Like Sergio, for example. He was gorgeous, and downright charming. She thanked him politely for his compliment, and then he smiled with a nod. “You’re American?”
“I am. And I can tell you’re Italian.”
“Well yes, but I’m originally from Tuscany. I’m in Verona for a two-week conference. It’s been a bland few days but now, things seem to be getting a lot more exciting.” He grinned wolfishly. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Keyonna.”
He held out his hand, and Keyonna hesitated before placing hers in his. But instead of just shaking it, he raised it to his lips and bent to kiss it. Only to stop short as his eyes fell on her wedding and engagement rings. He exclaimed somewhat in dismay, “You’re married?”
“Um…yes,” she said dully, retrieving her hand as an unstoppable cloud of pain crossed her eyes. Why hadn’t she flung off the damned things ages ago, she wondered as she fisted her left hand, conscious of the weight of the two rings. She looked up at Sergio to find his expression had softened.#p#分页标题#e#
“But I guess it didn’t work out?” he asked kindly, a look of perceptiveness in his eyes.
“You could say that,” Keyonna murmured with twisted lips. “Or you could say it never stood a chance.”
“I see. And I presume you’re here on your own?”
She nodded, taking a gulp of wine and finding her hand was shaking slightly. Just mentioning anything about what she was going through, even with a kindly stranger was making her chest constrict. “I simply needed to get away, from everything. Give myself some space to think things through and make up my mind about everything.”
Yeah, like if she got back to Boston, she could ask for an annulment or something. To hell with Nick’s threat to destroy her, Keyonna thought with an inner surge of anger. She’d fight him every way she knew how.
Nick might have all that money and the connections, but this time she wasn’t going to take things lying down. Keyonna knew she should have stood up to him the first time – but then a part of her sensed that in some way, she’d welcomed the chance to be a part of his life. His ‘blackmail’ had undercut her decision to marry him, and yet even deeper had been the sense that she’d already felt irrepressibly drawn to him and the forced marriage had given her an excuse she’d needed.
Now she wasn’t sure exactly how she’d do it, but she’d find a way to beat him at his game. She just needed to stop feeling like her heart had been crushed by a bulldozer first.
To her surprise, she felt Sergio place his hand over hers in a warm touch that was in no way suggestive. “Whatever you need to get through, I’d like the opportunity to be there for you. I couldn’t help watching you from afar these past several minutes and I felt drawn to you for a reason. Yes, I think you’re a gorgeous woman, very attractive but I’ll be glad to settle for whatever you think you’re ready for right now. You’re alone, I’m alone – there’s nothing stopping us from becoming friends is there?”
He had that naturally charming smile again and Keyonna suddenly felt the assurance that she did need one – a friend that is. And as it turned out that Sergio turned out to be a good one as the days went on. They were staying at the same hotel so it was easier to meet up. Sergio was only busy with his conference a few hours during the mornings but after that he had to day to spend and he took the time to show Keyonna around all the historic and beautiful places. Keyonna had already gone on a bit of sightseeing but it was far more fun being shown around by an attentive, handsome and fun young gent.
And yet even as she tried to have fun she couldn’t help having it at the back of her mind that maybe she was stirring a storm back home. She’d called her family to tell them she was fine but didn’t tell them where she was. She’d given them no details and she certainly hadn’t contacted Nick.
She could only imagine what her friends or the outside world might be thinking but she didn’t care. This was how she was choosing to deal with things and though she knew deep down it was cowardly, she wasn’t heading back to face the crap she’d left behind until she was good and ready.
And right now Keyonna felt far from ready to face that world again. She might fill her days with activities but at night, when she lay beneath the covers, her nights were haunted by the image of Nick’s dark, piercing eyes and devilishly gorgeous smile. The way he touched her; the texture of his lips over hers and the solid heat from his body as his powerful arms had held her tightly to him…it had her biting into her pillow thinking of how tremendously he’d given her pleasure and hadn’t expected anything in return. She’d been so looking forward to discovering more about the way they clicked sexually, but now that was never going to happen. She couldn’t imagine letting Nick even lay a finger on her body now. And yet though she told herself she loathed him, she couldn’t seem to find the nerve to pull off his rings. They were like shackles that held her bound to him but still she chose to act like they weren’t even there. The same way she ignored the pain and hoped that one day, it would all go away.