Rare and Precious Things

“He is talking to Carolina and Rogelio, my friends,” Marco said, correctly reading my quest to find Ethan. “I believe they have discovered they are acquainted already.”

Really? Ethan knew people at this party? I suppose it wasn’t as bad as he’d predicted it would be after all. Couldn’t wait to bust him about his whining to come here.

“Oh, well that’s great. I look forward to meeting them. But first, I need to get some water. I’m really thirsty after spending a long time swimming in the sea today. Must be all the salt.”

“Come with me, bella, I will take care of you.”

ONE hour later and I was so ready to blow this taco stand. Unfortunately, I was the only one who felt that way. Ethan and his old friend, Carolina, sat next to each other on a sofa laughing and chatting about the Italian elections and everything in between; from the best ski slopes in the Italian Alps to Ferragamo shoes. Looked like they were having a great time together. I, on the other hand, was stuck fending off the lewdly inappropriate glances coming at me from Rogelio, who apparently wasn’t giving up on trying to get a good look at what was under my dress. And he wasn’t with Carolina as I originally assumed, either. Rogelio was with another woman who gave her name as Paola—an Italian model I had seen in photos but never met before tonight. She eyeballed me too, almost as much as Rogelio was doing, but for different reasons. Rogelio was just a skeevy creep, but Paola saw me as a threat. She didn’t have anything to worry about from me though; I sure wasn’t interested in what she was doing—practically sprawled on Rogelio, letting him feel her up. Were they going to start screwing in front of everyone in a minute for an encore? This lecherous creep and exhibitionist slut are who I get to talk to? Not fair.

Ethan was oblivious.

I shifted in the seat and fidgeted with the hem of my dress, wishing it was a little longer to cover more of my legs. I wanted to go home and crawl into bed, but Ethan didn’t take my subtle hints when I rubbed his leg or squeezed his hand. He just kept flapping away as if he could keep it up for hours. What in the hell had gotten into him? He was not usually chatty, but for all intents and purposes he sure was tonight—at this party he begged me not to drag him to.

It wasn’t lost on me Carolina was a very beautiful woman, either. Elegant, and lean, in that Euro way that intimidated the hell out of me and my pregnant curves, which would only grow more pregnant, and more curvy in the coming months.

I patted Ethan on the leg.

He turned to me and smiled, covering my hand with his.

And returned right back to his conversation with Carolina, dismissing me with an affectionate brush of his thumb over my hand.

A server brought a tray of gelato through and I couldn’t resist taking one, even though everyone else declined it.

The rich frozen chocolate cream tasted like heaven. At least I could enjoy something nice here, since the rest of it sucked.

Paola clucked at me. “So many calories in the gelato. I never indulge.”

Well, you sure do indulge in being a massive bitch, Paola. “Really? I do. In fact, my doctor in London told me to start packing it in. As many calories as I can stand. It’ll be healthier for my baby if I gain some weight.” I smiled warmly and shoved another spoonful of gelato in my mouth. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, you stupid cow!

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You are pregnant?”

I rubbed over my bump, which due to the shape of my dress, was pretty much invisible. “Yep. And married.” I held up my left hand and showed my ring. “I’m so lucky; sometimes I think I must have won the lottery of life.” I leaned into Ethan’s arm with an affectionate caress of my cheek.

I felt more than a little satisfaction when she rolled her eyes at me and huffed off to get a drink. Rogelio just snickered in his quietly leering way and adjusted his erection, now that it was out there for me to see. Ugh. Get me the hell out of here.

Ethan was so unaware of what was going on, the look on his face was blank when I interrupted him and said, “Simba just called and said it’s an emergency.”

“What?” he questioned with a blink.

I hardened my expression and tried again. “Simba needs us to come home.”

“He does?”

“He said now, Ethan.”

ETHAN drove us home as I pouted in my seat. “You’re not feeling well, are you?” he asked after several minutes of quiet.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” I looked out the window at the pretty lights set out in jars in front of the houses. It was a local custom that we’d discovered on our trip here. Wishing jars they were called. You put your wishes inside on tiny slips of paper that burned away from the candle inside the jar. As the words were consumed by fire, your wish was released into the spirit world to maybe be granted. I wish I never went to that party.

“Well, you didn’t seem to be in a very social mood back there.”

“Well, you sure were.” I folded my arms and looked over at him.

“What? I was just having a conversation with an old friend. Thank God there was somebody I could talk to, or I would have gone mad. Let’s remember that I didn’t want to go to the f**king thing in the first place, Brynne. It just turned out to be more pleasant than I imagined it would be.”

“How do you know Carolina?” I hated that I felt insecure asking him about her. I didn’t want to know if they had ever been more than “friends,” but had to be pragmatic that it was a strong possibility.

“We met when I was working an important job for the Italian PM years back. She’s a cultural consultant for the government,” he said a little too quickly, as if he’d already prepared what to say when I asked.

I sensed some hedging on his part. The way he was acting reminded me of that night at the Mallerton Gala when the strawberry-blonde “he went out with just the one time” was vying for his attention.

My heart did a little drop and I felt insane jealousy at the thought of Ethan and Carolina being together at some point in the past. He’d f**ked her. I knew it.

“Oh…” I couldn’t think of a better response. I just wanted to go to bed and put the unpleasant thoughts out of my mind.

I didn’t wait for Ethan to come around and open my door when we arrived back to the villa. I just got out and headed toward the steps.

I didn’t make it very far before strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pressing me back into the hard planes of his body. “Where do you think you’re going?” He nuzzled at my neck and rubbed thumbs over my collarbones seductively. My body responded immediately, my ni**les hardening into peaks that gave me the now familiar sting of pain when it happened.