Page 28 of On His Bride's Terms

Faye looked a little surprised. ‘Are you interested in Modern Art?’

‘Not especially, but I’m sure you can make it interesting.’

Faye cocked her head to one side. ‘Do you know how much I charge for a personal appointment?’

Primo smiled. He really enjoyed this woman and her determination to cling on to her independence. She surprised him—and it had been a long time since he’d been surprised. He had no doubt that once she’d made her point about retaining her independence inevitably their lives would dovetail more. But for now he was enjoying the novelty.

He said, ‘I’m sure I can make it up to you in kind.’

She went a little pink again. She opened her mouth, but before she could say something that he already knew would be tart they were interrupted by the host of the party.

‘Primo, this must be your beautiful new bride! Please introduce us.’

Primo bit back a smile at Faye’s thwarted expression and took her hand in his as he faced their host.

Faye didn’t like how nice it felt to have Primo touch her back or take her hand. It was as if when they were in close proximity he couldn’tnottouch her, and she had to admit she felt the same. But she’d never have the nerve to claim him physically the way he did her.

It brought back painful memories of her first marriage. She was naturally a tactile person and, believing that she and her husband were both on the same page emotionally, she’d felt comfortable enough to touch him in public. Just little gestures...a hand on his back or, when sitting down, on his thigh...

But invariably he would tense and move away a little, and say to her,sotto voce, ‘Not here, Faye.’

She’d learnt to curb her natural impulses, and since then no lover had enticed her to experiment again. But Primo did. And yet the thought of reaching for his hand and having him turn to look at her as if she was doing something wrong kept her impulse in check.

Dusk was falling over Paris, and outside the Eiffel Tower was twinkling in the distance. Faye was coming back from the bathroom and saw Primo was deep in conversation with a man. For a moment she was arrested by his sheer good looks and formidable build. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and a light blue shirt, open at the neck. Impossibly suave.

She hadn’t really been breathing properly since she’d arrived and caught his eye, and he’d come to the stairs to meet her. She saw the open French doors and diverted to an outdoor terrace, relishing the thought of a moment to get some air and try and sort through all the tangled things Primo made her feel.

Chief of which was the ever-present humming desire.

She came within ten feet of the guy and it was as if an electrical switch had been turned on.

She was tingling all over at the thought of what the night would hold. Her assistant had told her that Primo had a suite booked here, at the hotel where the party was taking place, so she’d booked a room too.

She knew Primo would expect her to share with him, but there was a part of her that still resisted giving herself over completely to this arrangement.

Because you know it won’t last.

She reassured herself that it wasn’t as if Primo had been under any illusions that she’d married him with unabated enthusiasm. They both knew it was an ancillary deal alongside a much bigger one.

And he knew that she might decide to leave after six months. There was no guarantee she would stay. And if she kept her boundaries during that time then he couldn’t say she’d deceived him.

Simple. And yet...not.

It felt as if every time she was with him he had a stronger pull on her.

She shouldn’t have come to Paris. They had a function to attend together in Boston at the end of the following week. That would have been time enough for them to meet again. But Faye had given in to an impulse too strong to ignore...

‘Here you are.’

A shiver of longing went down Faye’s spine and directly into her gut at the sound of Primo’s voice. She closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them as he came to stand beside her, facing her, one elbow resting on the wall of the terrace. Like this, his mouth was on the same level as hers, and all Faye would have to do would be to lean forward and—

He reached out and touched her jaw with a finger. ‘You look very stern.’

Faye relaxed her facial expression, felt her skin tingle where Primo had touched her. ‘I was admiring the view.’

Liar.

She found herself divulging, ‘I spent a summer here as an au pair, between school and college.’

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