Cara tugged, trying to free her hand as they reached the crowds flowing up the steps and walking through the spacious foyer to the courtyard at the front of the property.
“Let go,” she hissed, wrenching her hand away.
Wes tried to catch a glimpse of her face, but she kept her eyes straight forward, and from his height, he couldn’t clearly see her expression. Her shoulders were stiff, and she was walking faster than anyone around them.
“Hey!” He reached to touch her just to slow her down, but she moved out of reach and turned a fierce look at him.
“Don’t touch me.”
Wes’s mouth fell open. “Wait! Are you mad at me?”
“Stop talking.” Her eyes blazed.
“Cara.” He stopped, aware that they were drawing attention from the others standing nearby. Wes bent his head so that only she could hear, but the fresh scent of honeysuckle immediately short-circuited his brain.
Cara’s gaze was on something behind him, and she stiffened before arranging her lips in a fake smile.
“Of course, I’m not mad. Why would I be?” Her lips were still smiling so anyone nearby wouldn’t see how angry she was, but Wes was close enough to see the sparks flashing in her eyes.
“You came here to convince your true love to be with you. And, the fact that you and I want to fuck each other’s brains out means nothing.” Cara’s voice had risen in volume, and she stopped to take a breath. “But the reason I’mmadat you, Wes, is that you made me believe love is real. That it is possible to find the one person you are meant to be with. I guess I should have learned from you and Melody. Just because you find the person you want to spend your life with, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll feel the same way.”
Wes felt like she had punched him.
The first burst of fireworks drew the crowd’s eyes upwards, but Wes couldn’t take his from Cara’s profile. In the subsequent bursts of light, he saw her lips tremble, the unmistakable sheen of tears in her eyes. His chest felt like his heart had been ripped out, leaving only a terrible ache behind. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. And that was exactly what he had done.
Wes’s eyes slammed shut, emotions he couldn’t identify cascading through his body. He wanted to hold her, assure her he loved her, too. Was that even what she was saying?
The entire time he’d known her, she insisted that love was a transitory, hormonal experience. How could he trust what she said now? If he risked his heart with her, and she grew tired of him, left him behind—he wasn’t sure he would survive it. So, instead of comforting her, he stayed silent, hands fisted at his sides.
When the fireworks were over, and the crowd finished their applause, they turned en masse back to the villa. Some of the guests made their way to the buses and cars that would carry them back to their hotels in the region, but Wes followed miserably behind Cara into the stone foyer.
At the base of the steps, she turned. Her expression was serene—terrifying.
“Give me thirty minutes before you come up.”
Wes watched her climb the stairs, and as she made the curve out of his sight, he couldn’t help but feel that he had lost something. A friendly slap on the back pulled him from his thoughts, and he found Colin, a commiserating smile on his face.
“Join the club man.” Colin glanced at the stairwell. “See you tomorrow.”
There were still several guests milling about in the house and on the veranda. Wanting to be alone, Wes wandered aimlessly onto one of the side balconies overlooking the gardens. A laugh rang out, and he easily picked Melody out of the crowd.
He should go down and talk to her. His time was limited, his brain reminded him, but he couldn’t seem to make his feet move or his heart care.
Corinne and Alessandro joined him on the balcony.
“What did you think of our little soiree?” Corinne asked.
“Very entertaining.” Wes did not feel up to small talk.
“Do you know my nephew Luca?” Alessandro asked, seeing where Wes’s attention lay.
“No, Melody and I are childhood friends.”
Alessandro exchanged a look with Corinne. An unspoken message passed between the two, and the older man pressed a quick kiss against Corinne’s lips before nodding at Wes and disappearing back into the house.
“Caralina tells me you two are roommates.”
Wes was instantly alert. She was definitely sizing him up.
