‘I thought you preferred clear rules,’ she argued unevenly.
‘Not if it’s likely to keep me out of your bed,’ he admitted tautly. ‘Possibly, I tend to be more realistic than you are—’
Violet stiffened and ignored that insinuation. ‘So while we remain in Italy this can be the equivalent of a holiday fling,’ she replied stubbornly. ‘But once we return to London at the end of the month, we go back to our own lives and forget about this.’
‘If that’s what you want—’
‘That’s what I want,’ Violet responded without hesitation, determined to ensure that she didn’t develop any kind of emotional attachment to him or dependency on him. A holiday fling was fine; anything lengthier sheer insanity. Once they were back in London, occupying separate bedrooms at opposite ends of his massive house, there would be no temptation and she would recover.
Yes, already she could feel herself getting dangerously soft and warm and forgiving towards Tore and she really, really didn’twantto fall for him. If she was truly that susceptible to his appeal, she needed to protect herself from getting more emotionally involved with him. Furthermore, there was absolutely nothingmoresobering than Tore’s utter indifference to such finer feelings.
Tore wasn’t risking anything in continuing to have sex with her. He had one of those divided brains with business on one side and leisure time on the other. And she was the fool who had placed herself in an irretrievable position, assuming that she could have sex with him without feelings getting involved. Only now was she appreciating that she wasn’t able to stay that detached from him.
‘It’s entirely your decision,’ Tore murmured tautly, wondering why he wanted to argue with her so badly, why he was already thinking ahead to that rejection awaiting him at the end of the month.
Obviously, it was a form of rejection and he wasn’t accustomed to that experience but over the next couple of weeks, he wouldbecomeaccustomed to the concept, he assured himself fiercely. Or possibly Violet would discover that once you let a lion out of a cage, it was a challenge to get it to step quietly back into captivity again.
The passion she inspired in him was a revelation. Amazing sex was a hell of a draw, he acknowledged. Setting up an artificial barrier between them at a date only a couple of weeks ahead of them struck him as weird,unless…
‘Are you falling for me or something?’ Tore shot at her with startling abruptness as they reached the front of the house. ‘Is that what’s spooked you?’
Violet settled her face into an expression of polite disbelief and turned to look at him, her blue eyes wide with surprise. ‘Falling for you? Falling for the guy who likened me to the corpse bride on our wedding day?’ she asked with a forced laugh. ‘You have just got to be kidding me!’
And although Tore was relieved by that response there was an edge of annoyance in his reaction as well. Granted, he hadn’t been the smoothest and most charming bridegroom at the outset, but hadn’t he since made up for that poor start? And considering that she had told him that sex was a good idea, why was she suddenly backtracking on that decision? The lowering suspicion that the sex had not been as good for her as it had been for him could only linger…and sting.
Chapter Seven
The following evening, Violet was, for once, proud of her appearance. Clad in a short silver iridescent dress from her new wardrobe, she felt young again for the first time in more years than she cared to count. She might only be twenty-two but too many of her teenage years had been weighed down with adult burdens. It was Tore’s birthday dinner, and the night before she had decorated the cake she had made. After the meal they were heading out to a club with their younger guests to a surprise party.
‘What do you mean by saying that I shouldn’t dress up for dinner?’ Tore prompted with a frown.
‘It’s your birthday and we’re going out after we’ve eaten,’ Violet informed him. ‘You don’t need to wear a business suit to a club.’
‘Aclub?’ Tore stressed incredulously as if she had suggested some extremely decadent location that shouldn’t be mentioned in polite company. ‘I don’t dance or do clubs.’
Violet retained her bright smile with difficulty. ‘Luckily for you, I do, although it’s been far too long since I was actually free to go to one. It’s a surprise party, Tore. I wish I could’ve told you in advance so that you could invite any friends you wanted to join you, but your relatives really wanted to surprise you,’ she explained.
‘As I said, I don’t do clubs or dancing. I’m not very fond of surprises, either.’
Tore stood there in front of her like a very tall monolith of ice that cast a lowering dark shadow, green eyes glittering censure in his lean bronzed face.
‘Well, tonight you’re going to break those rules for the sake of our guests, who are accompanying us,’ Violet continued, staying steady in the face of adversity, refusing to be cast down by his lack of enthusiasm.
‘Allof them?’ he demanded in frank dread of such an event. ‘Isn’t it enough that I put up with them at dinner every evening?’
‘Only the younger set are coming.’
‘Bloody Sandro!’ he exclaimed, actually flinching at that prospect. ‘What a way to celebrate my birthday! And my grandparents will be arriving in the midst of it.’
Violet frowned. ‘Your grandparents? You didn’t mention that they were coming here tonight.’
‘They never miss my birthday even if it entails flying to London to corner me,’ Tore volunteered.
‘Well, I didn’tknowthat!’ Violet gasped. ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’
‘I assumed they’d give it a miss this year because we’re supposed to be on our honeymoon,’ Tore countered as if that were excuse enough for his silence on the topic.
‘I wouldn’t have let anyone arrange a night out for us if I’d known your grandparents were coming!’ Violet huffed in defence.
