Promised For Truce

Chapter 14

Another week flew by with Nina and Luciano not having made any improvements in their relationship. The result of this was only to be expected as neither saw much of the other. Nina needed to spend more time with Luciano if she was ever going to open up to him; practically impossible given the current state of affairs. To Nina, it felt as if she lived alone in the mansion since her husband was drowned with work.

Soft laughter came out of Nina as she read a text message from her cousin Rosaria. It was about yet another failed attempt at cooking. After poking fun at Rosaria and giving words of encouragement, she checked the time before turning her phone off.

Nina gazed up at the twinkling night sky. Just like she predicted, the sunroom quickly became her favourite place in the house.

"So this is where you are," Luciano mused as he entered the room.

"Were you looking for me?"

"Yes. Not for very long since I heard someone laughing."

Feeling exposed, she blushed. Her laugh from earlier contained more than a few snorts.

"Was there something you needed to tell me?" She immediately steered the conversation in the other direction, hoping he would forget her laugh.

"Severino invited us for dinner tomorrow."

That sounds thrilling. I'd rather spend a whole day with Teodoro than an evening with Severino.

"Okay."

Luciano grabbed the door handle, ready to close it and leave again.

He's going already? Nothing is going to happen between us if I allow it to. I can't hope for anything good to happen like that.

"Can't you stay?"

Both of them searched each other's eyes. She wondered what his next move would be and he tried guessing what she was thinking. Never before had his wife made a request like this and it made him wonder if she had ulterior motives.

"Is there anything you want?" He planted himself in front of his wife, his figure towering over her.

"Your company." It almost came out as a whisper.

His lips twitched as if she said something funny. Luciano lowered himself beside her, undoing the first three buttons of his dress shirt.

"I'll be honest, I thought you were going to ask for something else. I don't know why I forgot you aren't materialistic." He checked the ring decorating her finger. "You're not wearing the engagement one anymore."

Nina tensed by a fraction at the mention of the large diamond ring. "Do you want me to wear it?"

"That is up to you." That tiny smirk of his fell into a flat line. "Why do you want me here?" He laid his arm onto the sofa's back pillow, his fingers almost grazing her dark-brown hair.

Nina didn't break eye contact as his features set into a neutral expression. Honesty was the solution if she wanted them to be on the same page.

"You were right that night...I shouldn't keep you at arm's length."

"You do that with everyone from what I've seen," he said based on his assumptions.

"Not everyone. For example, I'm not like that with my family." After getting an eyebrow raised at her, she added, "Only some of them...or almost all of them but not everyone."

"Right, your brother being one of them I assume."

Nina nodded, a ghost of a smile appearing as she thought of Giorgio. "You don't like him, do you?"