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cheating on you?
I don t know. He shrugged. But what she was doing was just as bad.
Confused, Zoe shook her head. Like what?
Elio wanted to build condos on these islands and turn Osturo and Ancora into the next Ibiza. The
sadness in his eyes solidified into fury. She was feeding him information. Soil reports. Zoning
permits. Copies of the land deeds. Everything.
Oh my God& Zoe couldn t believe any woman would be stupid enough to do something so
treacherous, especially to her fianc.
How Dom must ve felt& the betrayal, the anger, mingling with sorrow at losing another person
close to him.
I m sorry you had to go through something so painful. She leaned over and hugged him tight. For
what it s worth, she was a fool for choosing to hurt you in such a way.
Thanks. He eased her away, held her at arm s length. Now can you understand why I m not so
good with the getting to know you better thing?
You re scared& It clicked in that moment: why he was reclusive, why he held himself aloof,
why he freaked out when she said she wanted to get to know him better.
A woman he loved had betrayed him when he was at his most vulnerable. No wonder he didn t
want to open up to her, a virtual stranger. Whom he probably considered as yet another outsider who
wanted something from him.
Fear isn t very manly, he said, grazing her cheek with the back of his knuckles. Let s settle for
saying I have a healthy disregard for emotional attachment.
That makes two of us.
Before he could ask her why, she rushed on. The rest of my presentation centers on a tour of the
current Kaluna resort and demonstrating what the campaign will highlight. She nodded at her work
materials. Let s leave this for today, and hopefully we ll be able to get outside later today or
tomorrow?
More likely tomorrow. He glanced out the window and frowned. By the weather reports via the
sat phone, this isn t abating for another twenty-four hours.
Wow, your grandmother really miscalculated Damn, the moment the words spilled from her
lips, Zoe wished she could take them back.
What does Nonna have to do with the weather?
Considering what he d just told her, about his fiance s betrayal, Zoe knew this would look bad.
With the help of his grandmother, she d manipulated the situation for her gain. Getting Dom to sign on
the dotted line would be a financial coup for her company and a huge win for her.
She crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped to God he wouldn t view her involvement in
this crazy plot as a similar betrayal to Lilia.
Uh& Zoe couldn t lie, not after he d praised her for being so honest. Well, the whole
kidnapping thing? It was kinda Catarina s idea.
Disappointment clouded his eyes. An idea you were more than happy to go along with to further
your agenda.
Yep, he was pissed at her. I thought it was a pretty ingenious way to ensure your undivided
attention.
And underhanded, he added, not sounding amused in the least, before a reluctant smile erased his
disenchanted expression. Though it s typical Nonna at her crafty best.
He stared at her with disillusionment, and it didn t take an Einstein to figure out he d bitten back the
rest: but what s your excuse?
Increasingly uncomfortable that Dom now viewed her as being like his scheming ex, she said, She
knew the storm would be a doozy and we d be stranded here for a day, so she thought that would
make you my captive audience. Zoe waved at the storm still raging outside. Guess she
underestimated how bad it would be.
Or did she? Dom s eyes narrowed to slits of blue brilliance. Nonna has lived on these islands
all her life. She can predict the storms by the aches in her joints. He pointed at the window. She
would ve known exactly how bad this storm would be.
Then why strand us together for so long& ? Ah, so my instincts were right. Zoe smiled. That
devious old queen.
Dom nodded. Nonna is a renowned matchmaker on the island. She thinks we d be suited.
You and me? Zoe laughed, trying to alleviate Dom s bad mood since he d learned the truth about
being stranded. As you said, there s no future for us. Why would she go to such lengths?
His expression grew grimmer. She s an old woman, and she s worried about me.
He stood, turned his back on her, and crossed to the window. She ll hear my thoughts on her
scheme when we return.
Whereas I cop your bad mood now? The words slipped out before she could stop them. Just what
she needed, to antagonize him further.
His shoulders stiffened. What did you expect? That I d be thrilled you manipulated this situation to
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