Page 46 of Between Us

“What did she want?” Alessandra asked casually, taking the seat next to her husband.

“To let us know the chef will start preparing dinner in half an hour. We still have time to take out the jet skis.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek and smiled. “Good nap?”

She touched where his thumb had been and felt the small indentations left by the pillow. “The best. Did you sleep at all?”

“No. I left the bedroom when my father called an hour ago and I've been sitting here since.”

She noticed the fresh bottle of beer in front of himand reached for it. Roman didn't say anything as she took a mouthful of the cold brew. They were in Europe, after all, and here she was of legal age to drink. Not that it mattered anyway. She knew Roman didn't mind as long as she didn't overdo it. She'd had at least one glass of wine with dinner for the past three evenings.

Wordlessly, Roman reached under her cover-up to finger the strap of her bikini top. She followed the movement with her eyes and sighed. “I hate tan lines.”

“You look beautiful, baby,” he said quietly.

Alessandra warmed all over at the endearment. He'd only started calling her that recently, and she realized that she liked it.A lot.

He made being married to him easy—so much so that she couldn't even imagine herself with someone else anymore.

All in all, fate had been kind to her. It had given her a good man she adored and the prospect of a happy life with him.

But fate is also a capricious bitch, and the future is not written in stone.

Alessandra was about to find out that happiness is not forever, and misery is a poor companion.

18

“Roman, wait!” Alessandra called from behind him, her voice apprehensive.

“Keep up!” he said with a smile, continuing to walk toward the wooden fence. Behind it, a small herd of Salers cattle was grazing in the vast field, not paying them too much attention.

“Roman!” his wife hissed in warning, and he heard the gravel crunch under her sandals as she crossed the deserted country road to follow after him.

They were near Avignon, in the southeastern region of Provence, heading back to their hotel after having visited the nearby village of Monteux. Roman had suggested Paris for their second week of vacation, but Alessandra was curious about the French countryside, and since he had no real preference himself, he went with Alessandra’s wish. The drive from Monte Carlo to Avignon was only three hours, and after spending the first two days visiting the historical town, theywere now venturing to its surroundings for the beautiful landscape and numerous villages filled with picturesque shops and restaurants.

Roman paused at the fence, turning to grab her hand when she stopped beside him. “They’re just cows, baby.”

She looked from him to the bovines minding their own business. “But I’ve never seen so many in one place. And look at those horns—they’re huge.” He pulled her closer, setting a foot on the fence. She tried to pull her hand free, but he tightened his hold in return. “Where are we going?”

“I saw something over there.” Roman pointed to a distant point in the field. “It looks like an old cabin.”

“Why would you want to see an old cabin? Maybe someone lives there.”

He gave her a grin, suddenly feeling like a kid again on the verge of discovering a new adventure. “I don’t think so. Come on.”

“No. We should head back to the car.”

Fingers clasped around hers, he leaned down to give her a reassuring kiss. “Trust me.”

Alessandra sighed, not looking very convinced she wanted to. But after a moment, she finally relented with a grumbled, “Fine.”

He jumped the short fence before turning around to help her. She was wearing a summer dress that barely covered her ass, and, inevitably, she flashed him the white thong underneath when she lifted her leg to cross over to the other side. Once her feet landed on the soft grass, he grabbed her waist to steady her, enjoying the feel of her warm skin beneath the thin material of the dress. The more time he spent with his wife, Roman was starting to discover that keeping his hands to himselfwas getting nearly impossible. Not that he minded, but it was quite distracting, the way her presence seemed to monopolize his brain. If gluing his hands to her alluring ass were a viable option, he probably would have done it at this point.

It was strange to think that only weeks ago, Alessandra had been a mere stranger to him.

An unfamiliar face in a sea of many others.

And now… now she waseverything.

It had been too long since Roman felt this way about someone.

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