by Vivi Holt
“This is nice,” he said.
She nodded mutely. They’d been married for four months already, summer was just around the corner, and here she was trembling at his touch as though she barely knew him. As though she hadn’t been living with him for months, and didn’t know the way he drank his coffee, or the shorts he liked to wear when he lounged on the couch on Saturdays.
She swallowed.
“It is nice. I’m glad you thought of it. We don’t go out together often enough.”
“You’re right. And the earrings look beautiful on you, by the way.”
She fingered one of the pieces of jewelry. “Thank you. It was so thoughtful of you to buy me something, but these are too expensive…”
“Nonsense. You deserve it. And what’s the point of having money if I can’t spend it on my wife?”
She grinned. “You make a good point.”
He laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re being…”
“Cheeky?”
“Yes, cheeky.” He ran a finger across her jaw and cupped her face.
She fumbled for words. “So, how is business?”
He laughed and arched an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair and away from her. She missed his touch already. “Business is good. Thanks. But I don’t really want to talk about it because I’ve been there all day, and it’s very dull and there are people wanting my attention there constantly, people I don’t want to talk to, and now here you are. Finally, someone I want to be with.”
She smiled, her face burning. “I enjoy being with you as well.”
“You know we should talk about the future,” he began, his brow furrowing. “Because I feel like things are changing and before…”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” she began.
His eyes widened. “No problem. Go ahead…”
“We just never really talked about the development and the restaurant.”
He arched an eyebrow and leaned his elbows on the table in front of him. “Okay, let’s talk.”
“I just want you to know that I understand. I’m still upset about it all, but I understand.”
“What exactly do you understand?”
She frowned. “Well, that for you, it’s business. You didn’t see it as personal. Of course, for Petra and the rest of the staff, including me, it was personal. We loved the restaurant, we worked there every day. I was only there for two months, but it meant something to me. I can see how for you it was just a project.”
He leaned back and linked his hands behind his head. “Ah. I see.”
“Well?”
“You’re right. It wasn’t personal for me. My company looks to make acquisitions all over the place every day. We buy old, dilapidated buildings, or empty lots of land, and we turn them into something.”
“And you don’t think about the people who live or work there.”
His eyes darkened. “Of course I do. And I firmly believe the developments that I pour my blood, sweat, and tears into are good for the communities in which they’re built. I construct something better than was there before, something that gives people a safe place to live and work. Unlike that death trap you were working in.”
Anger rose within her gut, then faded away just as quickly when she saw the fear and regret in his eyes. She reached for his hand and covered it with her own. “I’m sorry I put you through that.”
He inhaled sharply. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She nodded. “Me too.” Her throat tightened.
John leaned closer and cupped his other hand over hers. “I care about you, Eve. More than I’d thought possible after…everything. And I really think we should talk about where this thing between us might be headed.”
Quickly, she leaned forward in her chair and pressed her lips to his. Her eyes were still open, and she saw his widen before they flickered shut, and he pressed in to deepen the kiss.
Her eyelids lowered as well, and her entire body trembled from head to toe as his lips searched hers. His kiss was warm, soft, and growing in intensity. His hands found her shoulders, pulling her closer, drawing her in. Then all of a sudden, he seemed to remember where they were. His body tensed and he released her, falling back into his chair.
Her eyes flickered slowly open, her lips still pursed but meeting nothing save thin air.
He ran a hand through his hair, his eyebrows drawn low over narrowed eyes. Then, he met her gaze.
“That was…”
“Amazing,” she finished.
His brow smoothed out, the frown disappearing. “It was. But we need to talk.”
“Not yet,” she begged. “Let’s just enjoy this time together.”
He inhaled slowly, his head cocked to one side as he regarded her. Then he smiled. “Fine. You’re right. Let’s enjoy a nice meal together. We can talk later.”
Chapter 16
John stepped off the treadmill and wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel he’d draped over his shoulder. He stretched one arm over his head with a grunt, then the other.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d lost control of things. Not at work, of course. That was the one place he always had a firm handle on things. But his personal life was another story.
The entire reason he’d chosen to seek out an email-order bride was so that he could control the process. So he could manage his feelings and emotions and not get hurt. But the fact was, he was no longer in control. It’d been four months since she walked into his life, and now he couldn’t imagine living without her.
Usually, if he started to feel something more for a woman than he wanted to, he’d just end things and walk away. But with Eve, he couldn’t do that. She was his wife and lived in his apartment. Everywhere he turned, she was there. Right under his nose, impossible to ignore.
Just that morning, she’d come out of her room in a pair of skimpy work out shorts and a crop top and headed out the door for a run. It’d taken everything in him to keep his hands to himself instead of taking her in his arms and kissing her full on the lips.
Her kiss had surprised him. Another thing he hadn’t been able to control.
There was no doubt in his mind he’d wanted to kiss her, but he’d held back. He told himself they needed to talk first, to get everything out in the open and figure a way forward together. To find out if she was feeling the same things he was, to try to minimize the opportunity for his heart to be smashed into a million pieces the way it’d happened before, with Shonda.
But then she’d kissed him.
No warning, nothing to prepare him, no chance to object.
He ran his fingertips over his lips, remembering the way it’d felt. He’d never experienced a kiss like that before. It’d seemed to envelope him whole, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. Every part of him was in that kiss, was on her lips, as his pulse thundered in his ears.
And now, she was acting as though nothing had happened between them at all, as though it was completely normal for a wife to kiss a husband that way.
Of course, it was. Just not this wife and this husband.
He scrubbed his face with both hands, groaning. Now what would he do? If she left at the end of twelve months, he’d be heartbroken unless he turned things around.
The intercom on the wall of the home gym buzzed. He stepped over to it and pressed the speaker button.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Russo?”
“This is Mr. Russo.” He recognized Raul’s voice from the front desk in the lobby.
“I have a Miss Sally Partridge here to see your wife, sir.”
“Sally Partridge?”
“She says she’s Mrs. Russo’s sister, sir.”
John frowned. Eve had never mentioned a sister, not that he could recall. In fact, she’d hardly ever said anything at all about her family, and he had thought it odd. Maybe Sally could clear some things up for him.
He leaned into the intercom. “Please send her up, Raul.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You must be Sally,” said John, extending a hand in greeting.
She faced him, her gaze fixing immediately on his in the same way Eve’s did. When she shook his hand, she let her gaze wander around the apartment. She looked so much like Eve, and yet there was something very different about the way she carried herself, her attitude, and the way she dressed.
She wore a short, tight skirt in florescent pink, a skin-tight black tank top, and tall pink platforms. Before she spoke, she smacked a piece of gum with her tongue and her lips curved into a wide grin that reminded him of a cat caught stealing a saucer of milk.
“So, this is where my little sis lives, huh?”
He nodded. “Uh, yes. That’s right.”
“And you must be…?” she rounded in on him again, fixing her eyes on him as though he were prey.
“I’m her husband, John Russo.”
“John…you’re not her usual type, but you’re definitely cute. I’ll give you that.” She walked slowly away, circling the living room, running a finger over a table, or a hand across the plush end of a couch.
“Where is she?” she asked.
He set his hands on his hips. “She went for a run, she should be back at any moment. It’s funny…” he paused to offer a forced laugh. “She didn’t mention you’d be coming.”
“She doesn’t know. I spoke to her a couple of months ago and she told me where she was, you know, in case of an emergency. Our dad’s not been well, you see.”
“I didn’t know that. I’m sorry to hear it.” He scratched his head. What else was his wife not telling him?
“Yeah, she’s like that. Doesn’t talk much. Anyway, I thought I’d come over here and surprise her. She loves surprises.” Sally laughed, as though what she’d said was a great joke.
Just then the elevator doors opened, and Eve hurried into the room, her eyebrows drawn together with worry. “John, I just spoke to Raul and he said…” Her gaze landed on Sally, and her face fell.
“That’s right, honey. Your big sister is here. Aren’t you glad to see me?”
Eve offered John a look of apology, then strode to Sally and threw her arms around her sister’s neck. She kissed her on the cheek, then stepped back to take her in, one hand still holding onto her sister’s. “Of course I’m happy to see you, although you’re looking very thin. Is everything okay?”
Sally grinned. “Thanks. I’ve been on that keto diet thing. You know, the one where you basically don’t eat anything tasty?”
Eve frowned. Then hugged Sally again. “I can’t believe you’re here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could’ve picked you up at the airport.”
Sally shrugged. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You know I hate surprises.”
Sally grinned.
“Did you meet John?” asked Eve, coming over and linking her arm through his.
He smiled. “We were just getting acquainted, weren’t we Sally?”
Sally arched an eyebrow at her sister. “You’ve landed yourself a really sweet deal, honey.”
Eve’s cheeks colored red, and she met John’s gaze a moment before rushing back to her sister and ushering her into the kitchen. “Where are your bags? You must be hungry, let me fix you something.”
“That fella downstairs took my bag. And listen to you, ‘fix you something’, you sound just like an American. You’ve almost lost your accent entirely.”
Eve straightened her hair in the mirror, then tugged at the corners of her eyes. She looked as though she’d aged five years in the last two hours. Sally’s sudden appearance had completely thrown her. Just when she thought she’d grown accustomed to living with John, and her new life in Atlanta, Sally had to come and shake everything up.
It was just the way her sister was. It was what she loved to do, and she was good at it.
She sighed, took another look in the mirror, then squared her shoulders. She couldn’t hide out in the bathroom all night while John entertained her sister. It wasn’t fair to him. It was already late, and he had to go to work tomorrow. She’d have to rescue him and send him to bed before her sister convinced him to start a drinking game, or a hand of poker, so she could fleece him of as much money as she could manage.
She grimaced and opened the bathroom door, then made her way back to the dining room. The view from the dinner table was magnificent. It looked out a floor-to-ceiling window over the Atlanta skyline. The moon hovered just above a skyscraper in the distance, casting an orange glow over the city.
“There she is,” said John, his eyes wide.
He looked like a mouse with its tail caught in a trap. She couldn’t blame him. Her sister often had that effect on people. It was one of the reasons she’d gone just about as far as she could, to the other side of the globe, to escape her family and the disaster of her previous life.
She’d done well too, putting it all behind her and starting over. Until she got that letter from the government about her visa.
She sighed and slid into her chair, linking her fingers through John’s. As far as her sister and family knew, her marriage to John was real. She’d told them about him, with as few details as possible. All they knew was that they’d fallen in love, eloped, and now lived in Atlanta. They’d asked questions of course, but she’d been as vague as she could about the details.
“I was just telling your handsome hubby here that you failed to mention just how rich he was.” Sally grinned.
Eve’s heart plummeted into her stomach. She inhaled sharply. “It’s not really something I talk about. We love each other, that’s what matters.”
She caught John’s gaze and found him studying her with a hint of humor behind his green eyes. Mouthing the word sorry only seemed to amuse him further still.
“Oh, come on, Evie, you’re just being coy. Cough it up, how did the two of you meet? I’m dying to know how my little sister, from the western suburbs of Brisbane, managed to land a rich, hot, Atlanta businessman.”
Eve coughed and then bit down on her lip. If John weren’t there, she’d have a few things to say to Sally about her manners. As it was, she was just doing her best to get through the evening.
“It’s a long story, and it’s late. How about we save that for another day?”
“Fine.” Sally’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you want to tell me why you’re here?” asked Eve, exhaustion creeping over her.
There was a purpose for the visit, and she’d rather know it sooner rather than later. Her sister never did anything without a reason.
Sally sighed, and for a moment Eve thought she saw a flash of pain drift across her pretty features. “Dad’s sick.”
“I know. I spoke to him last week.” Eve frowned.
“No, he’s really sick. He saw the specialist a couple of weeks ago, and they said he doesn’t have long. I came here to get you, to bring you home. He didn’t want to say anything, to worry you. But I thought you’d want to know.”
Sally’s eyes were dark, sincere, and glistened with tears.
Eve swallowed. “What? That can’t be true. I just spoke to him. He didn’t say anything…”
Sally nodded. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, little sis.”
Chapter 17
John stood at the screening point and waved goodbye as Sally and Eve moved slowly through security. Sally carried her belt in one hand and Eve padded across the floor in her stockinged feet. They dressed again on the other side, then with one final wave they were gone.
He stood still, watching after them, his hands on his hips. It’d all happened so quickly. Sally arrived, broke the bad news of their father’s failing health, and the next thing he knew, Eve was booked on a flight with her sister back to Brisbane.
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br /> With pursed lips, he headed to the car. If she’d only asked him, he would’ve had the private jet fueled up for the trip. But she hadn’t done that, and he didn’t want to push. She was grieving about what was to come. The pinched look on her face, the way she went about packing quickly and quietly, he knew she was suffering.
He’d thought about offering to fly her home. Then she’d disappeared into her room and into her grief. She’d pulled away from him. As though she wanted to do this alone. And he’d respected that.
He’d thought things had developed, moved to the next level, between them. That they’d drawn closer and were more to each other than the arrangement they’d begun with. Maybe things hadn’t changed as much as he’d thought they had after all.
Eve sat in the plane seat, the seatbelt firmly fastened about her waist. She fidgeted with the buckle, then pulled the belt a little tighter, one foot jiggled in place.
She’d never liked flying. Especially the kind of flying that took you out over the dark Pacific Ocean for hours on end. Instead of thinking about it, it was best for her to watch movies, play video games, sleep or just about anything else. If she looked out the window and considered where she was and what was holding her up there in the wide-open sky, her head spun.
“You okay?” asked Sally, leafing through a copy of the latest People magazine that she’d bought at a news stand in the airport terminal.
“Mmmm.”
Sally chuckled. “I forgot how much you hate this. Funny for a girl who’s traveled to the other side of the world to live.”
Eve rolled her eyes. Funny wasn’t exactly the word she would’ve chosen. She’d been driven to do it. Driven away by an ex-boyfriend who didn’t know when to quit and a family that should have their own wing at the local mental hospital. Or maybe she was being too harsh. It’d been so many years now, thinking back, perhaps she was naïve to believe a family should be perfect, that there shouldn’t be any friction, fractures, or conflict.