Summer Sins

She padded out of the bathroom, her bare feet on the cool tiles, into the bedroom. It was early still. Xavier was still asleep, and of their own volition Lissa’s feet took her to stand beside him. She gazed down. Emotions swirled around inside her, taunting her. Strong and overpowering. Conflicting and confusing.

She almost reached down to touch a stray lock of hair on his forehead as he lay relaxed in sleep, his long dark lashes brushing his cheeks, his breathing slow and even, and his features so familiar to her now, so completely mesmerising. Her fingers reached towards him, her heart fuller than it had ever been.

The subdued sudden ring tone of her mobile stayed her hand in mid-movement. As she realised what the sound was, she turned swiftly, crossing to the armoire in the corner of the room, where her handbag was contained. She whisked out her phone, set it to vibrate, not ring, and with a quick glance at Xavier to ensure he had not been disturbed by it hurried out onto the terrace, through the French windows that opened to the outdoors directly from the bedroom.

Nerves were strung like wires along every pathway in her body. Tension acute in every muscle.

It was Armand. She knew. It had to be.

And what he would tell her now, she could scarce bear to hear.

She clicked to receive the call.

Xavier awoke. For a second he did not know what had woken him, then he realised. A phone ringing. Muffled, cut off swiftly, but enough to rouse him, primed as he was to business calls at unsociable hours that suited others around the world better than they suited him.

He glanced aro

und, locating his phone where it lay on the bedside table. He checked to see the display screen, but there was no message to indicate a missed call. His eyes moved around the room.

And saw Lissa outside, on the terrace, a bath towel wrapped around her, the sliding door imperfectly closed. She had her profile to him, her phone clutched to her ear. She was saying nothing, but her expression—

Shuttered, tight.

Tension netted him suddenly.

Who was calling her? Why?

And then suddenly her expression changed. He saw it happen in an instant. From shuttered to shining—radiant suddenly with delight, transformed.

She spoke. He heard her voice—muffled, but distinct.

‘Oh, that’s wonderful! I can’t believe it! Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?’

She paused to hear the answer, and then she gave a laugh. A laugh of pure happiness. More than happiness.

‘Armand—I’ll love you for ever for this! I can’t believe how happy I am. It’s just so wonderful!’

She paused again, her face still radiant, still overjoyed. And then her expression changed again. He could see it—see it with his own eyes. Her eyes widened, and wonder filled her face.

‘Oh, Armand—is this true? Can you really mean that? Marriage? It’s everything I could have dreamed of! Yes! Yes, of course! Of course I will. As soon as you want. Sooner!’ She gave another laugh, happy and thrilled. Radiant with joy. ‘Tell me everything. Everything.’

She began to wander away from the terrace, turning so that he could not see her anymore. Could not hear her.

But he did not need to see more. Hear more. He had seen and heard all he needed to. His eyes stared out into the room. There was no expression in them. None in his face.

But in his heart fury burned.

Implacable, unforgiving.

Deadly.

When Lissa came back into the bedroom, overcome with emotion, it was empty. Her heart was so full she thought she must burst. The call from Armand had been everything she had longed to hear. And so much more!

Her eyes lit.

Marriage—was that really, truly what Armand planned? But he had been adamant, determined. And she knew that to his proposal there could be only one answer. A thrill of happiness went through her.

On winged feet she dressed, relief and happiness soaring within her, then hurried out onto the terrace again, and around the corner of the house to gain the main terrace that opened from the living room. The table had already been laid for breakfast, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee, plus the heady aroma of croissants, greeted her enticingly. Xavier was not there yet, but she assumed he was making business calls, as he often did—preferring to get them out of the way early on, so they had more time to themselves during the day.