Chapter Thirteen

Amy had been crying.

And that meant Ty was ready to slaughter whoever was responsible.

He was well aware of her relatives watching them and he felt their astonishment, but he’d planned for that. After he’d given her a kiss that should have made his intentions clear, she smiled up at him. He’d kissed off a lot of her lipstick and a strand of her hair had slipped free. Her eyes were shining so brightly that his heart thundered.

He had missed her so much. In this moment, he just wanted to scoop her up and carry her off to a private corner, at least until they had all the truth on the table between them and he’d convinced her to let him be part of her life.

But that would have to wait.

Again.

“Ty, this is my Aunt Pauline,” Amy said, turning to make introductions. “I just found out that she visited my dad near the end.”

That explained the tears.

And that made Ty an instant fan of Aunt Pauline.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to kill all of them.

He shook the aunt’s hand and let himself be introduced all around. The bride was as pouty as he’d anticipated, clearly disliking that he and Amy had stolen even an increment of the attention she felt she deserved. The groom looked as if he were attending on sufferance, which was strange. If he was reluctant to marry Brittany, why was there going to be a wedding?

Ty noticed that Josh’s parents stood back a bit from Brittany’s family and sensed their disapproval. The tensions were really odd, and he’d been to enough weddings to be aware of the ones that should have been present.

He looked again at Brittany and noticed that her breasts were straining her dress, as if they’d suddenly become larger. She looked more tired than was typical for a bride, and seemed more inclined to become emotional than all the women he’d known in his life.

If she was pregnant, that would explain a lot.

* * *

By the time the rehearsal and the dinner were over, Amy was worn out. Ty put his arm around her when they left the restaurant and she found herself leaning against him. She’d never expected to come to rely on him so much, but he’d been great. He’d charmed them all, answered their questions, and diverted their rude comments. He made it look like he and Amy were madly in love and she felt the change in how her family regarded her.

She was feeling pretty smitten herself.

Amy slanted a look at Ty and felt a little hum of pleasure to be in his company again. He looked tired, though he was trying to hide it. Her heart squeezed that he’d made such an effort to keep his promise to her.

She could love this man.

She was pretty sure she already did.

The question was whether he could love her, if he knew the whole truth about her desires and fantasies? Amy had a pretty good idea of the answer to that, but they should talk about it.

When they weren’t both so worn out.

“Did you give up on me?” Ty asked when they were on the road.

“I was afraid you’d arrive after we’d gone to the restaurant.” Amy stole another glance at him. “And I hadn’t given you that address. I tried to call you.”

“My phone died, and there was no time to charge it in any of the terminals.”

“Lots of running?”

“Lots. I got my workout for the week without getting to the gym.”

“Thank you for doing it. I was really glad you came.”

“I would have done more than that,” Ty admitted and cast her a look that made her simmer. “The way you smiled when I walked into that church made it more than worthwhile.”

Amy felt herself flush. “I’ll bet you say that to all the women who use their super-powers for your benefit.”

“If so, it would be a very select group of women.”

“Is that right?” Amy knew he was teasing her and she liked it.

“It is. In fact, I can only think of one person in that group.”

“That is very select.”

“Picky, that’s me.”

“Discerning, maybe?”

“Definitely.” He drove, and she watched him, admiring how he made everything look easy. “So, we have a deal,” he began and Amy smiled.

“Several, actually. Which one do you mean?”

“The ‘no intervening on my part without asking permission’ one.”

Amy’s smile broadened. “Oh, that one.”

“Yes, that one.”

“The one that’s killing you.”

“Pretty much.” His sidelong smile was conspiratorial and that dimple had reappeared. “So, I need to ask permission.”

“For what?”

Ty grimaced. “I hate to say this, but I like your family about as much as I expected to.”

“Except for Aunt Pauline.”

“Right.”

“You can’t make a scene at the wedding.”

He shook his head slowly. “I really, really want to defend you here.”

“I’m not sure I need a champion.”

She got a quick bright look for that. “I don’t like how they talk to you. I don’t like that they’re taking advantage of your kindness and think it’s okay.”

“It’ll be over soon.”

“Just let me do one thing.” Ty spoke quietly but with resolve. “Just one.”

“Not to Brittany. She wasn’t this awful before, and it will be her wedding day.”

“No, not Brittany,” Ty agreed easily. “Aunt Natalie.” He bit off the name with satisfaction and Amy had to tease him.

“That wouldn’t be nice.”

“No, not at all. But what goes around comes around. I’d really like to make the delivery.” His tone dropped to an entreaty. “Please?”

“You’re not going to tell me what you’re going to do, are you?”

“Nope. It’ll be a surprise.”

Amy only had to think about it for a moment. “Okay.”

Ty grinned. “If I weren’t driving, I’d kiss you.”

“Promises, promises,” Amy teased and liked that she made him laugh out loud. They rode in companionable silence for a few moments, a little hum of awareness crackling between them. She was thinking about dragging him into her house and having her way with him, just to check whether vanilla was as hot as she remembered…

Then Ty cleared his throat. “Can I ask a tacky question?”

Amy laughed. “You?”

“Me,” he agreed.

“Go on then.”

“Is the bride pregnant?”

Amy’s lips parted in shock. She thought of the dress being too tight, repeatedly, after so many fittings. She thought about Brittany’s emotional state, which she’d attributed to wedding nerves. She thought about Josh’s sullen participation and his parents’ resentment of every little decision. “She might be. I never thought of it. They’ve been engaged for ages, though.”

“So, maybe the groom had second thoughts. His family doesn’t look too happy about the match.”

“You think she tricked him?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem as if it would be out of character.”

Amy chewed her lip, thinking. “No, it wouldn’t be. Not if her perfect wedding might be canceled.”

Ty shook his head. “Bad idea to try to make it right with a pregnancy.”

Amy was intrigued by his pessimism. “Because they don’t really love each other?”

“Doesn’t look like it, does it?”

She had to agree with that and it made her sad. Ty’s comment about Brittany and Josh made Amy think about her own choices and taking responsibility for them. If she made love with Ty again, she wanted to be absolutely sure of her choice. It would be so easy to invite him in and spend another night together.

But was the easy choice the right one? It seldom was.

She wanted what her parents had had. Complete confidence in each other. Love and happiness and the conviction that they were pursuing their dreams together.

No regrets.

They drove in silence for a while, then Ty turned down her street. “Tired?” he asked.

“Exhausted,” Amy agreed.

He cast her a very hot look as he parked in front of her house. “Did you forget that I promised to make it worth your while?”

“No,” Amy admitted. They needed to talk and Amy wanted to do that when they’d both had enough sleep. When this wedding from hell was over. “But I can’t tonight. You must be even more tired than me.”

Something flicked in his gaze, then Ty smiled. “Of course. What time should I pick you up in the morning?”

“I’ll take the train.”

His eyes flashed but Amy lifted a finger and spoke before he could. “You just traveled halfway around the world, in a hurry, to keep your promise to me. I appreciate it so much that I don’t want you to have to get up early, then find something to do in New Jersey for four hours. Sleep in, please. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

The corner of Ty’s mouth quirked. “Sounds like you’re being nice.”

“I hear it’s contagious.”

He chuckled, then got out of the car, coming around to open her door for her. When she was standing right beside him, Amy couldn’t resist. She stretched up and kissed him, showing her gratitude with her touch.

And maybe a little more than that.

Ty inhaled sharply when she ended their kiss and his eyes were dark. His arm was locked around her waist, keeping her on her toes and crushed against his chest.

It was a very good place to be.

Amy’s resolve wavered. She doubted that she’d regret another night with Ty.

“I want to talk to you about something,” he said and she smiled.

“It doesn’t feel like you want conversation.”

Ty brushed her hair away from her cheeks with his fingertips, and the tenderness of the gesture made Amy’s heart clench. “You do look tired.”

“So do you.”

“Until tomorrow then,” he said, his voice tight. “And we’ll talk.”

Amy’s chest was tight. “Yes, sleep well.”

Ty snorted, as if that was out of the question, and kissed her again, slowly enough to warm her all the way to her toes. Amy wondered whether she was insane to not drag him into the house, but knew she’d think more clearly in the morning. She left his embrace with reluctance.

Ty stood watching until she was in the house. She heard the sound of his car driving away and looked down at Fitzwilliam, whose tail was flicking.

“I know. Another late dinner. You’re going to have to fire the staff.”

He complained, then led the way to the kitchen, his tail waving like a rallying banner.

“What if I got pregnant?” she asked the cat. “Condoms are hardly reliable. Would Ty want to do the right thing? Would I even want to get married to keep up appearances?” She followed the cat to the kitchen, thinking out loud. “No, but neither would I want to raise a kid alone.”

Amy pondered that as she put kibble in the cat’s dish. “Mama was pregnant, but she knew she loved Dad with all her heart before that happened. Is it wrong to want to be as in love as Mama and Dad were?”

It wasn’t. Amy knew it. She didn’t want to compromise anything.

She wanted it all.

Amy shook her head at her own whimsy.

Fitzwilliam hunkered down beside his dish, the image of disapproval.

“The thing is, Fitzwilliam, that Ty is just fine. He doesn’t need me, not like Matteo does. Maybe he doesn’t need anyone.” Amy found a can of the cat’s favorite food and showed it to him. “I think he likes me. I know I like him. That’s all good. But I’m worried that other things I like will eventually drive us apart. You know?”

Fitzwilliam fixed her with a look of disdain that she should be so slow.

“I think it’s important for love to heal people’s wounds, but I don’t think Ty has any. That’s a good thing, I know. He’s normal. He’s reliable.” She sighed. “He’s wonderful, actually. I don’t want to ever see him disappointed in me.”

Fitzwilliam wound around her legs, purring vigorously.

“And what about Dad’s legacy? Shouldn’t I try to make a difference, even if it’s not the easy path? There’s something about Matteo that gets to me and I can’t ignore that. My heart tells me that I should reach out to him.”

After she fed Fitzwilliam, Amy tried Matteo’s number again.

Twice.

And worried what kind of trouble he’d found.

* * *

Ty awakened to find the sun shining into his apartment. He felt roughly a thousand times better than he had the night before. As much as he hated to admit it, Amy had been right.

Tonight was another story.

Tonight would be the night they straightened out everything, for once and for all. Ty had to hope that tomorrow morning, she’d be right beside him when he woke up.

He rolled over and stretched, then eyed the clock and winced. He’d slept much later than he’d expected. He still had time to go down and work out a bit and shake off a bit of his jet lag.

He thought about calling Amy, but knew she’d be busy this morning.

The burner phone was still on the kitchen counter.

Five more missed messages.

Two had to have been right after he left. Another in the middle of the night. Another at dawn. Another just five minutes before.

Fury shot through Ty’s body. Amy had been exhausted. She’d sent him home. But she’d been calling Matteo all night long? If he could have incinerated the phone with a look, he would have done it. Instead, he marched down to F5 and worked out hard.

He would solve the Matteo problem today.

Forever.

* * *

The wedding, to Amy’s relief, went off without a hitch.

Even if Ty’s eyes did twinkle when she floated down the aisle in a horrific mound of tangerine chiffon and tulle. She despised the dress and she was pretty sure he knew it. He winked at her as she passed him and she felt her cheeks heat, but she didn’t miss a step.

He looked wonderful, of course. How many suits did he own?

She’d been peeking at her cousin all day, when they visited the hairdresser and the make-up artist, and as they dressed at the house, wondering. Was Brittany pregnant? Her dress was so tight across her breasts that Amy thought she’d pop a seam, and it had been altered less than a week before.

Her tummy was round and soft, too, rounder than Amy remembered.

And there was the zit on her chin. The make-up artist teased her about it, saying that all brides got either a zit or their period, and that the zit was the easier choice. Brittany’s expression had turned sly, as if she knew she wouldn’t get her period.

Hmm.

At least Josh had warmed up to the proceedings a bit. He didn’t stammer over his vows and he looked at Brittany as if he felt something for her. Amy chose to take encouragement where she could find it. The weather was perfect, so the plan to go to a local park with pretty gardens for the pictures was a go. The catering manager met Amy at the facility when the wedding party arrived, and they confirmed a few last details.

The meal was delicious.

The speeches were awful.

And finally, the dancing began.

Amy wasn’t really surprised to see Ty striding straight toward her, intent on claiming her first dance. Her aunt Pauline looked on with pleasure.

There was a tension in him, though, one that she hadn’t been aware of until he touched her. “What’s wrong?” she asked when he’d swept her onto the dance floor.

“Not a thing.” He looked down at her and with proximity she could see his intensity. “Yet.”

“You’re up to something,” Amy accused.

“You have a suspicious mind,” he countered.

“You look far too innocent. Are you going to do more than we agreed?”

“No way.” He gave her a hard look that was thrilling. “We have a deal.”

“That sounds more ominous than reassuring.”

He surveyed her and smiled, that teasing twinkle back in his eyes. “Aren’t you lovely,” he said.

Amy knew he was quoting a movie and she knew which one.

“You’re blind, Tyler,” she said, doing her best imitation of Kristin Scott Thomas. “I look like a giant meringue.”

“But a citrus one. That’s different.”

“Different isn’t always good.”

“No.” He looked at the dress again. “I doubt you’ll even get use of it at parties.”

Amy giggled and Ty swirled her past her grandmother in that moment. Helena looked up. “Not any parties I want to be invited to attend.”

“The ecclesiastical purple and the pagan orange,” Ty began, then shook his head. “I forget the rest of that bit.

“It’s okay. I forgot a purple sash.” She smiled up at him, feeling much better than she had all day, just because he was determined to make her smile “So, Four Weddings and a Funeral was another popular choice with the sisters?”

“Of course. Hugh Grant, you know. But that song.” Ty rolled his eyes. “I already have the earworm.”

“I bet they play it tonight.”

“I bet they do, my Tangerine Queen.”

Amy laughed. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“Yes.” He bent down and whispered in her ear, the feel of his breath doing shivery things to her. “Because it’s a hideous dress. Probably the most hideous bridesmaid’s dress I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few.”

Amy sighed with mock relief. “Thank you for that. Help me take it to Goodwill?”

“No. I’ll help you burn it.”

“Too much synthetic. I’m not sure it’ll burn. It might just melt and make a lot of smoke.”

“Great, it’s an environmental hazard, too.”

She looked down. “I could maybe save the shoes. They could be dyed black…”

“Shoes and dress are destined to be together forever.” Ty raised his brows. “Everything burns.”

“But…”

“You’ll agree with me when you realize the shoes have turned your feet tangerine today.”

“How do you know these things?”

Ty put her hand on his shoulder and held up four fingers. Four, he mouthed and Amy laughed again.

The music changed but Ty kept dancing.

“But here’s the thing,” he continued. Amy realized all of her female relations were watching, obviously wanting desperately to know what Ty was saying to her. “It’s not a coincidence that your cousin chose this color.”

Amy pulled back a bit to look at him. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t think she could have picked a worse color for you.”

“But it wasn’t about me…”

“Wasn’t it?”

“You can’t just say something like that and look all wise and not tell me what you’re talking about,” Amy complained.

“I wondered, but I knew for sure last night, at the rehearsal dinner.”

“How so?”

“Didn’t you see the look on the bride-to-be’s face when we said hello after a long week apart?”

Amy felt her cheeks heat. “I was busy, being kissed.”

Ty smiled. “Complaints?”

She smiled back at him. “Not one.”

“You should know that the groom was checking you out and your cousin looked murderous.”

“Tyler!”

He held up a hand, scouts’ honor. “All true. You’re much prettier than Brittany, and nicer, too.” He shook his head. “If you ever figure that out, it might be the end of you being unpaid staff.”

“I can’t believe she’d do that,” Amy charged, but there wasn’t as much heat in her words as there might have been a week before. “It would be petty and mean.”

“Which doesn’t make it untrue,” he murmured. He kissed her cheek as the song came to an end. “And now, I’m going to dance with your aunt Natalie.”

“What have I agreed to let you do?”

“I’m just spreading joy and goodwill everywhere I go.”

That would be a feat, but Amy had no chance to tell Ty so before he winked and headed for her aunt. She bit back a smile that the DJ was playing Love is All Around. She couldn’t look at Ty, because she knew she’d laugh too hard.

It was an earworm. She’d be feeling it in her fingers for a week.

She’d even feel it in her toes.

* * *

Aunt Natalie was like putty in Ty’s hands. He’d planned this moment and it worked out even better than he’d anticipated.

There was a certain irony in the song that played as they danced. As far as Ty could see, love was AWOL at this particular wedding.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you all,” he said with false cheer.

Natalie regarded him with suspicion. “Amy has talked about us?”

“No, not so much. She’s very discreet, but we have talked about the loss of her parents.” Ty shook his head, and spoke from the heart. “I wish I’d known her then and could have helped her out. It must have been very tough for her.”

Natalie averted her gaze. “It must have been,” she agreed without much enthusiasm.

“Thank goodness she had all of you to support her,” Ty said, knowing it was just the opposite. “It’s so great when families stick together and help each other out.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Like this wedding. Amy hasn’t mentioned it, but I have to think that she’s done so much for Brittany to return the favor to all of you.” Ty smiled and shook his head, aware that Natalie was staring at him. “That’s what family is all about, isn’t it?”

“I suppose.”

“My sister used a wedding planner last year and it cost her eight thousand dollars.” He felt Natalie flinch. “The wedding didn’t go as smoothly as this one. It’s so great that Amy offered her organizational skills to help Brittany avoid that kind of expense.” He sighed. “She’s just amazing, isn’t she?”

Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m glad you think so highly of her,” she said, her tone a little sharper than it had been. “I’m sure she has plans for you.”

“Plans for me? What do you mean?”

Natalie smiled coldly. “You look like you have a good income, Tyler. I don’t doubt that Amy learned her tricks from her mother.”

Ty’s heart clenched and he felt cold. He wouldn’t have believed that Amy’s aunt would say anything so nasty, but realized he was wrong.

“Tricks?” he echoed, pretending he didn’t understand.

He wanted her to say it out loud.

Bitch.

And then he wanted to make sure that what went around came around.

Natalie, oblivious to his thoughts, smiled. “My brother was compelled to marry Amy’s mother after she got pregnant. She knew that no one in our family approved of the match, but she tricked Peter, and she got what she wanted. At his expense.”

“I don’t think she had to trick the man she loved to convince him to marry her.”

“You weren’t there!”

“No, but I know that Amy was raised by two people who loved each other, two people who followed their hearts and their dreams.”

“It wasn’t Peter’s dream to marry an immigrant,” she snarled.

“Was it Josh’s dream to marry your daughter?” Ty asked quietly. “Because unless I’m very mistaken, the bride looks pregnant.”

Natalie stared at him in astonishment. The music ended. Ty turned to the newly wedded couple, just in time to see Brittany barf on Josh’s shoes.

It looked like wedding cake.

“Brittany!” her mother screeched. “Are you pregnant?”

Brittany turned red, as clear an answer as she could have made aloud. Josh looked as if he wanted to disappear and his parents turned away in disgust.

And that was enough.

Ty strode across the room to where Amy stood, one hand raised to her lips. He claimed her hand with a flourish and spun her into his arms. “My work here is done. Come on, my Tangerine Queen. We’ve got a dress to burn.”

* * *

“That was wicked,” Amy said when she finally stopped laughing.

“Impossible,” Ty said, changing gears with a vengeance. “I’m nice.”

That set Amy on another bout of laughter, one that made her cry so much that she had to take off her glasses. Her mascara ran and she used up all the tissues in her little clutch before the mess was cleaned up. She saw white and realized Ty was offering her a handkerchief. “I must look like a raccoon.”

“No. There are no orange raccoons. They’re black and a tasteful taupe.”

Amy giggled again. “You shouldn’t have done it.”

“No, I shouldn’t have. But I enjoyed it.” He shook a finger at her. “And you laughed.”

“It was too perfect.”

“They had it coming.”

They sat in companionable silence as Ty drove and Amy smiled at the realization of how much she enjoyed his company. It was easy to be with him but a little bit electric, too. She thought of Matteo, then, and how incredibly hot the scene with him had been, and yearned for a little bit more than even this.

She was greedy.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Ty said.

“Nothing important,” Amy lied and pretended to yawn. “Just worn out.”

“You’re shifting your legs,” he noted. “I thought maybe we were thinking about the same thing.”

Amy looked to find Ty smiling. He wasn’t looking at her, but that slow smile still did things to her equilibrium.

“There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” he continued easily, sparing her only the barest glance. His gaze was warm, though, and his voice had dropped low.

Amy’s pulse increased.

“What would you think about making this fake date real?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice a little higher than would have been ideal.

“I mean that we’d actually be seeing each other. Dating. Not pretending to date.”

“I’d think that would be complicated.”

Ty chuckled. “No, I think it would be simple. Simpler than a fake date with benefits.” He stopped in front of her house and fixed a look on her that was so intense that she simmered. He reached for her hand, and his fingers closed over hers. “What do you think, Amy?”

“I’m surprised,” she admitted, because she was caught off guard by the turmoil his question launched inside her. On the one hand, she wanted to accept. On the other, her forbidden fantasies weren’t going to go away anytime soon. She had to believe that they’d ultimately drive Ty away.

“I’m not,” he said. “I knew from the moment you started to tell me off that I was in deep trouble.” His gaze was locked on hers and she was keenly aware of how close they were together.

Amy caught her breath. She tugged her hand from his. “I don’t think I can, Ty.”

“Excuse me?”

“There’s someone else. It’s complicated. I don’t want to break my promise to you about the weddings, but I can’t just abandon him. I need to see it through, even though I don’t know where it’s going. It might not go anywhere, but I have to finish what I started.”

There she’d said it, and not well.

Ty straightened and his eyes narrowed and for a moment, Amy had an intriguing glimpse of the domineering billionaire book boyfriend in him. “Someone else,” he echoed, clearly incredulous.

“Someone else.” Amy forced a smile but she felt awful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it mattered since ours was just an arrangement. If we’d really been dating, I would have broken this off ages ago.”

Ty appeared to be stunned.

Amy guessed that he didn’t get turned down very often.

“So, um, thanks for today. I really appreciated you coming, and I’ll return the favor next weekend.”

He didn’t say a word.

She thought he was just shocked but when he turned to face her, she saw that his jaw was clenched. “Who is he?”

“I don’t think that really matters,” Amy said. “You wouldn’t know him. Not in your social circle at all.”

Ty’s eyes narrowed. “Amy…”

If he tried to change her mind, if he touched her or kissed her or did that thing with his thumb, Amy was pretty sure he would convince her to choose him. But it would be only for the short-term and it would hurt more when it came to its inevitable end.

When she disappointed him.

She was trying to do the right thing. Why was it so hard?

Amy flung open the car door, not waiting for him to come around to open it. If he touched her, she’d be lost. “I’m sorry, Ty. Good night.”

She was running away and she knew it, but Amy couldn’t see another option. Her hand shook as she got out her keys, but she didn’t look back. She could feel Ty watching her, his gaze practically boring a hole in her back, but he’d get over it. He didn’t like being declined. No one did. But he’d find someone else easily.

Amy didn’t think that Matteo had the same advantage.

He needed someone to believe in him. It might not be enough to matter, but she was going to try, just like her dad always tried. She had to trust the power of their connection, or at least give it a chance.

Amy shut the door behind herself and leaned back against it, fighting a sense that she’d just done a cowardly thing. She felt all mixed up, and reminded herself that it was only natural that she find Ty attractive. He had everything.

Even the fact that he wanted her didn’t mean that she was the woman for him.

And that was when she knew exactly what scene her book was missing.

She kicked off her shoes and fed Fitzwilliam. She got her laptop and typed like a madwoman at the kitchen table.

Argenta had to heal Lothair with her trust.

“You have yet to learn the lesson taught by pain,” I said softly, feeling her still. I knew she watched me. “You have yet to learn that there is more to fear from the presence of others than their absence.”

I stirred up the fire in the brazier, feeding it until the flames leaped high. I tugged the signet ring from my finger, the gold one that indicated my rank as heir. I placed it upon a hook, one used to hold a vessel of wine or milk while it heated, and dipped it into the flames. It was not long until the metal began to glow. I knew Argenta watched me intently.

“I pledged to teach you of pain,” I said, through my teeth. “Pain has shaped me and I have shown you how. You are right that I was cut, I was shackled, and I was burned. Perhaps I was too gentle with the wax for you to heed my lesson. Let us return to burn.” I lifted the hook from the flame and the ring glowed hot. I donned my glove as I carried the ring toward her.

Her gaze flicked between it and my face, but her defiant expression didn’t change. She glared at me, defying me to do it, to prove myself to be that I was less than she believed me to be.

I would take her dare.

I donned the glove. She didn’t flinch.

I took the ring between finger and thumb, and the heat passed even through the leather. She lifted her chin.

I placed the ring over her breast, planning to Mark her where the brand of my insignia would always be seen.

She stared at me, proud and defiant.

Trusting.

I moved the ring over her flesh, choosing my spot. The skin turned rosy even when the hot metal was close, but Argenta kept her chin high and her gaze locked upon my face. Her confidence was absolute.

And confronted with the steely challenge in her eyes, I realized she was right.

I couldn’t do it.

I spun and flung the ring across the chamber, not caring where it fell. I cast the glove aside, and removed her gag with rough gestures. I kissed her hungrily as I unfastened her bonds, my hands shaking with my need to possess this warrior maiden who had stolen my heart, against all odds.

By mirroring my truth in her relentless gaze.

I wasn’t surprised in the least that she welcomed me, meeting me touch for touch, driving me onward until we were consumed together in the storm we had built.

* * *

No?

No?

Ty drove back downtown, more furious than he’d been in a long time. Maybe ever. Amy had turned him down? Ty could live with that, but he knew she’d chosen Matteo, a loser with a jail record, over him. He knew Amy was smarter than that.

He could have changed her mind. He could have overwhelmed her with his touch, followed her into the house, persuaded her to surrender to him. But she said no and no meant no.

No matter how much it pissed him off.

This wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

Ty knew that Amy liked to help people. In hindsight, he saw that he’d created Matteo to be a little too much in need of a good woman. He’d tried to solve things for Amy, in the mode of Mr. Darcy making all come right for Elizabeth, never anticipating that she’d choose the rogue Wickham in the end.

That wasn’t how the story ended.

Ty had seen it enough times to be sure.

It wasn’t how this one should end either.

He parked in the entrance to the private garage, still simmering, and tossed the keys to Joe, who owned it. The older man watched him, undoubtedly discerning his mood. “I shouldn’t park it tonight, Joe,” Ty said and Joe smiled.

“No problem, Mr. T. You know, my boy Noah is home from college this weekend. He’s coming in at midnight to give me a break.”

“He’s a good kid, Joe.” Ty took a steadying breath.

“And he loves this car.” Joe ran an appreciative hand over the hood. “If you don’t mind, I’ll leave it for him to park.”

“I don’t mind. Tell him to take it around the block first.”

“You were always good to Noah, Mr. T. If it weren’t for that summer job you gave him at F5, I don’t think he’d be going to college.”

“Noah’s smart, Joe. I always said we’d all be working for him one of these days.”

Joe chuckled, his pride in his son more than clear.

Ty was still riled as he rode the elevator to his apartment. He knew it would take a hundred laps to calm him down. Maybe that wouldn’t even work. How could he convince Amy? She had to know how good they were together. She couldn’t really believe that Matteo could offer her a future.

He refused for the moment to consider that he was also Matteo, and how deeply screwy that was.

He’d played it all wrong, and that was a good part of what made him so mad. He couldn’t blame Kyle for giving him bad advice. This situation was entirely his own making and he had to make it right.

The burner phone was still on the counter. Of course. Ty flicked the door shut and marched toward it, hesitated only a moment, then turned it on.

Two more missed calls.

His lips tightened.

Then the phone rang right in his hand.

Ty glared at it.

Here was his chance to kill Matteo, for once and for all.

Ty unlocked the door of his balcony and stepped outside, cleared his throat, and answered Amy’s call.

* * *

Amy sat back.

She read the scene again. She knew truth when it fell out of her fingertips.

It was perfect. It was romantic and ideal and just so perfect.

Jade would love it.

Amy seized her phone and called Matteo again. She got up to pace in the kitchen. She’d called so many times that she wasn’t really expecting him to answer.

She jumped when he did.

“Angel,” he said in his deep dangerous tone and she sat down hard. “You should not call me.”

“I needed to know that you were all right.” She could hear the faint sound of traffic and wondered where he was.

“I have been better.”

“I need to see you…” she began but he interrupted her.

“No.”

“But I can help.”

“You cannot help. I am running, Angel, because I have been betrayed again.”

“I told you before that I can help. You should come here.”

“No!”

“You’re protecting me, and that’s sweet, but we have to work together…”

“Sweet?” he snarled. “I am not sweet, Angel. I play games at F5 and give women what they want, but it is a game. I might have played it longer with you, but it was always a game and it was always going to end.”

“Not necessarily,” she argued.

“Absolutely,” he said. “You are tempting. You are a little tease. You could never satisfy me.” His voice dropped lower. “No one woman can.”

“Maybe you should try being with one woman before you decide that.”

He laughed harshly, then caught his breath. “No,” he whispered and she knew he wasn’t talking to her. He swore in Spanish, then his breath worked as if he was running.

“Matteo? What’s going on?” Amy stood up, clutching the phone. “Matteo?”

He roared as if in pain, then his voice grew more distant. The sound of traffic grew louder and there was a sound like rushing air as Matteo’s cry faded away.

Amy jumped at the crash of the phone impacting something.

Then the connection was lost.

She called again immediately, but the line rang busy.

Amy sat down at her kitchen table, horrified. What had happened to Matteo?

* * *

Ty knew as soon as he heard the phone hit.

No. Not his car.

It had been irresponsible to throw the phone, and he knew as much, but he was so livid with Amy that he hadn’t considered his choice more than to chuck the phone in the direction of the roof of Joe’s garage. There was never anyone there.

He’d been hoping it would hit the pavement and shatter.

But as soon as it left his hand, he knew his aim was off.

When the phone crashed on something metal. Ty knew what it had to be. He winced and leaned over the railing to look.

Sure enough, the silver roof of his car had a dark star on it now.

Shit.

Joe was standing beside the car, frozen in horror. He looked up and Ty knew he had to go down and reassure the older man.

Admit it was his own fault.

One thing was for sure. He’d smash that fucking burner phone to cinders first.

Then he’d make this right.

The truth would be told, in all its horrible glory, and the game would be done.

* * *

Someone knocked on Amy’s door hard about half an hour after she talked to Matteo. It was past midnight and the sound echoed through the house with force.

But Matteo didn’t know where she lived.

She ran to the living room and looked out the window. Ty’s car was parked in front of the house, the engine running. Why was he back?

She opened the front door, only to find him waiting with obvious impatience on her doorstep. He’d loosened his tie and looked positively wrinkled, his gaze snapping as it swept over her. His hands were balled in his trouser pockets and he looked more furious than she’d ever seen him.

She felt bad for having turned him down.

“I’m sorry,” he said tightly. “I’m sorry to be back in the middle of the night, but I owe you an apology and it can’t wait even if you don’t want to hear it. It’s not one I’m going to deliver over the phone.”

Amy watched him, thinking how hot he was when he was intent like this. “Okay.”

“I deceived you. That wasn’t my plan, but that’s how it worked out, and then I couldn’t tell you the truth because I was sure you’d be angry with me and I didn’t want to risk you walking away. You would have been right to be angry. You’d be right to be angry now. I fucked up.” He shoved a hand through his hair and glared at her. “I never meant to lie to you. I never meant for it to go so far.”

Another f-bomb. This was serious. Amy leaned in the door frame and crossed her arms across her chest. Her heart was racing. It would be so easy to drag him inside and have her way with him, or let him have his way with her, but if there was a next time, it had to be right. “Should I understand what you’re talking about?”

Ty pulled his hand from his pocket, then took her hand and pressed something into her palm. Something small and metal. He kept his hand locked over hers so she couldn’t look. “I couldn’t let any other guy do that to you,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I lied about it.”

Then Ty stepped back, watching her. Amy opened her hand to find the earrings she’d lost at F5 cradled in her palm. She frowned. “But how could you have had them? I left them at F5…”

She blinked. Matteo had said he had them.

She looked up at Ty, her lips parting. Matteo was about the same height as Ty. His shoulders were the same breadth. His eyes were green.

And now that Ty’s mouth was a taut line, the similarity was striking.

“I kept them for you,” Ty said tightly. “I thought they were important to you and didn’t want anyone else to take them from the lost and found.”

Amy still couldn’t believe what he was telling her. “But that…”

“It means I was Matteo,” he said, then his voice dropped lower and he spoke with a Spanish accent. “Angel.”

Amy gasped in astonishment and heat surged through her.

Ty was Matteo.

Matteo was Ty.

She didn’t have to choose.

Amy could have it all.

Relief nearly took her to her knees, a thousand details and impressions suddenly making perfect sense. Ty was Matteo. He’d been the one to touch her at F5. She’d called him to talk dirty.

And he’d done it so very well.

Oh.

Ty looked away again, his annoyance clear. “You’re probably really pissed off at me, and I don’t blame you for that, but if you could ever give me a chance again, you know where to find me.” He gave her a hard look and she wondered how she’d missed the truth.

“I would do anything to make this right, Amy. Anything.” He turned away then and strode back toward his car, as if he had no expectations of a reprieve.

“It’s cute how protective you are,” Amy said.

Ty granted her a smoldering look over the top of his car, which had a dent it hadn’t had before. “Cute,” he repeated with precision, his opinion of that adjective clear.

“Adorable, then.”

“I am not adorable,” he growled.

“You must be.” Amy smiled. “Because I adore you.” She took a deep breath. “Cuore mio.”

Ty froze.

“What does that mean?” he asked softly.

Amy raised a fist to her chest. “My heart.”

Ty stared at her.

“It’s what you call your beloved in the language of love and romance.” Amy smiled despite the lump in her throat. “It was always you, my own colpo di fulmine. I just didn’t want to disappoint you, with my wicked fantasies.”

“They’re very naughty.”

“They are.”

Ty began to smile slowly as he strolled back toward Amy, his gaze locked upon hers. “But they have a certain appeal.”

“Do they?”

“Absolutely.” He paused in front of her, then took her hand in his. “There’s a kind of nexus where what you like meets what I like, and it’s very hot.”

“Very,” Amy agreed and swallowed.

“Say I’m cute again and I take no responsibility for the consequences,” Ty warned her.

Amy smiled. “Are you suggesting that would be naughty?”

“Very naughty,” he agreed, surveying her with a hungry smile. His expression made her want. “Very, very naughty.”

“Maybe you’ll have to do something about that.”

“Maybe?” Ty framed her face in his hands then lifted her to her toes. His grip was possessive, tender and tough all at once, and Amy loved it. “I’d say definitely, cuore mio.”

Amy loved how the words sounded on his lips. “Your place or mine?” she asked, hearing how breathless she was.

“Lady’s choice. Always.”

“But the lady has chosen. The rest is just detail.”

“Mine,” Ty said with a satisfactory vehemence. He bent to whisper in her ear, and his words sent shivers down her spine. “I want you in my bed this time.” Then he claimed her with a kiss that made her heart soar and her blood boil.

“Lock the door, sweetheart,” he said roughly a few moments later. “We’ve got places to go and things to do.”

Amy had no argument with that.