Forbidden Count

by Victoria Pinder

  Chelsea made a humming sound. “I don’t know. Sheena talked about how he went to her art shows and always seemed to know the lingo of whatever the artist talked about, which made her wonder if his parents might be artists.”

  Or, Matteo thought, Charles pretended to know a little about everything—which could be deliberately misleading. Matteo had met people like that in the past.

  Stefano held his glass to his lips and said, “And he’s coming over. Should we move, Matteo?”

  Matteo held his glass higher as well and looked in the direction Stefano had. Sure enough, Charles was coming toward him. Sheena had worked so hard to make this night a smooth success; causing a scene would ruin it. Matteo straightened his shoulders. “No. As long as he doesn’t talk to Sheena again tonight, it’s fine.”

  Chelsea took one side of him, and Stefano the other, flanking him as the man in question joined them. Matteo said to Charles, “I hope you’re having a lovely time at our party.”

  Charles lifted a white wine from a passing waiter. “It’s Count Golchin himself.” He sipped his wine and without missing a beat said, “So you’re the lucky man who married Sheena Marceau.”

  If he said anything about his wife, he’d have Charles tossed out, or they’d set terms and a date. His father had taught him to brawl—and win. Matteo gritted his teeth and said, “I am. And you’re the guy who lost her, leaving her available for me.”

  Charles drank from his glass like this was a normal conversation and they were friends as he said with a smirk, “That wasn’t on purpose. I always intended to come back for her, but it seems she didn’t wait.”

  Matteo stood taller as he glanced at the door his wife had gone into with the royal family. The three royal princes exited without their wives. Matteo turned toward Charles. “Women can be funny that way. They like stability and a guy who comes home at the end of the day.”

  Charles smiled wide as if Matteo had shared some sort of joke as he said, “What can I say? I’ve never been boring.”

  This conversation was going nowhere and Matteo’s stomach churned. “May I help you with anything Charles… forgive the impoliteness as we weren’t introduced formally. Your name?”

  Charles held out his hand to shake like they were equals. “You’re right. Charles Esposito.”

  Matteo shook his hand again though he’d done it once when Charles had walked into his house. “Mr. Esposito, how may I help you?”

  “Help?” Charles winked. “Ideally I’d love for you to divorce Sheena so she’d come home with me.”

  Matteo’s hands curled into fists. Chelsea gently held him still though Stefano stood at his side like he’d help with whatever he chose to do next. Matteo tensed, ready for a fight. “Not going to happen. Sheena is mine and I don’t share, with anyone.”

  Charles shrugged his shoulders uncaring that Matteo wanted to throttle him as he said, “I thought as much. I’m hoping you’ll explain to me why you decided to follow your archaic marriage laws?”

  Stefano broke the stand-off as he asked, “Are you in line to inherit something?”

  Charles had a twinkle in his expression like everything was a joke as he said to all three of them, “Good question and who knows? I was curious about you and why you chose to marry instead of just living your life.”

  Nothing about this man was a good match for Sheena. She was clearly better off with him. Matteo recited his pedigree with pride. “I like being a count, and my country estate, and the position. I was raised to be a count.” By someone who had no idea what to do, but Matteo kept that to himself.

  Charles sipped his wine and didn’t move off despite the chill coming from Matteo. “Must be nice to know you’re important.”

  Matteo saw the princesses and then his wife finally emerge. It was time to end these trivialities. “I’m not important. My people are. Now if you’ll excuse me. My wife is looking for me.”

  Chelsea and Stefano didn’t breathe a word as he took a step forward, but Charles laughed. “You clearly live a charmed life, Lord Golchin.”

  Charmed? Hardly. Yes, he’d been lucky he’d married Sheena, but now that he had, he refused to let her go. It was time he told her exactly how he felt.

  Sheena patted her hair like something was out of place but she seemed perfect to him. She asked, “Were you talking to Charles?”

  She’d seen him halfway across the room. His stomach tightened. Perhaps she’d looked for Charles, not him. He offered his arm to stroll the ballroom together. “Yes. It seems he wants you to leave me and go with him.”

  She flinched and lost the color in her cheeks. “How silly!”

  Doubt was like a plague of gnats that grew in density until he couldn’t see in front of his face. “That’s not what you want?”

  She stilled and tugged on his arm. “Absolutely not.”

  The surety in her voice made him wrap his arms around her. “Good, because I told him you were mine.”

  The brightness of her gaze made him pause and she batted her eyelashes at him. “You said I was yours?”

  Sheena looked so very intense that he squared his shoulders and asked, “Is that a problem?”

  Her mouth curved into a huge smile as she stood on her tiptoes and said, “No, it’s kind of sexy actually.”

  Heat coursed through him and he hugged her but saw how the ballroom was full of guests—guests watching them. He whispered in her ear, “Sh, you’re introducing yourself as the new lady of Avce.”

  She met his gaze and in that second she was the only person around him. “You’re saying I can’t find my husband sexy?”

  Matteo’s body hardened as he remembered just how large the house was and that she hadn’t mastered the maze yet. He ran his hand up and down her back, near her zipper, and the idea of taking her dress off hit him. “Sheena… you’re supposed to be the epitome of goodness that saved me from my sinful ways.”

  Again she went on tiptoes and this time, she kissed his cheek. “That sounds kind of boring. Can’t you teach me to be a little naughty?”

  The king and queen walked next to them. His heart beat faster. Would they come and talk to them, right now? Sheena must have seen them as well because she grew quiet too.

  However, the king and queen, both dressed in royal blue with the gold and white emblem of the flag, turned toward the ballroom. Clearly they’d decided to dance together. The crowds parted for them.

  Matteo wrapped his fingers around her hand and walked backwards a few steps as he dared, “Come with me then.”

  “Absolutely.” She followed him.

  Perhaps they only had a few minutes, but he needed to touch and hold his new wife. Sheena was his and he meant what he’d said—he wasn’t going to share.

  Chapter 13

  Matteo tasted better than chocolate. Better than dessert. Better than any other man she’d ever kissed.

  Pinned against the settee in a room she hadn’t seen before, boneless, and breathless, she couldn’t get enough. As they straightened their rumpled clothes, Matteo leaned forward to kiss her again.

  Her lips and body buzzed for more, but something else broke the bubble they were in. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, she opened her eyes and pulled back. “Wait. The music stopped.”

  He straightened. This must mean the royal family had decided to leave. They needed to go be the perfect hosts. Her pulse skipped and her fingers shook. How could she have forgotten?

  Matteo tugged on his pants over his semi-hardness. He tucked his shirt in. “I’ll go and make sure our guests are properly thanked. Fix your makeup and join me.”

  She stood and he helped with the zipper in the back, though he kissed her neck.

  The softness left a new tingle, but she snapped out of her reverie when she noticed his gaze on her makeup. “It’s bad?”

  He squeezed her hand. “You’re beautiful Sheena, but we’re the hosts—just fix what you can.”

  Sheena needed tonight to be perfect, to help her friends sell art, and to
start the next chapter for the Golchin title.

  Making a splash as a new lady wasn’t supposed to be this confusing. She smiled, but as she saw Matteo leaving, she remembered when Charles had left her room in the hotel that night. He’d said he’d be back, but he’d never returned. The ghost of that man shouldn’t haunt her now that she was married to Matteo. She called out into the hall, “Be right out.”

  But he was already halfway back to the party to see off the king and queen.

  She maneuvered her way to her private chambers. No one was here, and she took her makeup bag out.

  Oh! Matteo hadn’t told her that her blue eyeliner had smeared across her cheek. No wonder he’d suggested she get cleaned up before meeting him downstairs.

  She took out a brush and started fixing the mess. She heard a knock at the bedroom door and a moment later Chelsea popped her head in the bathroom as Sheena finished with her face.

  Chelsea breathed a sigh of relief. “Sheena, there you are. Why weren’t you downstairs to say goodbye to the king and queen?”

  Sheena took the brushes for the makeup and began to paint as the artist she was while she said, “I’m fixing my eyes. I hoped I would be faster, but I can’t let anyone see how bad it was.”

  “Matteo’s kisses messed up the art.” Chelsea laughed. Sheena didn’t dare smile right now. She needed this just right. Chelsea asked, “So how is being married to your true love?”

  Love? The word beat against her like a battering ram to a castle. Her lips were dry so she dabbed moisturizer on them to keep them moist for her lipstick. “What?”

  Chelsea borrowed some of her blush like they were still college roommates and shared everything—she was the closest she had to a sister. “For Alex and me, life is so simple on the vineyard. I think he hates that I drag him to these events sometimes, though he’s made friends with Remy Burke, the Earl of Sky.”

  The Earl of Sky had married Chelsea’s actual sister that Chelsea used to always complain about. Family should get along. Sheena’s father was great, though he was always busy with his restaurant that she’d grown up in, learning how to host until he’d sent her to fancy boarding school to be a lady so she wasn’t stuck in the restaurant business. “That’s good.”

  Chelsea put the blush back and borrowed the eyeliner just as Sheena’s face was clear of any smudges. Chelsea said, “Or it means my sister can regale my husband with tales of the bratty girl I used to be.”

  Sheena’s mind buzzed with the urge to hurry though she waited for Chelsea to finish. “Ouch. You weren’t that bad. We were friends.”

  Chelsea returned the liquid eyeliner and tossed the extra brush into the trash she’d used to reapply her own. “You were the only sane person of my teenage years, Sheena.”

  Sheena put the kit back in her closet to keep the vanity clean and she remembered how she’d literally walked into Charles at the Paris Art Show last year, the one she’d insisted Chelsea participate in. Her friend had no idea it was that night that changed her life and why now she craved security. She met Chelsea’s blue eyes and said, “Well, I wasn’t always sane.”

  Chelsea, arm in arm as they left the bedroom, asked, “You’re talking about Charles now?”

  If she hadn’t made the mistake of kissing Charles that night or agreeing to go away with him for a weekend when she knew she shouldn’t, then she might not have jumped at the chance to marry Matteo. The thought left her cold.

  Matteo didn’t deserve to be second choice—and he wasn’t.

  He couldn’t be. Her face felt hot as she said, “Yeah, I was an absolute fool. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself.”

  Chelsea didn’t judge, but instead let out an unladylike snort. “Heck, me too. I threw myself at some of the men at this party all because I thought I had to marry a noble.”

  Sheena and Chelsea hurried back to the party. She gently bumped into her friend’s side as she said, “But you always knew in your heart that us normal people without titles were still amazing.”

  Chelsea peered out the window at the end of the hall to see the patio where partygoers gathered to enjoy their drinks and the warm evening breezes. The noise of the ballroom blossomed through the house and the laughter seemed like it was part of the walls. “Sheena, look around you at your new home. You weren’t born noble, but you’ve clearly transitioned. Better than most. The King and Queen of Avce just danced at your party.”

  Sheena lifted her chin and nodded. This was all true. The party was supposed to help reestablish Matteo and her doubts seemed petty. She was here to support him, and she’d invited her friends to show off their work. “I hope they enjoyed some of the paintings.”

  “That’s rather obtuse,” Chelsea said, unwilling to change the subject.

  Sheena’s lips still tingled from Matteo’s kiss—she needed to get back to him, so took a step down. “Okay. You’re saying I should look forward to the future, not backwards.”

  Chelsea joined her on the next step. “Absolutely. Charles was a mistake but so what? We all make them. I’ve lived down my own.”

  She was right. The past was just that. She certainly didn’t need to let her heart bleed out because she thought she was in some sort of deep romance. Matteo was good and easy and perfect for her. As they made their way down the stairs, she hugged her friend and said, “Thanks, Chelsea. You’re my best friend for a reason.”

  Chelsea winked. “Good, now go and find your husband.”

  “On my way.” Sheena gave a mock salute.

  Matteo would be near the front door to thank people as they left. She didn’t see him, but she headed in that direction to stand beside him.

  However, halfway across the room, a hand rubbed against her arm and goosebumps grew. Charles. Drat. Her heart raced, but she looked over her shoulder and slowed her step as he said, “Sheena.”

  The last thing she should do was react. She turned. “Charles. Not now.”

  He gently squeezed her arm and nodded at her like they had something to discuss. “I just wanted to thank you for letting me come to this party. This has been the most eye-opening night of my life.”

  Huh? The tone of “eye-opening” meant he’d learned something. She straightened her spine and refused to ask or care what. Whatever Charles did was no longer her business so she kept her head high and said, “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  She disentangled her arm and continued through the room. She noticed Matteo’s rigid posture as he stared at her.

  She quickly took her place beside him so they could speak to each guest as they departed. Matteo instantly turned his full attention toward her and she saw the red tint of his cheeks. “Did Charles speak to you again?”

  Heat coursed through her. He’d seen. She nodded and looked away as she said, “Yes, but it wasn’t a big deal.”

  “Why?” He stepped forward.

  Her heart raced. The last thing they needed was a scene. The goal of today would be ruined and she refused to let anyone hurt Matteo’s entry into polite society. So, she stepped in his way and said, “He thanked me for letting him stay at the party.”

  He met her gaze, searching, but shook his head. “I still think I should have kicked him out.”

  She pressed her hands against his chest and felt his hard muscles tremble. Her own body shook the slightest bit. “Matteo, we’re friends, yes?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  Her breath caught in her throat. Matteo was her future. Their life could be good, if he let it. She held out her hand for his. “If we’re friends, then I hope you trust me like I trust you.”

  He took her hand and their palms pressed together. “What does that mean?”

  The racing of her heart reminded her she was with the man that mattered. She let out a sigh. “Once the party ends, we’ll never see half of these people again and Charles will disappear. Just trust me, and I’ll trust you, and there is no need to make a scene.”

  He relaxed next to her. “That’s a long-w
inded way of saying ‘leave the guy alone.’”

  She met his gaze and the gleam in his eye was back. Good. This was the man she’d known forever. She stood next to him, still holding his hand to keep their connection. “True.”

  “I will do what makes you happy, Sheena,” Matteo said, and then they were interrupted.

  The Duke of Oakley Woods and his pregnant American wife shook their hands and left. Once they were alone again, Sheena brushed her shoulder against her husband to get his attention. “I want us to be happy and to always stay friends.”

  He kissed her hand as he gazed into her eyes. “I don’t know if I just want friendship with you, Sheena.”

  Her heart almost stopped and awareness spread through her. She swallowed and ignored the buzz in her veins as she asked, “What are you saying?”

  With every word he said, the fluttering in her belly grew. “I’d like to believe the fairy tale Chelsea’s sister talks about.”

  If he wanted heart-wrenching, cry-her-eyes-out and feel like she might never live again pain, she couldn’t go there. Matteo was the safe choice. She was slightly dizzy when she asked, “What fairy tale?”

  “Love,” he said, with such warmth in his eyes. She couldn’t think at all. “I liked it when you called me that.”

  She hadn’t meant “in love.” Right? Had she? Oh goodness. Her heart sped up because she wasn’t sure about anything. Blood rushed in her head as she avoided his gaze. “But… are you serious? Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  His fingers brushed against her face and she looked up at him as he asked, “What is it you want, Sheena?”

  More people came toward them. Goosebumps multiplied and she trembled. She glanced at Matteo. He was so wonderful. She didn’t deserve him. She had to get her balance back. “I want for us to bid goodnight to our guests.”

  He asked fast, “And tomorrow?”

  Any second they’d have to say goodbye to people and be the perfect hosts. She licked her lips and wished she had a better answer as she said, “We figure out the rest of our lives, one day at a time.”