“Any other news to share?” Gaia probed.
“News?” Stasia sent them both a confused look. “Are you talking about the wedding tomorrow?”
“Not exactly. At least not mine.”
And then Roberto realized what his cousin was hinting at. “Gaia, can I talk to you?” When she didn’t move, he added, “Alone.” He glanced at Stasia. “We’ll just be a moment.”
They moved off to the side of the deck. Gaia turned to him. “Didn’t you ask her? What are you waiting for? Venice is the most romantic city.”
“You’ve been talking to Yaya.”
“She told me about the ring. It’s so romantic. What are you waiting for?”
He frowned. “I’m waiting for the right moment.”
“Can I see it?”
He glanced over his cousin’s shoulder to where Stasia was waiting for him. It really had been a nice day. He didn’t want to ruin it.
“Roberto?”
“No. You can’t see it. At least not now. And don’t tell anyone about it—”
“Too late.” When his gaze narrowed in on her, Gaia added, “No one said it was supposed to be a secret. You’re going to ask her, aren’t you?”
He sighed. “Not with you standing here.”
Gaia’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh. Okay. I’m out of here.” She let out a squeal of delight. “This is so exciting. Yaya is going to be so happy.”
He pressed his hands to his sides and gave his cousin his most intimidating glare.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going.” She gave him a brief hug. “Good luck.”
Once Gaia was gone, he glanced around to make sure no other family members were lurking about. The coast was clear.
He returned to Stasia. “Sorry about that.”
“What has your cousin so excited? Or was she celebrating her nuptials early?” Stasia hand signaled that Gaia might have been drinking too much champagne.
Roberto shook his head. The time had come. He withdrew the ring box from his pocket and held it out to her. Stasia didn’t move as she stared wide-eyed at the box.
“My grandmother gave it to me for you.”
“Me?”
He nodded. “And now everyone in my family thinks we’re getting married.”
“Married?”
He nodded, feeling the weight of the moment. “I think they all have wedding fever because of Gaia.”
Stasia’s astonishment reflected in her eyes.
He opened the box for her to see the ring.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said.
“You can put it on.” When she cast him a questioning glance, he said, “They already think we’re engaged. You should have a ring.”
He withdrew the ring from the cushion of black velvet. “May I?”
She lifted her hand. As he slipped the ring on her finger, he noticed her slight tremble. It fit as though it had been made for her. They both stared at the diamond as it sparkled in the last rays of the setting sun.
“Roberto, what are we doing?”
The earlier happiness and fun had been replaced with tension and uneasiness. “It’s only for a few more days.”
Her gaze searched his. “I never thought it’d go this far.”
“Neither did I. But I don’t want to cause a scandal with it being Gaia’s wedding. But it’s up to you. We can end this here and now.”
“I... I need time to think.”
“Of course.”
She walked away and his gaze followed her. He understood how much he was asking of her. After all, she hadn’t signed on for a surprise engagement.
* * *
Had that really happened?
Stasia replayed the events of the day as she made her way back to her cabin. She was constantly checking that the heirloom ring was still on her finger.
Roberto had no business giving her something so precious. He should have saved it for the woman he truly loved. And then she realized there was nothing stopping him from doing just that once their charade was over.
Her gaze moved to the ring. This ring was absolutely stunning. The white-gold band had a unique and delicate design. A couple dozen diamonds surrounded a large square-cut diamond. It was fit for royalty—or the woman Roberto truly loved.
The thought of another woman wearing this ring gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She quickly dismissed the troubling thought.
Once she stepped inside her cabin, she leaned back against the closed door. She closed her eyes and expelled an uneven breath. What was she doing?
Her mind replayed scenes from the day. There were images of Roberto smiling at her and holding her hand. Stasia’s heart raced. And then there was the kiss—the very stirring kiss.
Her eyes sprang open, vanishing the thoughts. Instead her attention moved to the diamond ring. It was dazzling. Its setting was so feminine and delicate. It was the type of ring she could imagine being worn by a princess.
But it didn’t belong on her finger.
She slipped it off and moved to the bedside table. She gently placed it next to the lamp. Then she sank down on the edge of the bed.
The last rings she’d worn had been the ones Lukos had given her. Her heart squeezed with the familiar pain of loss. What would he think of the mess she’d gotten herself into?
He had been a lighthearted guy. There wasn’t much that got to him. That was one of the things she’d loved about him. Would he understand about this? Would he insist on fixing it for her as he’d done for her time and time again? Or would he shake his head and ask what she’d been thinking?
That was a good question. What had she been thinking? She laid her head on the pillow. She’d be helping a good friend who had gone out of his way for her. That couldn’t be a bad thing, right?
Roberto wasn’t going to fix this for her. He was stepping back and letting her take the lead. Unlike Xander and Lukos, who freely offered their advice, Roberto was trusting her to make up her own mind without his influence.
And the more decisions she made for herself, by herself, the more confident she was becoming in her own decision-making. She smiled. Roberto was helping her more than he knew.
Her gaze returned to the ring. But she still had to decide whether they should continue this charade. If they ended things now, she knew it would cast a shadow over Gaia’s wedding. She didn’t want to do anything to hurt his cousin.
And if they let it continue, what? Would it change anything? Not really. She’d still find herself being drawn closer and closer to Roberto. And when the cruise ended, so would their relationship. Was she willing to risk getting hurt again?
So what was the right thing to do?
This charade was becoming so confusing. It was increasingly difficult to tell what was fiction and what was real.
DAY EIGHT
Venice, Italy
THINGS HAD CERTAINLY taken an unexpected turn.
She was Roberto Carrass’s pretend fiancée.
She picked up the ring, letting the sunlight catch the angles of the many diamonds, sending a cascade of colors over the wall. What should she do?
Today was Gaia’s wedding in Venice. And she was Roberto’s plus-one. She couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather experience a wedding with in such a romantic city—
And then her thoughts clouded with Lukos and Xander. What would they think if they could see her now? She took in her short black dress with the plunging neckline. It wasn’t anything too fancy, as she had never envisioned when she’d packed for the cruise that she’d be attending a wedding.
She recalled Lukos’s words not long after he’d been diagnosed. He’d made her promise that if he died, she would go on living and not walking around in the shadow that had once been their life.
She hadn’t wanted to promise. She hadn’t wanted to admit
that he might not make it through this battle with cancer. But Lukos had been firm and he wouldn’t let her walk away until she’d made that promise.
He’d told her it was easier to make the promise then while he still had his hair, while he could still walk and do most everything he’d done before. It was making the promise later when he was bedridden that would have ripped her tattered heart to shreds. And he’d been right. The end had been—
She shook her head, chasing away the heart-wrenching memories. She refused to let them ruin this occasion.
Even though Lukos had wanted this for her, it still felt not quite right. And she didn’t know what to do about that. But every day she was with Roberto, she felt as though she was letting go of Lukos’s memory a little more. Not that she could or would ever forget him. He was her first love. But she was starting to wonder if there was room in her heart for the love of two men—
She gasped. What was she thinking? She did not love Roberto. Did not. Impossible. But she was attracted to him. There was no denying that.
And there was her brother to think of. Xander would be furious to know she was involved with his best friend. And she didn’t want to damage her relationship with her brother—not for a shipboard fling. Right?
Knock. Knock.
“Stasia, are you ready?” Roberto’s voice vibrated through the door.
Her heart raced. Her palms grew damp. This was it. A date.
Not a real date. But it sure felt like a real date. After all, Roberto’s family thought they were getting married. And as this charade continued, the lines of their relationship were becoming increasingly blurred.
She was just as nervous as she’d been on her first date with Lukos. No. Correction—she was more nervous.
She tried to calm herself with a deep breath as she slipped on the ring. The harder she tried to calm her breathing, the faster her heart pounded. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to this charade. Maybe it was too soon.
But she knew it was just an excuse. It’d been almost two years since she’d lost her husband. She glanced down at her finger where not that long ago she wore a wedding band, which was now replaced with a diamond ring. Would Lukos understand—
Knock. Knock.
“Stasia?”
She swallowed. “I, uh...um, I’ll be right there.”
She shoved aside the troubling thoughts, along with the reference to love. She was just letting this wedding stuff get to her. That was all.
She gave herself one last glance, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. She smoothed a hand down over the skirt. Maybe she should have picked a more cheerful color for a wedding. Maybe the hemline was too short for the occasion.
Another knock drew her from her thoughts. With a sigh, she moved to the door. When she opened it, she marveled at how good Roberto looked. Usually...no, always, he looked so put-together and sharp. But tonight, he looked devastatingly handsome in his dark suit and silver tie.
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her mind was overwhelmed with how attractive she found him and how much she wished this was a real date.
Roberto’s dark brows drew together. “Is something the matter?”
She shook her head. “Um, no. You look great.”
“Really? Because you have this look on your face, like...well, I don’t know, but obviously you were thinking something.”
Not about to delve into how attractive she found him, she turned, grabbed her black clutch purse decorated with tiny crystals and then pulled the door shut behind them. “I was thinking we don’t want to be late for the ceremony.”
As they made their way through the passageway, he said, “If you changed your mind and don’t want to go with me, I would understand. I won’t hold you to the arrangement we agreed upon.”
It was so tempting to back out. This was her chance. But there was another part of her—a part that wanted to spend the evening with Roberto as his fiancée. After all, when this cruise was over, they’d each be going their own way.
And most of all, she didn’t want to let him down. She’d told him that she’d act as though they were a couple in front of his family and she wasn’t going to back out now.
“I didn’t change my mind.”
He stopped and turned to her. “Thank you. Whatever you want tonight, it’s yours. Just say the word. And when you’re ready to leave, it’s fine by me.”
Her gaze met his. “I appreciate that.”
They continued to stare into each other’s eyes longer than was necessary. Her heart started to race again. Then again, she wasn’t sure if it ever slowed down.
He took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’ll be good having a friend by my side.”
A friend? He was reminding her that was all they’d ever be. “Yes, it’s always good when a friend has your back.”
“Agreed. And I certainly never had a friend who was so beautiful. You’ve got all of the single guys on this ship jealous that you’re with me.”
Heat rushed to her face. Where exactly was this evening in the floating city going to lead them? The possibilities both excited and terrified her.
* * *
Roberto didn’t know what to do with himself.
Weddings made him uncomfortable. His whole family made him uncomfortable with their expectations of him.
Still, he’d told Stasia that he’d try harder to spend more time with his family and that was what he was doing. Any other time, he would have quietly slipped away long ago. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy. But if the smiles Stasia had bestowed upon him throughout the evening were any indication, he was doing okay.
But he’d noticed the sadness that filled Stasia’s eyes when she didn’t think he was looking. He didn’t have to ask her what was wrong; he knew. She was missing Lukos. Her heart still belonged to her departed husband. And Roberto didn’t know how to deal with the ghost who stood between them.
Roberto’s gaze strayed around the room, searching for Stasia. And then he spotted her, deep in conversation with his grandmother. She appeared to be having a good time.
As Roberto continued to sit alone in the ballroom of an exclusive hotel, he glanced out at the crowded dance floor. His gaze strayed across the happy newlyweds. Gaia had been a radiant bride. In fact, he’d never seen her look happier. He just wondered if it would last. Or if she would end up taking separate trips from her husband like his parents did.
But then he’d watched his grandparents. They were definitely devoted to each other. He’d always considered them the anomaly. They were that perfect couple that everyone dreamed of being when they said I do.
Roberto knew what his grandparents had was rare. And he didn’t want to change himself, to the point he didn’t even recognize himself, to fit in a relationship. If that was what it took to make a successful marriage, no wonder his parents lived apart.
But he didn’t want to marry someone just to see them on holidays. That seemed like an impossible situation. The only way he could imagine being happy was to maintain his independence. He couldn’t rely on anyone to go the distance with him.
He continued to observe Stasia as she talked to his grandmother. She looked happy now. He wanted her to stay that way.
Part of him wanted to pull her into his arms and make some new memories with her. But Stasia would expect more from him. She wasn’t one of those women who lived in the moment and then moved on to the next man to catch their eye.
Stasia was more grounded. She liked strings and commitments. She didn’t take relationships lightly. And her brother certainly wouldn’t approve of a fling—even if it got Stasia over the hurdle between her past and her future.
Roberto could almost talk himself into the fact that them getting together would be good for her. It would show her that there was still so much life for her to live. He so desperately wanted to believe what he
was saying to himself. And yet he couldn’t.
Stasia had been through so much in her twenty-nine years. She was so young and yet she had lived more of life than he ever had. And she’d experienced enough pain and loss for a lifetime.
He wouldn’t hurt her. He didn’t need Xander to threaten him. He could take care of that all by himself. He wanted to protect Stasia from any further heartache—from the guys on the ship who eyed her up—from himself.
“Hey, what has you so quiet over here?” Stasia leaned in close to speak to him over the music.
He’d gotten so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t seen her approach him. With her so close, he inhaled a whiff of her jasmine scent. He resisted the urge to close his eyes and savor the scent. But he couldn’t meet her gaze either. He didn’t want her to read too much in his eyes.
Instead he turned to watch his family out on the dance floor. His family loved to celebrate. The young, the old and the in-between were out there dancing, smiling and having a great time.
“Roberto?” Stasia’s voice again drew him from his thoughts. “What’s wrong with you tonight?”
“Uh, nothing.”
“Really? Because it looks like you’re sitting over here frowning and downright miserable.”
He toyed with his water glass. “I guess I just don’t do well at weddings.”
“Are you sure?” There was a heavy dose of doubt in her voice. “You won’t even look at me.”
He pressed his lips together in a firm line and turned to her. When their gazes met, there was this funny warm feeling that filled his chest. He ignored it as he forced a smile to his lips.
She gave him a strange look. “Really? You can’t even muster up a real smile for me?”
How did she know? Could she really read him that well?
“Stop trying to figure out how I know these things,” she said.
There she went again, reading him like an open book. He was growing uncomfortable with her being able to sense his thoughts. He’d always thought he was a master at keeping his thoughts under wraps. That was what made him such a good businessman.
Wearing the Greek Millionaire's Ring Page 10
