Deception of the Heart (10 page)

‘
We could use something like that nowadays.’ Jon grinned as they faced the sculpture, his hand still wrapped around her palm. ‘It would make life so much easier, don’t you think?’

‘I think my boss would like it here
.’ Her spontaneous answer surprised her. ‘Pete is really big on social justice, and I can only imagine how exciting it would be for him to see a place where everyone was actually encouraged to say what they didn’t like about the city. I have to mention it to him once we get back.’

‘I had no idea you worked for such a Robin Hood
.’ He laughed out loud, and she regretted her impulsive tongue. She shouldn’t talk about Pete behind his back even though he did surprise her with his staunch critiques of the rich and powerful. She’d usually listen politely, forcing herself to bite her tongue and not mention that he himself lived rather comfortably and enjoyed all the privileges money could buy. Some of his comments didn’t really go well with her own take on life, making it rather awkward to walk the fine line between honesty and politeness with her boss.
It would really make things much easier to have him share his thoughts with the statue
, she mused, surprised by her own cattiness.

‘Well, he just worries that the little man is getting more and more forgotten in our race for power and financial gain
and that we are losing what makes us a society. At least, that’s what he says.’

‘How very considerate of him
.’ Why did she get the impression Jon was making fun of what she just said? Was he annoyed because he sensed Pete disliked his presence and felt pushed aside? If so, she needed to do a better job of keeping him happy. Her boss would be angry if Jon refused to be distracted any longer.

‘Let’s go to the center,’ she cajoled, looking at him from under her long eyelashes.
She hoped she could pull of the flirtatious look, but she was fully aware of how rusty she had become. ‘I want to take my picture and get my wish granted. Did you know if you throw a coin into the Fountain of Four Rivers and wish for something, it might come true?’

‘
Now that’s a prospect I am not going to miss,’ he played along, his dark eyes scorching hot. She had to swallow and remind herself to breathe. His masculine beauty surprised her once again. He could very well pose as a model for the sculptors from centuries ago. They walked on, her heart beating fast.

‘
Signorina, signore
!’ A voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see a skinny, dark-clad woman carrying a basket full of red roses, her brown face creased in a smile.
‘Fiori por signorina, sì
?’ She pointed at the flowers, the gesture unmistakable.

‘
Don’t make eye contact,’ she whispered to Jon, embarrassed to become the center of attention. ‘The street vendors find tourists and bully them into purchases, so the best thing is to just keep going and ignore them.’

‘No way
.’ He grinned at her and stopped in his tracks, getting into a conversation with the woman. She was visibly delighted with his fluent Italian. Before long, Melanie found herself presented with seven red roses, their dark, almost black velvety petals still covered with droplets of water. The woman grinned and said something in rapid Italian, waved them a cheerful goodbye, and disappeared into the crowd.

‘What did she say?’
Melanie turned to Jon, helpless in her rather rudimentary knowledge of the language.

‘She said you were very lucky to have such dedicated lover
.’ He grinned at her, his dark eyes merry. ‘Usually men get just one flower for their ladies, but I decided to top that and she was very impressed.’

‘Great, now you’ve raised the bar for all the other men around here,’ she scolded
half-heartedly, absurdly pleased with the woman’s misconception. ‘She will be walking around wondering why they aren’t as generous as you.’

‘M
aybe she will simply think that you must mean more to me than other women do to their men?’ he riposted, chuckling as he watched her blush. She could tell her cheeks were burning. She hated it, but she couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe avoiding walking alone with extremely handsome man who knows how to flirt would be a good beginning, she told herself sternly, trying very hard to look unconcerned.

‘Thank you for the flowers
.’ For a second, she buried her face in the fragrant blooms, inhaling their sweet, intoxicating scent. Dark, elegant, and mysterious, the roses were just like him, and she enjoyed the caress of their velvety petals. Still, she had to be careful. Even the most beautiful roses had thorns, ready to hurt her if she didn’t watch out for their treacherous spikes.

H
e inclined his head, his dark eyes serious. ‘My pleasure. They look good on you.’ He reached out tentatively and tucked away a stray strand of hair the wind had blown into her face. His fingertips brushed the neat swirl of her earlobe, a caress so fleeting she didn’t even have time to react before he withdrew his hand and walked on, perfectly innocent.

The Fountain of Four Rivers
, or
the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
as it was called here, offered her a dignified excuse to change the topic. Up close, it was absolutely stunning. The representation of the four main rivers Ganges, Nile, Danube, and Platte carved in stone with exquisite artistry and grace left her staring, speechless with awe. Powerful, omnipotent, and breathtakingly beautiful, the four river gods carved of travertine rocks looked back down at the crowds, serene and dignified in their mythological beauty.

‘That’s where my grandpa had the
ir picture taken!’ She turned to Jon, excited and happy. ‘Right at the feet of the River Ganges god, the one with the oar.’

‘I’ll have to trust you on that one
.’ Jon inspected the travertine god with a mixture of amusement and respect. ‘I can see now why the ladies at your grandma’s get together were a bit… flustered, shall I say? Still, I think that secretly they took another peek the moment your grandmother was out fetching the tea.’

They both laughed, the moment of shared pleasure filling her with gladness she couldn’t remember
experiencing since she and Lucas broke up two years ago. There was something extremely appealing about Jon, something that made relaxing and enjoying the day easy.

‘Jon? What
on earth are you doing here?’ Suddenly they weren’t alone any longer. An older man wearing a colorful shirt and a straw hat that must have seen better times waved at Jon with an excitement that brought a smile to her face. She peeked at Jon, expecting a similar reaction, and was surprised by the fleeting expression of annoyance he couldn’t quite hide. Whoever this jovial man happened to be, Jon was certainly less than pleased to have bumped into him.

‘Lo
ok at that.’ He nodded lazily, a smile finally brightening his somber features. ‘Talk about a coincidence.’ He walked over to the man, pulling her along. Suddenly she felt awkward as the older man’s gaze traveled over the way Jon’s palm rested on her shoulder and the flowers she held.

‘I see you have been busy
.’ His voice sounded light and cheerful, his teasing good natured and friendly. ‘What could be more appropriate than spending time with a beautiful woman in Rome?’

‘You should try it sometimes
.’ Jon’s wry response made the older man chuckle and shake his greying head in regret.

H
e lifted his hand, a slim golden wedding band glistening in the morning sun. ‘No, this one is already taken, but introduce me to this pretty
signorina
, please. An old man should be allowed to enjoy some innocent pleasures, after all.’

‘
Melanie, this is an old acquaintance of mine, Bernard.’ Jon hesitated briefly before adding, ‘We go a long way back. I certainly didn’t expect to run into you right here. Bernard, this is Melanie Bennett.’

‘Nice to meet you
.’ Bernard shook her hand. His fingers were warm and slightly rough, not like a hand of a professor or a scholar. She wondered briefly what could have brought the two men together. It wasn’t her business, she told herself instantly, as she listened to the older man raving about the beauty of Rome. Apparently he was vacationing here for a week with his wife, and their hotel was just around the corner. She was touched as he explained, his voice conspiratorial, that he had sneaked out of their room to fetch some fresh pastries for a surprise breakfast and some flowers to decorate their table.

‘
That’s a wonderful idea.’ She smiled at him, genuinely fond of the way he cared for his wife. ‘She is lucky to have such a dedicated husband, Bernard.’

‘That’s the deal with marriage or engagement, if you ask me.’ He nodded, his voice light and friendly. ‘
You’ve got to work on it and fix it when things get broken. At least that’s what my generation believes.’

‘Wonderful advice,’ Jon agreed,
the steely edge in his tone making her think he didn’t really mean it. Why wouldn’t he?

‘Here, if you’d like
, you can bring my flowers to your wife,’ she decided impulsively, stretching out her hand with the dark red roses. ‘I can’t really carry them around without water. They’d be ruined in no time.’

It was getting
hotter, the mild morning turning into a full-blown hot day, and the sun beat down with merciless power. She only hoped Jon wouldn’t be offended.

‘I couldn’t
!’ Bernard seemed genuinely taken by surprise, his bushy eyebrows rising in a gesture of embarrassment that would look quite funny if it wasn’t so endearing. ‘They’re yours.’

‘Honestly, I would be happy if they were put to good use,’ she insisted, handing him the flowers. ‘I am hoping to do some more sightseeing today. I
would feel bad if they got ruined.’

‘Well, thanks.’
Bernard gave her a grateful smile. ‘You’ve just saved me some running around, my dear. Say, how about I take a photo of the two of you?’

Melanie
fished into her bag, produced her small camera, and explained how it worked.

‘I was just about to ask Jon to take a photo of me here,’ she shared happily, stepping back to the low wall surround
ing the impressive fountain. ‘You seem to be reading my mind, Bernard.’

For whatever reason, he found her remark funny,
and dimples appeared in his stubbly cheeks as he nodded and prompted Jon to join her.

‘
Come’n. You’re in Italy, for god’s sake. You need some romantic mementos to make your girlfriends back home jealous,’ he urged, his face comical. ‘And when they see Jon, they will be jealous, I can assure you of that.’

‘The man has a point,’ Jon agreed, stepping closer. She tried to move aside, making space for him to fit in.
To her surprise, he seemed to have other ideas.

‘I promise not to bite
.’ His breath tickled her ear as he stepped closer, the laughter in his voice making it impossible to object. Not unless she wanted to come across as some man-fearing spinster, anyway.

One of his arms went intimately around her shoulders, pulling her closer, until she was leaning into him
. The thin fabric of his shirt was a pitiful barrier between the naked skin of her arm and his strong, iron-hard body. She could hardly pull away, but she hoped he couldn’t feel the shiver of excitement running down her spine, impossible to suppress.

‘That’s better
.’ Bernard nodded, his fingers going to the right button. He squinted into the camera, taking his time with the picture, while they waited. ‘Almost there…’ He peeked at them again, his dark eyes merry. ‘What a pretty couple you make. You got lucky this time, Jon.’

She blushed.
She couldn’t help it really. She realized Jon just let it slide, probably figuring it would be pointless and require too much effort to enlighten Bernard about the true nature of their relationship. What the older man thought didn’t matter anyway. He’d be in her life for a moment. That was probably the first and last time she would ever see him.

‘H
e’s right.’ Jon’s breath tickled her ear as he bent his head to her, his words caressing the sensitive skin of her temples. ‘I am quite lucky to be here with you. Not what I expected when I planned my trip in Italy, but I am really grateful to fate.’

‘S
top flirting with me.’ She looked up at him, trying to act exasperated and failing, utterly and completely. Her lips stretched into a smile as if they had a life of their own. He had no right to look so handsome and dazzling. His close proximity did nothing to diminish his charm. Quite the opposite, really. She saw the small golden flecks in his dark eyes, glittering in the sunlight and making her think of black granite speckled with golden dust. Only he wasn’t made of stone. She felt his warm, vibrant, and very much alive body against the skin of her shoulders and back. If any of the travertine gods of the fountain came to life, they would have looked and felt just like him, and she enjoyed the warmth of his body.

‘But I like flirting with you,’ he riposted, his smile unable to dispel the inexplicable seriousness
in his gaze. ‘I like it very much, Melanie.’

‘Great, in that case forget my request
,’ she said wryly, the hot Italian sun making her brave. Who the heck cared what she said? Not Pete, nor anyone else. This gorgeous man just said he liked her, and she would be a total ass to pass on the chance to enjoy this moment to the max.