Page 7 of Under Her Skin
Unhappy, he took her in his arms and kissed her. “I will never forget you. If you change your mind…my name is Arturo Bachi. Everyone here knows me. You only have tocall.”
She kissed him again, lingering as if to memorize the feel of his lips against hers. “Goodbye, Arturo Bachi. I’ll never forget youeither.”
Reluctantly, he let her go, watching her walk into the hotel and out of his life. He got back into the car and felt utterly bereft, even—he was astonished to find—a little heartbroken. She was the most amazing, sensual woman, and he wanted to know everything about her—and never let her go. He hadn’t felt like this since Flavia…and maybe not even then. Guilt crept in, but he couldn’t deny his feelings. His white dress girl, his ‘Beatrice’ had woken something in him he didn’t think he’d ever feltbefore.
Arturo shook himself and started the car. As he drew away from the hotel, every meter he drove further away from her hurt more. But she had been clear—it wasn’t meant tobe.
“Fuck it,” he said miserably, and pressed down hard on the gaspedal.
He’d seenthe girl at the auction, and his breath had been taken away. At first, he thought he was hallucinating. Flavia…but no, this girl was petite and curvy, whereas Flavia had been tall and willowy, and although he hated to admit it, this girl was even more achingly beautiful thanFlavia.
He’d been absorbed in the auction at the time and hadn’t seen her slip away. Imagine his surprise when he’d followed Arturo through the streets of the town and watched as they’d found eachother.
Following Arturo’s Mercedes, he watched them go into the Villa Bachi, saw Arturo’s bedroom light go on. They were fucking. Of course, they were. There wasn’t a woman in Como that Arturo hadn’t fucked; why would this girl be anydifferent?
Because she was a newcomer. He could tell by the way she walked through the town, studying everything as if it were new. He wondered if she had family close or friends. When Arturo had driven her back to her hotel, he followed her into the hotel, heard her ask the receptionist for the key to Room45.
Room 45. That was good to know. He wondered how long she was staying, how much time he had to carry out hisplan.
He so wanted to see Arturo’s face when they called him to tell him his beautiful one-night stand was dead. To see his grief when they told him she’d been killed in the exact same way as his beloved Flavia twenty yearsago.
Chapter Five
“Where thehellare you?” Imelda’s already strident voice echoed through the speakerphone in Hero’s room. Hero, dressing, rolled hereyes.
“What do you care, Melly? You told me to go off bymyself.”
“I didn’t mean it, you know that. God, Hero, we’ve been worriedsick.”
Hero had to raise her own voice to make Imelda listen. “I’m in Italy. LakeComo.”
There was a pause on the end of the line, and when Imelda spoke again, her voice was calmer. “Oh.Good.”
“I’m doing what you told me, going ‘Wild’ like Reese Witherspoon, but instead of hiking, I’m hanging out with the Clooneys.Satisfied?”
“You’ve met George andAmal?”
“No, doofus, I’m just saying. I picked a place on the map, and it’s here.” She paused for effect. “I bought anapartment.”
“What?”
Hero was smugly satisfied with her sister’s stunned response. “Tell me you just did a comedy jaw-drop, Melly. Please tell me you didthat.”
“Stop messing around, Hero. Did you really buy a house, or are you just yanking my chainagain?”
Hero sighed. “No, I really did. I think I pissed off some rich muckety-muck who had his eye on it, too. I outbid him.”That rich muckety-muck, by the way, Imelda, whose cock drilled me to his bed last night and whose kiss I can’t stop thinkingabout.
Again, Imelda was silent. Hero, tugging on her socks, listened to the sound of her sister’s breathing. “Mel?”
“Well,” her sister’s voice was softer now, “that’s very positive. Nesting. Making a home. What are you going to dothere?”
“Read, write, paint, enjoy the view, eat everything in sight, get as fat as all get-out.”
“All goodthings.”
Hero’s eyebrows shot up. Usually, if Mel saw Hero had put on even a pound, she had her in the gym before she did anything else. “Lots of carbs,Mel.”
“I know you’re just trying to make me crazy, but seriously, I think this will be good foryou.”
