by Lily Zante
As much as she wanted to put that time behind her, talking about it now brought the hurt back. “You’d left me alone on New Year’s Eve, when I was ill and you’d gone to a party! I waited for you. I thought you’d be back so we could see the New Year in together. I mean, Connor, we were getting married in six week’s time.”
Connor blanched, shook his head. “It’s unforgiveable. I can’t excuse my actions. What I did to you was beyond cruel.”
“And then you called me from the party and instead of wishing me a ‘Happy New Year’ you tell me that you can’t go through with the wedding!” Reliving that moment brought all the memories back so sharply. She now found herself doubting her choices when it came to men, afraid of messing up big time as she had with Connor. She had to go slow and be extra cautious with Nico. Or at least try.
Connor shook his head in shame. “Slap me. I know I deserve it. I put you through so much. Please, please forgive me.”
She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and exasperation. She wasn’t sure what he wanted from her. But she knew she did not want him.
She had found the start of something deeper, more fulfilling and healing, with Nico.
“I’ve been a complete idiot, Ava. I’ve hurt you, and I have no right to come here after you, not after what I did. I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Really, Connor. It’s all worked out in the end. I don’t think you and I could have carried on much longer, even if we had gotten married. I couldn’t see it then. I was so distracted by the glamour of the wedding I didn’t give myself a chance to sit and think why we no longer talked much. But it’s done. And I think we can move on. I think we should move on and not look back.” She could not help but be totally honest with him. Suddenly, her future looked so much clearer to her.
He looked at her with sadness, “No, Ava. Don’t do this. I’ve been a fool. I’ve been under so much pressure at work—”
“Connor, don’t blame your work for what happened. You cheated on me, remember? There were fundamental issues with our relationship. What’s done is done.” She felt so calm saying this to him. All of the anger she had felt towards him had gone. Nico had filled her heart with love and she wanted only to bask in those feelings. She didn’t want to dwell on her sorry past any more.
“Is he special?” Connor looked around uneasily, shooting a look towards Nico.
She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about her feelings for Nico. They were still so new and shiny. And she wanted to keep them to herself for a little longer. If anything, Connor would be the last person she would be telling anyway. “He’s healing my hurt. I stopped trusting myself, when it came to love. Not that I came here looking for love, I didn’t. But he helped me.” She had already said more than she had intended. Nico glanced her way briefly and she smiled back at him, her heart warming instantly.
She ran her fingers across her bracelet, feeling the metal ridges and the contrast of the smooth stones set all around it. Connor stared at the bracelet but said nothing.
“I’m sorry, Ava. I really am. I was an idiot. I don’t know what I have to do to convince you. I’ve been thinking about us for weeks.” He leaned toward her and she was thankful she was sitting on a single seater.
Ava backed away. “Us? There’s no us anymore, Connor.” She tried to be gentle as she told him but could not help staring across the lobby. She watched Nico talking to someone who looked to be the hotel manager.
Connor opened his mouth and Ava felt another lengthy speech come on.
She stood up decisively; being gentle didn’t seem to be getting through to him. “It’s over, Connor. I’m over you. You shouldn’t have come here. Your being here is just a waste of your time. I’m getting on with my life now and I think it’s better if you do, too.”
He looked up at her aghast. “I’ll do anything. Just tell me what I can do to make it better.” Confusion rained down on his normally calm face, yet she knew he was fighting for composure. She could see him mulling things over, trying to find the right words. Even in a situation like this, rather than gush out hurried, incoherent words and turn into a blubbering, stammering wreck, Connor would prefer to leave things unsaid.
“You can go home.”
“Not without you.” These were not the words she wanted to hear. But the thing that really got under her skin was his implication that somehow her staying here was not a choice for her to make.
She pondered the meaning of his words. Not without you. She laughed at him. It was a cruel laugh, full of derision. “What are you going to do? Kidnap me?” She got up and left him sitting alone.
She walked toward Nico, her eyes trained on his wide shoulders as he stood with his back to her. He was deep in conversation, but just the sight of his broad back sent warm tingles of excitement all over her body. His very manliness sent her heartbeat into pandemonium in a way Connor never had. It scared her and yet it thrilled her at the same time, this slow but sure addiction to him. It was in its early days yet, but it was an addiction all the same. Nico had a masculinity that was sensual and simmering and full of promise. She had sampled some of that earlier and now her body was primed for more.
All thoughts of Connor were already lost from her mind the moment she turned her back on him. She reached Nico and slipped her hands easily around his waist, before sliding her body into his back. It was a forward gesture for her, given that he was busy in conversation with someone. But she felt light and dizzy, and she was on vacation, after all.
Connor had battered her soul and she wanted to be set free.
At her touch, Nico laughed, a low, quiet laugh, knowing it was her, without needing to turn around. Her breasts hugged against his rock hard back and sent sizzling sensations deep in her belly.
Such a shame we’re in the hotel lobby.
Nico covered her hands with his and half turned toward her. He muttered some words in Italian to the other man and turned to face her. “I could get used to this,” he murmured. He studied her face carefully, as if he was looking for signs of hurt. His gaze flicked over her shoulder and fell on Connor.
“Are you okay?” He pulled his gaze back to Ava’s face.
She nodded. “I’m not sure he’s getting the message, though.” She tipped her head forward and nestled comfortably in the crook of his neck. They held each other closely.
“Can we go someplace else? I need to get out of here.” She made a determined effort to pull herself away from the comfort and security of Nico’s body.
“Of course.” He took her hand and led her out of the hotel. They walked past Connor, who still sat on the sofa where she had left him. He was now busy tapping into his Smartphone.
Chapter 3
As they left the Hotel Sant’ Adelina, Nico was desperate to get Ava away from that asshole ex-fiancé of hers.
Ever since Nico had found out that Ava had been dumped by that dufus only weeks before her wedding, he had wondered what sort of a man could do that to anyone. Now he knew.
The man had also stained what had been, until he had interrupted them, the perfect afternoon. He had just spent most of it making love with the woman who until this morning he’d believed to be out of his reach.
Their time together had been passionate but all too brief. And he blamed that all on Connor Beachcroft. He had the guy down for a total jackass. Now at least he could put a face to the name.
“Is there any place in particular you’d like to go?” Nico asked, trying to shake Ava out of her quietness. He wanted to ask her a million questions, but he knew that now was not the time.
Ava shook her head. “I needed to get some air. I felt like I was suffocating in there.” They held hands as they walked, then Nico let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulder, hugging her closer to him. They walked in silence for a while. He would let her have her solitude; he could see she needed to be alone with her thoughts. As did he.
His last minute decision to come to Venice after her had turned out
better than he had ever hoped. That is, until Connor had walked in on them. Nico hoped the image of Ava lying naked with him was burned deeply in Connor’s mind. The man deserved no lesser pain.
While the outcome of Nico’s excursion to Venice had far exceeded even his wildest dreams, he now wasn’t sure what might happen next. Not with Ava. She was not like most of the women who fell at his feet. For a reason he could not explain, he felt a certain pull toward this woman. He was drawn to her in a way he had never felt drawn to any woman before.
He had not known what to expect, and now he did not know what to hope for. When she had left Verona, they had argued. He could not forget her, and most of all, he didn’t want their parting to be like this. Of course, his father would put it down to Nico chasing yet another woman that he couldn’t resist. But Nico knew this feeling was something different, something that was alien even to himself.
As a virile young man, he couldn’t deny that he had never had any lustful thoughts about her. But he had kept his distance, as much as he could.
When she had come running after him this morning, thanking him for the bracelet, he knew they both wanted the same thing.
The only thing that could now put a downer on the rest of their days here was Connor. There was no place for Connor in Ava’s life anymore. She had told him as much, and from what Nico could see, the man was an idiot anyway. What did Ava ever see in him in the first place? If the man had any sense there was only one direction for him to take now and that was to return to Denver.
Where did that leave him and Ava? Nico had not given this much thought, beyond finding her and making up. The last thing he had wanted was for her to leave his life forever without him being able to tell her how much he wanted her to stay.
Now that they had crossed that hurdle, what next? What future lay ahead for them? More to the point—did Ava share any of these thoughts?
Would a woman who had just come out of a disastrous relationship even consider thoughts about a new one? Was he being too hasty in his desire to be with her? The last thing he wanted was to scare her off. He had to be careful, but he also knew he did not have much time left with her. He knew only that he did not want her to leave.
What would it take to get her to stay a little longer?
They walked along the streets in silence, unknowingly following the Grand Canal as it snaked its way slowly through the heart of the city. The bustling streets, old and rustic, were granted a majestic backdrop of stunning architecture and mysterious, arterial passageways that broke off at many points along the way.
Nico knew Ava would soon forget the misery that was Connor once she lost herself in the painting that was Venice. Most visitors here soon did. It was hard not to get caught up in the splendor and breathtaking, picture-postcard beauty of the canals and quaint old buildings.
“Hungry?” he asked. She shook her head. He didn’t care too much for food right now either, though he had been famished when he woke up. Nico didn’t press her further. Instead, he walked beside her quietly and allowed her the space she needed.
They crossed one of the small bridges when Ava suddenly stopped in the middle of it. She grasped the rails with both hands and looked out across the river; she seemed a million miles from him.
He rested his body against the railing. “Ava,” he said gently, running his hands over hers. “Don’t let him ruin your day. He might have tried to ruin the afternoon but we can’t let him get in the way of what’s left.” He rubbed his thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand.
“Sorry.” She took her eyes off the water and gazed at him. “It was the last thing I expected. The last of two things and they both happened one after the other. My head’s still spinning.”
He waited patiently, watching her, but saying nothing.
“Can you believe he has some crazy idea that I would actually take him back?”
“What did you tell him?” His insides knotted as he imagined her with Connor.
“That I’ve moved on.” Ava moved towards him.
Nico slipped her arms around her waist, hugged her closer as relief swept over him. She looked at him, and his mind went into free fall as he stared back at her pools of blue.
“What do you want?” he asked.
“I don’t want him. I know that much. I’m so…so angry with him for coming here and ruining everything for me but I also feel a little sorry for him too. I wish him well. I just wish he would leave me alone.” He could feel her body tensing, but it wasn’t for the same reasons as his. If she kept her soft body melded to his any longer, he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere but back to the hotel.
“Don’t,” he said, running his hands lightly up and down her arms. “Don’t let him get you all worked up. What was the second thing?”
She looked up at him blankly.
“You said there were two things that happened to you? What was the second thing?”
“Us. This afternoon. You know.” She blushed as she looked into his eyes, and he felt a passion stirring again.
“I didn’t think you would come after me. I thought once I left Verona, that would be it. I missed you and thought of you. But I knew I had to put you behind me. I decided to enjoy what was left of my so-called vacation. It was what I had intended all along when I first came to Italy. I never imagined meeting you, meeting anyone, let alone feeling anything for you. So I thought if I went to Venice I would get some distance between us. I mean, I’m going back in a few days time. I never expected you to find me. But now you have. And then we…” She cleared her throat. “I like being with you.”
This was sweet music to his ears, and he wanted to hear more. She was starting to open up to him and he had to let her have her say.
“To go from that to having Connor turn up again in my life—has been a shock.”
Nico took a hold of her wrists. “I know. But you’re here with me, now. Try not to think of him.” He slid his hands up her arms slowly, before wrapping them around her waist once more. She was soft to hold, and she felt just right in his arms. He could get used to this. “We still have a few days left.”
She ran her tongue along her lower lip, not realizing the effect it was having on him. It only made him want her more, right there and then.
“I fly back to Denver on Friday. You could stay here with me, if you don’t have to rush back to Verona.”
“I don’t,” he replied quickly. “We can spend the whole time together. I’d like that.” Her lips were too luscious to ignore, his pull toward them too great. He turned his face down, so that their noses touched.
“And even then, you don’t have to go home if you don’t want to.”
She glanced up sharply, and he caught her look of surprise. “Well, no, I don’t.”
“Then don’t.”
“Don’t?”
“Not if you want to stay.” He could almost see the words churning over in her mind and he didn’t want to scare her off. He kept his hands around her waist. “Stay here for a little longer. You told me you needed to get away, and now that you’re here, what’s the rush in getting back? You said you can work from anywhere.”
Ava pushed away, taking a small step back from him. She did not seem completely against the idea. “I could stay, I guess, but…” she stammered, and he sensed her hesitation.
“I’d need to cancel my flight, I’m not sure if I’ve left it too late.”
“Relax. I can take care of it.”
“You seem to be able to take care of a lot of things.”
He shrugged. “I’m in the hotel business, I have contacts. Why not use them?”
What was he asking her exactly? Was it too soon? One thing he knew for sure was that if she went away, the chances of him seeing her again were slim. He knew he needed to see her again. So it made sense to not let her go in the first place.
She had that worried look on her face again. “What is it?” he asked.
“What would I do?”
“You’re on vacation!
”
“I know, but I also need to earn some money, too. I’ve been away long enough. I could find some more copywriting work, I guess. But I think I should really concentrate on my online store. I mean, it’s my big goal for this year, to make a living from that.”
“You always sound so much happier when you’re talking about your online store.”
She nodded her head thoughtfully.
“You liked Montova. You said there were so many new products at Andrea’s warehouse that you could sell easily on your site. Why don’t you take this time to source new products? Why not make your goal happen. It’s in your hands. Why not turn your dream into a reality and work for yourself?”
“I could source more products from there,” she muttered to herself. Nico knew that he had set off a light in her head. It wasn’t just for his selfish reasons of wanting her to stay. He genuinely did want her to do well at her own business. She lit up whenever she talked about her business and he knew what that felt like.
If Ava staying here meant she could do something to change her future, then it made so much more sense. He felt it would be a good start for her. But it depended on what she wanted.
“I’ll be honest with you. I do want you to stay for my own selfish reasons, too. I like having you around, Ms. Ramirez.”
“I like being around you, too, Mr. Cazale.” She moved toward him, closing the gap between them.
“You see,” he said, trying to encourage her, “it’ll work out. And make sure you strike a good deal with Andrea. She’s very competitive and business minded, too,” he warned.
“A couple of weeks are all I need.” Ava said decisively.
“Of course, a couple of weeks,” agreed Nico amiably.
“I need a place to stay.”
He waved away her concerns as easily as she aired them. “You can stay at the hotel as long as you want.”
“I can’t afford it, Nico,” she said quietly.
Nico half chortled. “It would be crazy of you to pay, we own everything here.”