Modern Romance March 2021 Book 5-8 by Carol Marinelli (desktop ebook reader txt) 📗

you would have an idea what was going on behind the scenes.”

“I did.” She was nothing but eyes and cheekbones and white lips, her profile shell-shocked.

It hit him that she did know—all too well. He wanted to stop and touch her. Draw her into his arms. Kiss her and swear he wasn’t pinning the blame on her.

He settled for following her into her suite.

“I couldn’t bring you into the discussions today. I realize, given our contract, that you expected to be consulted, but I had to sideline you. It was best to let the process play out through normal channels.”

“You think I’m upset because I feel ‘sidelined’? I wish I was a footnote! Why didn’t you tell me we were exposed out there? Did you plan this?”

“Of course not!” He hadn’t given thought to anything but her last night. Did she think he would walk outside naked for anyone else? He was still uncomfortable with how immersed he’d been in their mutual desire. “It was a fluke. For God’s sake, Amy. How could I plan it?”

“A fluke?” she scoffed. “You just happened to pick me to come here and take on the task of ruining you. You just happened to kiss me and take me to your room—” She cut herself off, shielding her eyes in what could only be described as shame.

The rocks in his belly began to churn.

“When I heard the door, I thought you were leaving.” He started forward, drawn by her distress. “I didn’t know you were going outside. I didn’t take you out there.”

As soon as his feet came into her line of sight, she brought up her head and stumbled back, keeping a distance between them.

That retreat, coupled with the trepidation in her face, was like a knee to the groin.

He held very still, holding off a pain that he barely understood. It was new, but so acute he actually tasted bile in the back of his throat.

“I’m not going to touch you if you don’t want me to.” He opened his hands in a gesture of peace.

“I don’t want you to scramble my head again,” she muttered, arms crossed and brow flexing with anguish. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Luca. No one was supposed to know about us. You made me think that’s what you wanted.”

“It was.” But affirming it made his mouth burn. “Look, I know this wasn’t the way we planned it, but once the photographs were out there, I had to seize the opportunity. This is what I hired you to do.”

“You did not hire me to sleep with you. I won’t take money for it,” she said jaggedly.

He was insulted by her implication. “I hired you to ruin me. You have.”

She gasped if he’d struck her. Her hurt and distress were so clear, his arms twitched again to reach for her.

“I honestly thought you would understand this was the incident I needed,” he said. “I’m not clear why you’re so upset.”

“I was supposed to find someone who wanted the attention. Someone prepared for it.” She kept pulling at her shawl until it was so tight around her, the points of her shoulders and elbows looked as though they would poke holes in the raw silk. “I was supposed to control the message to minimize the damage. It wasn’t going to be ugly exposure where a woman’s reputation is torn to shreds.”

When her gaze flashed to his, there was such agony in the green depths, his heart stalled.

“My team won’t crucify you,” he swore, and started to take a step forward, but checked himself. “I won’t allow it. I’m taking responsibility. This was my slipup—”

“I slept with a client, Luca!” Her arm flung out and the shawl fell off her shoulder. “I compromised him so badly I caused a king to be dethroned. It really doesn’t matter what you or your team say. People will come to their own conclusions.”

He briefly glimpsed her tattoo before she shrugged the shawl back into place.

She was shaking so hard, he started to reach for her again and she stumbled back another step.

“I won’t touch you.” He couldn’t help that his voice was clipped with impatience. “But I’m worried about you. Sit down. Have you eaten? I told them to make sure you had food.”

“I’m not a dog!” she cried, eyes wild. “You don’t get to hire someone to check if I have food and water and call it good. Although, at least I would have got a proper walk today instead of being held like a prisoner.”

“That—” He squeezed the back of his neck. “I realize you’re angry, but stop saying such ridiculous things.”

“Oh! Am I overreacting?” She shot him a look that threatened to tear his head from his shoulders. “You know nothing about what I’m going through. Nothing.”

“So explain it to me,” he snapped back. “Because I don’t see this as the disaster that you do. You said it yourself. People love to clutch their pearls over a sexy escapade. I’m the one who’s naked in that photo, not you! Are you upset that we happened?” It took everything in him to ask that. It wasn’t an accusation, he really needed to know, but he braced himself. “Are you feeling as if I took advantage of you? Like you couldn’t say no last night?”

HR had interviewed her. She’d reported that Amy had confirmed their involvement was consensual. Even so, Amy’s chin crinkled. Her eyes welled.

His heart lurched and he couldn’t breathe.

“I should have said no.” Her shoulders sagged. “I knew it was a mistake and I want to take it back.” She buried her face in her hands. “So badly.”

That sent a streak of injury through him because the thing that unnerved him most was how little he didn’t regret sleeping with her.

As the dominoes had fallen today, he’d disliked himself for playing manipulative palace politics the way his father had. He’d met the disillusioned gazes of mentors and advisers and understood he’d fallen miles in their estimation. He loathed feeling