Her Shameful Secret by Susanna Carr Read Free Book Online Page B

pressed her lips together. “I discovered that Giovanni was not my friend. He pounced when I was at my most vulnerable.”
    Antonio waited, but she didn’t reveal any more details. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
    Isabella exhaled slowly. “And then I found out about the lies he had spread. I was not unfaithful to you, and I don’t know why you would have believed him. You should have confronted me,” Isabella said, her voice wavering with emotion. “You should have told me about your suspicions.”
    He should have, but he knew what would have happened. He would have accepted her version because he’d wanted to believe her. He had wanted to be with her at any cost. Even now her story seemed plausible, even though she was carrying his brother’s baby.
    “But you cast me out.” She gestured to the front door with a flutter of her hand. “You had your security staff do your dirty work. I would never have thought you’d take the coward’s way out.”
    He had been cold and ruthless, but it had been an act of self-preservation. Isabella would have wrapped hermagic around him, distracted him from the truth and made him believe anything.
    Like she was doing now.
    Right now he wanted to lean into Isabella. Sink into her soft, warm curves. Erase the past and drag her back to his bed. He was fighting her lure, but it was a losing battle. Her power over his senses, his mind, was humbling.
    “How am I the coward?” he asked. “You ran away when you saw me.”
    “Why do you seem so surprised? I knew that seeing you again would destroy everything I’ve done so far to recover.”
    Her actions had caused her downfall, not his. “And that’s why it’s imperative that you return to America?” he asked. “Why do you need to leave immediately?”
    “I want to go home and start over again.” Her mournful voice pulled at him. “I want to forget Italy and everything that happened here.”
    Her words tore at him. Isabella had been the most important part of his life. Everything had fallen by the wayside when they were together. He had treated her like a queen and put her needs first, but it hadn’t been enough for her.
    Now she wanted to forget all that. She would move on while he stayed behind, haunted by memories wherever he went.
    “I want to forget you.”
    He flinched as if he had been stabbed. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. They’d shared heaven together and now they would share hell. He wasn’t going to be the only one in torment. He would not carry the burden alone.
    “I won’t let you,” he said. He stood in front of her, trapping her against the window. “I’m going to make you remember what we had and you will regret everything you did to destroy it.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    A NTONIO’S kiss was hot, hard and possessive. Isabella felt the kick of exhilaration before it rushed through her bloodstream. Her skin heated as she softened against him.
    The flare in his dark eyes had been her only warning before his mouth claimed hers. At first she didn’t fight it. She’d never thought she’d get the chance again, and his kiss was just as magical as she remembered.
    Raw emotions crashed through her as she responded to his rough, hard mouth. He tasted of sensual, masculine power and a secret part of her wanted to surrender. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her flesh prickled with anticipation.
    Isabella knew she needed to pull away. She had to stop this madness before she passed the point of no return. Had to break the spell. She had to find a way to keep her distance from Antonio.
    Following her most primal instinct, Isabella sank her teeth into his bottom lip.
    Antonio reared back. The red mark on his mouth should have made her feel guilty, but it gave her a dark satisfaction seeing her brand on him. She felt the angry puff of his breath and risked a look at his eyes.
    An unholy glow leapt in them, and his face was taut with lust. Excitement lit through her body. She had unleashed something