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The relief she’d felt at being rescued, however accidentally, from Rico Bavasso’s clutches had dissolved, replaced with an uncomfortable realisation that there was no love lost between Cristiano and her, or Cristiano’s father and her mother A bitter divorce had put paid to any fairl crush he certainly didn’t do so fondly But surely he’d help her, a woht be, but he was—she hoped—a man of honour

With nothing left to lose, Laurel headed back out to the suite’s sitting roo, lass-and-chroh-tech ses He slid it into his pocket and stood up, all graceful, fluid urbanity, as she came into the room

‘Feel better?’ he asked with a sardonic lift of one eyebrow

‘Yes, thank you Your shower is airl rather than a woht reduce her insides to quivering jelly—it was hard not to be affected and, yes, dazzled, by a man who exuded so much potent, masculine sexuality—but she could still take control of this conversation ‘I need to ask a favour of you’

Cristiano looked unsurprised ‘Oh?’ His voice wasdark pulsed underneath that innocuous tone, so that made Laurel feel even warier than she already did

‘Could you please send sos— herself toto leave Rome as soon as possible’

He cocked his head ‘Things not work out to your satisfaction here, then?’

She couldn’tnote in his voice and a flush swept over her Still she kept his gaze ‘No’

‘Rico Bavasso doesn’t like to be thwarted, you know,’ Cristiano said after a moment when he continued sih Laurel felt as if he could see beneath the big, bulky robe she wore

‘I guessed asthe country’

‘You think it will be that easy?’

Unease tightened in her gut and flared through her insides ‘What do you mean?’

‘Bavasso is a powerful and unpleasantmark, bella’

She stared at hiht she was a con artist, one step up from a prostitute, perhaps She shouldn’t care She shouldn’t even be surprised She’d been acting like one, s to unravel the way they had Sha her conscience, her soul Why had she been so stupid; so desperate?

And as for Bavasso being both powerful and unpleasant…having it confirht now

‘He’s not‘You have no right to judge ht Cristiano was hardly the person to be angry with, but no one else was available, and frankly she could use a tiny bit of syest I do?’

‘Lie low for a while,’ Cristiano stated carelessly, as if it was all of very little concern to hiht have been se hiiven her so ht She was half-amazed he’d even remembered her name

‘Lie low,’ she repeated, and she was the disbelieving one now ‘How? And where? I left s are back in the pensione’ She drew a quick, sharp breath ‘Will you please send someone to fetch them? It’s a small favour…’

‘A small favour? I’m hardly about to send one of my staff into a very difficult situation, bella’

‘Don’t call htly She knew he didn’tA sneer she couldn’t stand when she already felt scraped raw, everything about this situationher feel intensely, painfully vulnerable