The Vows He Must Keep

He laughed, harsh and low.

‘I’m done with this game.’

Dani stood up, walking quietly to the door back into the villa. She paused, turning back for a moment to meet his eyes. When she spoke her voice was surprisingly calm and soft in the aftermath of all the venom he’d just thrown at her.

‘Valerio... I know you’re angry. But there is no luxury in grief, no matter what side you stand on. We both loved him. And I know that I pushed you to come back, but I’m not sorry. I get it that there are parts of you that are broken and scarred from your experience. But I just need you to know that I don’t blame you for his death. I never did. And you might have wanted to die in that dark shipping container, but I am thankful every single day that you came back.’

The door to the house closed softly behind her, leaving Valerio to sit alone in the darkness, feeling the result of his own stupid temper and guilt surrounding him like a dark cloud. He took a step forward, willing himself to storm after her and demand that she be angry. Demand the hatred he deserved.

But he remained frozen for a long time, his mind fighting to swim up from the fiery pit of anger it had succumbed to. It was at times like this, when the blackness came over him, when he wondered how there was anything of him left at all.

Valerio kept out of Dani’s way the next morning, not even passing comment when she holed herself up in the study at the villa and he spied her hard at work on her computer. She needed to take a break and some time to relax, but she wasn’t going to listen to him—not after he had been his usual difficult self last night.

He hardly even remembered half of what he’d said, he’d been so set on telling her the story of what had actually happened in Brazil.

He found his own computer and sat down in the dining room, logging on to the Velamar system for the first time in months and taking in the vast amount of work he’d been neglecting. It was no surprise Dani hadn’t had any time for her independent contracts—he’d left her alone to handle all this.

He spent the day through to the afternoon methodically sorting through emails and project outlines, sales projections and marketing plans. He immersed himself in the work, surprised when it fuelled the drive in him rather than making him feel trapped at a desk like it usually did.

His mind felt focused—as if he had unburdened it a little just by sharing his darkness with Dani. But guilt assailed him. He needed to swallow his pride and apologise for his behaviour. For all his behaviour over the past few days. He was about to be her husband, and even if it was in name only, he didn’t want to let her down.

‘I’m still committed to our agreement of a weekend off, even if you’re not. So I’m going to go for a swim before it gets dark.’

Like a mirage, she had appeared in the doorway of the dining room, a towel wrapped around her and the black strings of a simple bikini top visible at her nape.

Cursing himself for his instant flare of arousal, he glared down at his computer, waving a hand in her direction. He listened to her footsteps pad away, closing his eyes at the distinctive sound of a towel hitting a smooth surface before there was the splash of water.

His mind conjured up a vision of her smooth, dark curves gliding through the cool water in the setting sunlight. His groin tightened in response, all the blood in his body rushing south. He snapped the computer shut, looking up at the ceiling and shaking his head. This was what happened when he ignored his body for so long. He was like a teenager around her. She would be horrified to know of his lack of control.

He tried to get back into his work but his concentration was shot. So he sat in painful silence, listening to the sound of her moving through the water on the other side of the terrace doors.

Suddenly a muffled scream came from far away, jolting him from his thoughts. He frowned, tensing. When a second scream sounded out, he jumped from his seat and started running.

He reached the pool to see Daniela frozen in the centre, her eyes wide with terror as she pointed towards the wooden bridge over the water.

He followed her finger, his eyes instantly landing on what was possibly the most gigantic snake he had ever seen. The reptile was olive green in colour, with black markings along its length which almost matched the entire span of the bridge.

As Valerio watched, its heavy body moved and became partially submerged in the water towards its tail end. He looked closer, seeing a small alcove under the bridge filled with tiny movements. This mother snake was protecting her young. She didn’t move again, but was clearly aware of the woman who had interrupted her peace. Tiny black eyes were focused solely on Dani, and Valerio felt his chest tighten at the sight of her fear.

‘Do you think you can swim to the edge?’ He spoke softly, ready to move if the snake did. Judging by its size, it was one of the island’s native boa constrictors—non-venomous, but who knew how it might react if it sensed a threat?

Dani laughed—a panicked, breathy sound. ‘I can’t move at all. I’ve tried.’ She groaned. ‘It’s watching me.’

‘Okay, I’ll come and get you.’ He pressed his lips together, stepping out of his shoes. ‘It won’t hurt you. The only poisonous snakes on this island are a lot smaller than this large lady.’

‘Lady?’ she squeaked, incredulous. ‘I’m a large lady—that is a gigantic reptile. Seriously, I’m in mortal danger here and you’re being respectful of that thing?’

Valerio waded into the pool with slow, purposeful strokes. He reached her side in seconds, placing a finger against her lips. ‘Careful. She might hear you and take offence.’

‘Stop messing around.’ She clutched at him, her hands shaking as she latched on to his wet shirt and folded her body against his.

He felt a low groan escape his lips as his body roared to life at the delicious contact.

‘I’m sorry... Did I hurt you?’ she breathed, her attention still largely focused on the snake.

Get it together, Valerio.

He sliced at the water to move them both closer to the edge. Now was definitely not the time to be losing his grip on his rediscovered libido. She was afraid, and she was trusting him to get her out of the pool safely, so he was going to do just that.