STOLEN SMILE

CATERINA

"If I get married, I want to be very married."

-Audrey Hepburn

†*****†

THE TOUCH WAS INNOCENT. Her hands were braced beside mine on the countertop, grazing my own, yet the warmth that flooded me felt like the letting of sunlight into a dusty, dark room.

"What's this?" Her drawl ran down my spine as she stood behind me, her body trapping mine against the island.

"It wouldn't interest you." I bit my lip.

This morning I'd awoken to the sound of rain on glass, the drip, drip, drip seeping into my subconscious. I'd lain in an unfamiliar bed, though slept better than I had in a while. It was eight a.m. when my fiancé decided to come home.

I didn't know where she was last night, who she might have been with, but I decided it didn't matter. This was the start of my new life with her, and I'd known it would be this way.

I'd spent yesterday going over the list Mamma had emailed me, while Luca watched TV and pretended I wasn't here. I'd assumed he'd slept on the couch, because I hadn't once heard the unmistakable creak of the old wooden stairs.

He was in Jenn's office now, watching sports news on the computer. I'd wondered why he couldn't do that yesterday, but came to the assumption the couch was probably much more comfortable than the desk chair.

"I'll let you know what interests me."

"Wedding stuff," I said. "You know, the details that will tie us together for the rest of our lives?"

"Sounds like you're trying to scare me off."

"Is it working?"

"Nah, I'll take my chances." The amusement in her voice did strange things to my nervous system. How could she be so nonchalant and insistent about marrying me, and why did that hold a certain charm to it?

Her fingers brushed mine as she pulled the printout of my mamma's email closer. She had nice hands, I noticed. I wished I could find something I didn't like about this woman, but it seemed it would have to be with her personality and not with her appearance.

Her body grew closer to pressing against my back with each second as she read my mamma's list like I wasn't trapped in front of her.

"How do you feel about pink?" I breathed.

One of her hands slid to my waist, searing my skin through the pink scalloped dress I wore. "Never thought about it before," she drawled, "but I think I like it."

Warmth ran to my cheeks. "Good," I supplied. "Because you'll be wearing a pink tie."

She let out a breath of amusement. "I don't mind, but it will probably annoy Luca. Did he bother you yesterday?"

"No, he was a perfect gentleman. Didn't push me into a pool or anything."

"He stayed in my office?"

I hesitated, because I was a terrible liar. "Of course."

"Hmm." Her hand slid from my waist to my hip, her fingers gripping my flesh with a firmness that set my pulse aflutter. Pressing her lips to my ear, she whispered, "I don't believe you."

I inhaled. "You expected him to stay in your office all day and night?"

"Yes," she said, like she wasn't asking for much. "Tell me what you did."

"We played monopoly and shared an ice cream cone."

I could feel her smile on the back of my neck. "Little liar," she drawled.