When he had suggested staying on in the Caribbean, sailing down the Grenadines and taking a little time out, she had played it cool on the outside but inside, she had jumped at the idea.
He’d mentioned something about a week. He needed a break, he’d told her, holding her and kissing her, and since he was the boss he could do as he damn well pleased.
He’d grinned and told her that as his secretary, she was duty-bound to agree with him.
‘We let this run its course,’ he’d said with infectious confidence, ‘and then we put it behind us. But if we don’t see it out…it’ll stay there, eating away at both of us, making it impossible to work alongside one another.’
She’d agreed.
It had sounded simple enough.
It wasn’t simple now and truthfully, it never had been. She’d just kidded herself because the thought of saying goodbye to him was overwhelming.
‘I guess,’ she murmured without any hint of anxiety in her voice, ‘we should talk about where this isn’t going and start thinking about getting back to real life in London. I’ve been checking my emails daily and there are things waiting to be done that can’t be done here, even with an internet connection.’
‘Where thisisn’tgoing?’
‘Let’s not play make-believe, Raffaele,’ Erin said drily. ‘I know you. Don’t forget I’ve sent many a Dear John token to girlfriends who were ushered out the back door so that you could open the front door to their replacement.’
She stroked his cheek and knew that she was mentally saying goodbye. How could she just carry on as though nothing had happened when they returned to London? He would be able to do that because he hadn’t emotionally invested, but she wouldn’t and that was a deep, devastating ache in her she would have to deal with over time.
She just suddenly needed to know how much time she had left with him.
‘That’s a little on the harsh side!’
‘But untrue?’
She saw him shift uncomfortably, saw the dark flush stain his cheekbones. He couldn’t deny it even if he found it a little too blunt for his liking.
‘Defineuntrue.’
‘You’re an idiot, Raffaele.’
‘I don’t have a revolving door of women! And besides…you know why I never promise commitment. I’ve told you about my parents, their dysfunctional marriage…’
‘You don’t have to be afraid of committing to a relationship because the example that was set for you was a bad one.’
‘No? Is that the sound of you trying to psychoanalyse me?’
‘It’s the sound of me trying to be logical.’
‘Erin…’
‘What?’
‘You know who I am, don’t you? You know that I’m not someone who’s spent his life thinking he can’t commit because he hasn’t happened to find the right woman. I mean, Erin, you know that I’m not interested in commitment…’
Erin knew that this was a warning. A gentle one. This was a fling and nothing more than that.Don’t go getting any ideas.
‘You bet. And sure, I understand that you feel you have to be careful…but will you never be tempted to settle down one day? Have a family? I don’t care whether you remain a confirmed bachelor for the rest of your days. I don’t care if the only companions you have when you’re a wizened old man are a bunch of cats. I’m just curious.’
Raffaele couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ‘That’s a very seductive picture you paint of me. Wizened old man? Well, if that turns out to be the case then it’ll be no great shock if the only creatures that actually want to hang around me are a bunch of cats.’ He paused and then said with a slight shrug. ‘I expect the time will come. An heir will have to inherit the throne.’ He smiled with self-irony. ‘But when that time comes, I won’t be doing it for love. I’ll be doing it because it makes sense. No illusions that could lead to disappointment.’
‘Yes, but isn’t that what your parents did? Married to unite two powerful families? No illusions there that could lead to disappointment?’
‘Who said either of them are disappointed?’ His mouth curled derisively. ‘I assume they both accepted certain terms and conditions within their union and one of those just happened to be infidelity. You’ll find that there are many uber wealthy families where a lot is tolerated for the sake of the status quo.’
‘But you would never tolerate that.’
