Wrapping her arms around her body, she tightened them until her ribs hurt. ‘You turned me into the other woman and I didn’t even know it,’ she whispered.
‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured.
‘I don’t want to hear you tell me you’re sorry!’ Like a wounded animal she went on the attack. ‘I just want you to tell me why you lied to me!’
‘I did not lie.’ Reaching out, he closed the laptop.
‘Oh, I forgot, you don’t remember me.’ Her sarcasm hit a nerve because he turned on her then.
‘All right!’ he flung at her. ‘So I’ve known since the first night we met again why I had forgotten you! Guilt is why I wiped you out of my head, Cassie! Sheer, gut-crucifying guilt!’
Hearing him actually voice the stark, crawling truth of it drained the blood from her head. Sandro didn’t look as if he was feeling any better. He was standing there rigid, looking as stunned as she was by his own confession.
His guilty confession! It was no wonder he kept on blacking out—he couldn’t live with himself! This big, strong, dynamic male with the body of a warrior and the machinating mind of a general had learnt the hardest way possible that he actually possessed a conscience!
‘You bastard,’ she breathed with the frailest flimsiness because she didn’t dare test the strength of her voice against what was backing up behind it.
‘Sí,’ he agreed.
‘The way you treat w-women, I can actually understand why Pandora did what she did!’
He stiffened his backbone. ‘What is that supposed to imply?’
‘Hell has no fury,’ Cassie supplied with thick, tremulous mockery. ‘She was your lover before I came along. You must have—’
‘She was not my lover.’
‘What was she, then?’
‘My assistant,’ he said. ‘My—’
‘Personal assistant?’
‘No!’ he raked out. ‘And quit with the sarcasm,’ he growled impatiently. ‘My relationship with Pandora is purely professional! OK…’ He sighed out harshly when he read her expression. ‘So I knew she had…feelings for me. I decided to do something about it to help her get over her…infatuation, by removing her out of my sphere and putting her in charge of BarTec while I turned my attention to other things! She did not like it but she did look forward to the challenge so accepted the opportunity! Then you came crashing back into my life, and it’s clear now that she allowed her feelings for me to override her professional common sense!’
‘Did you ever sleep with her?’
‘No.’
‘Did you ever want to sleep with her?’
‘No!’ he bit out. ‘If you want the truth, she had become a pain in the damn neck! When Gio told me she was giving you a hard time at BarTec, I decided it was time I did something more permanent about her…emotional attachment, so I sent her back to Florence with notice to find herself another job. This…’ the laptop was waved at ‘…was her vindictive response!’
‘OK,’ Cassie whispered. ‘I believe you.’
‘Grazie,’ he responded with stiff-necked thinness, not in the least bit happy about being put on the rack about Pandora in the first place.
‘Don’t think for one second that I forgive you for any of it!’ She instantly fired up. ‘You should have told me about your f-fiancée, Sandro!’
‘I tried to several times but…’ he stopped to sigh then pushed his fingers through his hair ‘…I knew it was going to hurt you. And I could not predict how you were going to react. So I decided to wait until we were safely married before I explained about—about Phebe.’ He couldn’t even say her name without swallowing first! ‘And I also had to think about what was best for the twins.’
‘Don’t you dare bring them into this!’ Cassie choked out. ‘And I am not in the least bit impressed by your excuses! Right from the start it’s always been what you decided. What you wanted to do! Well, what about me and what I might have wanted?’
‘You wanted me,’ he declared harshly. ‘From the moment you looked at me in that damn restaurant, Cassie, you—wanted—me! Well, now you have me, tied, trussed and bloody gift-wrapped! I’m giving you what you wanted!’
‘Y-you conceited devil!’ she gasped.
‘I wanted you the same way. Why deny it that we both want the same thing?’
‘I did not want to be the cross you’ve decided to bear to salve your lousy guilty conscience!’
She hated him for turning her into that—she would hate him forever for it!