Page 67 of Forgotten Mistress, Secret Love-Child
A finger at her chin inexorably lifted her face towards his. There was no escaping his dark gaze or the sympathy she read there.
She didn’t want his sympathy! She wanted so much more.
The futility of it hit her. She’d married Alessandro pretending not to care for him, but she’d known, deep in her heart, that she was fated to love this man no matter how unequal their circumstances or the feelings between them.
Alessandro’s heart jammed against his ribs, almost stopped beating, as he saw her reddened eyes.
His indomitable Carys had been crying. The realisation gutted him. His hold on her tightened, but he resisted the need to pull her close. The set of her jaw and the flash of her ice-bright eyes were pure warning.
‘I can explain—’
‘I’m sure you can.’ Bitterness laced her words. ‘I suppose your office warned you I’d rung. That I knew you’d asked Livia to take my place.’
‘It wasn’t like that.’ Not in the way she thought. His hands gentled on her shoulders, sliding down her slick arms in an instinctive gesture of comfort.
‘Wasn’t it?’ Her gaze shifted. She didn’t want to look at him. ‘You think I’m not up to playing the role of contessa.’
‘Don’t say that!’ He hated it when she talked of playing a role. As if at any moment she might decide she was tired of the act and simply leave. His fingers tightened and he planted his feet wider, instinctively ready to fight for what was his.
‘So you asked Livia, begged her to step in.’
‘That was a mistake, Carys.’
‘You can say that again!’ She tried to shrug out of his grip, but he refused to release her. He watched temper war with pain as her lips trembled and her eyes glowed bright with slow burning anger. He wanted to fold her close and soothe her.
‘I’m you’re wife, Alessandro. Not some employee you can put aside if you think they’re not up to a job.’ The words poured out in a rush. ‘You manipulated me into this marriage. Gave me no choice in the matter. It’s too late to decide now that you didn’t get a good bargain when you married me.’
‘Now hold on.’ She’d hit on a sore spot. He knew a sneaking guilt that he’d forced her into marriage. That he’d taken unfair advantage of a woman who hadn’t the resources to withstand him. He’d been utterly ruthless in getting this woman into his home and his bed.
‘No, I won’t hold on!’ She straightened, glaring at him with something akin to hatred in her eyes. That look set his heart pounding and fear skimming through him. A fear such as he’d never known.
He couldn’t lose Carys. It was impossible. Not now.
‘I’m not some prop to be pulled out and shown to the public when you want a compliant wife, then shoved aside when you think I’m not up to dealing with your aristocratic friends.’
‘You can’t believe that’s what I’ve been doing!’ Indignation warred with sympathy. ‘I’ve been giving you time to adjust, trying not to overwhelm you. I know this is different to what you’re used to.’
She wasn’t listening, just shook her head and planted her hands dead centre on his chest, pushing as if to make him move away.
He stayed planted exactly where he was. No one, not even Carys, dismissed him.
‘I’m tired of this, Alessandro. Tired of being treated as second best. Tired of settling for less.’
‘Settling?’ His brow knotted. ‘What do you mean settling?’
‘This convenient arrangement of ours,’ she said, distaste dripping from every syllable. ‘It can’t go on like this. I can’t—’
‘Convenient?’ Alessandro tried to obliterate burgeoning panic, funnelling his fears instead into the wrath that surfaced when she spoke of ending their marriage. ‘You accused me of that the night we got married, didn’t you? You were wrong then and you’re wrong now.’ After all this time they were back where they’d started. Why couldn’t she see how important this was? How important they were. ‘You think this marriage is convenient for me?’
Azure eyes met his, unblinking. Her gaze pierced him to the soul. ‘I think you got what you wanted, Alessandro. But it’s not enough for me. I—’
He refused to listen to Carys request a divorce. Feelings, more tumultuous than he’d ever experienced, exploded within him, shattering the last of his iron-clad control, leaving him defenceless against the pain that ripped him apart.
‘You think this is convenient, Carys?’ He swooped down and took her mouth with his. The kiss was hard, demanding, proprietorial, almost brutal, but he could no longer hold himself in check.
