VITTORIO'S RUNAWAY BRIDE (The Vittorio Series) (21 page)

“That is
not
why I asked you here,” he shot back with barely contained anger.

“Really,” she arched an elegant brow, “then why invite me to your private suites in the middle of the day?
 
You want me, Logan
.  Yo
u’re just afraid to indulge in an affair because you don’t want to jeopardize your marriage.”

“You are right, I do not want to jeopardize my marriage, but that is not the reason…”

“Oh, you don’t have to explain.
 
I know how much everyone adores that mousy wife of yours so I don’t blame you for wanting to keep up the illusion you’re both madly in love with each other.
 
Although,” she said with a disdainful laugh, “I’m sure it’s not an act on her part.
 
Anyone with two eyes can see she thinks the sun rises and sets at your command.”

Logan’s jaw flexed.
 
“It is no illusion, I do love my wife, and I have no intention of letting you or anyone else interfere with our relationship.
 
Apparently, you have forgotten our discussion in my office.
 
I do not now, or ever will, want to have an affair with you.”

Alicia stood up and crossed the room, planting herself in front of him.
 
“So this is it then?
 
This is how you want it?”

“Yes,” he said firmly, “this is how I want it.”

“Well,” she sighed as she curled her fingers around his neck and pressed herself closer, “I’ll take what I can get.
 
If all you want is a onetime roll in the sack
,
then I’ll just have to see to it that I leave a memorable impression.”

A low growl rumbled deep in his chest.
 
“That is not…”

Both of their heads whipped around when Shelby stormed into the room.
 
Hopping mad and looking as if she was out for blood, she skewered Logan with her eyes and then Alicia.
 
She’d slipped through the doorway just a few minutes before and only caught the tail end of their conversation, but it was enough to tell her what she needed to know.

“Mrs. Delatorre,” Shelby said icily, “I’ll thank you to get your hands off my husband.”

“Shelby, this is not…” Logan started, but she stopped him with a glacial stare.

“As for you, Logan Vittorio, what the hell were you thinking when you invited this barracuda up here?”

“How dare you,” Alicia ground out.

“Me?
 
How dare
you,
” Shelby hissed.
 
She stomped across the room and yanked Alicia’s arm from around Logan’s neck.
 
“How dare
you
try to seduce my husband when he’s made it perfectly clear he has no interest in you what
-
so
-
ever.”
 

With her spiky heels on, Alicia was a good six inches taller than Shelby
,
but it didn’t keep her from slapping her palms against the woman’s shoulders and giving her a good, hard shove.
 
Alicia stumbled back a few steps, her eyes widening with surprise.
 
Shelby was in a full blown rage now and didn’t hesitate to close the distance between them and plant herself in front of Alicia.
 
Her eyes were flashing dangerously as she jabbed one manicured finger at the woman’s chest.

“How mousy do you think I am now,
Mrs. Delatorre
?”

Logan just stood there with his arms at his sides, completely dumbfounded as his sweet, docile wife lit into Alicia with a string of expletives that shocked him even more than they shocked Alicia.
 
He supposed he should do something to stop the altercation, especially since Shelby looked as if she was going to launch herself at Alicia any second now, but the truth was he couldn’t help the rush of sheer happiness that raced through him as Shelby continue her tirade.
 
She was fighting for him, for
them
. 
H
o
w could he be anything but elated by that knowledge?

Even when Dante came
rushing
into room with Luca right on his heels, Logan merely arched a brow at them and let Shelby do her damage.
 
Neither of the women seemed aware of the fact they had an audience
,
but he doubted it would have made much difference.
 
Alicia had finally gotten her dander up and was snapping back
,
but her biting remarks
didn’t seem to be
fazing Shelby one bit.

“
Madre di Dio
,” Dante muttered, “I expected to find your wife in tears, not…” he shrugged, looking every bit as perplexed as Logan was by Shelby’s uncharacteristic behavior.

“I did not think she even knew
how
to raise her voice,” Luca said with a hint of awe.

Logan glanced at his brothers.
 
“Do you think I should…intervene?”

“Only if you wish to have your eyes scratched out,” Dante replied, then shook his head.
 
“And to think I was concerned what it would do to her when she found you with Alicia.”

“What do you mean,
found
me?”
 
Logan demanded.
 
“Tell me you did not let her come up without explaining why Alicia was here!”

“I tried, but she would not listen.
 
When she arrived unexpectedly and I attempted to persuade her to wait in your office, she guessed you were up here
and
who you were with.”

“She must have gotten my message then,” Logan said more to himself than to his brothers.
 

He grimaced when Alicia made a snide comment about the time she’d spent with him during Shelby’s six month absence.
 
But when his wife was able to recount where he
had
taken Alicia and who else had been in attendance, it took the wind out of Alicia’s sails.
 
A
pparently
, Alicia
assumed Logan had kept their outings a secret and
was hoping
to broadside Shelby with it.
 
For a moment, the two women simply glared at each other
. 
Logan bravely took a step towards them, intending to put an end to it, but Shelby beat him to the punch.

“You
are
a married woman
.  F
or God’s
,
sake act like it!
 
I want you out of here, out of our lives, and if you so much as bat an eyelash
in
Logan’s
direction
again
,
I
will
run straight to your husband and tell him what you’ve been up to.”

Alicia’s eyes narrowed.
 
“Try it and I’ll rip you to shreds.”

Shelby’s smile was lethal.
 
“Keep stalking my husband and we’ll see who w
i
elds more power.
 
I
am a Vittorio,” she said proudly, “and no one messes with family.”

Alicia had remained relatively unaffected by the things Shelby said to her up until then, but that certainly seemed to rattle her.
 
She opened her mouth then clamped it shut again, settling for a haughty flip of her head as she stepped around Shelby to make her exit.
 
It was the audible gasp as much as the abrupt halt Alicia came to that made Shelby turn around.
 
They looked liked mountains, the three Vittorio brothers standing side by side, and if she didn’t know any better, the dark scowls they were wearing would have scared the hell out of her.

Alicia took another faltering step before mustering enough courage to speak.
 
“I
would
like to leave now, so if you don’t mind…?”

“Not at all,” Luca said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
 
“As a matter of fact, it will bring my brother and me a great deal of pleasure to escort you to your car.”

“That won’t be necessary,” she sniffed indignantly.

“I assure you it is quite necessary,” Dante told her as he lightly gripped her arm and ushered her towards the door.

Luca paused long enough to flash a genuine smile at Shelby.
 
“I have never had occasion to be envious of my brother until this moment.
 
You are an amazing woman, Mrs. Vittorio.”

The minute the door closed and they were left alone, Logan turned to Shelby.
 
“He’s right, you
are
an amazing woman.”

Shelby crossed her arms.
 
“Don’t even
think
about trying to sweet talk me.
 
I’m very angry with you right now.”

“Just let me explain…”

“Oh, Logan, you don’t have to explain.
 
I know you probably brought her here to avoid a public scene, but did you honestly think she
would
listen to reason or concern herself with threats to tell her husband?
 
What upsets me most is that you kept it from me.
 
If you
had
only told me she’d started coming on to you again, we could have…”

“What?”
 
Logan went to her then, enfolding her in his arms before she could offer a protest.
 
“You thought she was after
me
, that this meeting was to warn her off with threats to expose her to Richard?”

Shelby’s brows drew together.
 
“I just assumed…I mean, why else would you…and then when I saw the way she was dressed…” she swallowed hard, the first tiny thread of doubt beginning to wind its way through her head.
 
“I’m afraid I don’t understand then,” she said feebly.

“It is I who do not understand,
cara mia
.
 
I thought you came here because of the message I left on your cell phone.”

“No, I came here because…well, it doesn’t matter now.
 
I didn’t get the message, Logan.
 
I was running a little late for my doctor’s appointment and accidentally left without my phone.
 
That’s why I didn’t call before I got here.
 
I stopped by your office first
,
but Margaret said you’d been called away for a short meeting
.  An
d then when Dante was trying so hard to keep me from going up, I just knew you were here with that woman.”

“You presumed it was because I was trying to talk some sense into her?”

“Well, I…I might have had one tiny moment of concern…”

“You really did not get my message?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?
 
And why does it sound like there was a different reason for Alicia Delatorre being here?”

“Ah,
carissima
,” he laughed, “there is no reason for that frown on your pretty mouth.
 
I will explain everything, but there is something I must do first.”

Shelby’s frown deepened.
 
“What is so important it can’t wait until you explain what’s been going on?”

“
This
,” he whispered.

It was like stepping out into the sunshine after being locked in a cold, dark basement for days.
 
His mouth came down hard and hungry, spreading the warmth from her lips to every part of her body and bathing her it’s delicious glow.
 
Locked safely in his arms
,
nothing could touch her, not even that horrible woman and her insane claim that she
had
been more intimate with Logan than he wanted Shelby to believe.
 
In spite of Alicia’s outward beauty, Logan would never have been drawn to someone so self-absorbed and superficial.
 
Not even for a onetime roll in the sack
.

Logan dragged his head back grudgingly.
 
“I am sorry,
mi amore
,
we shall have to continue this later.
 
I will explain in greater depth tonight when I get home
.  R
ight now I must make it brief because of a conference I cannot get out of.”

Shelby’s disappointment showed on her face but she couldn’t help it.
 
She’d envisioned his reaction to being told he was going to be a father along with the joy they
would
share and the passionate kisses that would undoubtedly follow.
 
It wasn’t fair
,
and she resented having to shove the news of her pregnancy aside.
 
She pulled away from him and sat down on the sofa, childishly thinking it would serve him right if she kept it a secret until he could spare time for his wife.

Logan seated himself next to her, arching an amused brow.
 
“You are irritated with me because I do not have time to tell you everything.”
 
He reached out and cupped her chin, gently but firmly forcing her to look at him.
 
“May I remind you, Mrs. Vittorio, that had you not gotten into a cat fight with Alicia
,
I would not be so pressed for time right now.”

“She deserved it,” Shelby said defensively.

“More than you think,” he said with heavy sigh.
 

For the first time since she’d walked in, Shelby saw just how deeply upset he was.
 
Well, maybe upset wasn’t the right word, not for a man like Logan, but he was definitely worried and she had the unsettling feeling it was more than just Alicia’s obsession with him.
 
The lines that were etched in his forehead
,
coupled with the obvious tension in his broad shoulders
,
was enough to cause her some concern
.  B
ut it was the carefully guarded expression on his face that really alarmed her.

“Logan, what is it?”

“It is nothing…no, that is not true.
 
I was very proud of the way you stood up to Alicia, it is important for you to know that, but when you first walked in and found her hanging all over me…” he stopped and drew in a deep breath, expelling it slowly.
 
“Shelby, I have to admit that I was terrified you would turn around and run, that you would leave me again.”