Page 116 of Italy Can Bite Me

I force a smile, my brain still frantically searching for an escape hatch. “Actually, Jared—”

“Wonderful!” Mom says. “Deborah, you and I will start brainstorming wedding venues, and the lovebirds can enjoy their day together. Isn’t this justperfect?”

“Perfect,” I echo, my voice dripping with sarcasm that goes entirely unnoticed by my mother.

Jared beams at me, and I feel Matteo’s gaze on me again, heavy and unreadable. I glance at him, desperate for a signal or subtle clue to know what he’s thinking. But his face is a mask, his eyes distant.

“One hour till go time!” Matteo calls out, already turning away.

I watch him stride toward the door. “Oh!” I slap my hand against my chest. “My pen! Jared, I forgot my traveling pen upstairs.”

“We can get you another one in the lobby,” he offers, as if I’m some kind of pen harlot who’ll write with just anything.

“No, you don’t understand. This is myspecialpen. My lucky pen. The one I’ve been using the whole trip.” I say, already backing away. “With the perfect grip and the .38-millimeter point that makes my lists look like calligraphy done by angels. I can’t have a notebook filled with mismatched ink styles and color discrepancies. Be right back!”

I sprint out of the breakfast room like my cardigan’s on fire, catching sight of Matteo’s broad shoulders disappearing down the carpeted corridor. Without thinking—which is becoming an alarmingly frequent occurrence—I grab his arm and shove him into the nearest bathroom, locking the door.

“Katie, what—”

“I had no idea they were coming.”

“You’re lucky,” he cuts in, voice flat. “To have family who loves you so much.”

The hotel bathroom’s fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows, making Matteo resemble a brooding Italian statue. A very sexy, very stubborn statue who’s currently giving me his bestI’m a tough guy who doesn’t have feelingsface.

“Nuh-uh. Don’t make this about them.” My palm connects with his chest, feeling his heart thundering beneath my touch. “This is about you running away from us.”

“There is no us.”

“Stop saying that.” My voice catches on the lump in my throat. “Yes, there is.”

“No, bella.” The muscle in his jaw ticks—his tell when he’s lying. “That is just the glow of vacation. Jared is real. He is the kind of man you want.”

Every cell in my body rebels against his words. “No, he’s not. And we’re not talking about Jared or anything about that shitshow that just happened out there. We’re talking about us.”

“Again, bella.” His voice is sandpaper. “There is nous.”

I step closer, my hand finding his cheek. His stubble scratches my palm as he instinctively leans into my touch. “Last night you called memi amore.”

For one blazing moment, his mask slips. Then he jerks away, leaving my hand burning in empty air.

“You misunderstood. I did not saymi amore.” His laugh sounds like breaking glass. “You don’t speak Italian, bella. I saidmi attrai. It meansyou attract me. It’s just flirting, keeping things romantic. That’s all.”

“Wow, good to know that gaslighting is just as popular in Italy.” My nails dig crescents into my palms. “So we’re rewriting history now? Next, you’ll tell me all those orgasms were just part of the standard tour package.”

“You can’t force this to be something it’s not. You can’t control everything, bellissima.”

“And you can’t pretend what’s between us doesn’t exist. You don’t get to control how I feel about you.”

“Life doesn’t always work out giving you everything you want.” He sighs, and something dark and wounded flashes in his eyes, a glimpse of the real pain he’s hiding.

“You don’t want to tell me what’s really bothering you, fine.” I soften my voice. “I know something happened. I figured out that much from Lorenzo. Let me in, Matteo. Let me help.”

“Nothing’s broken except this fantasy you’ve built.” His jaw clenches. "You’re the forever kind of girl. I’m the right-now kind of guy. I told you that from day one.”

“That’s bullshit. I’m not asking for marriage. I’m asking for you to be honest.”

“You want honesty?” His eyes burn into mine. “It was just sex. Amazing sex. You were fun.”

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