Lisander smiled. “You think so? Come, take a look for me.”
“I don’t know anything about fashion.”
Lisander made a noise. “Don’t be silly. All I want to know is if you would wear something like this.”
He picked up a sheet of sketch paper and handed it to her. It was a beautiful, gold gown, fitted, with a skirt that billowed out from a tiny waist. “You would look amazing in this,” Lisander said softly. “The color of your skin against the gold? Oh, yes. And how about this green? Or the burgundy?”
Kate flushed at his compliment. He was sitting next to her now, and she couldn’t help breathing in his scent of cologne and soap. His knee rested gently on hers. Although her stomach was roiling, she still felt desire flood through her.Nikos. Don’t forget Nikos …
She looked up at Lisander, opening her mouth to comment on the sketches, when her brain failed her. Lisander was looking at her, his dark eyes so intense she couldn’t look away. Time passed; one heartbeat, two …
Lisander bent his head and brushed her lips with his. Light, quick, testing her. The second kiss was firmer; the third one he slid his tongue into her mouth. Kate sank into the kiss, knowing it was wrong.
They both jumped as someone banged on the door. “Room service.”
Guiltily, Kate stood, not looking at Lisander. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Maceo?”
Maceo came out of the shower, wearing a towel around his waist. Kate almost groaned. What was with these guys? They radiated sex. She forced herself to speak in a professional tone. “I must go. Have a great time in Vermont, but stay in touch. “
She couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. In her car, she brushed away some tears.What the hell were you thinking? Poor, poor Nikos. He deserved better.
He wasn’t home when she got in, and she was glad. Her nausea had returned, and now she felt lightheaded and hungry. She grabbed some leftover lasagna from the fridge and microwaved it, but as soon as she put the first forkful into her mouth, she knew she had made a mistake.
She made it to the sink before she threw up, but barely. When there was nothing more to vomit up, she sank to the kitchen floor. God, she must be sick. She crawled to the bathroom and rummaged around for painkillers in the cabinet. She threw a couple down with some water, managed to keep them down, then crawled into bed. Curling up under the duvet, she dozed off and on. A couple of hours later she heard Nikos come home.
He checked her temperature. “Still sick, baby?”
She nodded, and he wrapped her up in the comforter. “I think we need to get you to a doctor, Kate.”
She waved him away. “It’s just a virus.”
Three hours later, she was screaming in pain as a panicked Nikos called the emergency services. Sirens, flashing lights, and she was being wheeled into emergency surgery. Appendicitis.
“Well, shit,” she said, still high on morphine when Nikos came to visit her the next day. “Just damn appendicitis.”
Nikos smiled at her. “Just? Baby, I’m so happy it wasjustthat. I was scared out of my gourd.”
A nurse knocked on the door. “Someone sent flowers.”
“That’s nice … oh, wow.” Kate gaped as a huge bouquet was brought in with a large manila envelope. The bouquet was stunning, pale golds, creams, yellow and whites; roses, gerberas, lilies, and, Kate noticed, a few fronds of pampas grass. She suppressed a smile. Lisander. How the hell did he know she was here?
Nikos’s expression was confused. “Who are they from?”
“I think they are from a friend of a friend. Lisander Duarte.” She was opening the envelope.
“The designer?” Nikos sounded impressed, but Kate wasn’t listening. She was holding the sketch of the golden dress. On it, in his elegant scrawl, Lisander had titled itEl Catalina D’Oro’and under that had written, “When you are well enough, it is yours. L’
Kate felt her throat close.Oh god. Why? Why had she kissed him?This was not good at all—and yet she felt overwhelmingly excited. She steeled herself. “Well, that’s very sweet. He’s a good friend of Maceo Bartoli’s, that’s how I met him. He’s just saying thank you.”
Nikos seemed to buy this, but when Kate was alone, she kept re-reading Lisander’s message.I cannot cheat on Nikos with you, Mr. Duarte. I won’t be that girl.
The doctor came in to check on her. “Hey, Kate, how do you feel?” He pulled up a chair next to her.
“Okay, thanks, a little sore.”
The doctor, Dr. Payes, nodded. “Good. Kate, when we were operating, we noticed something else which we thought might be significant. Have you had abdominal surgery before?”
She nodded. “When I was eighteen; an ovarian cyst.”
