VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (25 page)

Max looked amazing in his costume and she’d felt like a princess when he offered his arm and escorted her to the dock.  They’d taken a gondola ride through the narrow
waterways and into the Grand Canal, arriving a short time later at a privately owned Venetian palace.
  Vina was awestruck to find herself inside a real palace, sipping wine and indulging in rich desserts while Max regaled her with stories of the mischief he and his brothers had gotten into in their youth.

She was fond of Max and liked the way he
made
her feel special.  But then, all the Andollina brothers had treated
her
as if she was
an extraordinary woman
, showering her with endless compliments and playing the role of adoring suitor.
  By the end of her first week in Venice, she’d been out with each of them twice
and couldn’t really say which of them she liked better.  All of the
m
possessed admiral qualities and they certainly outshined the men she’d dated in the past.

There was only one problem; none of them was Travis.  She couldn’t get him out of her head.  His image haunted her day and night, following her around no matter where she went or who she was with. 
All throughout her lovely evening with Max, thoughts of Travis continued to intrude. 
Even the
sight of him with Stefana as the
y
emerged from Dandolo palace where they must have taken in a
music theatre show had done nothing to sever the love she felt for him.
 

As Max walked her back to her suite, Vina wondered if Travis
had returned
yet or if he was at the Andollina’s manor, kissing Stefana good-night.  As they approached her door, Vina’s stomach knotted.  What if he hadn’t taken Stefana home?  What if they were in his suite now
…
in his bed making love?
 
She could feel the color leach from her face as her wobbly legs threatened to buckle beneath her.

“You’ve grown very quiet,” Max observed as they reached her door.

“I…I’m sorry,” she managed a thin smile.  “It must
be
all those rich desserts I ate.”

Max’s brows furrowed.  “You do
look awfully pale.  Would you like me to come in and order a cup of tea to settle your stomach?
”

“No, I just need a good night’s rest and I’ll be fine.”

Reaching up, he gently brushed her cheek with
the tips of his fingers. 
“We
really have been running you ragged, haven’t we?”

“A little, I guess, but I don’t regret a moment of it.  I’ve had a wonderful time, Max.  Thank you.”

“
I enjoy
being with you, Vina.  As a matter of fact, I was going to ask if I co
uld see you again tomorrow.  No site
-
seeing or parties,” he promised, “just a nice relaxing day lounging around the pool at the manor.”

Vina hated herself for asking, but
couldn’t
seem to keep from blurting out,
“
What about Stefana and all the events she has lined up for you and your brothers? 
Isn’t
she
going to be upset with me for monopolizing your time?
”

“Actually, she thinks
it’s
working out beautifully.
 
With t
he three of us divid
ing
up the big brother time
, there’s a lot less grumbling about being dragged all over the city.
 
Stefana is
thrilled
she gets to take in every social event and theatre show Venice has to offer
wit
hout
all the complaining.”

“
I
wish one of you would have said something, Max.  If I’d known how much
you and your brothers dislike
d going to all those places, I would have…” 
What?  Gone out alone?  Subjected herself to Travis’ sullen company?

“I don’t think you understand,
bella
,” Max
said softly.  “It’s not that we don’t
enjoy the festivities of the Carnival, or the company of our little sister
; it
’s just that
the pleasure of being with you has become so distracting.  It’s lucky for us that your friend, Travis, has provided a distraction for Stefana as well.”

Vina
’s face crumbled
. 
“
You…you think it’s getting serious?”

Max’s
words opened a floodgate of unwanted images that she desperately
attempted
to block
, but it was like trying to rope the wind
.
  It didn’t help that
the look he gave her
was so
intense
Vina
could almost feel those dark eyes probing her mind
…seeing straight into her
shattered heart.
 
Tears blurred her vision as she wrenched
h
er gaze away and turned towards the door. 

“
I’m sorry, Max.  I shouldn’t have asked.”  She fumbled with the clasp on her purse and pulled out the card key, but her hand was trembling so bad she couldn’t fit it in the slot.  “It…it’s none of my business what Travis
does with his time.”

“Isn’t it,
mio piccolo
?” Max said as he reached around her and took the card key. 

A few seconds later, Vina was ushered into the suite.  Max gently pried the purse from her hands and dropped
the card inside, then tossed the purse on the stand beside the door. 
He studied her face for a moment before shaking his head with a rueful smile.

“You know, my brothers and I don’t usually compete for the same woman.”

Caught off guard, Vina replied without thinking.  “I didn’t realize that’s what you were doing.”

“My point exactly,” he chuckled.  “
At first, we assumed the reason you hadn’t allowed any of us
the opportunity
to kiss you was because you couldn’t decide who you were attracted to the most.  It was pure arrogance, of course, because it never occurred to us that you
wouldn’t show a preference for one of the charming Andollina brothers sooner or later.”

“Max, I…don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.  I’m just surprised it took me so long to figure it out.”

Vina hesitated before asking, “Figure what out?”

“That we never had a chance with you.  Tell me,
cara
, does Travis know you’re in love with him?”

***

Vina sat on the sofa with her feet curled beneath her, clutching a cup of tea that had gone cold over an hour
ago
.  She hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights after Max left; there was enough moonlight to cast a soft glow throughout the room and
afford
her a small sense of serenity.
 
Poor Max had tried to comfort her when she’d burst into tears, but the strong arms that had gathered her close only served to remind her
of Travis and how every different it felt to be held by him.

Was he with Stefana right now?  Was he holding her, touching her, kissing her?  Was Travis making love to her, whispering all the things Vina longed to hear, giving Stefana a part of himself that he had denied to her?  It was driving her mad
to think they could
very well be right next door, in his suite, in his bed.  And yet she couldn’t stop the torturous images that were slowly shredding her to pieces. 

“I have to know,” she murmured to herself.  “Regardless of the outcome…I have to know.”

Setting the cup firmly on the coffee table, Vina unfurled her legs and stood up.  With a determined lift of her chin, she crossed the room
and flipped on the light then turned to the small stand just inside the archway.  Drawing in a shaky breath, Vina reached for the phone and pressed the numbers for Travis’ suite.

“Hello.”

He sounded groggy, as if he’d been roused from sleep.  Vina squeezed her eyes shut, straining to hear a feminine voice in the background and praying that she wouldn’t.  Travis waited a few seconds before asking who was calling, but she couldn’t seem to make her voice work. 
Hang up
, she told herself. 
Not knowing couldn’t possibly hurt as much as having confirmation he isn’t alone. 
Her bravado abandoned her like a rat fleeing a sinking ship, but just as she started to disconnect the call, Travis spoke again.

“Vina?  What’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

“I’m…fine.  I
’m sorry to wake you but I…uh…have a
horrible headache and wondered if you had anything for it.”  As excuses went, it was pathetically lame, but Travis seemed to accept it
at face value.

“I’ll be right over,” he said
and hung up before she could reply.

The phone was still in her hand when Travis rapped on the door.  Gnawing on her lip, Vina hurried to answer it.  She really did have a throbbing headache so it wasn’t a complete lie, she justified her actions. 
Okay, maybe there
was
a bottle of aspirin stored in the bathroom medicine
cabinet where she’d placed it when unpacking her toiletries.  With her head aching the way it was, she could easily have forgotten she’d brought it with her.

Vina reached for the door handle, wishing she would have thought to change out of the comfy shorts and oversized t-shirt she’d slipped into after taking a shower.  Well, there wasn’t much she could do about it now.  She pulled the door open just as Travis was about to knock again.  His hand dropped to his side, a look of genuine concern lining his face when he saw how distraught she was.

“You should have called me sooner,” he gently chastised.

“I wasn’t sure you were in your room.” 
Or if you were alone.

“I’ve been back for quite some time.  Even if I wasn’t, you could have called the reception desk and had them send someone up with the aspirin.”

“I didn’t think of it,” Vina replied
, hating the way her voice wobbled.

Travis grimaced.  “I’m sorry.  Here you are with your head about to explode and I’m rambling on instead of taking care of you.  Why don’t you go crawl into bed while I get a glass of water.”

“Travis, you don’t have to…”

“I
want
to,” he insisted.  “Now be a good girl and go get in bed.”

Vina did as he asked, torn between feeling ashamed of herself for playing on his sympathy and enjoying the
notion that he wanted to take care of her.  Stripping out of her shorts, she slipped between the sheets and propped a couple of pillows against the headboard
so she
could
lean b
ack.  Her head was pounding out a tempo that made her wish she really had taken something for it earlier. 

“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” she said,
offering Travis a grateful smile when he handed her two tablets and held the glass of water to her lips.

Travis set the glass on the nightstand.  “
Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Vina lifted her eyes to his.
  If she said no, Travis would leave and she would never know if
he was returning to an empty bed
.  And if she asked him to stay, there was a chance
her worst fear would be
confirm
ed
when
he
told her
Stefana was
waiting for him
in his suite.
 
The way she felt right now, Vina didn’t think her heart could take it.

“No, I’ll be fine,” she said.

“Are you sure?  I hate to leave you alone when don’t feel well.”

“You mean it?  You would stay
with me…at least until I fall asleep, that is.”

“
I’m yours for as long as you need me.”

Maybe it was the s
omber pitch of his voice or the way his eyes moved over her face with such tenderness that made her pulse jump. 
Renewed hope sprang to life when he leaned down and turned off the be
d
side lamp then waited for her to pull the pillows out from behind her and move over.  He had on a pair of gym shorts and
a
t-shirt
,
but they did very little to keep the warmth of his body from seeping
into her skin as she curled up
next to him and settled her head on his shoulder.
  Vina let out a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered in the dark.