Page 43 of Unveiled As The Italian's Bride
His voice was a husky murmur, burning through her composure. Dante could feel it. He liked it and he was frustrated with himself for liking it, was keen to get things back on solid ground. He loathed the way this woman made things shift under his feet and he couldn’t help thinking that it must be the novelty of her, her freshness, aligned to the peculiar situation they’d found themselves in.
‘I would never have guessed at your background.’ He moved the conversation along even though he knew that he should be ending it. Ending it would have been easy enough—he would have just had to briskly remind her of the hour, fake a yawn and turn his back to her. ‘Must have been difficult, making friends, seeing things through.’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Boyfriends... I got the feeling during the course of the evening that your parents worried that they might have been depriving you of a social life they felt you deserved.’
Kate cringed. He’d been listening intently during dinner, head tilted to one side, charming but not dominating the conversation, allowing her parents to confide all sorts of things, because they had absolutely loved him. If she had hoped that he might not be paying attention, that he might have his thoughts focused elsewhere—rather than on what she imagined must have been a boring litany of childhood highlights from her devoted parents—then it seemed she’d been mistaken.
‘It’s—it’s late,’ Kate stammered. ‘We should get some sleep. I’m sorry I—’
‘But we’re up now, and I don’t know about you, but I’m wide awake. It’s going to be a little awkward if we both now lie here in silence pretending to be asleep, don’t you think? Besides, where’s the harm in a little conversation? All those questions I should have thought to ask?’
Kate’s head was spinning from his accidental compliment.Desirable?No one had ever called her that before—ever. She contemplated the awkwardness of them both lying next to one another feigning sleep, both knowing the other was wide awake. Had there been any need to point that out? Now it was all she could think about.
‘I suppose now that we’re up...’
‘My point exactly. Of course, if you’d rather we get dressed and sit on the sofa to chat...’
‘No. I’m perfectly...comfortable right here.’
‘Sure? Earlier, you seemed to...’
‘I may have overreacted.’
‘So tell me about your parents. I’m getting the impression you thought this meeting might have been slightly different.’
Kate gave in. The more skittish she was, the more ridiculous she felt. The harder she tried and failed to keep her cool, the more she realised how essential it was to do so. ‘Okay. I guess I never thought that they would... I’m not sure how to put this, Dante, without sounding rude...’
‘Hesitant about speaking your mind? Once upon a time I thought that might have been the person you were. I was wrong. Shall I pre-empt you? You didn’t think that your parents would approve of me. Maybe you thought they’d be polite and then wait for the right moment to ask you what the hell was going on? You didn’t expect the photo albums and the scrapbooks. Also, maybe you thought that I might disapprove ofthem.’
So he was on a bed with her—big deal.
And what if he said that he thought she was desirable?
That little throwaway remark, so softly murmured, was the spanner in the works. But there was no need for him to know how she felt about him, was there? That would be to open a Pandora’s box filled with all sorts of danger.
Her heart sped up at the thought of it. She wondered what that sort ofdangermight feel like. What it might taste like.She’d spent so many years knowing that security was the thing she wanted most. Why did the notion of playing with fire now feather through her, stirring excitement?
‘Well?’ Dante prompted and she blinked, surfaced and groped her way back to reality.
‘I thought they’d have trouble accepting you,’ she confessed, voice hitching as she shifted her gaze to stare beyond him to the shadows and angles of the space they were sharing. ‘They’ve been hippies all their lives. They’ve never placed any importance on material stuff. You’re the complete opposite of them and it never occurred to me that—’
‘That they might actually find me likeable?’
‘I warned you I might sound rude,’ Kate said uncomfortably. ‘And, yes, if you must know,’ she added a little defensively, ‘I was also afraid thatyouwouldn’t get along with them.’
‘Because...?’
‘Because, when two worlds collide, it can sometimes be difficult.’
‘You might say that about us,’ Dante murmured. ‘Althoughcollisionseems a dramatic interpretation. We’re in this but you still can’t get past finding difficulties everywhere. Relax.’
‘I couldn’t be more relaxed!’ Kate protested tensely.
‘Liar.’ His voice was soft and amused.
His dark, velvety, accented voice made her shiver.
