Because Of Love

Rafe wasn’t sure exactly how long he stood there, looking at Talia. He’d tuned out the yelling and commotion brought on by the surprise interruption. He didn’t give a single glace to Gabriella as she insistently tugged on his jacket sleeve trying to get his attention, and just stared at his object of torment for the last five months with fleeting joy. He’d woken up every morning since that fateful day wet with more than just sweat, remembering how her small, voluptuous, naked body felt bucking under his as he rode them both to ecstasy, which usually left him feeling like he was in a drug induced haze. But waking up alone with nothing but her memory left him feeling frustrated and incomplete. Her betrayal had broken him and as the memory of the last time he’d seen her played in his mind, his rage grew.

Inferno! His fisted hands shook at his sides as he charged down the aisle towards her.

“What the hell do you want here, Talia?” he bellowed, bringing an uncomfortable silence into the building.

He watched as her hands moved to bracket her belly, one above and one below and his steps faltered.

“What the hell?” His eyes shifted between her protruding belly and her face.

“We have a few things to discuss, Rafe,” she answered, the smug smile still on her face.

Rafe shook his head. Quello che l’inferno! She can’t possibly mean to pin her pregnancy on me?

He had to give it to her. It was quite a statement to wait till his wedding day to pull such a stunt in front of a thousand people. Theatrical, something to credit herself with, along with the other acts she’d pulled in his life. How had he missed seeing her seated at the back of the church?

It didn’t matter. He wasn’t playing any role in this scene.

Rafe laughed, though the need to inflict pain filled every inch of his body. He turned around to head back to his bride. “Take a seat, Talia, and enjoy the wedding.”

“Signore DeLuca, there will be no wedding today or any other day until this issue has been resolved.”

Rafe stopped and turned to the small man standing next to Talia. He approached him slowly, loving the way he shifted from one foot to the other nervously before he stilled, his face hardening. Rafe’s brow rose at the challenge.

He moved forward until there was only half a foot that separated them and looked down at the man who was probably a foot shorter than he was.

“Pardon, forgive me, I didn’t catch what you said,” Rafe repeated in a low deadly voice. “Would you please repeat that?”

The man took a step back and held out a paper to him. “This is an injunction, stopping this wedding until your responsibilities and all of Miss McKenna’s demands are met.”

Rafe snatched the document from him and read through it. He clenched his jaw and yelled over his shoulder, “Angelo!” Then he held the document out for his lawyer, who was also his cousin, when he heard his fast approaching footsteps, and stared at Talia.

He saw her flinch under his gaze before she straightened her shoulders and returned his hard gaze. He scoffed, breaking their dueling stare and looked her over. She was thinner than the last time he saw her, which shouldn’t be possible considering how very pregnant she was. Despite being very well dressed to ruin his life further, her dark skin looked pale and her face showed her exhaustion.

She should be sitting down.

“Rafe…” Angelo called, tapping him on the shoulder to gain his attention.

“What?” he barked without looking away from Talia. She was beautiful. Despite everything she’d done to him, he still found her beautiful. And judging by how heated his body grew he still desired her, he wanted her like he wanted his next breath.

He’d always had a difficult time concentrating on anything else when she was in the room. Her beautiful angelic face and all those sexy curves proved to be unignorably distracting. Right now he couldn’t see them because of her large belly but he stared at her face. It was dim, lacking its normally ever present radiance.

“This is legitimate. You can’t marry Gabriella without settling matters with Signorina McKenna.”

Talia’s smile broadened, but she said nothing.

Rafe cursed under his breath and turned to Angelo. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Maybe if you both go to the priest’s office and discuss this, the wedding may resume, si?”Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Clenching and unclenching his fists Rafe growled, “Fine.”

He walked away, assuming the two intruders would follow. He wanted to be done with them and continue with his life before Talia derailed it. Before he’d run off to Boston to seek refuge from his collapsing mental health. Angelo thought it would be a good idea for him to get away when he began to have second thoughts about marrying Gabriella, and especially after that incident had happened. When he’d had his first panic attack. Cold feet, his mother had called it, but Rafe knew differently.

He’d fallen out of lust with Gabriella and worse, he was suffering from an anxiety and panic disorder that only got worse when he began worrying about what it would mean for his father’s plans if their engagement was broken. The merger between the two family’s companies would also not take place. His feelings for Gabriella or lack thereof was confirmed when he met Talia. Rafe was then more certain than ever, that he was not willing to keep living his life for anyone else but himself.

Talia McKenna was the international affairs officer for DeLuca International, and his assistant for the duration of his visit. Her smile when she’d introduced herself wiped his mind of all his worries, and he fell for her, hard and fast. There was a certain calmness she brought into his erratic mind, giving him the quiet peace he had spent months looking for. She had been his safe haven from everything he’d run away from. He’d wanted her, and despite all the road blocks she’d thrown his way, he’d finally claimed her. They had been set to spend their lives together… if only…

Rafe had always thought himself a good judge of character, but Talia…

Merda! He cursed under his breath, pushing the office door open so forcefully that it banged against the wall.