Page 280 of Modern Romance January 2025 5-8
‘There’s nothing to grieve, and there’s too much history there. What my father did to Emilio might have been misguided, but to have sex with my fiancée in my home was Emilio’s own choice.Hebroke that trust.’
Emilio was the reason Enzo was so unforgiving. Why he didn’t love or trust or give second chances. Too much had happened. An entire lifetime. All Enzo truly wanted now was peace so that he could go back to his company, and Charlotte. Because when he sank into her, he could pretend the world was exactly as he wanted it to be. He could ignore the unease in his gut.
‘It’s up to you. Just know you control your path,’ she said, getting off his lap. And as if she was showing him how to make a different choice, she tugged him along as she made her way outside, shedding her clothes. When they reached the pool, she let go of his hand and dived in.
CHAPTER TEN
CHARLOTTESATCROSS-LEGGEDon an armchair, wrapped in a sheet, gazing out the window at one of the most breathtaking views she had ever seen.
It had been days since their arrival. Days since Enzo had made some painful discoveries. Since he had sent what he had uncovered to the lawyers, his sole focus had been on her. They hadn’t left the house at all. The only times they ventured outside was for a swim in the pool, and even then it would end with them tangled in each other with frantic kisses and an urgency that never seemed to abate.
Enzo had cooked every single day while she watched. And when she had commented that she had never seen anything sexier, he had taken her right there on the counter. After that he’d taught her to cook, but his methods of teaching were incredibly distracting. With his body against her back and his arms around her, guiding her hands through every process, all Charlotte remembered was the near-painful need for him he had aroused in her.
This felt like paradise. Happiness. Just the two of them trapped in their own little bubble with the world shut away. Here there weren’t any money-hungry fathers, or jealous siblings or people they couldn’t trust. All that lay beyond the doors, but Charlotte was happy pretending they didn’t exist for just a little while. She just wished with all her heart that this life with Enzo could be hers permanently.
Ridiculous, of course.
Nothing had changed. Enzo was keeping her safe, but she had no idea what that could mean once they were back in Sydney.
‘You’re thinking too hard again.’ Enzo’s voice made her jump, and she cursed softly, which he still heard.
‘Really, a bell,’ she said.
He placed an espresso cup beside Charlotte and kneeled before her, placing her hands on his bare neck. ‘I told you, this space is reserved.’
He kissed her sweetly but was already retreating when she wanted more. His darkening eyes told her that he knew. He was already shirtless—a state she was happy to note that he was frequently in these days. It would be so easy to slip her hand under the band of his pants and...
‘Stop.’
‘What?’ she asked, confused.
‘The way you’re looking at me,tesoro. You’re making me want to take you back to bed and keep you there when I have planned a surprise.’
‘What kind of surprise?’ Charlotte reached for the coffee, taking a small sip. She had never been much of a coffee drinker, preferring the same ginseng tea her mother had favoured before she had passed. Charlotte didn’t have many memories of her, but that one had stuck. But maybe Enzo was some sort of magician, because the espresso he made was one of the most delicious things she had ever tasted. Charlotte had even told him thatheshould be the one making the coffees at work instead of her. All he had done was laugh in response, but it had fed her unease about returning to Sydney.
‘The good kind,’ he replied cryptically.
‘Any surprise you think of would seem good to you because it was your idea. It’smyunbiased opinion that determines whether it is in fact a good surprise. So you should just tell me now and find out.’ She lifted the cup to her mouth, hiding her smug smile.
‘Were you on the debate team?’
‘Maybe. Also, if you know about it, it’s not even a surprise to you, so you definitely don’t get to judge if it’s good.’
He shook his head at her. After spending so many years tense and scared, it was wonderful to experience this lightness between them.
‘You wanted to see Italy, so I am going to show it to you.’
‘How?’ Charlotte’s heart fluttered. She didn’t want to be too hopeful just in case there was an element of her safety that Enzo might have overlooked, but even she had to admit that was a ridiculous thought. As it had been her habit, she was looking for reasons to deprive herself.
‘You’ll see. Get dressed,’ Enzo instructed.
A short drive later, they were at the marina in Amalfi. Boats and yachts gleamed in their berths.
‘What are we doing here?’
‘We are going sailing,’ Enzo replied, pointing at one of the boats. ‘In that.’
Charlotte looked in the direction he was pointing where a sixty-five-foot sailing yacht waited, the gentle waves lapping at its large sides. Despite Charlotte’s privileged upbringing and how much she enjoyed the water, she had never been on a yacht of any type.