AN HOUR LATER, Anna sat facing the Trevi Fountain, arms crossed over her stomach as she stared up at the illuminated statues guarding the bubbling waters of the most famous fountain in the world. At nearly eleven o’clock at night, most of the crowds that had congregated to watch water flow from the historic landmark had disappeared, leaving her with a pleasant sensation of having the small plaza almost completely to herself.
After the show, Kess’s firm had hosted a cocktail party. Anna had somehow made it through the hour-long event, her feet encased in flat sandals beneath the folds of her skirt. Judging by the praise she’d overheard Kess’s boss bestowing on her, the fall hadn’t negatively affected the show. If anything, it sounded like it was going to bring more attention to Kess, the featured designer, and Hampton Events.
After changing and wiping the layers of makeup off her face, Kess, who had turned the after-party over to her assistant, had invited her to walk to the Trevi Fountain. Kess’s mom had called from Nigeria, so now she stood off to the side chatting about how her first show had gone, giving Anna time to just sit and breathe.
At first it had been blissful; the music of the water, the heat of the day giving way to the gentle warmth of an Italian summer evening. But the initial magic had dissipated, a fresh wave of embarrassment suffusing her limbs. Embarrassment and irritation that Antonio of all people had been the one to rescue her. What were the odds that she would not only fall at a fashion show, but fall into the arms of the man who’d rejected her so many years ago?
Her stomach rolled and she focused on the statue of Oceanus’s nearly naked figure standing guard over the fountain. She was in Rome. Why ruminate on the past when she was in one of the most incredible cities on the planet? When just eight months ago she’d barely ventured out of Granada, let alone Spain? And now she was in front of one of the most iconic fountains known to man, letting her mind wander yet again to the city that had once seemed like her saving grace, only to turn into a prison.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she gazed out over the centuries-old architecture. The bearded, muscular statue of Oceanus presided over the masterpiece. Horses leapt out of stone on either side. Two nude male figures led the beasts, one trying to tame the wilder of the horses, the other raising a conch shell to his lips. Water splashed from beneath Oceanus’s feet and tumbled down over three ledges before cascading into the massive pool filled with coins.
One coin tossed with your back to the fountain and you’ll return to Rome.
She smiled. Kess had told her the legend on their walk to the fountain.
Two coins and you’ll fall in love.
Antonio’s face as she’d last seen it, youthful and yet so mature and serious at the tender age of nineteen, appeared in her mind.
Three coins and you’ll be married soon.
Not a chance. She’d once dreamed of love, marriage, children. One day she’d circle back to that. But ever since she’d been let go from her job as a fashion buyer for a clothing retailer, she’d decided to finally stop existing and start living. The firing should have felt like a failure. But it had felt like a new beginning. Moving away from Granada, financing her own apartment in Paris for a year through a combination of her savings and a small inheritance, and finally picking back up the fashion design career she’d dreamed of in college. Granted, the portfolios she’d sent out the first half of the year had garnered almost no interest.
As angry as she was at Leo White, the fashion columnist, and how he’d used her, she did owe him one favor. He’d forced her to confront why her work wasn’t getting any attention. The anger at how he’d used her had also uncovered confidence she hadn’t even realized she possessed. Without his interference, the gold gown wouldn’t exist and she would have never set foot on that catwalk.
Another glance at Kess confirmed she was still conversing with her mom.
The exhaustion spread, dragging Anna’s shoulders down as she yawned. She’d flown into Rome last night, caught a few hours of sleep and dragged herself out of bed just after dawn. The thought of crawling into her cozy bed with its crisp sheets made her head droop.
But she wouldn’t leave Kess. Not after everything she’d done for her. She’d been the first person since Antonio to push her, tell her she could achieve something on her own like switching her degree from generic business to the passion her mother had instilled in her with trips to thrift stores and dressing up at home. She hadn’t recognized it at the time, but changing her degree against her aunt and uncle’s strongly worded advice had been her first step toward moving away from their heavy influence.
Not that her uncle Diego or any of the others back at Casa de Cabrera had meant to be so controlling or to hurt her. Her uncle, especially. He’d gained a child while losing his beloved baby sister in that car accident. She knew that, as she’d grown, it had pained him to look at her sometimes.
When she glanced in the mirror, she saw her mother, just as he did.
A light breeze whispered across her skin. She looked up again, taking in the exquisitely carved detail of the statues, lit up by the warm glow of spotlights. The lullaby of dancing water soothed the tension brought on by her hectic day.
Her eyes dropped once more to the coins winking at her from the fountain floor.
“Legend says if you toss a coin into the fountain, you’ll return to Rome one day.”
Her body tensed. Time had deepened his voice into a richer timbre that resonated through every nerve ending in her body and rooted her to the stones beneath her feet. The chaos of earlier had dimmed the effect. But now she felt it, every intonation seeping deep into her bones with an intoxicating, delicious warmth.
A hand appeared in front of her, palm up, a coin resting on long fingers.
How many times had she held that hand as a child, clasping those fingers as he’d led the way up a mountain path or under the winding vines of the vineyard, offering her a respite from the suffocating confines of her adopted home?
Or the last time she’d seen him, when he’d pulled his hand back and walked away from her?
“Rome is beautiful,” she replied, inwardly wincing at the breathiness in her voice. “But why go back to what you’ve already seen when the world has so much more to offer?”
For a moment, he said nothing. Then, with a casual flip of his fingers, the coin arced up into the night air before dropping into the water.
You can do this.
Steeling herself, she faced Antonio Cabrera for the second time that evening.
The butterflies returned with a vengeance, madly fluttering in her chest as her heartbeat raced. When he’d walked away from her, he’d been just shy of twenty, with a smile so sweet it had made her ache. But now...
Sexy. That was the best word to describe the tall, brooding man standing just a couple of feet away. A black suit, Armani label, judging by the cut and the glimpse she got of the unadorned silk lining. The material clung to his broad shoulders, customized for his muscular body. Even though he’d been shorter than his brothers, he still loomed over her. She should have kept her heels on. Then she wouldn’t have to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
His mahogany-brown gaze that ignited a spark deep inside her. One that burned brighter as her eyes slid over him, taking in both the familiar and the new. The familiar square jaw and sharp cheekbones, now dusted with dark stubble that should have looked scruffy but on him radiated roguish masculinity. The familiar chestnut hair, now trimmed on the sides and thick and wavy on top.
And his mouth. Familiar, but no longer gentle as it curved up into a smile. A sensual, brooding smile that fanned the flames burning inside her.
“Hello, Anna.”