VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (30 page)

Her heart fluttered wildly, pounding so furiously she was surprised he couldn’t feel it against his chest.  “You…you really mean that?”

“I’ve made so many mistakes over the past few weeks.  I tried subtle seduction before we even left, and then used your jealousy of Catrina to coax you into
staying in the cabin with me
.  And when Stefana pleaded with me to act as her cover
so she could meet w
ith Rico, I agreed to do it
.  I had this foolish notion
that if you believed
Stefana and I
were spending time together
, it would force you to admit how you felt about me.  The one thing I didn’t try was simple honesty.”

Vina drew in a shaky breath.  “I don’t know what you want from me, Travis.  You say you’
re in love with me, but when we got back to the suite, you told me you wanted
our friendship back the way it used to be.
”

“I
am
in love with you, and I
do
want our friendship back.
  I want it all, Vina.  I want to be your friend, your
soulmate, your
lover…”

“
I want that too, Travis
, but how can I be sure you won’t get bored with me after a few months like you have with all the other women you’ve dated?
”

His smile broadened as his gaze slid past her. 
“
Maybe this will convince you.
”

Vina’s insides trembled when Travis strode across the room and grabbed up a small box that looked as if it had been carelessly tossed onto one of the chairs.  She made a desperate appeal to herself not to
breathe life into the
hope that it was a ring because it could just as well be earrings, but her foolish heart refused to listen.  It was pounding like a sledge hammer against her ribs, and her lungs failed her completely when he returned and proudly held the box
up in front of her
.

“Do you remember the day we picked out our costumes?  I noticed you admiring the jewelry and when you went back to try on a gown, I had the sales lady slip this behind the counter.”

What little air was left in her lungs was expelled with a disillusioned whoosh before he’d even flipped the lid open. 
The jewelry she’d been looking at was well crafted, but it wasn’t real.  Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings – they were al
l merely props; creations meant to accessorize the more elaborate costumes.  Not only was
it
a
reproduction of the real thing, it was
fashioned after the ring that the infamous Lucrezia Borgia was rumored to have worn; a type of pillbox ring that carried a liquid poison in a small cavity in the bezel.

“You bought me a
poison ring
?” she asked,
tormented by the notion that Travis perceived it as symbolic of their relationship.  “This is supposed to convince me that
you’re in love with me?”
 

“
Once you’ve heard the story behind it, yes.  I saw you try it on and how perfectly it fit so I bought it.”  He snapped the lid shut with a chuckle when Vina turned her hea
d away, refusing to look at the detestable
ring
.
  “I
planned on taking it to a jeweler as soon as I could sneak away for a few hours
, but when Rico told me he
was going
to ask Stefana to marry him and
needed my help, everything seemed to fall into place.”

“Have you been drinking?” she eyed him suspiciously.  “I can’t make heads or tails out of what you just said.”

“I promise it will all make sense
in a few minutes.  You see, Rico wanted to surprise Stefana with an engagement ring, but he was worried she wouldn’t like what he picked out.  Together, we
came up with
the perfect solution. 
I
asked Stefana to help me choose
a ring for
you
, knowing full well no woman can resist trying on the one she would choose for herself.”

“Very clever,” Vina said dryly, “but
I still don’t see
what that
has to do with
me or that…that
hideous
ring.”

 
“
Vina…I didn’t buy the ring for you to wear.  I b
ought it so I could get your ring size without having to ask you.
 
I may have tricked Stefana into picking out her own ring, but I wasn’t being dishonest when I told her I was buying one for you.
”

“
Oh, Travis, how can you ever forgive me?  It must have been humiliating to let Stefana think you were still going to buy me a ring while I was busy taking in the sights of Venice with one of her brothers. 
I’m so sorry for being such a stubborn idiot and ruining all your lovely plans.”

“What makes you think you ruined them?”  Travis
tossed the box onto the coffee table beside them and slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket, producing a second box of similar size.
  “
I love you, Vina, with all my heart and soul. 
I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but not just as a friend and lover.  More than anything in this world, I want to be your husband.”

Vina shook her head, certain she’d only heard what she wanted to hear and not what he’d actually said.  “Did you
…I mean, I thought you said you wanted to be my…my…”

“Husband,” Travis said with a grin.  “Yes, sweetheart, that’s what I said.  I want to marry you, Vina
.  And
in time,
be
the father of our children.
”  He opened the box and extracted a ring.  Taking her hand, Travis slipped it on her finger, his eyes dancing with amusement when Vina gasped at the size of the exquisite pear shaped diamond.  “
So, what do you say?  You think you can commit to a lifetime of being Mrs. Travis Malone?”

She didn’t have to think about it.  Vina threw her arms around his neck, laughing and crying at the same time.  She didn’t remember giving him an answer, but she must
have, because she suddenly found herself being swept up in his arms and smothered with frantic kisses.

“What are you doing?” she asked when he
carried her out of the living room.

“What I should have done years ago,” he said gruffly, “claiming what is mine.”

“Neanderthal,” she murmured, too happy to even pretend she was appalled by such a chauvinistic remark.  Maybe she would bring it up later and chastise him for it, but for now…for now, Vina was content to let Travis claim what his.

***

Vina woke slowly, her lips curving into a complacent smile.  Her head was nestled on Travis’ shoulder,
his arm a steel band that kept
her body
pressed so close to his, a breath of air couldn’t have wheedled its way between them.  Her hand rested over his heart, the steady beat matching the slumberous rhythm of her own heart.  They were a part of each other now, bound together by love and the intimacy of expressing that love with their bodies.

Last night had been…glorious.  Delicious
ly decadent.  Immensely satisfying.  A million other things she couldn’t even begin to describe.  Travis was so intensely masculine
, he took her breath away. 
Vina had been mesmerized by every well-toned muscle, his chiseled abs, the hard planes and angles that defined the difference between his body and hers.  She loved touching him, loved the way
it made him quiver and the soft moans that told her Travis was enjoying the things she did to him.

She’d been afraid at first; her inexperience causing her to
question
whether she was doing it right, if she was pleasing him as much as he was pleasing her.  But Travis seem
ed to understand, or maybe he
guessed
from
her hesitancy that she’d never been with a man before. 
He’d taken his time; kissing and caressing, stroking her skin as if it was made of fragile, fine-bone china, gently stoking the fire inside of her until it became a raging inferno she couldn’t have controlled if she tried.

He told
her
how much he loved her, that he’d always loved her and couldn’t imagine a life without her in it.  And in her heart, Vina knew it was the same for her, even if she hadn’t recognized it
until Travis
opened her eyes.  The silly games they’d played with each other, the insecurities, the masked emotions…none of those things would ever come into play again.

Vina closed her eyes, breathing in his heady scent. 
It made her feel giddy just thinking of
sleeping with Travis each night, waking up to his amorous kisses each morning, spending every day for the rest of her life with him.  Sharing
everything. 
Finding a nice piece of land, building a home…
their
home, m
aking babies together.
  It was all so exciting, she could barely contain the happy laughter that struggled to escape.

And last night was only the beginning. 

She’d felt small and feminine in Travis’ arms as he carried her to the bedroom where he’d kissed her for quite some time before lowering her feet to the ground.  His eyes swept over
her, as hot and hungry as his kisses ha
d
been.  He told her
to
turn around, and Vina had shivered with anticipation when he began to loosen the tie that laced the material along the length of her spine. 

Warm hands cupped her shoulders, and
an
even warmer kiss was planted on the back of her neck
.  H
e guided the spaghetti straps down her arms, taking the corset-like top down with them.  The gown slithered over her hips, falling in graceful folds to pool around her feet.
  He’d held her hand while she stepped out of it, then leaned down to scoop it up and toss it on the chair. 

“Turn around,” Travis ordered, his deep, sexy voice making the muscles in her abdomen clench.

Vina squeezed her eyes shut, acutely aware of her bare breasts and the thin layer of lace that could
scarcely
be called underwear
.  She’d worn black, silk thigh high hose to match her panties and still had on the killer rose-red high heels she’d eyed dubiously before deciding her sore ankle could survive one night.  Would Travis be pleased with what he saw?  Dragging in a deep breath, Vina did a slow pivot until she was facing him.

“Holy mother of God,” he’d rasped before hauling her into his arms and devouring her mouth.

He let loose of her just long enough to hastily dispense with his own clothes, flashing an arrogant grin at her when Vina inhaled sharply at the sight of him naked.  Her body trembled with unbridled desire, as did his, as they fell back against the mattress in a tangle of arms and legs and hot desire.  Just as Vina reached the point where she was certain spontaneous combustion was inevitable, Travis
drew his head back.

“You are the love of my life,” he said in a breathless whisper.  “I want to savor every moment of this night.”

And then he’d proceeded to work her into a mindless stupor
with a slow hand and a talent for discovering every erogenous zone on her tingling body.  It seemed to go on forever,
while
Vina was helpless to
do
anything except respond with thrashing limbs and primal cries of pleasure as Travis
skillfully
extracted one explosive climax after another.

“Enough…enough…” she finally managed to croak out.  Spearing her fingers through his hair, she brought his mouth down ont
o hers.  “
Now
,” she whispered against his lip
s
, “I want you
now
, Travis.”

His breathing was stilted as he levered himself over her and gently kneed her thighs apart.
  Vina was barely conscious of breathing at all.
 
With a guttural moan, h
e entered her slowly, easing into
her moist heat
with a gentleness that brought tears to her eyes
.  She experienced a moment of pain as her inner muscles stretched to accommodate him, but it was quickly swept away by the euphoria that engulfed her
.  Travis
filled her so completely she couldn’t tell where his flesh ended and hers began. 

They were one, moving in unison, soaring to
the
clouds together, rising higher and higher until the intense pleasure bordered on pain.
 
Vina clung to his broad shoulders,
writ
h
ing beneath him and gasping for air
as
each heavy thrust
drove him in deeper and deeper
.
  She could feel the climax building inside, felt the heat of it pooling deep in her abdomen,
so close and yet so frustratingly illusive.