VITTORIO'S RUNAWAY BRIDE (The Vittorio Series) (18 page)

“
Cara mia
,” Logan whispered, winding his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest.
 
“You excite me as no woman ever has.
 
I have only to look at you and I want to bury myself inside your soft body.”
 
He lowered his head and pressed his lips to her neck.
 
“I am not wearing you out, am I?
 
I do not
want
you to grow tired of making love with me.”

Shelby let out a breathless laugh.
 
“How could I ever grow tired of being so intimate with you Logan?
 
I’m afraid I’m becoming a bit of an addict where you’re concerned; my body craves your touch and I get the most annoying ache when I go too long without you.”

“An ache, you say?”
 
His hands glided up her body to cup her breasts.
 
“Is this where you ache,
mio tesoro
?”

“Mmmmm, one of the places,” she murmured.

“There are more?”

“Many, many more.”

Logan turned her in his arms and pulled her close.
 
“I think I am going to enjoy learning where all of these places are so I can help alleviate your suffering.”

“Such a humanitarian,” she teased.

“Only with you,
carissima
.”

Shelby locked her eyes to his.
 
“I know that now,” she said thickly.
 
“I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think you
would
ever be unfaithful to me.
 
I just…couldn’t think rationally after I saw you with that woman.”

Logan heaved a resigned sigh.
 
There could be no more stalling, no more excuses; he had to tell her about Alicia.
 
After giving her a long, lingering kiss, he asked her to join him in the living room.
 
She gave him a curious look but didn’t say anything until they were seated on the sofa.

“You look worried,” she said in a subdue tone.

“I am not quite sure how to broach this.
 
Shelby…” He took one of her hands and lifted it to his lips.
 
“I love you so very much and I hate knowing that you may feel hurt by what I am about to tell you.”

“Logan, what is it?”

He drew in a deep breath and started from the beginning when he first met up with Richard Delatorre and his subsequent encounter with Alicia when she’d pranced around in a bikini.
 
He told her everything; Alicia’s attempt to seduce him in his office, the sexual innuendos and suggestive clothing.
 
He told her why he escorted Alicia to dinner and the art gallery, and how he now realized what a mistake it had been.
 

“I am embarrassed to say it was Simon who pointed out how foolish I was to believe she would lose interest once she understood I had no desire to sleep with her.”

Shelby listened quietly while Logan told her all about Alicia Delatorre
.  True,
she was a little hurt that he’d waited so long
to
let her know what had been happening,
but
she was also elated he
came
to her with it even knowing it might revive old suspicions.
 
It was obvious he thought she was going to fall to pieces on him or, at the very least, question whether he had ever encouraged Alicia’s behavior.
 
It was the worried frown and the way his eyes searched hers, begging her to believe him, that convinced Shelby he’d never felt anything but distain for the woman.

“Well,” she finally said, “what do you think we should do about it?”

Logan drew in a stilted breath.
 
“We?”

“Of course.
 
Obviously this woman doesn’t believe you’re not interested in carrying on an affair with her, so we need to figure out a way to convince her.”

He eyed her skeptically.
 
“You do not think I hold any blame in her infatuation with me?”

“How can it possibly be your fault?
 
Logan,” she said with a soft smile, “you are an incredibly handsome man and I can certainly understand why she
is
attracted you.
 
I admit, it would have been difficult not to be suspicious if I
found out about it from someone else, but I trust you and…I’m glad you trusted me.”

“I should have told you that day at the beach house when you overheard me talking to her.”

“No,” she disagreed.
 
“If you had told me then I’m not sure I would have believed you hadn’t at least considered having an affair with her.
 
I was far too emotional and uncertain of our relationship at that point to handle this.”

“And you are certain of our relationship now?”

“Yes.”

Logan drew her into his arms.
 
“
Mio amore
, you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that.”

“I love you, Logan, and I won’t make the same mistake twice.
 
I should have trusted you before and I nearly destroyed our marriage because I didn’t have enough faith in you, in
us
.”

“So what do
you
propose we do about her, my little wild cat?”

Shelby climbed onto his lap, giggling as she nestled her head against his chest.
 
“I think I like that; turning into a wild cat in order to protect what’s mine.”

“Do not underestimate her,
cara
.
 
Alicia Delatorre is a devious creature who will go to any lengths to get what she wants and
will
not suffer a moment of remorse no matter who she hurts.”

“I
am
not afraid of her.”
 
Shelby tipped her head back.
 
“I know I’m probably just wasting my breath, but…don’t worry about me, Logan.
 
I’m not a confrontational person, you know that, and I have no intention of just waltzing up to her and telling her to keep her claws out of my man.”

Logan couldn’t help laughing at the image that created.
 
“Somehow
,
I think that might actually do the trick.
 
Alicia has been around enough of my colleagues to know what a sweet nature my wife has
.  I
t would probably throw her for a pretty good loop to have you say something so bold.”

Shelby smiled.
 
“Well then, I’ll keep it as a backup plan.”

“No,” he said softly.
 
“No, Mrs. Vittorio, I love you just the way you are.”

“And how is that, Mr. Vittorio?”

“Sweet, gentle, kind-hearted.”

“You’re saying you prefer me as a docile house cat then?”

“Well…perhaps there
are
a few exceptions to that rule,” he said as he eased her back onto the sofa.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                       
***

“I don’t understand it,” Shelby said miserably.
 
“Both Logan and I have seen our physicians and were assured there was nothing preventing me from getting pregnant.”

Logan’s sister put a comforting arm around Shelby.
 
“It will happen, I promise
.  You just
have to give it some time.”

“How much time?
 
We’ve been trying for three months now, Milana.”

“Three months isn’t so long, not really.”

“It is when I have to see the disappointment in Logan’s eyes when I tell him my cycle started.
 
And emotionally, it’s tearing
me
apart as well.
 
It’s difficult to enjoy…being intimate because I can’t help worrying if maybe I’m doing something wrong and that’s why I can’t conceive.”

Milana couldn’t quite keep the laughter from her voice.
 
“Shelby, you
are
not
doing anything wrong.
 
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you
that
my brother is an over-achiever.
 
He
has
never given up on anything in his life, not when he’s determined to have it, and he
is
determined to have a baby with you.”

“I know you’re right.
 
It’s just that I feel like I’m failing him somehow.”

“Have you considered that Logan
may
feel
as if
he
is
the one who
is
failing
you
?”

“But he’s not,” Shelby said vehemently.
 
“How could he possibly think that when he
is
so…so…”

“Diligent?”
 
Milana supplied with an amused grin.

“
Extremely
diligent.
 
That’s why I don’t understand why I haven’t conceived yet.”

“Maybe both of you just need to forget about having a baby right now and…”

“Forget about it!
 
How can you even suggest that when you know how much it means to us?”

“Calm down,” Milana said in a consoling tone.
 
“What I meant was that you should stop worrying so much about making a baby together and just concentrate on being…well,
together
.”

Shelby had to agree.
 
“It
would
take an awful lot of the strain off our relationship if I wasn’t so concerned about it every time we…you know.”

Milana laughed and gave Shelby’s shoulders a squeeze.
 
“I swear I
have
never seen anyone shy away from the word sex like you do.
 
You’re married, honey
.  I
t’s okay to admit you have sex with your husband.”

In spite of her efforts to keep from blushing, Shelby could feel the heat of it working its way up her neck and into her cheeks.
 
She was an adult, for crying out loud.
 
Surely she could say the word
sex
without turning ten shades of red, and it wasn’t as if she was talking to a man about it.
 
On the other hand, Milana
was
Logan’s sister
,
which made talking about their love life a little uncomfortable.

Shelby smiled thinly.
 
“Talking about my sexual relationship with my husband isn’t the problem, it’s talking about the intimacy I share with your
brother
that makes it a little difficult.”

“Ah, well now I understand but believe me, I’m certainly not interested in hearing any of the details.
 
All I’m saying is that you can’t lose sight of what
is
important; your love for each other.”

“You’re right,” she said with a remorseful sigh.
 
“Logan has been so attentive to me
while I have
completely neglected him.
 
Thank you, Milana.
 
I knew I could count on you to help me get my head on straight.”
 

Feeling as if a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders, Shelby sprang to her feet.
  “
I’m going to talk to Alba right now and ask her to make something really special for dinner
. 
I’ll set the table myself with candles and the good china and…” she gave Milana a conspiratorial smile, “I’m sure you won’t mind if I leave out the intimate details for what
else I have planned.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                         
***