Page 4

Katie

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Your transport is over here,” the man says in a thick Italian accent as he nods towards a black SUV with blacked-out windows. The other people in the queue look from me to him with concern. I question whether or not to go with him.

He walks towards the vehicle, shouting over his shoulder as he does. “Mr. Guerra does not like to wait!”

He obviously knows Leo, so I decide to go with him.

I’ll go to meet Leo and catch up; then, I will book a hotel.

I am feeling quite on edge. Who does Leo think he is?

Come to think of it, it’s a bit presumptuous expecting me to come all the way here with not even a phone call.

Plus, it’s rude not to even pick me up himself.

Mr. Guerra doesn’t like to wait, does he not?

Well, I am going to tell him a few things I don’t like when I see him.

I’ll see him now, thank him for the plane ticket, and then go enjoy my holiday in Italy on my own .

Grunting from the grumpy Italian quickly brings me back to the moment. He reluctantly takes my case and opens the back door for me; I climb in. As I’m still feeling a little tipsy, I decide to kill him with kindness.

“Thank you so much for picking me up, Mr…?”

“Marco.”

“Mr. Marco.”

“No! Just Marco.”

“Okay, ‘just’ Marco. I’m Katie. It’s nice to meet you.”

Marco growls and mutters something in Italian under his breath.

“So, where are we going?” I ask while I take in the Italian views whizzing past my window. “Even at night, the scenery is spectacular.”

Marco looks at me through this rearview mirror, his eyes frowning.

“I absolutely love Italy. I love the food, the weather, the people. Oh, I can’t wait to see Leo. How is Leo? What is he up to these days?” I twitter on.

Marco huffs, annoyed by my chatter. He raises up a privacy screen between us. Charming.

I get my phone out and let my parents and Bella know I have landed safely.

They all think I have taken a holiday to get over my breakup with Jax.

They all know I’m in Italy, so at least if I go missing, they will know where to look.

Oh goodness, do not think like that , Katie .

I am perfectly safe. I will meet up with Leo, thank him for his generosity, pay him back, and then do my own thing.

My dad will send me more money if needed.

I don’t like to be in debt to anyone. Well, except my dad, but that’s whatDad's are for.

Catching up on my messages and searching for a hotel takes my mind off my current situation.

Google has found me lots of hotels with availability.

I am waiting to see where we are going before I decide which one to stay in.

The nearest hotel to where we end up will be my first choice for tonight.

I’m exhausted. A few days there to start with, and then I’ll move on.

It’s not my first time in Italy, but there are still places I haven’t seen and many places I want to see again.

A little tour around the country is just what the doctor ordered.

The movement of the car changes. Through the window, I see we are driving down a long pebbled driveway.

Lights at either side lead us down to a well-lit house.

It is a large white building with shutters on either side of the windows and ivy growing up on one side. It looks expensive and very Italian.

Marco collects my case from the boot and leads me into the house. The hallway is bright; it smells floral and clean. It's all marble floors and extravagant paintings and vases. I follow Marco into what looks like a library.

“Sit.” Marco points to a leather Chesterfield sofa as he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.

Not feeling like sitting, I walk around the room, taking in its beauty.

There are floor-to-ceiling windows which are covered with heavy gold velvet curtains.

Oak bookcases line every wall. Each shelf is full of books.

Most are in Italian, but there are some in English.

There’s a range of fiction and non-fiction.

A large desk sits centred at the back of the room.

I am about to walk over to it when the door opens behind me; I hear two sets of heavy footsteps enter the room.

One set stops behind me to the left and the other stops at my back.

I feel the heat from their body against mine.

Their head leans in over my shoulder. Their breath on my ear sends shivers down my spine.

I should move, turn around to see who is making my skin prickle with their presence.

But I don’t. My nose then fills with a scent that makes me breathe in even deeper.

I close my eyes, savouring the masculine spice.

A light touch of a finger on my ear makes me open them again.

The finger traces the edge of my ear from my lobe to the top, finishing by tucking strands of my hair behind it .

“La mia ragazza. You have been hiding from me.”

The voice covers my skin in goosebumps. Leaving me frozen to the spot, he continues past me and round the desk at the end of the room.

This man is just as tall as Marco—around six feet.

Not built as big but extremely well-built all the same.

An expensive suit fits perfectly around each curve of his body.

He throws some folders angrily onto his desk.

Leaning forward with both hands on the work surface, he slowly raises his head to look at me.

As soon as my eyes land on him, I instantly recognise him as Leo.

His expression is cold and devil-like as his eyes roam my body from my feet to my head.

When our eyes meet, this, however, instantly changes.

His eyes are warm and smiling, even though the rest of his facial expression doesn’t match.

Feelings flood back to me. Our time together pops freshly back into my memory.

Laughing together, teaching each other our languages, walking along the sea, holding hands, kissing… . My tummy flutters with the reminders.

He’s so different now, though. He’s older, obviously, but he oozes power. He is incredibly attractive. Dark chocolate-brown eyes. Thick black hair. A short black beard perfectly framing his chiselled jawline.

I walk towards him .

“Leo, I—”

A strong hand grips my shoulder, stopping me from moving any further. I wince at the tightness of his hand and try to move away.

Leo abruptly stands tall. His eyes leave mine, and the cold anger returns. “Marco!”

The hand instantly releases its grip. Leo stares at Marco behind me for a few more seconds, his nostrils flaring and his fists clenched at his sides.

When Leo’s eyes return to mine, the warmth has gone. Although they’re not as cold as they were when he looked at Marco, I do not recognise this man. I need to get out of here.

“Well, it was nice to see you again, Leo, but I really must be going now. I have a hotel reservation, and I am feeling rather tired. Thank you so much for your generosity; I will, of course, pay you back for the flight. Maybe we could meet up for a drink while I am here and catch up…,” I continue nervously, making excuses to leave, feeling rather flustered.

I move closer to the door. This is the most surreal experience of my life.

A slight smirk appears on one side of Leo’s mouth; there’s also amusement in his eyes. “Portala nella mia stanza. Non toccarla più!” Take her to my room. Do not touch her again, Leo instructs Marco .

“Follow me. I will take you to your accommodation.” Marco picks up my case and disappears through the door.

“Oh no, Leo, I don’t want to impose. I have a hotel; we can meet up tomorrow or the next day, maybe?”

Leo opens a safe behind a wall in the bookcase. He removes something and tucks it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket and locks the safe. Without looking at me, he walks out of the room as he says, “You will stay with me, Katherine. We will talk tomorrow.”

He disappears, leaving me tingling from the way he says my name in his smooth Italian accent.

“Kat-er-een.” It does the same to me now, all these years later, as it did back then.

I feel like a teenager again. Knowing he won’t take no for an answer combined with the fact that I don't actually have anywhere to stay, I decide one night won’t do any harm.

I am shattered and also quite intrigued by my now grumpy and incredibly handsome teenage heartthrob.

I take a few seconds to compose myself before I follow the sound of my name being bellowed down the hallway.

“Miss Harris!”

“Coming, just Marco.” I practically run to keep up with him .

Marco shows me to a huge bedroom with thick carpets. The room is very grey. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but very masculine. I take off my shoes and explore as Marco puts my case on the bed and leaves.

“Thanks, just Marco,” I tease as he closes the door.

“Sciocca,” Marco ironically calls me. Fool.

They all assume I do not understand their language. Unbeknown to them, I have a PLIDA certificate, which is basically a certification of competence in the Italian language; I’m fluent.

This is going to be fun.

I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. The mixture of stress from the last few days and the alcohol I consumed on my journey knocked me straight out. I wake up bursting for the loo.

Sitting on the toilet, I put my head in my hands.

“What am I doing?” I mutter to myself. The reality of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks. I am in a foreign country in a stranger’s house, and nobody knows where I am.

“Good morning, Katherine.” My stomach drops. The voice is coming from someone also in the bathroom. I slowly look up, scared as to what I will see. And there's Leo in the bathtub, completely naked, with an amused smirk across his face. I quickly wipe, flush, and get the hell out of there.

Leo

I return home at 6:00 a.m., having eradicated one of my problems. My head pounds with the stress and responsibility my lifestyle brings.

How is it I erase one complication only to find another has appeared in its place?

A prime example of this is currently lying sleeping in my bed.

Her blonde hair, tinged with pink, is fanned across my pillow.

She’s curled up on her side with her flawless, smooth-skinned long legs crossed over each other.

Her arms are wrapped around something. I am not sure what it is.

Is that a teddy? I stand there and take her in for a moment.

She looks like an angel brightening up my dark grey bed.

She was supposed to be the means to an end.

But now I think she may be the beginning of something I hadn’t bargained for.

I remove my blood-stained clothes and run myself a bath, needing to soak off the night’s drama and clear my head.

Closing my eyes, I let the warmth of the water soothe my aching muscles.

The image of Katherine appears prominently in my mind.

When I saw her, I thought I would feel the pain and hate for her that has tormented me for years.

That her deceit and betrayal would fuel the plans I have for her.

I was not prepared for the comfort I felt when I looked into her eyes.

When Marco put his hand on her shoulder, it took all my strength not to pull my gun out from under my desk and put a bullet in my number one’s head.

The sound of the bathroom door opening disturbs me from my thoughts.

A very sleepy-looking Katherine hurries in and takes a seat on the toilet.

Completely oblivious to my presence, she puts her head in her hands and mumbles something to herself.

I smile at the sight of her. She always amused me with her little quirks.

“Good morning, Katherine.”

She takes a few seconds to look at me, but when she does, her face is a picture. I chuckle at the mortified look and watch her exit my bathroom at a record pace.

With a towel wrapped around me, I go to my wardrobe and pull out some clothes. Katherine watches me, clearly in shock at my brazen actions.

“Leo? What is going on? You said I could use this room, and then you come in unannounced, use my bathroom, and walk around in next to nothing? I need you to speak to me, Leo. What is going on?”

Without saying a word, I drop my towel and begin to get dressed with my back to Katherine.

Gasping she shouts, “What the?! Leo! ”

I’m hit on the back with a pillow; I hear her stomping about. The bathroom door slams. She’s mad. I like it.

Once I am dressed, I unlock the bathroom door from my side and stand at the sink mirror to do my hair. I try not to look at her naked body behind me.

“Ahh, Seriously! Leo, I am in the shower!”

I ignore her outburst.

“To answer your questions, this is now ‘our’ room. We will, from now on, be living together and sharing a room.”

“What?! No, don’t be ridiculous. Why would I do that?”

“Because, Katherine, soon you will be my wife.” I walk out of the bathroom and close the door, leaving Katherine shouting obscenities and slamming the shower door.