Page 34 of ‘I Do’ for Revenge
She didn’t look at him but she could feel his gaze on her as she studiously ate some of her breakfast.
‘Flora...’
Reluctantly she looked up. He said, ‘You need to understand that this is just a temporary thing...for as long as we want each other. That hasn’t changed. The sex between us is...intense, but it’s just sex. I won’t want more and when the time comes we will be moving on with our lives. I will make sure you’re set up. That’s the least I can do for you after—’
Flora put up her hand. Vito stopped talking. She hid the dangerous pang near her heart because shedidneed to hear him spell this out. Because she knew deep down that his effect on her had already impacted her emotionally in a way that she feared was more comprehensive than she liked to admit.
She said, ‘I’ve just gained my independence and freedom. I won’t be giving that up for anyone for a long time. If ever. The man who will persuade me to one day consider entering into a relationship will have to be very special, someone I can trust. You don’t have to worry, Vito. I know exactly the type of man you are, and I might have been sheltered all my life but I’m not so naive or self-destructive to think for a second that you’ll ever want more than this affair.’
Vito didn’t say anything for a long moment and then, ‘You don’t trust me.’
Flora’s eyes widened, he sounded almost...hurt. Ridiculous. The man was impervious to anything she could ever inflict on him. ‘I do trust you. I trusted you with my innocence, didn’t I? But don’t worry, I would have to be the biggest idiot on the planet to trust you with my heart.’
Vito stared broodingly across the plane to where Flora was curled up on a seat, asleep. Benji was a fluffy ball beside her. She’d looked so crestfallen when he’d said the dog couldn’t come to New York that he’d suddenly found himself moving mountains to make it work, ensuring Benji had all the right documentation, vaccinations and health checks.
Flora was wearing new clothes supplied by the stylist, soft black leather skinny trousers and a cream silk shirt. Her hair was loose. Feet bare.
But all Vito could think about was what she’d said the day before:‘I would have to be the biggest idiot on the planet to trust you with my heart.’
Her words should have made him feel assured that the little telltale dreamy look he’d seen in her eyes didn’t mean that she was confusing amazing sex with emotion.
But instead of feeling assured, or relieved, he’d felt...unsatisfied. Unsettled.
She’d spoken of meeting a man some day who she could trust enough to be in a relationship with. Ridiculously, Vito had felt insulted that she evidently didn’t consider him trustworthy. And worse, he’d felt an almost violent sense of rejection at the image of her with another man.
He wasn’t used to feeling possessive of a lover. To the point of almost...jealousy.
He shook his head at himself now. No, it wasn’t jealousy, because as soon as this desire burnt out he would be ready to let her go, to find this man she could trust with her heart.
This relationship with Flora was different from anything he’d ever experienced before because of what had happened six months ago. They had a history. And Vito had been instrumental in Flora being put in a perilous situation for the last six months.
He was ensuring that she would not be in that position again—he owed her that much. The fact that they shared this crazy chemistry was something neither of them could have foreseen. It would burn out soon, it always did, and then they would both have got what they wanted from this brief interlude and they could get on with their lives.
The dog lifted its head at that moment and looked balefully at Vito, as if he’d heard his thoughts and was warning him to tread very carefully.
Vito rolled his eyes at himself. He was losing it. He opened up his laptop again and resolved to focus his attention on work but then Flora’s husky-sounding voice said, ‘Where are we? Was I asleep for long?’
Vito looked over. She was deliciously tousled and sleepy. She stretched, which made the silk shirt ride up, exposing her belly.
Desire surged and Vito mentally cursed her for messing with his head. He closed his laptop and said, ‘We’re about halfway, which is perfect timing.’
She looked at him. ‘Timing for what?’
He stood up and held out a hand. ‘To show you where the bedroom is.’
She frowned. ‘But I just had a nap—’ She stopped and blushed. ‘Oh.’
‘Oh,’ Vito echoed, his blood pumping at the thought of introducing Flora to the decadent side of private air travel.
Flora put Benji down into his dog bed on the floor and slipped her hand into his. Vito pulled her up and led her down to the back of the plane, telling himself that the more he indulged this desire, the sooner it would burn out.
‘Wow, just...wow.’ Flora’s eyes didn’t feel big enough to take in the entire view spread out before her. Central Park, surrounded by the iconic sky-scraping tall, elegant buildings. One of which she was at the top of, on a terrace. The streets were far below, the sounds of the traffic barely piercing through to the atmosphere up here.
She tore her eyes off the view for a moment to look up at Vito, who was staring at her. She flushed. ‘I must seem like such a hick to you.’
He shook his head and turned to look out at the view too. ‘No, everyone should have this reaction when seeing one of the world’s most famous views for the first time.’
‘Did you?’