His eyes flicked away for the first time during the conversation. “If she’d just told me what happened, I would have forgiven her and we could have moved on, but she didn’t. And then they continued to have these moments together. Stares across the room that I noticed but didn’t know what to make of. Private moments when I was nowhere around. I trusted her implicitly. If there was nothing to share, it’s because there was nothing to share. She broke that, and trust can’t be rebuilt—despite what some people believe.” His eyes remained shifted away, like he was lost in the memory he continued to share. “I was gonna marry her. Had always wanted to see more of the world, live in Rome, Istanbul, and Paris, but she was enough of a reason for me to stay. We would have had a bunch of kids together and had a quiet life in Taormina with our families.” He gave a shrug. “That event forever changed the trajectories of our lives.”
I felt empathy for him because I knew how it felt to be betrayed by someone you loved. To watch them lie to you without an ounceof shame. To be reduced to ashes when they set your heart on fire. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, sweetheart.” His eyes came back to me, and then slowly, the smile stretched his lips. “But I think it worked out for the best.” The warmth of his smile reached his eyes as he continued to stare at me in a way no one else ever had. Like I was all he could see, even when we weren’t together.
Chapter 12
Aurelia
When I woke up that morning, I knew it was my final day in paradise. But while I was sad that the vacation was about to end, I didn’t have to be sad that my time with Constantine was ending.
I wasn’t sure where it would lead, but at least the door was open.
He fucked me quick and hard every morning like he needed it to start his day, went to the gym, and then showered. He took me out to breakfast, and then we had lunch together next door to my hotel at Trattoria da Nino, and he ordered the catch of the day for us to share.
When the waiter brought the white fish on the platter and placed it in front of Constantine, head and everything, I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do with it.
“Would you like me to clean it, sir?” the waiter asked.
Constantine brushed him off. “I’ve got this, man.” With his utensils, he cleaned the fish like he’d done it a hundred times, working until just the meat was on the table. He handed the plate with all the pieces we didn’t want to eat back to the waiter, and then he divided the fish between us.
“Where’d you learn that?” I asked.
“My father. When you grow up in a family of cooks, you learn the trade.”
I took a bite of my fish, and I was a bit taken aback by the taste.
“It’s all right?”
“Yeah, it’s the best fish I’ve ever had.”
He grinned. “The reason everyone comes here.”
We finished lunch and then headed back to his room. The second we walked in the door, he came up behind me, lifted me into his arms, and then literally threw me on the bed. “I’ve wanted to fuck you in this little dress all day.” He tugged me to the edge, lifted up my sundress, and ripped off my thong so he could sink inside me. “Jesus Christ.” It was like he hadn’t fucked me that morning, or the day before, or the day before that. Several times every twelve hours.
But it never seemed to be enough.
When I woke up from my nap, he was already getting ready.
But I continued to lie there because I never wanted to leave this big bed. Never wanted to leave this beautiful room and the man who occupied it.
He came out of the bathroom naked and pulled on a pair of boxers. “My family hosts a big dinner every Sunday. I want you to come.”
“What?”
He ran his fingers through his slightly damp hair as he approached the bed. “Yes.”
“Uh ...” I sat up in bed, taking the sheets with me so my skin wouldn’t be exposed to the cold air. “I—I don’t know about that.”
“It’s not what you think. Everyone comes to these dinners—friends, family, neighbors. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are thirty or fifty people there. It’s casual.”
“But yourfamilywill be there.”
“Yes, I’m aware.” That handsome, somewhat arrogant smirk moved on to his lips as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve brought friends to these all my life. It’s not a big deal.”
“Friends . . . like me?”
He chuckled. “Well, no.”
