Read Online Carnevale and Subterfuge by Selena Illyria - Free Book Online Page A

shower, and sleep. Diego didn’t care if they never left his flat. The world outside his door didn’t exist as far as he was concerned. All that mattered was spending as much time as he could with her.
    That night, before they went to sleep, she’d ruined everything by thanking him for giving her such a memorable vacation. He’d wanted to argue, say something cruel to make her feel the pain that was slicing through his soul, but nothing came out. All he could do was say, “You’re welcome.” And he gave her a huge hug despite the fact that his heart was breaking.
    When they went to bed later that night, he couldn’t sleep. All he could do was hold her and pray that he could stay away from her while onboard the ship. If he failed, there was no telling what would happen to them.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Anarrae sat at Nostalgia Café sipping a cappuccino. She stretched out her legs and sighed. The sun was shining and everywhere she looked Carnevale was still in full effect. People in costumes and masks milled through the streets. The gondolas overflowed with tourists trying to get as many pictures as possible. Fireworks went off overhead in bursts of dark colors against the pale blue sky. The rings of the planet seemed to sparkle.
    Music that was both joyful and haunting wove its way above the murmur of the crowds. She would never forget this place or this time. Everything seemed so right and peaceful. Ana sipped her coffee and looked a few tables over at Dodger who was in deep conversation with a dark-haired man with dark gray eyes. They had the same jaw line and Cupid’s bow lips, but other than that, she wasn’t sure what else to think.
    After one long all-day sex-a-thon—only pausing to shower, eat, and sleep—they had decided that she should spend her last day viewing the city. When she’d said it sounded more like a date, he thrown out, “So what if it is?”
    He then proceeded to pull her out the door to show her all of his favorite spots. The café was a pit stop for brunch where he had a quick meeting with a friend, and then after that they would visit some museums and gardens. That night he was supposed to drop her off at her hotel. Ana looked down at the clothes he had given her. They weren’t her biometric uniform but they would do. Simple pants, boots and a low cut top, all in black. They were comfortable and, unsurprisingly, her size. He had somehow managed to get his hands on her GPS wrist Com unit, despite Captain Drogan saying that security at the hotel had it along with her other things.
    She wished he’d gotten her other belongings as well. A flush of heat burned her face when she remembered Drogan’s call. The Hades’ Helmet had tracked her down via her secondary GPS chip on the back of her neck and hacked into Dodger’s Com Station to have that little chat with her about the disappearing act she’d pulled at the hotel.
    Ana had left out details, including how Dodger had kidnapped her to fulfill her fantasy. No one on the crew knew about her reason for going to Zero Branco and she wanted to keep it that way. Now the question was how to say good-bye to her Dodger.
    She wished she knew real his name. Dodger was a cute nickname but it only went so far. He knew her name, but all she knew about him was that he was a con artist. Not much to go on.
    Normally she liked to know more about her lovers, but this was supposed to have been a fantasy weekend, not form-a-connection-with-a-stranger weekend. She blew out a breath and looked around. One more day in this amazing place was all she had. The scent of coffee and incense perfumed the air in an odd mix that both soothed and energized. Ana couldn’t wait to see this world through his eyes. She was pretty sure they’d miss all the tourist traps and go straight to the gems.
    As the people passed by the café, Ana sipped her coffee. Something inside her unwound. She felt more relaxed than she’d ever known. On the ship, there was always tension