Lose Yourself (The Desires Unlocked Trilogy Part Two) by Evie Blake Page A

her head. For some reason, she feels her own naïvety is somewhat at fault here. She doesn’t want Jacqueline to have a reason not to let her out again or, worse still, tell her mother and Pina what has happened.
    ‘OK,’ the stranger says. And then he does something surprising. He takes a handkerchief from his pocket and dries her eyes with it, tenderly as if she were his child.
    ‘I think that you might need looking after, Maria,’ he says, scrunching the handkerchief up in his hand.
    She looks at him in wonder. She has never met such a gallant man. ‘You know my first name?’
    ‘Of course I know your name! We are neighbours.’ He smiles at her.
    Maria’s heart flutters when she sees his laughter lines appearing at the corners of his eyes. How old is he? Thirty? Older, even? And yet she feels wildly attracted to him, despite her recent assault.
    ‘I am Felix Leduc,’ he says.
    So this is the mysterious French man that Guido had referred to. She had forgotten about his existence, for she has neither seen nor heard him once since she arrived.
    ‘Good night, Maria,’ he says, waiting for her to climb the stairs to the top floor and Jacqueline’s apartment.
    ‘Good night; and thank you, Felix.’ His name feels strange in her mouth – tactile. She walks up the staircase, aware of his eyes on her back, afraid to look back in case he sees the truth in her eyes. For Maria is quite certain that she has just met the man of her dreams.

Valentina twists and turns in bed. It’s no good; she can’t sleep. She sits up and switches on the bedside lamp. She looks across the room at Antonella in the other bed and she can see that her friend is fast asleep. She wonders whether she should wake her up and tell her about Theo. But Antonella might still be drunk.
    When Valentina had returned to the house in South Kensington last night, Antonella and Isabella were in the middle of a dramatic argument over Antonella’s father and whether he was the big bastard Antonella claimed he was. The drink had fuelled their emotions and the women ranted and raved at each other in Italian. Finally, a neighbour banging on the wall had silenced them. Valentina encouraged the two of them to go to bed and sleep on it. The evening had ended with aunt and niece tearfully embracing and professing undying loyalty and love to each other. She is sure Antonella would not appreciate being woken up now she is in the middle of a deep sleep. Besides, Antonella has never been a fan of Theo. If she tells her that he has a new girlfriend, she is certain Antonella will advise Valentina to forget about him.
    She knows she should. But she just can’t.
    That moment when she saw him again – after all these months, and despite the circumstances – it was like being thumped in the chest. She had been unable to speak, utterly struck dumb. She had watched in disbelief as Anita had tottered over to Theo in her high heels and embraced him, planting a kiss on his lips. The whole time, Theo had been as silent as her, unsmiling, his eyes boring into her.
    ‘Theo,’ Anita said. ‘I want you to meet Valentina, my new friend.’
    ‘Actually, we know each other,’ Theo said stiffly.
    ‘You do?’ Anita looked between the two of them in surprise.
    ‘Yes, I knew Valentina when I lived in Milan,’ he said, frowning at Valentina, a questioning look on his face.
    ‘Well, isn’t that just amazing?’ Anita remarked, kissing Theo again on the cheek, the sweet impulsiveness of her action making Valentina’s heart constrict.
    ‘Maybe not such a coincidence, seeing as they both lived in Milan and are involved in the art world,’ Kirsti suggested. Valentina detected a certain irony in the gallery owner’s tone and wondered why.
    ‘So, you know all about Valentina, darling?’ Anita turned to Theo again.
    ‘I wouldn’t say that at all,’ Theo said, looking uncomfortable.
    There was an awkward silence, as if both Kirsti and Anita sensed his unspoken