Page 32 of Tempt Me
“This was, for lack of a better word, Vik, bizarre. I will never understand the way your brain thinks.”
“You aren’t meant to. I thank you for your warning on Luca.”
It’s a dismissal and a frustrating one. I’m still not convinced this has been put to bed. He must’ve known I’d figure it out at some point, but I guess the test was in how quickly. I’m also not convinced this is the end of it. My guard will now have to be up even more, which means any distractions have to go, including my infatuation with Rue.
Maybe that’s his plan.
Viktor and Francesca Di’Castello are powerful people. There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t think now that they know about what Rue and I got up to in the mountains.
Backing out of Viktor’s office with a scowl, I know I have to keep my eyes on Luca and keep him away from Rue. This little side quest of Vik’s has drawn even more suspicion to the asshole, and now I need to know what his endgame is.
Heading back to the car to pick Rue up myself from this farce of a job she has, I leave the villa, pausing at Security to give them a rundown of everything they should be doing that they aren’t. That blind spot needs to be covered whether Vik thinks it does or not. I’m not leaving Rue unprotected for anything, and not even defying a direct order from my boss, who would happily slice my throat and throw me into the bay for the sharks to feed on, will deter me.
There again, maybe my defiance is part of his plan as well.
Who the fuck knows?
Chapter19
Rue
Nervously looking at myself in the mirror, I smooth down the long white dress with a slit up to the top of my thigh. The straps are thin and a little bit too loose. Adjusting the diamond and ruby tiara my grandmother sent me, I turn my head so the earrings flash in the light from the bedside lamp. I’m full of dread for tonight. I know I have to go through with this, but I really don’t want to. My heart is screaming at me to turn to Isaac and tell him that I’m calling it off and we can run away together, but my head is telling me I’m about to get everything I ever wanted if I just stick it out. Surely, it can’t be that hard. Or maybe it will end up being a big stinking pile of crapola, and my life will be miserable and boring.
Casting a surreptitious glance at Isaac in the mirror, I lick my lips. He is dressed in a smart black suit with a black shirt open at the neck. He scrubs up good, and I want to crawl all over him as I remove the sexy suit from him. He is observing me from the other side of the room, having been stationed here since the tiara was brought back up to me,minusthe snake, and placed on my head.
He has been very tight-lipped about the investigation. I feel he knows more than he is letting on, but I won’t ask him. I don’t care. I trust him to take care of it.
There is a strange tension in the air between us, which I don’t care for, but I understand it. Kind of. Everyone has to believe I’m going ahead with this and will be happy about it, but it’s the opposite. If Antonio thinks he can get his hands on me on our wedding night, he has another thing coming. I’ve wracked my brain, but I have yet to come up with a viable option to avoid him.
Taking a deep breath as I gather my courage, I turn from the mirror and step out of the room, with Isaac following close behind me. As we walk down the hallway towards the stairs, I’m momentarily taken aback by the volume of guests milling about in the open-air square on the villa's lower level. Soft music and the smell of champagne fill the air, causing my stomach to churn.
When we silently reach the bottom step, I see Antonio at the center of the room, laughing and talking with some guests whose identities are unknown to me. He is dressed in a smart suit, looking arrogant and confident. My heart races as I gaze at him, but not in a good way.
He is a creep. Plain and simple. When his dark eyes land on me, I try not to cringe as they light up with a deepening desire. His gaze rakes over me, making my skin crawl.
“You don’t have to do this,” Isaac says so softly, I can barely hear him over the sounds of the party. Risking a glance up at him, his face is a mask of un-emotion, which tells me nothing.
Ignoring him, because what am I supposed to say that I haven’t already, I draw my gaze back to Antonio, and with trepidation in my heart, I take the first step towards him with a sultry smile that draws him to me like a moth to a flame.
Eurgh.
He has to be about twenty years older than me, for a start. Not that age gaps bother me, Isaac is fifteen years older than me, but he’s hot and sexy with it. Not creepy McCreepson like Antonio. The thought of his mouth on mine, his slimy hands all over me, makes me want to retch.
It’s enough to make me stop and turn around.
I slam directly into Isaac, who is standing like a brick wall behind me.
Looking up into his gorgeous, clear blue eyes, I know this is wrong on so many levels, but am I prepared to give up everything I’ve worked towards to call it off?
I’m not given the time to think about it when Antonio reaches me and grasps my arm tighter than I’d like.
Turning to face him, he bends to kiss me on both cheeks. His breath stinks of expensive cigars and whiskey.
Forcing a smile on my face as my parents sidle over, beams on their faces, I plaster an even bigger fake smile on mine and ignore my soul that is weeping for what it never even had to begin with but has now lost completely.
“Let’s get to the main event,” Dad says, gesturing we move forward.
Grabbing a glass of much-needed champagne from a passing server, I take a deep gulp only to be given a chastising glare by my husband-to-be.
