Page 7 of His Fantasy Bride (Things To Do Before You Die)

A shudder ran through him, then he pushed himself up slowly, pulling out of her, and for a moment, she felt bereft. Empty. He stared down at her sprawled beneath him. His gaze dropped, and his brows drew together. She came up on her elbows and peered down her body. Faint marks showed against the pale skin of her breasts.

“Sorry. I was rough.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But it’s been a long time.”

She cleared her throat. She had no clue what to say, though a small part of her liked that it had been a long time for him. That there had presumably been no one since they were together.

Don’t go there, Gabby.

She pushed herself up so she was sitting. “There’s a bathroom through there.” She waved a vague hand down his body and he nodded, opened his mouth and then closed it again. Shook his head and turned away, disappearing through the door.

Gabby sat for a moment staring at the spot where he’d disappeared. She needed to move.

Clothes. Clothes would be good here.

She jumped down off the counter, grasping the edge as her legs almost buckled under her. Her body shook in the aftermath of what had to be the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.

Don’t think about it.

She glanced up to find Vito standing in the bathroom doorway, one shoulder leaning against the wall, his expression shuttered. He’d fastened his clothes, and he was once again Mr. Impeccable in his designer business suit.

While she was naked.

She finally spotted her clothes over the back of a chair and grabbed them. Vito said nothing, just watched as she pulled on sweats and a T-shirt. Time to get out of there; she couldn’t take the accusation in his dark eyes. She felt strangely vulnerable in a way sex had never made her feel before. And she needed to be alone to work out her next move.

Though, surely, he would just walk away now.

Clearly, she wasn’t the “perfect” woman he’d thought her to be.

But she wasn’t ready to hear the words of condemnation spoken out loud. Even if she did deserve them. And worse. Deserved whatever he could throw at her.

What she’d done had been wrong. She might not have thought she had a choice at the time; that didn’t justify her actions.

If Vito walked away now and didn’t come back, then he would never need to know the whole truth. That would be the best thing. Really, it would.

So, why does it hurt?

She blinked a couple of times then scrabbled in her bag for her sunglasses, shoved them on her nose, slung the bag over her shoulder, and then hurried to the door.

He spoke as she turned the handle. “I don’t know who you are.”

“No.” What else was there to say? She opened the door, slipped out, and heard the click as it shut behind her. And then she ran as fast as her shaky legs would carry her.

…

Vito scrubbed a hand over his hair as he stared at the closed door where she’d vanished.

Christo.What the hell had happened to one kiss and then they’d talk?

Sinking down onto one of the stools, he pressed his fingertips into his scalp. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, eyes sleepy, hair mussed. He looked like he’d just gotten laid. Not a look he’d sported in a while. Maybe that’s why he had so thoroughly lost control.

Even now, his body felt sated while his mind was in turmoil. He’d never lost control like that before. He was always aware of the darker side to his nature, the side he’d kept firmly in check.

And he hated that he had no clue what was going on here. All he knew was somehow he’d been played.

But played now? Or six months ago?

He pressed a finger to the spot between his eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He hadn’t slept last night. Too on edge. And maybe his subconscious had been warning him something wasn’t right. Yesterday had been full of meetings; he’d finally sold the last of the subsidiary companies. Then he’d flown in from Sicily this morning on the company jet, which would be sold soon as well.

It was time to get back to his real life—as a Professor of Archeology at Cambridge University. Though in a weird way, he’d enjoyed the year running his grandfather’s company, enjoyed acting the part of the billionaire playboy CEO. Not that he’d been much of a playboy. He hadn’t had time. The learning curve had been steep, and he’d promised his grandfather he would give it his all for one year.

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