The Italian's Vengeful Seduction Page 16

  She stared at him now as she’d stared at him once before. That accusation, those stupid words that had caused them both so much pain, there before them. Ugly and sick. And completely devoid of truth.

  ‘It didn’t happen,’ she said slowly, her voice a whisper. ‘None of it happened.’

  ‘What do you mean, Stacey?’

  He eyed her warily. She almost despaired of going on with it. Who would believe that she would lie about such a thing and let that lie persist year after year? Who would believe that her explosive toxic anger could make her life spin off course? And his too, it now seemed.

  She swallowed, started again.

  ‘I never slept around back in high school. I never slept with anyone until I had a couple of boyfriends when I got to Atlantic City. And I never slept with anyone since then except you.’

  He frowned. He shook his head. He paced and threw his hands up in the air.

  ‘What are you trying to say? That you made it all up? What possible reason would you have for acting like that? That’s insane. You messed up my life and your life because of that?’

  ‘I didn’t make it up—the town made it up. Those gossips made it up. Your so-called friends. And you chose to believe them over me.’

  ‘I didn’t believe them until you confirmed it. I didn’t want to believe them! I wanted you! You and only you. And then you ran away and had the whole town out looking for you. Dammit, Stacey. I can’t get my head around this. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’

  She felt like an idiot now. It sounded so lame.

  ‘I did try, Marco. Twice! But you didn’t want to go over the past.’

  He walked to the windows, stood staring out, battered his hand on the glass.

  ‘But you could have persuaded me to listen! I still don’t get it. Who does something like that?’

  She watched him—his strong back and proud stance. His head was up and he was staring out across the land that he had travelled the globe and built up an empire for.

  ‘I was sixteen. I wasn’t thinking straight.’ It was all she could say in defence.

  ‘But you were old enough to know what you wanted. What you didn’t want. So what was your motivation, Stacey? I understand theirs. They were jealous of us. Jealous of you.’

  ‘No one was jealous of me, Marco—they hated me.’

  He spun round, stood framed in the window against the glimmer of grey morning.

  ‘If they hated you it was because you wouldn’t let them in. You gave out this air of being better than everybody else.’

  ‘That’s insane. I never thought I was better than anyone. All I wanted was to be like everyone else. I wanted to live in a nice house and have nice clothes and all those stupid things that seem important when you’re young.’

  ‘Stupid things like a father? I know you, Stacey. I know how that hurt you. I know you adored him and he left you. I know how you felt because I felt the same. Different circumstances, but the same thing.’

  ‘It’s not the same. My dad left because he was a loser and my mom couldn’t take it any more. She stood up to him, but she let me go on thinking he was a good guy. She thought she was doing the right thing, but now all I feel is confusion. No one asked me how I felt. Still no one asks me how I feel. You’ve laid all this at my feet but I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know who I am any more. Don’t you get it?’

  Across the room dawn was beginning to dust its light here and there. The early-rising birds were waking up. In another few hours the world would be fully roused and ready for the day ahead. All over this town and others people would be standing at the crossroads of their life, wondering which way to turn.

  If she made the wrong decision now she might waste another ten years of her life—maybe more. Her mother had taken the wrong turning once and look what had happened.

  ‘Yes, I get it,’ he said. ‘Come here,’ he added, opening his arms and beckoning her towards him. ‘Come here, sweetheart, and let’s get past all the hurt. Come here and let me show you how much I love you.’

  She stood in a column of disbelief, unmoving. He’d said the words her soft little heart had yearned to hear since the day she’d first laid eyes on him that summer she’d worked in Betty’s. Since that day he’d left the crowd to walk her home while she slung insults at him and mocked his clothes and his hair and his money and everything she could because the likes of her didn’t mix with the likes of him. And he’d put up with it and come back to walk her home the next day, and the next, until she’d finally believed that he wasn’t teasing her. And then she’d told him of her dad and her mom and her fears and her hopes and dreams. And he’d told her of his.

  When she didn’t move he started to pace towards her.

  ‘You’re going to make me crawl for you, aren’t you? I will, Stacey. I’ll do it.’

  He was smiling, but still she stood.

  ‘Come on, honey. You can give in. You know we’re dynamite together—all I want to do is prove it to you. You know me. Better than anyone ever knew me. Better than my mom or dad. Better even than I do myself. You know how I used to be. I can be that person again—with you. You bring out the real me.’

  She was transfixed.

  ‘Say it again,’ she said.

  He stopped. His eyes twinkled and his smile deepened.

  ‘I love you, Stacey. I love you more than I ever thought possible.’

  The splashes of dawn that dressed the room now merged into a vibrant morning. Outside the dewy grass began to hum under the warmth of a still sleepy sun.

  What a day it was going to be.

  Marco crossed the Indian rug, passed the low mosaic table with its curled legs, upon which flickered three fat candles, their pretty flames feebly battling the ever-decreasing night. His eyes locked onto hers. She felt his arms, his strength as he lifted her. She held onto his neck as he carried her. She sensed his heart pounding as hers was pounding too.

  She knew she had finally come home.

  * * * * *

  EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

  Ruthless Prince Adam Katsaros offers Belle a deal – he’ll release her father if she becomes his mistress! Adam’s gaze awakens a heated desire in Belle. Her innocent beauty might redeem his royal reputation – but can she tame the beast inside…

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  THE PRINCE’S CAPTIVE VIRGIN

  “You really are kind of a beast,” Belle said, standing up. Adam caught her wrist, stopped her from leaving.

  “And what bothers you most about that? The fact that you would like to reform me, that you would like for your time here to mean something and you are beginning to see that it won’t? Or is it the fact that you don’t want to reform me at all, and that you rather like me this way. Or at least, your body likes me this way.”

  “Bodies make stupid decisions all the time. My father wanted my mother, and she was a terrible, unloving person who didn’t even want her own daughter. So, forgive me if I find this argument rather uncompelling. It doesn’t make you a good person, just because I enjoy kissing you. And it doesn’t make this something worth exploring.”

  She broke free of him and began to walk away, striding down the hall, back toward her room. He pushed away from the table, letting his chair fall to the floor, not caring enough to right it as he followed after Belle.

  He caught up to her, pivoting so that he was in front of her. She took a step backward, then to the side, butting up against the wall. Then, he caged her between his arms, staring down at her. Her blue eyes were glittering, her breasts rising and falling rapidly with each breath.

  “This is the only thing worth exploring. Not what could be, but what you have. The fire that burns between you and another person. For all you know, in the days since you’ve been here the entire world has fallen away. And if we were all that was left… Would you not regret missing out on the chance to see how hot we could burn?”

  She shook her head. “But the world hasn’t fallen away,” she said, her trem
bling lips pale now, a complete contrast to the rich color they had been only moments ago. “It’s still there. And whatever happens in here will have consequences out there. I will help you, Adam, but I’m not going to give you my body. I’m not going to destroy that life that I have out there to play games with you in here. You’re a stranger to me, and you’re going to remain a stranger to me. I can pretend. I can give you whatever you need when it comes to making a statement for your country. But beyond that? I can’t.”

  Then, she turned and walked away, and this time, he let her go.

  Don’t miss

  THE PRINCE’S CAPTIVE VIRGIN by Maisey Yates

  The first part in her ONCE UPON A SEDUCTION trilogy

  Available June 2017

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  Copyright ©2017 Maisey Yates

  ISBN: 978-1-474-05245-0

  THE ITALIAN’S VENGEFUL SEDUCTION

  © 2017 Bella Frances

  Published in Great Britain 2017

  by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

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