THE sun was starting to set in earnest, giving the twilight a pink-and-orange glow with a rapidly chilling autumn bite in the air. As a light fog blew in from the lagoon, Talos reached for Eve’s hand.
His hand wrapped around her smaller one, their naked palms pressing together, and she gave an involuntary shiver that had nothing to do with the cooling night.
He paused on the walkway between the piazzetta and the canal. “Cold?”
She nodded, because how could she tell him the truth? How could she tell him that his every touch exhilarated and frightened her in equal measure?
“That won’t do.” Behind his head, she could see the Byzantine white domes, arches and sharp spires of St. Mark’s Basilica. S
unset caressed his handsome face in warm reddish-pink light. “Here.”
He took the trenchcoat he’d carried on his arm and wrapped it around her. He was so handsome, she thought in a daze as she tied the belt of her coat. So starkly powerful, wearing a black wool coat over a black tailored shirt and black pants. For a moment, she just looked at him, catching her breath.
Then a group of young men walked past them and she heard a low whistle. She looked down and blushed, realizing her slim-fitting white trenchcoat covered her red dress completely. With her legs and collarbone bare, she must look as if she were naked beneath it!
She bit her lip. “Maybe we should take a taxi?”
“The restaurant is close,” he said tersely. “Just on the other side of the square.” He took her arm, placing it over his own. His eyes were dark as he looked down at her. “Come.”
It was incredibly romantic, watching the sun lower over the Grand Canal. Romantic, but not comfortable. Her black stiletto heels twisted her ankles as she walked, but that wasn’t the worst thing. She was continually aware of men staring at her as they passed by the walkway. And Talos was aware of it, too. She could tell by the way he held her arm tightly, glowering at any other man who came too close or stared too long. He was like a lion ready to fight, to kill, to protect his female.
Eve felt vulnerable. Like a gazelle about to get ripped to shreds for some lion’s dinner. What difference did it make which lion?
She looked up at Talos beside her. Something about him scared her in a way she didn’t understand. It was because she couldn’t remember him, she told herself. If she did, surely she wouldn’t be afraid…?
Behind them, she saw a shadowy figure following at a discreet distance. Nervously, she licked her lips, tasting lipstick flavored like wax and roses. “There’s someone following us.”
Talos glanced back, then relaxed. “Kefalas.”
“Your bodyguard?”
“He’ll only come if needed.”
“But—”
“It’s necessary.” He looked down at her. The slant of the setting sun cast his brutally handsome features in a roseate glow as he added roughly, “Just to protect you from all your Italian admirers, it seems.”
“I don’t like the attention,” she whispered. “I don’t want them to stare at me.”
She could tell by the twist to his lips that he didn’t completely believe her. Her cheeks burned pink. She wished she were covered from head to toe in a padded snowsuit.
Her clothes had to change, she thought.
Talos escorted her into a small hotel overlooking the Grand Canal, to the restaurant in the back which had a lovely wide terrace with a view of the water. The restaurant was packed, but somehow they were immediately taken to the best table.
Across the simple candlelit table, they shared an amazing meal of seafood risotto and tagliolini with scampi. The food was a sensual experience. As she finished her risotto, licking her fork with satisfaction, she felt his gaze upon her. And even as the cool night breeze drifted across her bare shoulders and legs, she shivered with sudden heat.
Unable to bear the intensity of his gaze, she looked away. Across the black shadows of gondolas in the water, she saw a beautiful white domed church lit up in the night.
“That’s Santa Maria della Salute,” he said quietly. “You loved it last time, too.”
“Last time?”
“Don’t you remember this restaurant?”
“Should I?”
His dark eyes flickered at her in the candlelight. “We came here on our first date.”