by Sandy Vaile
Luca squeezed her hand and she stepped back to get a good look at him. He was dashing in a navy suit, his hair pulled off his face. He looked like … family.
She wasn’t alone anymore.
Chapter 43
Two months later
Luca straightened his shirt collar and adjusted the bunch of orange-spotted tiger lilies in front of him. Usually he’d bring wine to a dinner invitation, but Mya didn’t drink. He’d been at her house every day during the past eight weeks, so it was ridiculous how nervous he felt. He knocked on the door and waited. This was the first time he’d actually been invited into her home.
She hadn’t made it clear why this meal was different to any other—plenty of times he’d lobbed on her doorstep with a bag of groceries and started cooking—but it felt different. Almost like a date.
I shouldn’t get too excited; she hasn’t let me in yet. He chuckled.
The familiar sound of two bolts sliding across the back of the door brought a smart comment to his lips, but it died as the door opened.
Mya wore a lemon-yellow cotton dress. Mouth wide, his appraisal started at her bare feet and followed slender legs until they disappeared under folds of light material. A breeze pressed the cotton against her lean body so it clung to her curves. It took his breath away. When he finally dragged his gaze back to her face, her cheeks were pink.
“Natalie,” she said by way of an explanation for the attire.
“You look beautiful.” He presented the flowers.
She smiled demurely and headed for the kitchen.
Luca did his best to play it casual, like any other night. “Can I help?”
“Sure, we’re dining al fresco.” She poured tap water into a saucepan and settled the flowers in it. “You can take those outside.” She pointed to a pile of plates, serviettes and cutlery. “And there’s a bottle of water in the fridge.”
Luca followed her instructions and stepped onto the small, hardwood deck. Grape vines coiled up support posts and across overhead beams, providing lush shade. He set two places at the wood-slat table and folded the napkins. The muscles in his stomach trembled. The lunch was too civilized for the Mya the world saw, but he knew a different woman: sensual, intelligent, and resilient.
It thrilled him that he knew insignificant stuff about her, too, like the fact her favourite reading spot was the wrought iron seat by the shed, where she could hear bees hum in the vegetable garden.
The back door squeaked. Mya pushed through, carrying a plate of antipasto and cheeses.
“That looks delicious,” he commented. They stood on opposite sides of the table in awkward silence.
Best to go with small talk until she settled in. “Hey, have you heard from Natalie lately?”
“Yeah, the old folks helped her get a jeweler’s apprenticeship. She’s stoked.”
“She deserves it.”
Mya cut a sliver of brie and pressed it onto a cracker. “Yep, she’s really talented.”
The sight of her in that yellow dress was more than Luca could resist. He walked around the table and took her hand in his, ignoring how her body stiffened at the touch. As he stared into her hazel eyes, her throat tensed and she swallowed. Full lips shone with a smear of pink gloss and he couldn’t resist their magnetic pull.
Lightly, he brushed his mouth across hers.
They stood cheek to cheek and he savoured the familiar lavender scent on her skin, her warm breath on his neck. He needed to take this slowly. With the tip of one finger, he traced her spine between her shoulder blades, down the small of her back, and pulled her hips closer. With his other hand, he stroked her cheek and neck, thrilled when she leaned into his touch.
“Mya,” he whispered.
He took her face between his hands and kissed her, deeply. Not frantic like the first time, more sensual. When they pulled apart, her cheeks were flushed. Hell was more likely to freeze over before she admitted actual feelings for him, but he needed to know. He was too old and worn out to do casual flings anymore.
“Is this what you want?”
He was prepared for resistance, but the sadness that shuttered her face crushed a tiny piece inside him. Of course, she’d spent a lifetime pushing people away. Too long to just give up her defenses.
“I’m not interested in occasional anymore, Mya. I know how great life can be when you share it with the right person, and I want that again. Olivia taught me so much about devotion to someone you can’t live without. But it’s taken seven years to learn her final lesson. I wouldn’t listen at the end, when she promised I’d find someone worth risking my heart for again, but I did, and it’s you. I don’t have any preconceived ideas about how this will work. I just know I want it to. Do you?”
She tried to untangle herself from him, but he kept hold of one hand. A warm reminder of what he knew her heart desired.
“How can I ever live up to Olivia? She sounds perfect, not damaged like me.”
“You’re looking at this all wrong, Mya. Olivia is a part of my past I’ll never forget or regret, but I’m not looking to relive what I felt with her. You are a completely different person and I couldn’t help but fall in love with you, because I like that person. No one is flawless, not you and especially not me.”
“I don’t think I can give you what you want,” she whispered.
He waited while she seemed to search for words.
“I haven’t been in love like you, Luca. It’s not worth it for me.”
“But that’s where you’re wrong. It is worth it.” He held a hand up against her protest. “I’m not saying it will magically erase your past, but it will give you strength. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”
Her head bowed, breathing became unsteady and, when she looked up, her eyes were moist. It tugged at his heart. He hated to see her in any kind of pain.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” With one finger he wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
“You’re right, I can’t do it on my own,” she said, “but I don’t know how to do it any other way.”
“I’m not asking you to move in with me or sell your house. I know you need to keep control. And I don’t want to control your life, just share it.”
“And what happens when you hurt me?” Her expression was suddenly ferocious.
“Look, we might argue, sure, but I will never hit you.”
This time when she pulled away, he let her. With an internal sigh, and although it tugged at every fibre of his being, he turned his back. He cut a wedge of fruit cheese and slapped it on a biscuit.
She needed to make the decision.
By the time he was on his third serve of antipasto, it felt like gravel going down his constricted throat. That was when her slender arms slid around his waist. She pressed against his back and rested her head between his shoulder blades. Luca felt the tension drain from both of them. He smiled but didn’t move.
She had to want it, say it.
Want me.
• • •
Mya was perfectly content to rest on Luca’s broad back forever, but she knew she couldn’t. He wanted more. Maybe more than she had to give.
The mystery of the toiletries he’d packed and brought to Kate’s house after the explosion, had been something she’d thought a lot about. Today she finally understood why he left the makeup out. He liked her just the way she was.
The doctor had told her Luca didn’t need to check on her twice a day anymore, but still he came. Not demanding anything, hardly even touching her, just being there. They did regular stuff, like play cards, tend the veggie garden, and sit in the sun with a book. Once he coaxed her out of the house to see a movie.
He had seen her at her worst, yet here he was, standing on her deck eating cheese and water crackers. With a deep breath for fortitude, she stepped back and pulled him around to face her. His expression was tentative.
“I want to try,” she whispered.
“Really?” He sounded incredulous.
She nodded.
“Truly?”
She nodded again.
His eyes lit up as his shell-white teeth were exposed and he swooped her off her feet. With her arms around his neck, he turned full circle and crushed his lips against hers with a new intensity. It sent a jolt of raw energy through her body.
When he set her back onto her feet, she pressed against him. The thin fabric between them did nothing to hide the contours of his body, and her hands started to explore. She tugged the shirt out of his pants and her hands roamed across his warm back. Tiny raised bumps were scattered across it; scar tissue from the bomb shrapnel. She forced the thought away and focused on the dips and curves of his body. God she’d missed his touch.
The memory of their naked bodies in his bed ignited a white hot flame of desire that flared and engulfed her from heel to crown. Luca’s lips skipped down her neck and she hooked a leg over his hip in an effort to get closer. His hot palm skimmed her thigh and went under the dress, exploring the tiny lace knickers.
She fumbled with shirt buttons and in frustration, pulled back suddenly.
His hands stilled.
She wrapped a hand around his. “Dinner can wait.” A sly smile played on her lips.
There was a moment of confusion on his face when he realised where she was leading.
“In your bed?”
“Yes. Just so long as you remember I can kick your arse anytime.”
His mouth pulled up in her favourite crooked smile.
“Then I’d better make sure I perform. No girlfriend of mine is going to miss out on orgasms.”
Girlfriend—now there was a word she could get used to. And she didn’t mind the sound of orgasm either.
About the Author
www.sandyvaile.com
I’m Sandy Vaile and my motto in life is I’ll try anything once. To that end I take every opportunity that presents and have a wealth of life experiences to draw on when writing.
Home is a wine-producing region in South Australia. By day I’m a quality coordinator (that’s code for list making word nerd), mother, and wife, shadowed by a rambunctious Hungarian Vizsla. But when I let my hair down, I’m a motorbike riding, tattoo wielding, daredevil.
Okay, I’m not that exciting all the time. I do the regular stuff, too, like pottering in the garden, preparing (mostly eating) decadent desserts, reading inspirational fiction, and listening to soul-nourishing music—from acoustic ensembles to hard rock.
I was captivated by creative writing from a young age, with a career in journalism mapped out at high school. Unfortunately, I received some early lessons in the unexpected nature of life, and was diverted from my true calling. It wasn’t until I’d settled down had children, and matured that I rediscovered the joy of reading and writing.
I’ve dabbled in fantasy, sci-fi, and short stories, but my real love is suspense. (I can’t imagine why when I love to jump out of planes, ride hot air balloons and get tattoos.) My accolades include publishing various short stories, competition placements, a short listing for Mya’s story in the Valerie Parv Award, and judging romance writing contests.
My goal when writing is that other people will connect with my characters and their hardships as closely as I do. Enjoy!
To learn more about this author, visit www.sandyvaile.com, Facebook, or Twitter @Sandy_Vaile.
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
(From In the Shadow of Vengeance by Nancy C. Weeks)
This can’t be happening again. It’s too soon.
Elizabeth Williams caressed her lower abdomen. Of course it could happen this quickly; it was a simple fact of life. Women could get pregnant within weeks of giving birth.
On the upside, at least she didn’t have to worry about stomach crunches for another nine months. But even that positive thought didn’t erase the anxiety churning through her. The demands of the coveted nursing program weren’t going to ease because she juggled the care of two infants. And then there was her dream to travel the globe with Spencer, providing medical aid to areas that needed it most. They could have managed with one child, but two would place that opportunity on the back burner for years.
She shifted her position in the driver seat and glanced at the entrance to the hospital as she dug the plastic pregnancy stick from her back pocket. All she had to do was get out of the car, walk across the parking lot, and find her husband. They would talk it out together and find a way to enjoy their growing family while keeping their dreams alive. At this hour, he was most likely in his office. He didn’t have any surgeries scheduled on Saturday, but he did go in to make his rounds. That afternoon, they planned to drive to her parents’ farm three hours east of Omaha for her father’s birthday. Once her husband learned about the baby and they both had time to process it, this time away from the hospital would be refreshing.
Erin wasn’t planned, but she brought such joy into their life. And although Elizabeth’s and Spencer’s relationship seemed a little strained lately, that was stress. Every couple went through low periods. He spent long hours making a name for himself as a surgical resident. Elizabeth’s sister thought he was selfish with his attention, but she didn’t understand him. Spencer dedicated himself completely to his patients, and they loved him for the time he gave to them. There wasn’t a more compassionate surgeon than Elizabeth’s husband.
Easing her grip on the steering wheel, she smiled at her beautiful daughter in the infant mirror above her dashboard. Erin was so tiny, only fourteen pounds, but right at her target weight for a four-month-old. “Your daddy loves you, sweet girl, and he’s going to love your brother or sister, too. This is going to be a good thing.”
Opening the door, she released her seatbelt and got out. The warmth of the midday sun brushed over her face, and a sense of calm settled her nerves. It would all work out because it had to. They were a family. Her parents must have had rough patches in their thirty years of marriage. That was all this was, a rough patch.
Lifting the sleeping infant out of the car carrier, she cradled her against her heart. The soft baby scent drove away any apprehension. “Well, Erin, my girl,” Elizabeth whispered, glancing at her wrist watch, “Let’s find your father and tell him the good news together. Seeing your sweet face will make it all okay.”
At that moment, the automatic doors to the hospital entrance whooshed open and her husband raced out. She called out to him, but he must have not heard her. He didn’t even pause at the crosswalk between the entrance and the parking lot. A stunning, dark-skinned woman Elizabeth had never seen before met him at his car only two rows away. He unlocked the passenger door of his Jaguar and moved aside so she could drop into the seat. He then ran around and got in. The familiar sound of the engine roared to life and he drove out of the lot, never once looking back.
Numbness settled deep into Elizabeth’s bones. She knew what she had witnessed, but her heart hadn’t caught up to her mind. A huge part of her wanted to ignore what she had seen and take her daughter home.
As she secured Erin back in the infant carrier, she kept an eye on Spencer’s red Jaguar. Instead of turning right toward home or the clinic at the stop sign, he took a left. Elizabeth quickly got back behind the wheel of her Mazda and followed him, keeping several cars back. Midday traffic was heavy, making it easier to keep up with him.
As her mind came up with one excuse after another why he left the hospital with that woman, one stood out, taking on a life of its own.
Spencer was having an affair.
The sentence repeated itself over again as her heartbeats bounced against her ribcage. That was the reason he was so distant with her. Except for a brief moment of passion when they’d conceived the baby, it had been weeks since they made love.
When she caught up to him, it wasn’t going to be a pleasant reunion. She believed every person had a nasty side, and hers was in high gear. If Spencer was cheating on her, she had to know the truth. If he wasn’t, she would owe him a hell of an apology. At least it would ope
n up communication between them.
A quick glance at Erin, and Elizabeth said a silent prayer that her daughter slept through what was slowly turning from a moment of madness into a full-blown bat-crazy. As much as she wanted to turn around and leave well enough alone, a gut feeling propelled her to continue.
Of course this was sheer madness. They had been in love for three years, almost inseparable—until she got pregnant with Erin. They’d met during her first week of nursing school at the University of Nebraska. After a whirlwind romance that lasted half the year, he asked her to move in with him. Since her parents would have had a conniption fit at the thought of their daughter living with a boyfriend, they married. And for the most part, they were very happy together. What made her jump down this rabbit hole?
Spencer’s schedule.
He never left the surgical unit in the middle of the day. Everything in his life was planned out in advance and no one messed with that plan. He should be in his office, checking on lab results, going through the mountain of paperwork. You could set your clock by Spencer’s schedule. So where the heck was he going?
After several blocks, Spencer zigzagged through an unfamiliar area of the city. This was the stupidest thing she’d ever done, and she needed to turn around. She hit her turn signal at the next light when the Jaguar shifted lanes and turned into an office complex. Elizabeth eased off the accelerator and followed him through several turns until he parked in front of a two-story building.
Shady Grove Outpatient Surgery Center. And to think she had expected a hotel.
Elizabeth pulled into the spot where she could see the entrance of the center and Spencer’s Jaguar. He opened the car door for the woman and she placed a hand at his elbow as if he was hers to claim.
“The bitch,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
They rushed up the sidewalk. Spencer drew her against him and kissed her neck as she tried to unlock the door. Elizabeth shut her eyes tightly and took in a shaky breath.