Inferno's Kiss Read Online Free

It’s with me as well. It would serve you well to remember that,” he said harshly.
    With one last hard look in her direction, he turned away and strode out of the study. Left alone, Atia stared at the closed door. He intended to have his way, and she was suddenly of a mind to let him do exactly as he wanted. She closed her eyes at the thought.
    Marcus could be persuasive when he wanted to be. In the few short years of happiness they’d shared before Gabriel’s kidnapping, she’d invariably given in to him when they argued. Even when he’d become leader of the Absconditus , he’d never forced her to do anything, despite the fact that his command was virtually law. He’d simply seduced her with words. And his touch.
    The memory of those passionate moments in La Terrazza del Ninfeo caressed her thoughts. Cleo had been the result of that union. And now everything hung in the balance. Just as it had when Gabriel had been kidnapped. The heartache of that event had driven a wedge between her and Marcus. It was the only time Marcus had ever deserted her.
    She’d needed him in those days and weeks after Gabriel had been taken from them. But he’d shut her out. He’d carried a burden of guilt that wasn’t his to carry. Perhaps she would have been able to tell him the truth if he’d not left her. She shuddered as the memories rushed at her with the fury of a raging Praetorian. Legs weak, she sank back into her chair.
    Perhaps Cleo was right. Maybe she didn’t know how to tell the truth. But then the truth was never as easy to reveal as her daughter thought. Her fingers brushed across the papers on her desk. She was anything but fearless. She was a coward. That was the real reason she didn’t want Marcus back in her life. She didn’t have the courage it would take to face him and the truth. Like Cleo, it was unlikely he would forgive her sin. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair trying desperately not to let the tears flow. She failed.
    At the soft knock on the office door, she jerked upright. Had Cleo returned? The sight of Ignacio stepping into view made her release a sigh of disappointment as she quickly wiped her eyes dry. Although the sound was barely audible, she knew Ignacio had heard it because his jaw tightened. Atia’s heart sank. Their friendship had always been something she cherished. Why hadn’t she realized before now that the man wanted something more than friendship from her? The answer was easy. There had never, and never would be, anyone but Marcus.
     
     
    TEARS glistened in Atia’s beautiful gray eyes as Ignacio closed the office door behind him. He saw her hands tremble as she hastily brushed the dampness from her cheeks. The last time he’d seen her cry was when the doctors had told them Cleo would never have any children. Ignacio’s gut tightened. He’d never meant to fall in love with her. He’d known better, but he’d succumbed anyway.
    Until a few nights ago, he’d actually begun to believe he could persuade her to give up the ghosts of her past. A foolish thought. He knew it was a futile hope. The fact that Vorenus had reentered Atia’s life only emphasized just how unrealistic he’d been.
    Just thinking about the Sicari Lord made Ignacio’s blood run hot with jealousy. The bastardo had simply strolled back into Atia’s life as if she were some prize the Sicari Lord was entitled to. Ignacio didn’t care that the two were blood bonded, it didn’t entitle Vorenus to lay claim to Atia again after all these years.
    “You should be in bed,” Ignacio said gruffly.
    “I wouldn’t be able to sleep.” She gestured toward the paperwork in front of her. “Work will help take my mind off of everything.”
    “I’m sorry about Gabriel.” She would never know just how sorry he was.
    “Thank you.” She swallowed hard.
    Fingers pressing into the desk, she bent her head as if studying the papers in front of her. Ignacio knew she wasn’t reading. She’d lost her son