Maureen Child - Her Return to King's Bed

A future without Teresa Coretti.

“So?” he asked, a casualness he didn’t feel coloring his tone. “What is it going to be, Teresa? Do you stay with me for a month or do you wave goodbye to your family as the jail doors slam shut?”

She lifted her chin, fixed her gaze on his and whispered, “I’ll stay.”

* * *

Teresa was surprised Rico had let her out of his sight.

Although, she told herself an hour later, maybe she shouldn’t have been. He knew all too well that she wouldn’t do anything to endanger her family. So of course she would agree to his terms. And of course she wouldn’t make a break for freedom. And of course she would end up having sex with him. How could she not? Teresa had been dreaming about Rico for five years. Sleeping beside him wouldn’t be enough and she knew it as well as he did.

She walked along the dock, headed for the boat launch where her father and brother waited. Rico had made arrangements for her family to be taken from the island to St. Thomas. From there, they could take a plane back to Italy and hopefully retrieve Rico’s dagger from Gianni’s collection. Thankfully, her brother hadn’t sold the dagger, as he did most things the Coretti family liberated from their owners. Gianni had a small, priceless collection of his own and she knew that dagger was a part of it.

In one month, her family would be back to return the antiquity and free Teresa.

A soft breeze caressed her and tossed a long lock of her hair across her eyes. She plucked it free, plastered a fake smile on her face and studied her family as she approached them.

Her father was cool and calm—nothing shattered the reserve Dominick wore as elegantly as the three-piece suits he preferred. But Paulo looked agitated. He paced back and forth in front of their father, gesticulating wildly and arguing. Though his words were caught by the wind and carried away from her, Teresa had no problem guessing what he was saying. He was furious and she knew that her brother in a temper was someone to avoid. Though there was no chance of that now. She had to face them both, give them Rico’s ultimatum and then watch them go.

“Cara,” her father murmured as she came closer. “You’re leaving with us after all?”

“No, Papa,” she said and withstood the urge to throw herself into her father’s arms for a hug she badly needed. “I’m staying here.”

“For how long?” Paulo demanded.

“A month.”

“Hell with that!”

She looked up at her older brother and winced when she saw just how angry he was. He was tall and dark and right now his brown eyes were flashing with fury. “Paulo, you being mad isn’t helping me.”

“I’m supposed to just accept this?” he asked. “Just leave you here with that man for a month?”

“Yeah. We all have to accept it.” Reaching out, she gave Paulo a brief hug and felt better when he squeezed her back. Paulo and Gianni had always looked out for her. Since she was the baby of the family and a girl, it was to be expected, she supposed. So naturally Paulo would have a hard time seeing her caught in a web he couldn’t get her out of.

“Like it or not,” she said, looking from her brother to her father, “Rico is still my husband.”

“Yeah, and I want to know how that happened,” Paulo muttered.

“Me, as well,” her father said.

“I’ll tell you everything when I leave here, okay?” Teresa took a deep breath and blew it out in a rush. “Look, the important thing to remember is that Rico won’t hurt me.”

“No, just trap you.”

“Paulo...”

“Color this any way you choose, Teresa,” her brother said, “but the hard truth is, he’s using us to get you back into his bed.”

She winced and tried not to look at her father. Maybe Paulo was right—but what her brother didn’t know was that Teresa was torn about her own reaction to the situation. Yes, Rico wanted his dagger back, but was it also possible that he wanted her, too, even if he couldn’t admit it to himself?

“Surely not,” Dominick muttered.

“Why else would he keep her here for a month?” Paulo threw his hands high in disgust. “He knows we could get hold of Gianni and have that damned dagger back here by tomorrow. He’s doing this deliberately. To keep Teresa where he wants her.”

“This is not acceptable,” her father said shortly.

“Papa, we’re married.”

“This does not give him the right to—”

Thankfully, he didn’t finish the sentence. There was only so much more Teresa could take today. Besides, she knew Rico well enough to know that nothing would change his mind. Firing a glare at her big brother, she said, “One month. Then you can return the dagger Gianni stole and Rico will let me leave. With the evidence he’s gathered about us.”

Paulo pushed one hand through his hair. “I still don’t like it.”

“I don’t either,” she admitted, “but we don’t have a choice.”

“I won’t leave you here with him,” her father said softly. “I won’t use my child to bargain for my own safety.”

“What Papa said,” Paulo muttered. “If your ex wants to throw us in jail, let him.”

She loved them both for wanting to make the sacrifice, but she couldn’t allow it. “You’d all go to prison for years.”

“But you didn’t do anything wrong,” Paulo argued. “Not right that you should be the one to pay this price.”

Teresa fought down a tide of guilt that seemed to swell up from the bottom of her heart. If that were true, she thought, she wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. She had been wrong. She’d lied to Rico from the beginning and then she’d run away rather than tell him the truth.

“Gianni stole the dagger, that’s true,” she said, with a glance over her shoulder at the Tesoro Castle up on the hill behind her. “But I’m not entirely innocent in this either.”

“This doesn’t feel right, Teresa,” Paulo told her, “leaving you here. With him.”

Shaking her head, she looked back at her brother. “He’s still my husband, remember?”

Her father gave her a long look. “Not for much longer.”

“One month, Papa. I’ll tell you everything at the end of the month.”

One of the island’s launch boats fired up its engine, shattering the quiet and bringing home the fact that soon Teresa would be alone with a man who’d waited five years for revenge. Sadly, she was both concerned about that...and aroused.

Talking to her family again, she said, “Don’t worry. I’m not in any danger. Rico’s angry, but he would never hurt me.”

“He’s keeping you here against your will,” her father reminded her.

“I’m staying because I choose to stay, Papa,” she said.

He frowned, glanced at the launch boat that would take them to St. Thomas, then turned back to her. “We’ve already tried to call Gianni. He’s not answering his phone. We’ll find him, though, and get the dagger your husband requires.”

Briefly, she wondered where her oldest brother had vanished to this time. Gianni hadn’t been around much in the last couple of years and when he did spend time with the family, he was even more secretive than usual.

“Wait a month before returning, Papa. Rico means what he says.”

“I will wait,” Nick answered with a hard look at Paulo, who was grumbling under his breath. “If you’re sure you want to do this.”

Want was a strong word, she thought. Oh, she wanted Rico, there was no denying that. But if she had any real choice, would she choose to stay with a man who could barely stand to look at her? Probably not. But the truth was, they were all out of options.

“I’m sure,” she said and hoped her voice sounded stronger than she felt at the moment.