An Inheritance of Shame(46)
She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘We’ll take it slowly.’
‘I don’t think it’s the pace that matters.’
He didn’t either. He tipped her chin up with his finger so he could meet her clouded gaze. ‘What are you afraid of?’
She pressed her lips together, didn’t answer, but then she didn’t have to. He knew what she was afraid of; he was afraid of it as well.
Was he capable of loving her? Was he capable of love at all?
He didn’t know the answer, and he knew Lucia didn’t know it either. With one last, soft kiss, he let her go and headed back down the stairs.
CHAPTER TEN
‘HOW ABOUT THIS one?’
Lucia glanced at the skintight leopard print minidress Angelo had pulled off the rack and shook her head, laughter bubbling up inside her. ‘It’s not my colour.’
‘Zebra print, maybe?’ He took out another dress and this time she laughed aloud.
‘I doubt there’s been a zebra print dress seen at the Corretti Cup ever.’
‘Always time for a first.’
She shook her head, still smiling, and moved down the rack at one of the city’s most exclusive boutiques, leopard print dresses and all. They’d visited several boutiques this morning, and her nervousness about being in these exclusive shops with their snooty sales clerks and elegant upholstery had dissolved in the glow of Angelo’s smile, the ease of his good humour. She’d forgotten how much fun he could be. It had taken a lot of effort when they were children to make him smile and relax, but when he did…
There was no one with whom she’d rather be.
‘All right, since you aren’t going to go for the animal prints, how about this?’ Angelo had moved to another rack of dresses, these one in various jewel tones. He pulled out a slim sheath dress of sapphire silk, the fabric possessing an icy glow. Lucia drew in a breath.
‘It’s lovely,’ she said hesitantly, because she couldn’t actually imagine wearing it. She couldn’t imagine wearing any of these dresses, leopard print included. She felt like a little girl playing dress up, and at any moment someone was going to come in and bark at her to stop pretending. Stop trying to be someone else.
‘Try it on,’ Angelo urged. ‘It matches your eyes.’
Still unsure, she took the dress from him and went back to the sumptuous dressing room, complete with a chaise and three-panelled cheval mirror.
‘Would you like any help?’ the sales clerk, a tall, blonde woman with cold eyes and spike heels, asked. She’d been gushing all over them ever since Angelo had entered, acting as if he owned the place, but Lucia had a feeling the assistant wasn’t fooled by her.
‘I’m fine, thank you,’ she said, and closed the door.
She knew she should be gratified by such attention, thrilled by Angelo’s wealth and power. Surely most women would be, and she suspected he wanted her to be. Yet while she was proud of what he accomplished, all of it still gave her a sick feeling inside.
Sometimes she felt as if she didn’t know this man of power and prestige who had the world at his feet. She didn’t know how she could fit into his world…how he could love her.
Resolutely she pushed such pointless worries away, at least for the moment, and slipped into the dress, the silk sliding over with a luxuriant whisper. Angelo rapped on the door.
‘Let me see.’
‘Give me a minute.’ With some wriggling she managed to zip up the back, and with a nervous flutter inside she opened the door. Angelo’s pupils flared as he took in the fitted sheath dress ending just below her knee. It was simple, elegant, clearly expensive.
‘Magnifico. We’ll take it.’
‘Don’t you want to ask if I like it?’
His eyes widened with surprise. ‘Don’t you?’
She sighed, chuckled in defeat. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘Then there is no problem.’
‘No,’ she agreed. ‘No problem.’
And there really wasn’t. Why couldn’t she just relax and enjoy all of this, allow herself to be swept along on this luxurious ride? Everything in her resisted it, resisted not just accepting Angelo’s gifts, but acknowledging who he was, powerful, wealthy, entitled. She didn’t want him to change her, but she didn’t want him to be changed either. And she was afraid he already was, afraid Angelo would never be able to love her as she was.