Page 89 of Modern Romance May 2026 Books 1-4
‘Won’t I what?’ His low voice was right behind her.
She turned, rocking back on her heels at the brilliance in his astute blue gaze. The wave of betrayal was overwhelming. She’d never felt as unwanted in her life. She didn’t take the drink he offered her. She couldn’t fake it, not even in front of all these people.
‘Are you okay?’
Of course Massimo noticed. He was so damned observant, seeing everything and ready to swoop in and save the day. But it wasn’t heartfelt concern for her; she was merely another of his manydetailsto take care of.
‘No.’ She eyeballed him. ‘We need to leave. Now.’
Chapter Eleven
THEDRIVE BACKto the hotel was very different to their earlier journey. Sure, he put up the privacy screen, but there were no teasing whispers. No intenseclosenessor dazed desire. It was all a con. Lily couldn’t trust herself to speak, so she counted, trying to blank out the shame pouring through her. He’d used her so badly.
He said nothing but he was too intelligent not to know there was an issue. Which meant he had the self-control to wait for complete privacy for an argument, but no concerns about seducing her in the very same semipublic space. Which told her everything she needed to know—sex with her meant nothing to him. It was just a convenient add-on to this situation.
‘What happened?’ he asked the second they were inside their luxurious villa. ‘Did someone say something? Was it Emiliano? You know he’s very young.’
‘And yet, he’s not as emotionally incompetent as you.’
She marched into the room. He didn’t. He remained near the door, immobile aside from the muscle twitching in his jaw.
‘You didn’t need to worry about him,’ she said. ‘You didn’t need to defile yourself to defend him from me.’
‘Lily—’
‘You are so full of shit,’ she snarled. ‘Insisting our different backgrounds don’t matter?’
‘They don’t.’
‘Yet, you were so worried I was some threat to Emiliano, that you made the oh-so-noble sacrifice of sleeping with me so then I’d be your sloppy seconds. Did you think your young cousin would have too much loyalty to you to be interested? Newsflash, Massimo, he wasneverinterested in me and I was never interested in him.’
‘I know that.’
‘Now. But you didn’t then. That night on the cargo plane, you asked about my job in P1 to see if I’d spill company secrets. You wanted to know if I fancied the damned drivers. You were pathetic.’
He huffed out a heavy breath. ‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘No? Then why were you even on the plane when you have your own jet?’
His gaze dropped, avoiding her eyes. Guilt. Discomfort. It didn’t matter.
‘You boarded deliberately because you knew I was on it, didn’t you? You knew my name.’
At the deep point where all the pain welled, anger now erupted. She’d thought thatissueas he’d called it, the chemistry between them, had been the one area in which they were trulyequal. The only arena in which they met on the same level. But even that had been a lie.
‘You think so little of him, but he never once said anything inappropriate to me. Never once flirted. Never once moved too close. We talk about tyre compound. That’s all he and I have ever talked about.’ She whirled away, unable to stand looking at him she was so hurt.
‘You think even less ofme.’ Anger curled within her. ‘Did you honestly think I’d fall into bed with either of you? Withanyone? You really saw me as a weapon that had to be neutralised?’ She couldn’t believe it. ‘I was lonely that night and I’m not going to apologise for thinking I’d met a fellow free spirit and indulging in a moment. But you,sir…’ She whirled and spat the words at him. ‘You have so much to grovel about. You didn’t just conceal your identity, but yourmotives. If I’d known who you really were, I never would’ve gone near you.’
‘Which is why I didn’t tell you!’ He exploded. ‘And I know that was wrong. I know there are no excuses, but I lost my head. I sat next to you for ten seconds and—’
‘No.Don’t.’ She wouldn’t hear false declarations now. ‘It really blew up in your face, didn’t it?’
‘How things began is irrelevant. Don’t let a minor detail wreck the progress we’ve made.’
It was hardly aminordetail. ‘You think progress can be built on a pack of lies?’
‘I know I screwed up. I can only try to do better. But I am responsible for—’
