her growing business. She worked on her designs during the day when she was left to her own devices and Domenico had—unsurprisingly—never asked what she did with the hours she was alone. But she was going to have to tell him now.

He was already walking away and Rae took a deep, fortifying breath. ‘I’m sorry. I can’t leave in ninety minutes.’

He stopped, turning his head over his shoulder and a look of incredulity swept across his smooth features. ‘You can’t?’

‘No.’ Rae warred to keep her voice steady. ‘I have an appointment.’

‘Can’t you cancel it? Rearrange it?’ he asked too easily, too quickly, and it chafed at Rae in all the same ways and same places that it used to. Why did he always think her plans were of a lesser importance? That they could berearranged? That she should jump whenever he clicked his fingers?

‘No, I can’t,’ she said on a deep breath, making an effort to keep tight hold of her frustration, because an argument wasn’t going to make this conversation any more palatable. ‘I made a commitment and it would be rude and unprofessional of me to cancel at the last minute. Not to mention, the meeting is important to me.’

He stared down at her, his dark eyes rich with thought and his arms crossed over his broad chest as he considered her. ‘What is this important meeting?’ he demanded to know.

Rae mirrored his stance, folding her arms against her chest and meeting his assessing regard. ‘It’s a video call with a client.’

‘A client?’

Rae nodded, acutely aware that this was a conversation she had shied away from having in the past—she shouldn’t have, and wouldn’t do so now. Her work was important to her. It was a priority, and Domenico would have to accept that, the same way she had always accepted his commitment to The Ricci Group.

‘Yes. I’ve started designing a bridal collection.’

Picking up her sketchbook off the table, she handed it to him, holding her breath for him to accept it and start to flip through the pages. His eyes moved over each sketch, absorbing every detail with the same steady but indecipherable expression.

‘Why didn’t you mention this to me sooner?’ he demanded, and there was something brusque about his tone that filled her with that old instinct to retreat.

But she wouldn’t.

---