“Fair enough, my lady.” He greeted the next wave of people leaving.
She held herself together and smiled and shook hands. She was now the Lady of Golchin. This was her life, and she’d not mess it up. Not again. It was better to never be reckless. A relationship built on friendship and trust with the passion they already had was better than anything else. Hopefully Matteo agreed and they would never talk about love.
Chapter 14
Matteo stood in his foyer with Sheena to say goodbye to his guests. His muscles were tight, and he wanted to stretch but he was stuck until the last person went home. Luckily in polite society the lords and ladies were only expected to host between two and, at most, four events a year.
Stiffness wasn’t his style as he preferred to be moving and fluid, like on his skateboard.
The image of cruising around his grounds, showing Sheena how to coast, played in his mind. Then maybe he’d take Sheena’s clothes off and claim her again.
Or he’d do that first.
Sheena was his wife and he didn’t share. Sheena tugged on his arm and patted her belly. “How many people are left do you think?”
“Too many.” He counted over a hundred heads still in his ballroom.
She again patted her lower belly and he understood she needed the restroom as she said, “I’m going to take a few minutes for myself. Be right back.”
How women wore dresses that clung had to make it harder—and add heels? Torture. “Go ahead—we’re almost done.”
She stood on her tiptoes. “I’m looking forward to getting these shoes off and going to bed with you.”
Then she slipped away when there was a lull in the goodbyes.
He blocked the view from others on their way toward the door so no one noticed her departure until she was out of sight. He took over the task with a grateful smile.
Countless more shook his hand until the woman who had brought Charles approached. He half-bowed and asked, “Miss Cromwell, where is your date?”
She shrugged and gave him a pleasant smile as she said, “I’ve no idea, but it’s time I go home now. If you see Charles, please let him know?”
His heart beat faster. A gentleman should always escort the lady he’d brought home again, and if Charles wasn’t here, that meant he was likely seeking out his wife again. Matteo said smoothly, “Certainly.”
Anna Cromwell released his hand. “It was nice of you to let him come in tonight. I thought for sure he’d be turned away.”
Adrenaline rushed through his veins. “My wife wanted to let the past stay the past and not make a scene.”
Anna simpered. “Still, I remember seeing Sheena and Charles run in the rain together at New Year’s and they’d proclaimed their love at the May flower show, publicly. I think it was caught on TV in a live broadcast on spring romance.”
What? His muscles braced for a physical fight. “I must have missed that episode.”
“For the best.” She shrugged like the conversation wasn’t a big deal to her. “I thought for sure they’d get married. He was heartbroken when her invitation came announcing she’d married you.”
Wait. Certainly Sheena hadn’t sent Charles an invitation, so he asked, to be sure, “You were with Charles when you opened your invite?”
Anna inched toward the door. “He was helping at the 3D show with the set up. Sheena had trained him well to know how to run a show.”
This formality was wearing on him. He stood taller and puffed his chest as he said, “Well, Sheena is my wife.”
“Good night.” She waved and left.
With another lull in the departures, he scanned the ballroom.
No one was leaving, but Chelsea rushed toward him. As she neared, she waved for him to join her in the ballroom. “Matteo, come.”
“I’m still saying goodnight to guests.” He remembered the protocol.
She pulled on his hand. “I’ll take over as your friend. You need to go now. It’s Sheena and Charles. Right there on the dance floor.”
His hair stood on end. This wasn’t good. A jolt rushed through him as he asked, “What’s going on?”
Chelsea pointed him toward the ballroom. “Go and get your wife.”
Without another word he dashed inside the ballroom; the crowd made a parting wave, letting him see.
Sheena stood with a red face and her arms curled under her chest. She shook her head. “Charles. Don’t.”
Matteo’s focus stayed on his wife and how he needed to protect her as he raced toward them.
Charles said, “Sheena Marceau, you said you’d love me forever.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “And you said you’d never leave, but you did. I should have had Matteo stop you from coming here.”
Her words replayed in his mind. She had loved Charles. His heart stilled but he continued toward them.
Charles said smugly, “You didn’t stop me because part of you still loves me.”
Matteo felt that like the awful truth. He ignored the buzz in his ears and stepped in front of Sheena as he snapped his fingers for Simone to get the staff to remove Charles. “That’s enough. It’s time for you to go and stop assaulting my wife.”
The butler sent four buff servants to help and walked with Charles who didn’t struggle as he went toward the door.
The crowd whispered around them, but Sheena took his arm, sending a shock through him as she said loud enough to be heard, “Thank you, Matteo. I didn’t invite him to have a conversation. I was returning from the ladies room, with Chelsea.”
Chelsea had run to get him. Good. None of that mattered now. He publicly kissed her cheek so no dared say anything condemning to her. “He’s gone now.”
She glanced around the room with a pale face but nodded at him. “Yes. Right. Let’s get back to our duties.”
Would this night ever end? He walked with her. “Absolutely.”
He knew better than to believe that he and Sheena had a chance at love. He’d clearly been her back-up choice, and he would need to keep his guard up. For some reason Sheena had easily maneuvered around his defenses, but he’d be foolish to think she might one day love him.
How long he stood and shook hands, he had no clue. At last the stream of people trickled down.
Sheena tapped his shoulder in a friendly manner. “Finally. We’re almost done.”
His body perked up. He glanced around and saw maybe six more people’s hands left to shake.
Sheena continued to smile as they both said goodnight to the last guests.
Two minutes later the bell tolled from the grandfather clock near the front door, letting them know it was four o’clock in the morning. The staff closed the door for the last time.
Sheena looped her arm in his without question and he guided her up the stairs.
Tonight had been a lot of work. Once they were away from the staff and halfway up the steps, he asked, “Sheena, were you in love with Charles?”
She pursed her lips, then sighed. “I thought so, but I was wrong. Did you ever think you were in love?”
Hmm. His mind replayed that sigh. She might still be, though she was polite enough to not say.
His skin had an itch to it as he warned himself to protect his heart. “No.”
“No?” Her eyes widened.
For this he needed to be clear. His heart believed that there was one love for each of them.
“The women in my past were never important. I stayed far away from women like you.”
“Like me?” They made the top of the stairs and turned toward the bedroom.
Goosebumps rose on his arms. He brushed against her shoulder and nodded. “The kind that can rip a man’s heart out and leave him broken.”
She narrowed her gaze and stared at him like he’d said something she didn’t believe. “Don’t be silly, Matteo. That’s not me at all.”
He opened the bedroom door for them as he asked, “It’s not?”
“Absolutely not.” She rushed into the bedroom.
They both took off their shoes and placed them in the shoe closet.
As she massaged her calf, his body hardened.
How he wanted to claim her and show her physically that she was his, but as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and loosened his tie he asked, “Then why did Charles declare his love for you publicly at our party?”
She turned to let him unzip her dress. “I don’t know. I can’t speak for him. I certainly didn’t invite him.”
He unzipped her dress and she breathed out in a loose exhale. His chest was tight. “But you let him in.”
Her entire face, chest and neck all turned red as she said, “I didn’t know he’d do any of that.”
Matteo knew he wasn’t being fair. He knew he had no rights to her past, but he needed to be sure the past didn’t interfere with the future. He unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it off as he said, “But you knew you’d broken his heart.”
She didn’t drop her dress but held the loosened garment around her as her eyes widened. “Wait. What? He was the one that left me.”
She went into the closet, avoiding his gaze, and took out cotton pajamas rather than sleep nude. “Let’s forget this and go to bed.”
He dropped his pants on the ground. She changed in the bathroom as she added, “My feet hurt.”
So had his, but now his body was hard. Again. Sheena might not love him, but they were together for life.
He wanted to show her physically that they matched. As she came out of the bathroom, he stood proudly at full attention. “Sheena, I want you.”
Her face softened as she came toward him. As she stood in front of him, she brushed her hand against his chin and asked, “Again? At the party we snuck away. I thought you’d be tired.”
He reached for her waist and tugged up her shirt. “Never for you. Let’s get this off.”
She lifted her arms to let him strip off her cotton shirt to reveal her naked body. “Okay, Matteo.”
His body was focused on her. He tugged her pants down and guided her toward the bed as he stroked her backside. “I want to hear you scream my name tonight.”
“Now this sounds like a promising end to the evening,” she said.
Before she could laugh, he claimed her lips in a searing kiss and laid her on the bed.
She was his.
Chapter 15
Sheena’s body ached softly, despite the warm shower.
Last night, staying up with Matteo until dawn had been an unexpected pleasure. Being with Matteo, holding him close, made her forget Charles.
His declaration of love while on the dance floor was an open wound.
For a long time, she’d have given anything to hear that. Her wish had come true, but it was too late. Matteo didn’t deserve this. He’d been good to her, and he was all she needed now. How dare Charles try to spoil it?
Her mind reeled that she was even this torn. Her heart shouldn’t wonder “what if.” Matteo deserved better, and he made her happy.
She walked out of the bathroom in her black knee-length skirt and black button-down work shirt and saw that he was still sleeping.
She gently lowered herself to his side of the bed and kissed his cheek.
Matteo’s skin tasted better than warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven from her father’s shop, chocolate chip cookies, her former favorite dessert. Matteo was perfect. As he opened his eyes, she smiled down at him. “Matteo, it’s afternoon already.”
He took in her professional appearance as he sat up, naked under his sheet. “Lunch will be on the veranda.”
Her stomach growled. Lunch would be amazing and probably ground her before her meetings. But last night’s party had also been work, and she had no idea how well her showing had done. She watched him sit, his six-pack abs flexing. She let out a small sigh and wished she could stay here as she said, “I’m supposed to meet my assistant who handled the art sales, but I’ll be back in two hours.”
His gaze narrowed. “That’s a long time.”
Numbers and receipts weren’t something she’d gloss over with a quick gaze. “We overslept, but I promise to be back soon.”
He yawned but nodded. Then he tossed the sheet to the side, not caring that he was completely naked as he said, “I’ll go see Stefano and find out if anyone’s heard from Astorre.”
His friend. Right. She’d forgotten. She fixed her skirt to get out any potential wrinkles as he stood. She eyed his sexy backside. “He left after our wedding. Do you think it’s a problem for him?”
He walked toward the drawer and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs. “We’re concerned as he fully intended to just give up being a duke in our country.”
Her mind raced. She couldn’t imagine walking away from a fortune, or the land—his tenants needed him. She hoped Matteo found his friend and talked some sense into him. She shuffled barefoot toward her shoes as she said, “Well, good luck finding him. We’ll spend the rest of the day together once we both get home.”
“Good, because I’ll want you again.” He headed in the other direction, toward the bathroom.
She stopped at the door and stared at his muscular backside. Her body craved his touch. “Sounds good, though I’m also hoping you give me another skateboard lesson.”
He winked. “Both will work.”
“See you soon, my love.” She let herself out, ignoring the beat in her heart.
A few minutes later she left the estate in a red coupe Ferrari that the staff said was hers. As she sat in the smooth leather seat and wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel, she let out a small squeal. This was her fantasy car.
The drive to the local village coffee shop made her heart pound with excitement.
Matteo, without even knowing her fantasies, somehow made them all come true. He truly was a great guy.
The trip was too short because the village adjacent to Villa Sogno was just down the country road and near a few shops and restaurants that formed a small town center.
She parked in a lot behind the building, and fixed her all-black work outfit for wrinkles. Ready, she entered the shop and saw her assistant, Melissa, with the accounting paperwork, and her mind sharpened.
Sheena went through receipts—everything she’d put on display had a price. She stopped at one of the receipts and met Melissa’s brown eyes. “Wait. The king himself bought Chelsea’s piece—and he doesn’t know that it’s hers?”
“He does not,” Melissa said, her hair in its usual “loves math not people” bun, with pencils sticking out.
A shot of energy washed through her as she thought about her friend who was embracing her inner artist. “She’ll be thrilled. I can’t wait to call her.”
Melissa proudly announced, “Your show sold out on the pieces.”
“Let’s make their acceptance letters.” She put the receipts back and signed for Melissa to extend the offers for acceptance at the already pre-agreed prices; this was a mere formality. Sheena then noticed that Melissa’s clothes were falling off her, and her assistant was clearly losing weight. Hopefully she wasn’t stressed. “If you stay on as my assistant full time now that I’m the countess, I can offer you a raise.”
“That would be great, Sheena.” Melissa’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s good that your showings will now all be in one location, and not all over Europe. It makes planning easier.”
Sheena finished her coffee. “I’m so pleased.” She checked the time—it had been more than the two hours she’d told Matteo. “It’s getting late. I will call you in a few days.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Melissa said as Sheena stood. At least she still had some of the good pieces of her old life, since her assistant was staying on. Melissa’s help these past five years was in part why she’d been so successful with running shows.
Sheena stared down her nose as Melissa finished her breakfast pastry. “That sounds so strange—but nice.”
She hurried out of the cafe and turned into the parking lot to get her red Ferrari, eager to spend what was left of the after
noon with Matteo.
Charles stood in front of her new car, wearing the same suit from the party but it now clearly needed to be cleaned and ironed.
Where had he come from? She glanced in both directions. Nobody else was around. She clicked the button for the car to unlock and alert anyone nearby.
Charles stuck his hands in his pockets and asked, “Is that why you married that worthless count who never does anything? So you could have the title of lady?”
Heat washed through her. What Charles thought shouldn’t matter. She pressed her lips together. “Don’t be crass, Charles. You shouldn’t be here at all.”
He stepped in front of her and waved his hand. “This is a public coffee shop you’ve chosen to do your business in.”
Her heart raced slightly as she crossed her arms. “I always meet my assistant at a coffee shop.”
He nodded. “I remember.”
“So you followed me?” She stilled. This was too much. She’d gone months without hearing from him and now he was everywhere.
He massaged her upper arms to get her to drop her guard. “Do you love your Count?”
Goosebumps grew where he touched her and she met his gaze. Once she’d wanted this, but not now. Not ever again. “That’s not your business. My life isn’t your concern.”
“I love you, Sheena.” He came closer.
Her lips pressed together. She couldn’t kiss him though her body buzzed with warning that he intended to do just that. She lowered her lashes, unsure how to handle this because a lady never uses her hands to push anyone off. “I… can’t.”
He traced her face. “Tell me you don’t love me and that you love your husband.”
Why was he doing this? Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about Matteo. This couldn’t happen. Not now. She clicked the button so her car beeped again and she shook her head, “Let me go.”
He came closer and lightly kissed her cheeks as he pulled her toward him. “Prove your denial with one last kiss.”
Before she could breathe, Charles kissed her lips and in that second, she thought about how Matteo’s lips made her tingle.
Forbidden Count (Princes of Avce Book 8) Page 10