Free An Inconvenient Love (Crimson Romance) by Alexia Adams

straightened the cushions on the chairs.
    Isabella’s eyes darted between them before she let out an annoying laugh. “You are right. Dante does worry. And, I still have some last-minute things to sort out for tomorrow,” she said, rising from her chair. “It is okay that I take your car home, Luca? I will come and pick you up at ten tomorrow morning, Sophia, for our shopping.
Ciao
.” She strolled toward the door, not waiting for a response.
    Sophia finished straightening the chairs and resumed her seat. She stared at her wine before taking a sip and then gazed toward the gardens, in effect dismissing him.
    “I am sorry about that. Isabella does not understand the word ‘no.’ She never has. You can come with me on site visits next weekend,” he said, as he sat back in his chair. He wanted to take Sophia’s hand, but she pulled it off the armrest as he reached for it.
    “It’s not the site visit I’m upset about. You expect me to go shopping for a party even you don’t want me to attend, with your … your … girlfriend?” Her voice shook and the hand in her lap clenched into a fist.
    “Isabella is not my girlfriend, beyond the fact that she is a girl and a friend. We have known each other since school. There is nothing romantic between us. She is married, as am I.”
    Sophia snorted but didn’t make any other reply.
    “And who is this Jonathan? Do you expect me to believe that you just happened to meet him on your first day in the country?”
    “Yes, I expect you to believe that. Because it’s the truth.” She stood and crossed her arms over her chest. He searched her face, trying to decide if she was lying.
    “And yet you do not believe me when I say the truth.”
    “I guess we’re at an impasse then. I’m hot and dusty from my walk. I’m going to wash up before dinner. Are we eating again at eight?”
    “Yes.”
    She strode back into the house, not looking back.
    He let out a sigh. This wasn’t how today was supposed to have gone. He was supposed to come home, find Sophia waiting, happy to see him. He’d planned a stroll through the village, maybe have an aperitif in the bar by the piazza. Then a walk home, eat an enjoyable meal together, and hopefully, maybe, a kiss or two to make a start on the physical side of their relationship. Instead, he’d come home to find she’d disappeared, then she’d shown up in the truck of a foreign man who she claimed had rescued her. Rescuing her was his job. He was the husband. Had he failed her already?
    When Isabella had called to remind him of the party, he’d told her he couldn’t come now because he was married. She’d gone mental on him, racing over to his office and berating him in person for abandoning his bride in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language. Isabella had then insisted they go to the villa immediately so she could meet Sophia. He never expected her to pull some power play, though. He’d have a word with her tomorrow. Isabella was his oldest friend who had made school life bearable. But he wouldn’t let her cause a misunderstanding between him and Sophia.
    On the other hand, a party would inevitably mean he got to hold his wife in his arms, maybe even kiss her. It didn’t have to be such a disaster. He rubbed his hands together. Yes, this may work out after all.

Chapter 6
    Sophia paced the hallway, listening to the clock in the front room tick away the minutes like a countdown to destruction. She jumped at the sound of Maria banging a pot in the kitchen. Despite being tired from her long walk yesterday, her mind had kept replaying the argument with Luca on the terrace, leaving her unable to sleep.
    He was right. She had nothing to base her accusations on except her own insecurities. Today she’d discover if Luca and Isabella were lovers. And if they were, she’d be back on a plane before he could say the word “annulment.” There was a painful twinge in her chest, but she ignored it. Better to end the whole