Page 20 of Vengeful Vows
Now, two weeks after we met, on Saturday morning, I drag myself out of bed and head to the parking garage’s storage area to wheel out my bike.
After fastening the strap of my helmet, sliding a bottle of water into a holder, and tucking my phone into a pouch in the back of my shirt, I mount up and head for Buffalo Bayou.
Almost an hour later, I stop beneath the shade of a tree to cool off.
After sitting on a park bench, I remove my helmet and place it beside me before uncapping my water and taking a long drink. It’s a little warmer than I’d like, but still, it’s refreshing because I’m so parched.
For some reason, I’m not surprised when Marcello shows up in a sleek, black SUV, parking at the curb and sliding out from behind the steering wheel.
For the first time ever, he is alone.
As always, his hair is pushed back from his forehead, showing off his wicked scar.
Maybe because it’s the weekend, he’s not dressed quite as formally as usual, though he’s still in a jacket. His collared shirt is open at the throat, and he wears no tie. Slacks show off his muscular legs, and his shoes are casual.
Designer sunglasses block his eyes, adding to his air of mystery.
Quite simply, he’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.
I don’t greet my suitor. Instead I shade my eyes with my hand as I look up at him. “Were you following me?”
“No.”
We both know it’s no accident that he’s here. Then realization dawns, and I scowl furiously. “You’re tracking me!”
Instead of denying my accusation, he shrugs. “You’re important to me.”
As if that says everything. Maybe to him, it does. “Are you a stalker?” Even as the words emerge, my question sounds ridiculous. Of course he wouldn’t admit it if he was.
Rather than respond, he quirks his lips.
Maybe he’s not, but when it comes to me, he’s most definitely overly cautious.
Then he changes the subject entirely. “What’s your schedule this weekend?”
I refuse to admit that I was hoping to spend time with him, so I haven’t made any plans. Even though I haven’t known him for long, I’m obsessed with him, by him. “I’m working a couple of hours this morning. I’ll be done before noon.” Fortunately we haven’t had any high-profile blowups this week.
“No fundraisers tonight? Tomorrow?”
I shake my head.
“In that case, pack an overnight bag.”
I blink.Pack a bag?“Are you serious?”
“You may have noticed that I rarely joke. I may tease you good-naturedly, but I assure you, when I speak, I mean what I say.”
My heart skips a beat. His invitation both thrills and concerns me. “I’ve mentioned that I don’t sleep around, Mr. Donati.”
“Back to that, are we?” As he removes his sunglasses, he smiles. “Your virtue is safe with me, I promise.”
“But—”
“I want something much more important than that.”
What’s more important than that?
Then his proclamation from the first night returns.“Forever.”I dismissed it as a seductive declaration, but the determination in his dark eyes now tells me otherwise. “What do you have in mind?”