An Invitation to Sin

He swore in Italian. ‘It’s crazy out there.’

‘Probably safer out there than in here.’ Defensive anger bubbling up through the misery, Taylor folded her arms and tapped her foot on the floor but the words on her lips died as she took a proper look at him. ‘You look awful. Isn’t that the same suit you were wearing yesterday?’

‘What? No. Yes.’ He looked down at himself blankly and then back at her, tension in his features. ‘I don’t know. I do know there are things I need to say to you.’

‘If “sorry for being a hypocrite” isn’t on that list then you can save your breath and get out now.’

‘Hypocrite?’

‘Oh, come on, Luca—I saw your face yesterday. You were shocked.’ The words choked her. ‘How dare you be shocked? After everything you’ve done in your life.’

‘But I’ve never done this.’ His voice was hoarse. ‘I just didn’t think this would ever happen to me. I didn’t want it to happen.’

‘“This” being involved with someone like me? Well, I’m sorry to have disturbed your perfect life.’ Tears of frustration and humiliation stung her eyes and she pointed to the door. ‘Leave, before I sully your reputation even more. If you think you’re such a saint, get out now. And it didn’t happen to you, it happened to me. That’s my naked butt up there on the Internet, not yours, so stop being so sanctimonious. You’ve done far worse, Luca Corretti. You are many things but I had no idea you were a hypocrite.’

He raked his hand over the back of his neck, his expression bemused. ‘Cosa? What are you talking about?’

‘You! I just can’t believe you’re shocked to see naked photographs! You’re the one who almost ripped my dress off at the wedding.’ That revelation was met by tense silence.

‘You think I’m shocked about the photographs?’ Looking slightly dazed, he lowered his hand from the back of his neck. ‘That’s why you’re calling me a hypocrite?’

‘I saw you, Luca. Yesterday, when you stumbled out of the boardroom, you could barely speak you were so shocked.’

‘Yes, but not about the photographs. I was shocked because—’ he broke off and licked his lips ‘—because I…’

‘Because what?’

He looked like a man who was about to step off a cliff. ‘Because I’d just discovered I was in love with you. Cristo, that is the first time I’ve said it out loud and it sounds as weird as it feels.’ He sank onto the edge of her bed and stared down at his hands. ‘Look at me—I’m shaking.’ He held out his hands as evidence but Taylor simply stared at him, stunned into silence by his raw confession.

Her mouth opened and shut but no sound came out and he looked at her helplessly.

‘I’ve never been shocked by anything before but I was shocked by this. I still am. I’m a guy who has never fallen for a woman. I never intended to fall for a woman.’ His voice was as shaky as his hands. ‘When you started this engagement farce I thought I was going to hate every minute of it. Instead I loved every minute of it. I loved every minute of being with you. You’re bright, sexy, funny, confident, sexy, strong, warm—did I say sexy?’

‘Wait a minute.’ It was Taylor’s turn to shake. ‘Are you really telling me you love me?’

‘Yes and last night you said you were sorry I felt this way which, by the way, was not the most sympathetic comment I’ve ever heard.’

‘Last night I thought you were shocked because there are going to be naked photographs of me everywhere. You’re shocked because you love me?’

‘Yes. And there won’t be photographs. That’s where I’ve been all night. With the Corretti family lawyers. We’ve stopped the photos being published.’

It was her turn to be shocked. ‘How can you do that? The Italian press are notorious for not caring about rules and regulations.’

‘There are some advantages to being a Corretti. We stopped it. That’s all you need to know. No one gets to see my wife naked but me.’

‘W-wife?’

‘You have to marry me.’ He was on his feet, his expression strained. ‘Until I met you I’d never spent a whole night with a woman and now I can’t stand being parted from you even for a moment. Even when I’m not with you I’m thinking about you all the time. I know you find it hard to trust people and I understand why, but I wanted to prove to you that you could trust me. I made sure those photographs won’t be used.’

‘But our engagement was fake. We did it because it gave us both respectability.’