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He waited, but she didn’t elaborate. “I’ll listen if you have more to say.”

“I appreciate that.” Her smile didn’t last. “I’m distracted.”

“Because of Gallo,” he guessed.

“Yes.” She rubbed her cheeks. “Does your face hurt from all the smiling yesterday?”

He chuckled and let her change the subject. “Maybe.” He paused, tapping his fingers on the arm of his seat. “You know, I’m happy to schedule a charter flight for Gallo. To get him out of your hair faster.” He didn’t consider it a blowto the budget. It would be a smart investment in his marriage.

“Maybe.” She leaned forward. “Before we get back, I want you to know the truth.” She reached for a water and drank deeply. “From me, not him.”

“Trina. Don’t you dare let him force anything. That bastard could tell me the sky was blue and I wouldn’t believe him.”

“You’re remarkable,” she murmured, her voice barely audible over the rumbling of the plane. “I care about you. About our marriage.”

He more than cared for her, but kept it to himself.

“Can you give me your word that you won’t, um…”

“Fly off the handle? Punch him in the face?” he supplied.

She smiled. “For starters.”

“No,” he stated honestly. “I won’t fly off the handle, but I can’t promise not to punch him. He had a chance to do the decent thing and leave on that first night. Instead, he stayed around, harassed my family, and is seemingly up to no good.”

“He doesn’t realize why I don’t want to be around him. Why I’ve avoided him all this time.”

“Sweetheart, if you want to tell me, tell me. But please don’t try and sell me on Luca Gallo. I’ll never be a fan of a man who hurt you.”

“That’s fair. Thank you.”

Watching her come to a decision, he braced himself.

She turned the bottle of water around in her hands. “I’d just been accepted into the program in France,” she began. “It was a dream come true. My parents were slightly less enthused.”

“Only-child issues?”

“Precisely. They wanted me to be happy. Preferably within their reach for the rest of my life.” Her mouth tugged to the side. “We went out to dinner to celebrate and bumped intoLuca at the restaurant. He was working, picking up extra shifts. His work ethic always impressed my father. Still does.” With a sigh, she continued. “He and I had been out on a couple of group dates. I wasn’t looking to get serious with anyone because I really wanted to travel before settling into what my parents wanted for my career and my life.

“Luca slipped me a note as we left, asking me out. Just the two of us,” she continued. “Flattered, I was excited to go. For a while, we had a great time. Coffee, a couple of movies, a late picnic after the restaurant closed. He was always a gentleman.”

“Until he wasn’t?” he asked when she paused. It was all he could do to stay still. He was glad he hadn’t promised not to punch the bastard.

“It was my first time.”

He didn’t have to ask which first time. His back teeth clenched but he didn’t interrupt.

“I got overwhelmed,” she said. “And I didn’t speak up. At least not enough.” Her eyes were dry, her expression somber. “When I got scared, he didn’t hear me and I sort of…sort of let him have his way. When it was over he took me home and I kissed him good night.” She swallowed. “A week later, I went to France.” Her gaze locked with his. “I apologize.”

“For what?” he snarled.

She gave a start, but she didn’t look at him with fear in her eyes. “For France,” she clarified. “I was raw and edgy. Unfortunately, I took it out on you. I couldn’t say anything back then. I couldn’t face it myself. So I gave my all to the program, pushing hard to make sure I wouldn’t have to go home. I was so afraid of failing that I abused our friendship.”

“We weren’t exactly friends at that point. We hadn’t seen each other in years.”

She gave him a hard look. “You know what I mean. I knew I had a problem about a year later when I punched a guy who tried to kiss me at the end of a date.”

Rhett’s laughter caught him by surprise. Fortunately, Trina was soon laughing with him.