Page 78 of Prelude To You

I glanced around and saw Roman across the room, in conversation with an older gentleman. From here Roman seemed untouchable, the picture of insouciance. So in control, not at all like the man in the musty old hallway who drove me to the brink of insanity with those long probing fingers and fervent kisses.

Or the man who admitted he was trying to find the stray girl he’d kissed in a bookshop the night before.

He must have felt my inquisitive stare because he glanced my way. Our shared gaze said everything we couldn’t put into words. The urgency to consume each other was crushing us both. But if that happened, the aftermath would be a feast of agony for one of us. And there was no doubt as to which one of us that would be.

It was like Roman could sense what I was thinking because his gaze softened, the ghost of a smile clinging to his lips. I deliberately broke the connection and continued strolling down the aisle. I kept moving, hoping to delay the pain and the fear that were silently catching up to me.

It was just a question of how long it would take to get over him. Apparently this intangible, all-consuming feeling I had for a strange man came with no clear expiration date.

I thought of Cyrill and his true love, and of Daphne and Pierre and the happiness they shared, even if it might have been short-lived. But the crowd was thinning and it was clear the auction was winding down. Which also meant the end of my evening with Roman. This confusing, exhilarating, crazy profound evening.

It didn’t really matter if he was looking for me at the bookshop. He found me, and I was still only good enough for a few hours of fun. The thought made my heart skip a beat, and my stomach twisted into a knot. Was there any kind of drug out there that could wipe the last two days from my memory?

I strolled beside the next table, past cases containing more precious items. The possessions of a man who loved his wife more than life.

Exhaustion seized me, the last two days taking their toll. A warm shower, my soft bed, listening to music and reading until I drifted off to sleep. That was what I wanted to do. What was I doing in this strange place, in this absurd infuriating situation?

There was a nice job waiting in the morning, one that paid exceptionally well. And that was way more than I could ask for under the circumstances. The first order of the day when I got home would be to reset my mind. Since I couldn’t turn back time, that would have to do.

Anything and everything that happened where Roman was involved had to become a fleeting memory I could put away, and only remember when it didn’t feel like my heart had just been sliced open with a shard of broken glass.

I reached the end of the last table, which held a case with the very last item. It was a cameo brooch, still in its original velvet box. With two matching earrings. And it was the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I’d ever laid eyes on.

An assistant rushed over, took the velvet box from the glass case and handed it to me. I carefully removed the cameo, too scared to breathe over it.

It was a delicate goddess carved from an iridescent shell, her long hair flowing down her back. She wore a flimsy veil that fluttered in a breeze, barely covering her delicate, flawless body.

I stared at the bids. It was already at thirty-six thousand dollars. That kind of money was incomprehensible to me, but I had to be honest with myself. If I had enough money to buy anything in the world, this cameo would be mine.

Roman moved in behind me, close enough for me to feel his breath on the nape of my neck. “You’ve been standing here for a while,” he said quietly. “What has you so intrigued?”

His fingers folded around the hand that held the cameo.Why did he make me feel so goddamn safe and warm?My self-control reached a disturbing low.

Roman brushed a thumb over the delicate siren and held it there for the longest moment, and then his lips caressed my ear, his voice barely audible. “When I look at you, this is what I see.”

Tears pooled in my eyes.

His hand slipped around my waist, and I nestled into him, my body aching for his touch. Then he said softly, “Please stay, Isabel.”

And just like that, my resolve waned. I nodded slightly, and suddenly none of the consequences mattered. He turned me to him and cupped my face, his mouth seeking mine. It was a complicated kiss; deep, soft, all-consuming. A kiss that left me fearing this overwhelming feeling that I couldn’t control.

When we finally pulled apart, the few people left in the room were all gawking unapologetically. I still clutched the cameo, the pin in the back digging into the skin of my palm.

Roman took out his phone. “Excuse me for a second.”

He stepped a few feet away to make a call, keeping an eye on me as if he didn’t dare lose sight. I assumed he was arranging a place for us to go to.

I opened my hand, the lustrous cameo resting innocently in my palm, not at all like it had just cost me my pride. I quickly handed it back to the female assistant, who waited with a tight smile, and an even tighter tone. “You’re not supposed to hold it like that.”

I wanted to say I was sorry, and that it was a mistake. But the tears I’d been biting back threatened to fall. Roman stepped in immediately. “Isabel, what’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. It’s fine.”

The assistant chirped away with a brusque tone. “No, it’s not fine. She closed her hand over the cameo. That’snothow you’re supposed to hold it.”

And right in front of my eyes, Roman transformed into a man on whose bad side I never wanted to be. He fixed the assistant with a harsh stare, his voice steel.“Do you know who I am?”

The assistant shook her head no, but by now she’d become wary, instinctively realizing her mistake.

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