The Unwanted Wife (Unwanted #1)(25)

“Don’t you know how foolish I feel?” she whispered, looking down. “Meeting them now…What must they think of me? I feel like I’m on display, your mystery wife who has shunned them for more than a year.” He took a hesitant step toward her before wrapping his arms around her and dropping his forehead to hers. He brought his hands up to cup her face.

“They’ll know whose fault it was, Theresa. I’ll make sure of that,” he promised huskily.

“How?”

“I’ll get them to believe that I really was too possessive to share you with them. They’ll think that I wanted you all to myself.”

“But that would make you look…” She struggled to find the correct word. “Insecure.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Or maybe they’ll take one look at you and understand why I’d react like that.”

“What do you…?” His thumbs pressed to her soft lips, silencing the question.

“Silly little Theresa,” he chided softly. “I may not have said it much, or at all for that matter, but you’re so beautiful I ache just looking at you sometimes.” She wasn’t beautiful—she knew she wasn’t—but just this once she wanted to believe him. She had never seen such stark honesty in his eyes before, and it warmed her down to her toes. He leaned even closer, his lips just millimeters away from hers when an amused voice had them leaping apart guiltily.

“Come on, guys, your honeymoon ended ages ago. Give it a rest!” It was Gabe, coming up behind them. Theresa went a fiery red, while Sandro frowned, hunching his shoulders and dropping his hands into his pockets. He slanted a quick and inscrutable look at Theresa, who averted her eyes. She couldn’t think about that achingly sweet moment and she certainly couldn’t wonder about that near-kiss. Not right now.




She was quiet on the drive home and still confusing reality with fantasy. Sandro’s friends had been lovely, and she’d enjoyed cheering them on from the sidelines. She had been uncomfortable around the other wives and girlfriends at first, but they’d been so genuinely welcoming that Theresa had relaxed almost immediately. Sandro’s constant attention had helped a lot. He would often trot over to where she was sitting to ask if she was okay, if she needed anything, if she was warm enough, and it had become embarrassing after a while, especially when his friends started ribbing him about it. Theresa had known, of course, that it was all an act, but it had still been a heady sensation to have his entire focus on her like that. Theresa had found the actual football game surprisingly riveting, especially since she had been unable to tear her eyes away from her graceful and talented husband. Afterward they’d had a barbecue, and again, Sandro had been constantly attentive and almost affectionate, holding her hand or wrapping his arm around her shoulders. After the initial awkwardness, Theresa had found herself relaxing more and more.

Now in the confined space of the car, there was a shimmering tension between them, and Theresa leaned forward to fill the silence with music, but he caught her hand to prevent her from turning on the CD player.

“Don’t…” She turned to look at the silhouette of his profile, but he kept his eyes glued to the road.

“But…”


“Did you have a good time tonight?” he asked gruffly.

“Yes…they’re all lovely people.”

“I’m glad.” Silence again. He still hadn’t released her hand, keeping it pinned between his hard thigh and his large hand.

“Everybody really liked you.” She could hear the warmth in his voice but didn’t know if it was directed at his friends or at her. “I was…proud…to have you there.” She blinked, not at all sure how to take that. “And I felt guilty for leaving it for so long. I never meant to make you feel like I was ashamed of you, Theresa. I didn’t want to marry you, it’s true, but not at any point did I ever feel that you would shame me.”

“Thank you for saying that,” she whispered. “It means a lot.”

His hand tightened on hers before he let her go, and she reluctantly lifted her hand from his thigh. There was silence again, but this time it didn’t feel quite so unfriendly and unwelcome.





CHAPTER FIVE

They got home after midnight, and while Sandro proceeded to lock up, Theresa wearily headed for the shower in the upstairs guest bedroom that she was still determined to occupy, despite Sandro’s forcibly moving her back to the master suite every night. She was standing beneath the hot, relaxing spray of the multiple shower heads in the luxurious guest bathroom, her forehead pressed to the cool tiles, when a rush of cold air alerted her to the fact that the frosted glass door to the cubicle had slid open. She turned around with a resigned sigh and watched as Sandro turned to close the shower door behind him, offering her a tantalizing glimpse of the beautiful bottom that she had so admired earlier in the evening, while he’d been chasing a ball up and down Gabe’s lawn. He turned back to her and shook his head with a tired sigh.

“You are, without a doubt, turning into one of the most stubborn people I know, Red,” he said with a groan. She was flustered by the unexpected pet name. He had never called her anything other than her given name since she had known him, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“I want that divorce, Sandro,” she insisted, getting her thoughts back on track and trying not to drop her eyes to his eager erection. He smiled slightly, taking a step toward her.