‘Room service!’
She opened the door to the woman’s voice, her heart crashing against her ribcage when she saw Salvio standing there, holding a tray dominated by a silver dome. In the distance was the retreating view of a hotel employee, who’d obviously been rewarded for allowing this bizarre role-reversal to take place. Which was exactly what it felt like. Salvio in a subservient role holding a tray, and her opening the door of some swanky hotel room. Except he didn’t stay subservient for very long.
‘Step aside, Molly,’ he clipped out.
‘You can’t come in.’
‘Just try stopping me.’
She didn’t dare. She’d never seen him look so determined as he stormed into her room. There was a clatter as he slammed the tray down and Molly shuddered to think what damage he must have inflicted on her cheese omelette. Not that she wanted it any more. How could she possibly have eaten anything when she could barely breathe?
He turned round and she was taken aback by the fury which was darkening his imposing features into an unrecognisable mask. ‘Well, Molly?’ he snarled.
‘Well, what?’ she retorted. ‘How did you find me?’
‘You booked this room with our joint credit card.’
‘And?’
‘And therefore you were traceable. I had one of my contacts look into it for me.’
She screwed up her brow. ‘Isn’t that...illegal?’
He shrugged. ‘When a man wishes to find his errant wife then surely he will use whatever means are available to him.’
‘Well, you’ve wasted your time because there’s nothing to say!’
‘I disagree. There’s plenty to say, and we’re having this out right now.’
And suddenly Molly knew she couldn’t let him take over and dominate this situation by the sheer force of his indomitable character. Yes, he was powerful, rich and successful, but she was his wife. His equal, despite the inequality of their assets. That was what she’d vowed to be when she had agreed to marry him, but somewhere along the way her resolve had slipped. Was that because the more she’d started to care for him, the harder she had found it to assert herself?
Well, not any more. She needed to make it plain that, although she might not have anything of material value, she valued herself. And she would not allow Salvio De Gennaro to make a fool of her, or for her heart to be slowly broken by a man who was incapable of emotion.
‘I saw the article from the American newspaper.’
‘I know you did. Your brother sent it to you.’
‘Did you find that out illegally, too?’ she scorned.
‘No, Molly. You left your computer open.’
‘Well, if you’d looked a little harder you’d have seen that I also did a room search for the Vinoly hotel,’ she said triumphantly. ‘Which wouldn’t have involved getting someone to snoop on me!’
Unexpectedly, he sighed and a sudden weariness touched the corners of his dark eyes as he looked at her. ‘What do you think I did in Los Angeles, Molly?’ he questioned tiredly. ‘Do you think I had sex with Lauren?’
A spear of pain shot through her. ‘Did you?’
He winced as he raked his fingers back through his jet-dark hair. ‘No, I did not. She heard I was in town and got in touch with me and I agreed to meet her for lunch.’
‘Why?’
‘Why?’ He gave an odd smile. ‘I thought it made sense to put away the past for good.’
‘Only I suppose she’d suddenly realised the stupid mistake she’d made in letting you go?’ accused Molly sarcastically.
He shrugged. ‘Something like that. She is recently divorced. She asked for another chance.’
‘And you said?’