Page 44 of Forbidden Lord
Stefano paid for the drinks. They both stood as he asked, “Do you want a ride home?”
Yes. But first he needed to put his plan in action so he followed his friend and picked up his board at the front door. “No, but I’ll take a ride to the village near my home. I’ll start with something small and work my way up.”
“Then let’s get out of here.” Stefano opened the door.
Stefano’s black town car waited, the driver quickly getting out to open the rear passenger door and take them down the mountain. Now he had a plan. He’d do everything he could to prove to Sheena he was the better man and she’d be happier, if she loved him.
Chapter 17
Sheena glanced at herself in the hallway mirror. Today she wore a knee-length cotton light-blue dress with specks of white like she was ready for ice and snow. She needed to talk to Matteo about trust.
It was impossible to ignore the fast beat of her heart. Matteo’s words about love haunted her. She was grateful that the servants had let her know Matteo was inside his old bedroom, and sleeping.
Without waiting another second, she opened the door and let herself in. She stopped when she saw the bouquet of roses scattered all over the floor.
The sound of the shower meant Matteo was inside the bathroom. Sheena went down on her hands and knees and picked up the flowers.
The red petals were beautiful, even half dead, and the sweet aroma of the flowers almost drowned out the bite of alcohol her nose detected in this room.
The shower turned off as she gathered the last stem. She stood and held them as the bathroom door flung open.
Matteo wore a white towel around his waist and water dripped off his muscular frame.
Adrenaline coursed through her as well as the wish he’d kiss her, again and again.
Yesterday she’d messed everything up, but today was a new day. Hopefully they could start over, without their emotions being so intense.
He stepped out of the bathroom and she held the stems like they were her shield as she said, “I stayed up waiting for you last night.”
He held a hair brush but stared at her and the flowers. “I didn’t know.”
He fixed his hair and her hair stood on its ends in awareness of him. She needed to tell him to never leave her again. Last night she’d tossed and turned and wished he was there to hold her.
She let out a sigh and said, “I must have fallen asleep.”
“I was very late.” He put his hair brush down. “I hope you slept well.”
That was nice but impossible. Jitters raced through her as she walked closer to him and brushed her hand against his damp, muscular arm. “Where were you?”
She shook her head. It was the wrong approach to push him right now. Their last conversation had echoed in her mind—she’d had no answer to his question on love. Her fingers trembled and she pulled back from him. “Never mind.”
He took the roses from her hand and placed them on the bureau. “I bought you flowers, but I was a big mess last night.”
If only she could breathe right now. Then maybe she’d think straight. She pushed her hair behind her ear. It was so important to find the right words, but she pursed her lips and said, “The room smells like alcohol.”
He reached into the closet and pulled out a pair of pants. “I had a few on an empty stomach after exercising.”
“That’s not healthy.” She inwardly yelled at herself. Why had she sounded like a harpy? This wasn’t good. She needed to change this questioning fast and somehow get this back to last night and his question about love.
He picked up the house phone near the dresser. “I’m ordering breakfast. Would you care to join me?”
Maybe a change of venue from the room he’d run to and away from her was the best option. Neutral ground might clear her head on how to steer the conversation toward love. She picked up the flowers on the bureau to bring with her. “Yes. I would.”
He gave her that smile of his that made her pause. “Meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes?”
She nodded and headed toward the door, smelling the roses in her hand. She wished she’d had the right approach this morning. She turned as he grabbed a polo shirt from the dresser. “Matteo?”
She hugged the flowers to her chest and saw a glimmer in his brown eyes. “Yes?”
