She recalled what he’d told her when they’d visited his Pacific Heights house. “Letters detailing his affair with a designer.”
“Yes.” His mouth slid into a smile. Without fail, that simple quirk of his lips caused her body to quicken in anticipation. “Seems to run in the family.”
She acknowledged his comment with a sad smile before returning to the heart of the matter. “You think if you’d only taken the time to listen to your father, you wouldn’t have had to sell off all the Dante subsidiaries?”
His hands swept over her, settling on the softest of her curves. “If you’re asking whether I blame myself, I’ll make it easy for you. Ido.”
She fought to speak through her shiver of desire. “Seems we both have something to prove.”
“So it does.” He traced a path of kisses from the hollow of her throat downward. “The first thing I want to prove is how much I want you.”
In the hours that followed he did precisely that. Their lovemaking took on a desperate edge, as though beneath the passion they sensed how much they needed one another.
Sev gave no quarter. He took with a ruthless power Francesca couldn’t resist. He branded her with his fire, taking her to heights she’d never, ever experienced before, taking her in ways she’d never, ever experienced before. The level of intimacy should have terrified her, the knowledge he gained over her body, and even more overwhelming, her heart, allowing her nowhere tohide.
He forced her from hiding and into the light, forced her to connect with him on every possible level. She might have resisted, but for one thing. He gave every bit as much of himself as he took, baring himself to her need, her touch. Her desire. And in doing so, filling the emptiness within.
Their weekend together changed everything, convincing Francesca that maybe she could have it all. Despite the small warning voice, she couldn’t quite silence, she allowed herself to be talked back into Sev’s bed. Or blackmailed there, he frequently claimed with a teasinggrin.
As the days slid into weeks, she became more and more certain Sev didn’t have an ulterior motive, other than to get her in his bed as often as possible. But since that was her motivation, as well, nothing could make her happier. Of course, he continued to offer her a job at Dantes at regular intervals, making the tempting offers as such casual asides they feltmore like a joke than a true offer. Foolishly, she even managed to convince herself he’d forgotten about identifying which actress Timeless Heirlooms hoped to sign as their spokeswoman.
Or so she believed until he picked her up one evening and handed her a brightly wrapped package. “This is for you. Fair warning, Iwant major good-guy points for this one.”
“That depends.” She picked up the box and shook it. “What did you get?”
“Something you mentioned last week. Go on and open it. It’s just a DVD.” His expression turned gloomy. “It has chick flick written all over it, but for you, I’m willing to take it like a man.”
Ripping off the outer wrapping she realized he’d bought her the latest Juliet Bloom release. She stiffened, wondering if this was his subtle way of telling her he knew about the possibility of TH using Bloom as their spokeswoman. “Thanks,” she murmured. She cleared her throat, forcing a more natural tone to her voice. “I can’t wait to watch this.”
“Then we’ll do it tonight,” he responded promptly. “We’ll order in Chinese and crack open that bottle of Pinot Grigio my family sent over from Italy.”
All through the beginning of the movie she remained on edge, praying she wouldn’t do orsay something to give away TH’s plans. The entire time, Sev remained his normal self. As far as she could tell, he didn’t watch her with any more intensity than usual. There were no double entendres or suspicious comments. Halfway through the film, she managed to relax and even enjoy herself, perhaps in part due to the glass of wine Sev kept toppedoff.
By the end of the movie, she was in her usual position whenever they watched a DVD, on the couch curled up in Sev’s arms. Tears filled her eyes as the film reached its stunning climax, ascene in which the heroine stood before the villain, clothed in nothing but defiance and diamonds.
“It reminds me of our first night together,” Sev murmured. “You were wearing your amethyst-and-diamond set, remember? Bloom would look stunning in one of your designs.”
Francesca couldn’t tear her eyes from the film. “Yes, she will,” she murmured.
It took a full half-dozen heartbeats before she realized what she’d said. It took even less time to realize he’d understood the implications. She ripped free of his embrace and stood. “Oh, God.”
Sev climbed slowly to his feet, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Honey, don’t. Don’t overreact. Iswear to you, Ialready knew.”
She shook her head, not believing him. “This was a setup, wasn’t it?”
“Not even a little.”
Tears of anger blurred her vision. “And I fell for it. Igot complacent. Even when I saw which movie you’d chosen, Iconvinced myself not to read anything into it.” The breath hitched in her throat as she looked around for her purse. “I have to go.”
“No, you don’t,” he argued. “You need to stay so we can talk this through.”
She ignored him, scooping her purse off the coffee table and crossing to the entryway to snatch her sweater from the antique armoire he used as a coat closet. “Just answer me one question, Sev.” She spun to face him. “Are you going to use the information about Juliet Bloom to try and take down TH?”
At least he didn’t lie to her. “Yes.”
“Then there’s nothing left to be said, is there?”
“There’s more to be said than you can possibly imagine. But since you’re in no mood to listen to me tonight, it can wait until tomorrow.”
