Page 30 of ‘I Do’ for Revenge

Her hair had been styled in such a way that it was still natural but a little more tamed. The hairdresser had left her some products, telling her they would work miracles. It had been pulled back on one side and held in place with a diamond clip and then teased to flow over the other bare shoulder.

Her make-up was minimal, much to Flora’s relief. Or, to be more accurate, she’d been made up to look as if she were wearing very little. Some dusky shimmery blush colour on her eyes, lashes long and black. Eyebrows plucked and shaped. Blush on her cheeks. Her mouth looked plumper—as if she’d just been kissed. She was tempted to find a tissue to make it look less...provocative but then she heard a sound coming from the doorway and turned around.

Vito.

Flora instantly forgot her preoccupation with herself. Vito was wearing a tuxedo. She’d seen him in a tuxedo just a couple of nights ago but that had been unexpected and she’d been too distracted to really appreciate the full effect.

But now he was in front of her and she was going to be going out with him and pretending that they were together as a couple...suddenly it was all a bit overwhelming.

Vito frowned. ‘What is it? You’ve gone white.’ He was beside her and guiding her to a stool nearby, making her sit down before she could protest. In truth her legs had turned to jelly. The impact of him in the tuxedo, what had happened between them in the last twenty-four hours, added to the sense of overwhelm.

Flora struggled to get air to her brain. Her heart. Vito smelled delicious, which only scrambled her brain cells even more.

Vito handed her a glass of water. Flora took a gulp. She handed it back. Looked up. ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’

Vito was putting the glass down. ‘Do what?’

‘Go out with you.’ She shook her head. ‘I know people think that I come from this very privileged background, butyouknow that’s not the case. I’ve never really been to a society event. That’s one of the reasons why there were so many people at the wedding that day, because most of them just wanted to gawk at me.’

Vito’s jaw clenched. ‘Flora, if I’d thought for a second about how that day was really going to impact you—’

She waved a hand. ‘It’s not your fault. How could you have known?’

Vito took a step back and held out a hand. ‘Come here.’

Reluctantly Flora put her hand in his and let him pull her up. He put his hands on her shoulders and she felt the zing of electricity all the way to between her legs. Her body was like a finely tuned instrument around this man. She could only hope that he felt a smidgeon of what she was feeling but it was unlikely, he was so much more experienced.

He turned her to face the mirror. ‘Look at yourself.’

Flora resisted telling him that was exactly what she’d just been doing and what had led to this minor attack of nerves. She looked at him. The first thing she noticed was how tall he was behind her. And his hands, on her shoulders. His skin so much darker than hers.

‘Not at me,’ he scolded. ‘At you.’

Flora rolled her eyes but then did as he asked. He pulled her back against him and she could feel his chest rumble against her back when he spoke. ‘You are beautiful, Flora. And I’m ashamed to admit that I was so blinded by your uncle that I didn’t notice it properly until you arrived in my office the day of the wedding.’

Flora’s gaze met his. Her heart flipped. She felt shy now. ‘I noticed you...as soon as I saw you.’

‘When you were hiding in the shadows.’

That impacted Flora in a very deep place where she harboured her worst fears and insecurities. ‘You were very intimidating.’

‘If I had not been so consumed with revenge, I would have noticed you more and maybe things would have been...different.’

Flora gave a little snort. ‘You still wouldn’t have married me.’

‘No, of course not. I’m never getting married. But maybe...we would have realised this mutual desire a lot earlier.’

Flora shook her head and stepped out from under his hands, facing him. ‘No, you hated him too much to be associated with anyone close to him.’

Vito looked at her broodingly. ‘Perhaps.’

‘Anyway,’ Flora said, ‘I’m glad things worked out the way they did. All ties were finally cut with my uncle and I found my freedom and independence, and I’m never giving it up for anyone again.’

But you’d consider it for this man.

That revelation gave her a jolt. On no planet was it likely that she and this man would be anything more than a fleeting interlude. For whatever reason he fancied her right now, but she was sure it wouldn’t last long and he wouldn’t keep indulging her like this. His guilt would be assuaged and he’d be moving on to the next woman.

And that was okay. Flora wasn’t even sure where she really saw herself, or what she wanted long-term. Her uncle had kept her so confined that she was just enjoying her independence and feeling young and free.