THINGS HAD CERTAINLY taken an unexpected turn.
She was Roberto Carrass’s pretend fiancée.
She picked up the ring, letting the sunlight catch the angles of the many diamonds, sending a cascade of colors over the wall. What should she do?
Today was Gaia’s wedding in Venice. And she was Roberto’s plus-one. She couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather experience a wedding with in such a romantic city—
And then her thoughts clouded with Lukos and Xander. What would they think if they could see her now? She took in her short black dress with the plunging neckline. It wasn’t anything too fancy, as she had never envisioned when she’d packed for the cruise that she’d be attending a wedding.
She recalled Lukos’s words not long after he’d been diagnosed. He’d made her promise that if he died, she would go on living and not walking around in the shadow that had once been their life.
She hadn’t wanted to promise. She hadn’t wanted to admit that he might not make it through this battle with cancer. But Lukos had been firm and he wouldn’t let her walk away until she’d made that promise.
He’d told her it was easier to make the promise then while he still had his hair, while he could still walk and do most everything he’d done before. It was making the promise later when he was bedridden that would have ripped her tattered heart to shreds. And he’d been right. The end had been—
She shook her head, chasing away the heart-wrenching memories. She refused to let them ruin this occasion.
Even though Lukos had wanted this for her, it still felt not quite right. And she didn’t know what to do about that. But every day she was with Roberto, she felt as though she was letting go of Lukos’s memory a little more. Not that she could or would ever forget him. He was her first love. But she was starting to wonder if there was room in her heart for the love of two men—
She gasped. What was she thinking? She did not love Roberto. Did not. Impossible. But she was attracted to him. There was no denying that.
And there was her brother to think of. Xander would be furious to know she was involved with his best friend. And she didn’t want to damage her relationship with her brother—not for a shipboard fling. Right?
Knock. Knock.
“Stasia, are you ready?” Roberto’s voice vibrated through the door.
Her heart raced. Her palms grew damp. This was it. A date.
Not a real date. But it sure felt like a real date. After all, Roberto’s family thought they were getting married. And as this charade continued, the lines of their relationship were becoming increasingly blurred.
She was just as nervous as she’d been on her first date with Lukos. No. Correction—she was more nervous.
She tried to calm herself with a deep breath as she slipped on the ring. The harder she tried to calm her breathing, the faster her heart pounded. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to this charade. Maybe it was too soon.
But she knew it was just an excuse. It’d been almost two years since she’d lost her husband. She glanced down at her finger where not that long ago she wore a wedding band, which was now replaced with a diamond ring. Would Lukos understand—
Knock. Knock.
“Stasia?”
She swallowed. “I, uh...um, I’ll be right there.”
She shoved aside the troubling thoughts, along with the reference to love. She was just letting this wedding stuff get to her. That was all.
She gave herself one last glance, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. She smoothed a hand down over the skirt. Maybe she should have picked a more cheerful color for a wedding. Maybe the hemline was too short for the occasion.
Another knock drew her from her thoughts. With a sigh, she moved to the door. When she opened it, she marveled at how good Roberto looked. Usually...no, always, he looked so put-together and sharp. But tonight, he looked devastatingly handsome in his dark suit and silver tie.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her mind was overwhelmed with how attractive she found him and how much she wished this was a real date.
Roberto’s dark brows drew together. “Is something the matter?”
She shook her head. “Um, no. You look great.”
“Really? Because you have this look on your face, like...well, I don’t know, but obviously you were thinking something.”
Not about to delve into how attractive she found him, she turned, grabbed her black clutch purse decorated with tiny crystals and then pulled the door shut behind them. “I was thinking we don’t want to be late for the ceremony.”
As they made their way through the passageway, he said, “If you changed your mind and don’t want to go with me, I would understand. I won’t hold you to the arrangement we agreed upon.”
It was so tempting to back out. This was her chance. But there was another part of her—a part that wanted to spend the evening with Roberto as his fiancée. After all, when this cruise was over, they’d each be going their own way.
And most of all, she didn’t want to let him down. She’d told him that she’d act as though they were a couple in front of his family and she wasn’t going to back out now.
“I didn’t change my mind.”
He stopped and turned to her. “Thank you. Whatever you want tonight, it’s yours. Just say the word. And when you’re ready to leave, it’s fine by me.”
Her gaze met his. “I appreciate that.”
They continued to stare into each other’s eyes longer than was necessary. Her heart started to race again. Then again, she wasn’t sure if it ever slowed down.
He took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be good having a friend by my side.”
A friend? He was reminding her that was all they’d ever be. “Yes, it’s always good when a friend has your back.”
“Agreed. And I certainly never had a friend who was so beautiful. You’ve got all of the single guys on this ship jealous that you’re with me.”
Heat rushed to her face. Where exactly was this evening in the floating city going to lead them? The possibilities both excited and terrified her.
Roberto didn’t know what to do with himself.
Weddings made him uncomfortable. His whole family made him uncomfortable with their expectations of him.
Still, he’d told Stasia that he’d try harder to spend more time with his family and that was what he was doing. Any other time, he would have quietly slipped away long ago. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But if the smiles Stasia had bestowed upon him throughout the evening were any indication, he was doing okay.
But he’d noticed the sadness that filled Stasia’s eyes when she didn’t think he was looking. He didn’t have to ask her what was wrong; he knew. She was missing Lukos. Her heart still belonged to her departed husband. And Roberto didn’t know how to deal with the ghost who stood between them.
Roberto’s gaze strayed around the room, searching for Stasia. And then he spotted her, deep in conversation with his grandmother. She appeared to be having a good time.
As Roberto continued to sit alone in the ballroom of an exclusive hotel, he glanced out at the crowded dance floor. His gaze strayed across the happy newlyweds. Gaia had been a radiant bride. In fact, he’d never seen her look happier. He just wondered if it would last. Or if she would end up taking separate trips from her husband like his parents did.
But then he’d watched his grandparents. They were definitely devoted to each other. He’d always considered them the anomaly. They were that perfect couple that everyone dreamed of being when they said I do.
Roberto knew what his grandparents had was rare. And he didn’t want to change himself, to the point he didn’t even recognize himself, to fit in a relationship. If that was what it took to make a successful marriage, no wonder his parents lived apart.
But he didn’t want to marry someone just to see them on holidays. That seemed like an impossible situation. The only way he could imagine being happy was to maintain his independence. He couldn’t rely on anyone to go the distance with him.
He continued to observe Stasia as she talked to his grandmother. She looked happy now. He wanted her to stay that way.
Part of him wanted to pull her into his arms and make some new memories with her. But Stasia would expect more from him. She wasn’t one of those women who lived in the moment and then moved on to the next man to catch their eye.
Stasia was more grounded. She liked strings and commitments. She didn’t take relationships lightly. And her brother certainly wouldn’t approve of a fling—even if it got Stasia over the hurdle between her past and her future.
Roberto could almost talk himself into the fact that them getting together would be good for her. It would show her that there was still so much life for her to live. He so desperately wanted to believe what he was saying to himself. And yet he couldn’t.
Stasia had been through so much in her twenty-nine years. She was so young and yet she had lived more of life than he ever had. And she’d experienced enough pain and loss for a lifetime.
He wouldn’t hurt her. He didn’t need Xander to threaten him. He could take care of that all by himself. He wanted to protect Stasia from any further heartache—from the guys on the ship who eyed her up—from himself.
“Hey, what has you so quiet over here?” Stasia leaned in close to speak to him over the music.
He’d gotten so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t seen her approach him. With her so close, he inhaled a whiff of her jasmine scent. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and savor the scent. But he couldn’t meet her gaze either. He didn’t want her to read too much in his eyes.
Instead he turned to watch his family out on the dance floor. His family loved to celebrate. The young, the old and the in-between were out there dancing, smiling and having a great time.
“Roberto?” Stasia’s voice again drew him from his thoughts. “What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“Uh, nothing.”
“Really? Because it looks like you’re sitting over here frowning and downright miserable.”
He toyed with his water glass. “I guess I just don’t do well at weddings.”
“Are you sure?” There was a heavy dose of doubt in her voice. “You won’t even look at me.”
He pressed his lips together in a firm line and turned to her. When their gazes met, there was this funny warm feeling that filled his chest. He ignored it as he forced a smile to his lips.
She gave him a strange look. “Really? You can’t even muster up a real smile for me?”
How did she know? Could she really read him that well?
“Stop trying to figure out how I know these things,” she said.
There she went again, reading him like an open book. He was growing uncomfortable with her being able to sense his thoughts. He’d always thought he was a master at keeping his thoughts under wraps. That was what made him such a good businessman.
He glanced away, not sure what to say.
“You’re not that big of a mystery,” she went on to say. “You don’t want to be here and you regret inviting me.”
His head quickly turned. “You would be wrong.”
“About what? Being here? Or bringing me?”
“Bringing you. You’re the highlight of my evening.”
A smile pulled at her glossy lips. “It’s about time you admit it.”
Wait. Had he just fallen into a cleverly planned trap? If the twinkle of amusement in her eyes was any indication, he most certainly had. Who knew that sweet, innocent Stasia had a much more devious side to her? He was most certainly intrigued.
He held out his hand. “Would you care to dance?”
She placed her hand in his. “I’d love to dance.”
This time no words were necessary. He guided her to the dance floor, where he took her into his arms. In fact, the lack of conversation made the dance less stressed and a lot more enjoyable. Except for the fact that Stasia was standing awkwardly away from him.
He told himself that his arms were growing tired with the distance and that was why he tightened his hold on her. But he’d miscalculated, and the next thing he knew, Stasia was snug against his chest. Not that he was complaining or anything.
She tilted up her chin to look at him. Questions reflected in her eyes, but no words were spoken. He’d been mucking up this whole evening and he’d really wanted to give her a good time.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
And then because she kept staring up at him with a look in her eyes that said she could feel the desire that ignited every time they were together, he lowered his head and claimed her lips in what started as a quick kiss, but quickly grew into something more.
Roberto was learning that he would never get enough of Stasia or her sweet kisses. They were utterly and totally addictive.
There was a pat on his shoulder. “Way to go.”
Roberto jerked back to find some distant cousin, who was in college, smiling at him.
And then his grandmother passed by him. “Really, Roberto.”
His gaze moved from his grandmother to Stasia. He needed to apologize again for losing his head in front of his family. So much for thinking before he acted.
Stasia lifted a finger to his lips. “Don’t say it.”
He pulled her hand away and wrapped it up in his hand. “How do you know what I was going to say?”
“You were going to apologize for kissing me but I don’t want you to ruin the moment. Please.”
She enjoyed the kiss? She wasn’t upset that he’d overstepped his bounds as a friend—as her brother’s friend? What did she think it meant? Was she expecting more from him?
The last question cooled his heated blood. He didn’t want her to assume anything. He didn’t want to get her hopes up that something more was to follow that kiss.
“Listen, Stasia,” he said. When she went to say something, he rushed on. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to apologize for the kiss. I enjoyed it too. I... I just want you to know that it was spontaneous—”
“And part of our cover story.” She came to his rescue, making this confession so much easier than he deserved. “After all, we want your grandmother to believe we’re engaged, so why wouldn’t we kiss? It’d be a little strange if we didn’t, don’t you think?”
How did she do that? Make him go from being totally uncomfortable to immediately putting him at ease. The woman was very good with people. It was definitely one of her greatest strengths.
And so they continued to dance, this song and the next song and even the one after that, which was a fast song. By the end of it, they were both a little winded and returned to their table.
“When’s the wedding date?” the bride asked.
He restrained his inclination to frown at Gaia and get her to quiet down. Why in the world would she bring up this subject in front of their grandmother? The woman needed no encouragement when it came to her efforts to marry him off.
“Oh, yes.” Yaya’s expression filled with eagerness. “Tell us when the big day is.”
Everyone pulled out their phones and ran their fingers over them as though preparing to input the wedding date on their calendars.
“We haven’t set a date,” he said as Stasia’s grip on his hand tightened. Apparently, she was feeling as cornered as he did at the moment.
His grandmother looked crestfallen. “I should have known.”
“Known what?” His grandfather looked confused.
“Our grandson isn’t getting married. In fact, they probably aren’t even in a real relationship. This is just an attempt to keep from meeting the young women on the cruise.”
His grandmother had read him so well. Was he that obvious? He was between a rock and a hard place. If he disagreed with her, she would expect them to set a wedding date. And if he admitted she was right, then she would have him on a blind date before the night was over.
Stasia let go of his hand and sat up straighter. “It’s true. We are serious about each other.”
His grandmother’s gaze narrowed on them. “How serious?”
Stasia met his grandmother’s gaze without flinching. “Well, you know how your grandson doesn’t like to do big public displays of affection? He likes to keep things low-key. And so we’ve been keeping everything quiet—until now.”
His grandmother’s mouth opened in an O as her eyes twinkled with hope and she clasped her hands together. “So, you are getting married?”
“Yes.”
Roberto looked at Stasia. What had she said? He replayed the conversation in his head. Had Stasia really just told his grandmother they were getting married? He opened his mouth but no words would come out. There was a disconnect somewhere between his racing thoughts and his mouth.
Stasia turned to him. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to keep it quiet for a while, with the transition at your office and all.”
“Don’t be upset with her,” Gaia said to him. “You couldn’t expect her to keep that kind of news to herself.”
The next thing he knew, people were throwing around dates. Dates that weren’t that far off. And then his arm was around Stasia’s shoulders as his whole family debated what date would work best for each of them. He moved and spoke in a dazed robotic motion. Since when was his wedding date up for debate by his family members? Not that he was getting married for real or anything.
When all was said and done, his wedding was set for the beginning of August. His grandmother was over the moon, and Stasia, well, she looked happy. And his family loved her. By the time he found his voice, he didn’t have the heart to embarrass Stasia by telling his family that the wedding would never take place.
He knew Stasia had only said those things to keep him from disappointing his grandmother once again. He knew she was even less interested in getting married than him. After all, she’d had her heart ripped out when her husband had passed away. No one would want to risk that sort of pain again. But she’d stepped up, putting herself out there, just for him. No one had gone out of their way for him like she had done. He was truly touched.
“Would you like some fresh air?” he asked, anxious for someplace a little quieter.
“I’d love some.”
He once again held his arm out to her, enjoying when she was touching him. And they strolled outside beneath the big, brilliant moon that reflected off the calm water. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones with this idea, as there were many couples strolling along the canal.
They walked a bit until they found a stretch of rail where they could be alone. Roberto wasn’t in the mood to share Stasia any longer. He couldn’t explain it to himself nor anyone else what it was about her that had him rethinking the whole bachelor thing. What had he found so great about it when he could spend amazing evenings like this with a woman who was as beautiful as she was generous of heart?
“Are you thinking about the project for your grandfather?” Her soft voice broke through his thoughts.
How could she think he was pondering work on such an amazing evening? Perhaps he’d had his emotions suppressed for so long now that even she couldn’t see he was profoundly moved by this evening, by this trip—by her.
He turned to her, finding her standing closer to him than he’d expected. It was all he could do not to reach out and take her in his arms. But he couldn’t overstep again. She’d gracefully forgiven him once this evening. He knew he wouldn’t be so lucky a second time.
That thought dampened his mood.
“I was thinking that tomorrow we have one last day in Venice and I was wondering if you would want to see some more of it.”
A smile lifted her lips. “I would love it.”
“Then it’s a date?”
Before he could correct his slip of the tongue, she said, “It’s a date.”
He smiled. Stasia really did make things easy. He could get used to having her around.
“So I’ll meet you on the deck first thing in the morning?” she asked, while staring into his eyes.
“Yes.” Resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her soft curves in for a very long, very deep kiss, he said, “Would you like to return to the wedding? I’m sure it’ll keep going until very late.”
She shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to stay here just a bit longer before heading back to the ship.”
The problem with lingering here beneath the star-studded sky was that he wasn’t sure how long his determination to keep his hands to himself would hold out. And he didn’t want to mess this up—whatever this was.
He forced his thoughts to the work that awaited him. However, the last thing he wanted to do that night was to work. The thought startled him. He was always up for work. It was his driving force in life—until now.
This trip had opened his eyes. He knew that was a lie. It was Stasia who had shown him what he was missing in life. He wasn’t sure his work would ever be enough to fill his life again.
What he really wanted to do was pull Stasia into his arms. He wanted to kiss her without limitations, without his family watching them and without any restraint. He wanted to drink in her sweetness and show her that there was still so much in life for her to experience.
And then he recalled his prior conversation with Xander, promising to watch out for Stasia. Roberto stifled a frustrated groan. Why did Stasia have to be his friend’s sister? Because she was the first woman to thoroughly intrigue him. She was the only one to make him question if his permanent bachelor status was really the right choice for him.