Forbidden Count

by Victoria Pinder

  She flipped to the next page. He asked, “And?”

  Sheena was a mystery. If they found common ground, then they were in better shape for the future. If they didn’t, they were doomed for unhappiness. He watched her initial and flip the pages. Her face turned even redder, like a ripe tomato, as she said, “We can start trying tomorrow, I guess, though I’d prefer to get acclimated to this house of yours.”

  He met the lawyers’ gazes—both gentlemen stared at him in surprise. Right. He shouldn’t have asked that in front of them, but there was little time. He settled back on the couch and asked, “Have you not been there before?”

  She shook her head and continued flipping pages and initialing. “No. I was never invited to your parties.”

  This time his face heated, though hopefully he never turned Sheena’s color. He should have invited her. He’d known her for years--his brain insisted that she was a good girl. He placed his hand on his heart and offered an olive branch. “You could do an above-board for charity type of party and I will help—from now on, you will always be the hostess.”

  No more mistresses. He’d grown up with multitudes of loose women running around his house; he didn’t want any child of his to be raised like that.

  Hopefully, he’d find a way to live in peace with Sheena. The truly bright spot right now was her kiss.

  She signed on the last page. “Great. Then I look forward to seeing one of the biggest country homes in Europe.”

  Frederick took the contracts and Justin had them stand to repeat their civil vows.

  A few minutes later they were fully married with no backing out of it.

  Sheena acted the perfect hostess and led both men out. He waited for her and finished the bottle by pouring the last of it in her glass. He sat on the couch, and she did too, just like everything was business between them.

  Sheena lowered her lashes and asked, “What did you mean about Stefano noticing me first?”

  His heart beat faster. Seriously? If she had some crush on his friend, they were both in trouble. He didn’t want to answer, but once she looked at him, he said, “You were on his list of potential women to ask to be his bride.”

  She sipped her wine and tilted her head in confusion. “Well, that’s interesting. I thought he hated me but I’ve not seen him much either. The only person I kept in touch with from school was Chelsea. I helped at your wedding to reconnect with my friend.”

  Fair. He’d married Sheena because he was out of time and options. Stefano’s lists were probably a good habit to have, but Matteo had never done them. Matteo sipped his wine and then put it down on the coffee table. “And for that, I’m eternally grateful because now you’re officially my wife.”

  She put her glass down next to his and stood. “I don’t feel different.”

  He rose as well and tugged on her waist to face him. “Wait until we get back to Avce—then it will feel real.”

  She glanced up at him with wide eyes. He’d let her wait for their wedding night, but he needed hope that his life wasn’t completely over. He leaned down and their eyes shut the second his lips met hers.

  Matteo needed the thrill her kiss brought.

  Chapter 5

  Sheena checked her ponytail for the fifth time as Matteo finished his coffee. Last night he’d slept on the couch and he’d insisted she’d take the bed.

  Despite his proclamations, Matteo had always been a nice, sweet guy to her.

  She’d had coffee, a croissant, and some yogurt, which was all her stomach could handle this early in the morning, though she looked forward to the bigger breakfast later.

  She still wore her jeans from yesterday, but without asking, Matteo had lent her a black t-shirt.

  Today she’d get her clothes out of her apartment; Matteo’s house would have a studio for her so she could lend her place to one of her up and coming artists until her lease ended.

  She’d sell her work she’d created, and the money would flow back into her account eventually.

  For now she had to figure out what she needed to do as Lady Golchin, a countess.

  The title jerked her out of her thoughts and her stomach twisted.

  A lady in some country home wasn’t how she’d pictured her life. She highlighted her cheekbones with subtle makeup and braided greenery from the budvase on the breakfast tray in her hair. Matteo’s shirt was big so she used an elastic to bunch the sleeves at her shoulders, creating an artistic flair. This might be overdone, but today she faced off against a bully.

  And this time she was an adult.

  She returned to the dining nook as Matteo finished his coffee—they were dressed in matching black t-shirts and jeans, only his fit him to perfection, showing off his muscles. She pressed her hand against his shoulder. “Are you ready to go, Matteo?”

  He dropped his napkin to his plate and stood. She led him toward the door and he said to her back, “Once we move into our home, we are expected to share a bedroom.”

  She turned around. She had to know if he would come to her defense, or his friend’s, and then she’d really know he was the guy she remembered and hadn’t just imagined his kindness for years. Matteo had been nice in school, but that was mostly alone. He hadn’t witnessed her worst moments. She nodded. “One step at a time.”

  He offered his hand, which she accepted. “I won’t push you, but I won’t sleep apart. We’ll figure everything out.”

  “I trust you.” And the crazy part was that she did.

  He held the door open for her to pass into the hall toward his best friend’s suite.

  If all went well, then they’d see each other a lot in Avce. But this time she wasn’t the girl they’d laughed at.

  She’d never be that girl again.

  Matteo’s hand sent tingles that she ignored—she would be strong. He knocked on the door. They waited in silence until Stefano opened it and she stared at the Marquis of Normanni. She squared her shoulders.

  He waved for them to come in and hugged Matteo as he welcomed them. “Matteo. Sheena. Chelsea. Cassidy.”

  She turned her head and saw that her best friend, Chelsea, and her sister, had walked in behind them.

  It seemed there would be an audience for whatever happened.

  Sheena inwardly let out a breath. Having Chelsea here meant she had an ally.

  Chelsea would remember how Sheena had cried in her dorm room after Stefano’s mean teasing. Stefano gestured for everyone to come in. “I didn’t know you ladies were joining us. Welcome.”

  Matteo wrapped his arm around her back which sent goosebumps through her as he said, “Sheena is still a little shy re-meeting the boys from boarding school.”

  They all went onto the patio and took a seat. A full breakfast was served. Sheena accepted the coffee as she normally had three cups in a day. After a sip for courage she met Stephano’s gaze. It was better for this moment to be over with so she could stop shaking inside. She lifted her chin and said, “That’s not it. Not exactly. But I don’t have good memories of you, Stefano.”

  Stefano lowered his head and had a slight tinge of pink to his cheek as he said, “I apologize for my fifteen-year-old self. I was priggish.”

  That was an understatement, but she let her resentment go. She’d stood up for herself and would make sure that no one bullied her again. As she relaxed in her seat she said, “You told Matteo and Chelsea not to talk to me because my father owned a restaurant.”

  Stefano held Rossie’s hand on the table and nodded in agreement while he said, “I’ve since dined there many times, Sheena. Your father is a master chef, and I was a stuck up brat.”

  “Glad we straightened that out then.” Sheena folded her napkin over her lap. There was no need to stress over what had happened anymore. She saw how stiff Matteo was beside her and patted his arm. “Matteo values his friends and I want us all to get along.”

  Matteo searched her face to see if she was being genuine, then smiled at her. She wasn’t going to cry or worry about this ever
again.

  Chelsea’s sister coughed and spoke. Sheena realized she could have another croissant now that her stomach wasn’t in knots. Cassidy took the conversation and said, “Rosalind?”

  “Yes?”

  “Can we ask you about Clara now that she’s taken off with Astorre?” Cassidy asked.

  Rossie seemed surprised. “What? We’re going to have lunch together.”

  Chelsea passed the croissants. “They checked out this morning and said they had plans.”

  “I’ll call her,” Rossie said.

  Cassidy shook her head. “Please sit. Can we ask you something first?”

  Rossie sounded intrigued. “Sure. What?”

  Stefano and Matteo both went inside.

  Sheena listened to a conversation on how Rossie’s friend Clara might be from Avce and was the perfect match, according to Cassidy’s computer system, for Astorre. When they asked her opinion, she stared at the other women blankly as she’d only half-listened, and then said, “I don’t believe in perfect matches.”

  Chelsea patted her sister’s arm. “My sister’s program directed me to Alexandre. I’m sure she can tell you yours, Sheena.”

  Sheena hadn’t wanted to know anything about her husband until she’d fallen for him.

  Besides, who her true love might be no longer mattered. She was married to Matteo and she’d honor her commitment. “I don’t want to know.”

  Cassidy shrugged. “I ran Matteo’s already in case he asked.”

  Sheena’s blood ran cold, and her eyes widened. While she might not care about who hers was or wasn’t, what if Matteo thought differently? If his true love showed up, would he honor his commitment to her? From what she remembered in school, Matteo was always into joking around with his friends.

  Her skin felt tight, but she placed her hand on the table and asked, “Why didn’t you tell him when Patrice left him? If this program works, as you say, then he’d have probably been happier marrying this ‘true love.’”

  Cassidy’s face went red and she looked down at the table. “Because he did marry his true love.”

  Impossible. Sheena sat straighter. He’d missed out on Patrice, so she repeated, “No, he married me.”

  Cassidy met her gaze and didn’t look away. “Sheena, he’s your match.” Sheena couldn’t move a muscle as Cassidy explained, “I told Chelsea to include you in his wedding plans so you had a chance to talk before his marriage to Patrice—we could all see it wasn’t love.”

  “That’s silly.” Sheena’s mind refused to understand.

  She swallowed and fanned her face. She couldn’t quite breathe right.

  “It’s true,” Chelsea said. “Why do you think I helped you walk down the aisle?”

  This must be to make her feel better. Yes. That was it. She couldn’t be married to her true love.

  She’d known Matteo for a long time and didn’t understand. The time he’d helped her home when she had no shoe was in no way romantic. He’d kissed Viola that same night. And she’d vowed to never, ever, ever get involved with him or his kind. Her stomach still knotted at the memory and she shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Look,” Rossie, Stefano’s new bride, pointed toward the door.

  Stefano and Matteo opened the door to the patio and servants followed them with even more food.

  Sheena never ate this much. This was indulgent, though she made herself another cup of coffee as Matteo sat beside her. She smiled at him. “Matteo. I’m glad you’re back.”

  He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. He studied her and asked, “What’s going on?”

  Her face felt like ice pellets had hit her and every part of her was frozen. It was hard to say the words. “Cassidy and Chelsea believe we are a love match, according to her computer program.”

  His face went white—join the shock club, she thought—she couldn’t offer comfort.

  Cassidy sat back and said, “I haven’t been wrong yet, Matteo.”

  He sipped his coffee and relaxed in his chair. She started to feel her pulse again as Matteo tapped her on the back. The tingles made her remember his kisses and how tonight, she’d be in his home and in his bed.

  Tension returned fast but this was different than a moment ago. This was desire.

  Matteo finished his coffee in a gulp. “We shall see. Are you ready to go, Sheena?”

  Absolutely. The last thing she needed was to hear how happy Chelsea was now that she’d married her true love—even if she was her best friend. Right now Sheena needed clarity. She stood next to Matteo. “Come visit me in Avce soon.”

  “I hope so,” Rossie said. “We can explore it together.”

  Neither of them knew a thing about the place and it would be nice to have a new friend. “Sounds lovely, especially since the only Avcean who was my friend up and moved to the South of France to help run a vineyard.” She arched a brow at Chelsea.

  Chelsea laughed. “And I’m very happy.”

  She glanced at Matteo, who tilted his head toward the door. Sheena waved her goodbye. “Well, I’m glad you are.”

  They left the room and went down to the lobby, the staff having packed up their hotel suite. Sheena pressed against Matteo’s arm to get his attention. “Thank you for letting me air out my issues with Stefano. We’ll be fine in the future.”

  He held open the front door for her. There was a black Mercedes town car waiting for them and as she passed, Matteo asked, “What did Stefano do that I didn’t?”

  He’d been kind, and when Chelsea had asked Sheena for help, she’d agreed as a way to pay him back. She got into the car. “He burned through my new leather shoes in chemistry class and refused to apologize—it left a small scar.”

  The door closed behind him and the driver went to the front seat. “You have a scar on your foot?”

  “It’s small and it healed, thankfully.” She remembered how many times someone had pulled her ponytail and told her she didn’t belong at the boarding school because her father was in trade. Her face felt hot from the memory though it had been years. “That was just one incident. Kids weren’t nice to me as an awkward shy girl who loved art more than people.”

  He held her hand as they headed toward the airport. “You’re a lady now. No one will dare hurt you on my watch.”

  She pressed her hand to his cheek and gazed into his dark eyes. “Your kindness is one of your best endearments, Matteo.”

  His eyes burned into hers and she felt like he could see into her soul. He said, “I’m not kind.”

  Did he not know? He was one of the good ones. She lowered her voice. “You were to me.”

  He took her hand off his face but clasped her fingers. “Then you were the clear exception. I always thought I was a carefree, spoiled brat.”

  Her heart beat strong and heat coursed through her. They were married. Tonight, she’d have a real wedding night. Sheena couldn’t even imagine it. Right now she needed to learn to breathe around him. His touch set something off that she wanted but never quite had before. She stared at his top lip. “Matteo, can I change the topic and ask a question?”

  “Sure, what?”

  Maybe he thought this was about a kiss. She wanted it to be. She’d liked that kiss earlier. But now… she needed something to stop the fast pace of her heart. “Do you still skateboard?”

  Matteo let out a chuckle. “Yes. Why?”

  “When we get to Avce, can you teach me?” Another memory of boarding school hit her. She’d been slightly jealous of how he’d cruised through the foot traffic on his board and never once got in trouble.

  If she’d even tried that, she would have gotten expelled. He sat just a breath away from her as the car turned toward the airport exit. “You want to learn?”

  “I want to be carefree, at least a little.” Butterflies grew in her stomach from his light touch.

  He massaged her knee briefly, unaware of what he was doing to her senses. “We’ll have a lesson this afternoon.”

  “Pe
rfect.” She hoped that the energy that built inside her would find an outlet.

  Matteo kissed her. Something inside her craved more and she already knew that skateboarding wasn’t going to quite satisfy her hunger for him.

  Chapter 6

  Matteo had never considered himself brilliant. He was fairly bright, but so were many others. He liked being around people, so he was a decent study of human nature.

  He was sure of one thing as he exited the private jet with the Golchin label on it. The woman beside him on the jet way into the terminal was more than just an ordinary woman. Sheena was a lady in every gesture, every turn of her head, and every expression on her face.

  They didn’t say much to each other when the car picked them up, but her eyes widened when they passed through his gates.

  Clearly she hadn’t been expecting Villa Sogno, the largest private residency of the nobility in Avce. As they pulled into the driveway that had been designed for a Roman caravan of soldiers, his staff lined up outside the door.

  No doubt to meet the new Mrs. Korbel.

  Sheena adjusted the skirt that she’d changed into on the plane because she’d wanted to make a good first impression. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  As they entered the house, she introduced herself to the staff.She spent a few minutes with the chef, the head butler, and the maid—all effortlessly.

  Even though she hadn’t been born into her role, she’d been right about one thing. Sheena was trained to be a lady. Her manners were impeccable.

  With embarrassment he acknowledged to himself that she was the better choice for a lady of Villa Sogno than he’d almost made in Patrice.

  Patrice would have been no better than his father’s many mistresses. Was that why he’d been willing to settle? Perhaps now that his staff had met Sheena, they would treat him slightly better too, since he’d made a good choice for them.

  Once the staff left, she linked her arm with his and smiled like the sun was out and she was excited for life. “This is your home?”