Phantom Marriage

Suddenly, something broke within her. Something she could not identify. Not a physical thing but something deeply emotional, evoking a sense of bonding which compelled her to take her arms down from the pillow and wind them tightly around him.

‘Leonardo,’ she whispered back.

Only then did she come. And so did he, their bodies surrendering, not in a clash of wild shuddering but in gently rolling spasms which made Veronica want to cry. She did cry. But silently. The spasms seemed to go on for ever, which was just as well, giving her tears time to dry and for some common sense to return.

I have not fallen in love with Leonardo, she told herself sternly. He’s just very good at this. Very, very good. Get a grip, Veronica.

She might have got a grip if she’d had time. And if she wasn’t so exhausted. But sleep beckoned, a dark curtain having already fallen over her mind. Her body soon followed. She didn’t see Leonardo frown down at her as he withdrew. She couldn’t worry about his body language, which spoke of concern and confusion.

* * *

Leonardo lay beside her, unable to sleep, which was unusual for him after so much sex. He was troubled. The thought that he liked Veronica too much troubled him. Way too much.

Because let’s face it, Leonardo, he thought to himself, what you felt when you made love to Veronica just now far surpassed anything you’ve ever felt before. It had been more than sex. It had felt suspiciously like what he’d imagined falling in love would be like.

The problem was he didn’t want to fall in love with Veronica. He didn’t want to fall in love with any woman just yet but, if it had to happen, he certainly didn’t want it to happen with a twenty-eight-year-old Australian girl who carried way too much emotional baggage and who obviously believed he was some kind of man whore.

He wasn’t. Not in his book. Okay, so his girlfriends didn’t last very long. They bored him after a while, as did many aspects of life nowadays. But he only ever had one girlfriend at a time, and not nearly as many as social media suggested. He didn’t cheat on them. Never. He always broke up with them before entering another relationship. Yes, he did have the occasional one-night stand. But only when he was between girlfriends, and only when he was in one of his dark, restless moods.

Leonardo could feel one of those dark moods descending right now. God, but he hated it when he felt like this. So out of control. He’d been out of bloody control ever since he’d met the girl beside him, who was sleeping like a baby with not a worry in the world. Damn her with her violet eyes and her oh, so kissable mouth. And damn Laurence for leaving his villa to her.

Laurence…

If only Laurence were still alive. He’d used to be able to get Leonardo out of his black moods. He’d put on some classical music, pour him some wine and they’d sit on the terrace, if it was summer, or by the fireplace in winter, not always talking, sometimes just listening and drinking. Relaxing.

He supposed he could get up and do that now. But it wouldn’t be the same, doing any of that by himself. It wouldn’t work, either. He needed Laurence’s logical reasoning and pragmatic presence to do the trick. He’d had a way about him, that man. If Leonardo were honest, Veronica had a similar way. She was great company and very easy to talk to. He’d thoroughly enjoyed their sightseeing trip this morning. And their lunch in Sorrento. Unfortunately, the sexual chemistry flaring between them was difficult to ignore, bringing an irritation which he’d struggled to control.

That was what bothered him almost as much as possibly falling in love—his lack of control. Though maybe they were both wrapped up in the same package. He still could not get over not having used protection. What on earth had he been thinking?

But it was done now. And truthfully, it had felt fantastic. Was that what was tricking him, his level of physical pleasure? The sheer intimacy of it all?

Possibly. He liked that thought. It made sense. He probably wasn’t falling in love with her at all. He was just blown away by how great it felt without using a condom. It was many years, after all, since he’d had the pleasure of spontaneous sex. He’d liked that there’d been no need to turn away and risk spoiling the moment. No matter how quick you were, that was sometimes very annoying.

A yawn captured him. Maybe he could sleep now that he’d worked out his emotions.

Leonardo rolled over and put an arm around Veronica. She snuggled back into him till they were like two spoons fitted together. Leonardo smiled with contentment, then fell fast sleep, happy with the thought that she would be there for him when he awoke.

CHAPTER TWENTY

SHE WASN’T.

Leonardo’s eyes opened to an empty space next to him. He stretched, wondering what time it was and how long Veronica had been up. The blinds in the bedroom weren’t down, and he could see that it wasn’t yet night. Reaching for his phone, he checked the time. Not that late. Only six-thirty, and daylight saving meant it would be light for some time yet.

Rising, Leonardo headed for the bathroom where he’d dropped his clothes. Five minutes later, he left the bedroom in search of Veronica. He found her sitting at Laurence’s desk, which was tucked away in an alcove in a corner of the living room. She was dressed too, a mug of steaming coffee at her elbow, her eyes fixed on the computer in front of her.

Laurence’s computer.

‘There you are,’ he said, and she swung round in the

chair to face him.

God, but she was beautiful, he thought. Even without make-up and with her hair up.

‘I didn’t want to wake you,’ she said coolly, and picked up her coffee, ‘So I had a shower in the guest room and got dressed there. I’ve been trying to get into my father’s computer, but it’s password protected.’

‘I know the password,’ he offered.

‘You do?’ She blinked up at him in surprise.