Draw Me In (22 page)

Leo
wore a light blue button up shirt, its sleeves creased neatly up to his elbows,
and khaki pants. Aviator glasses were tucked into the collar of his shirt,
which was unbuttoned just enough to where it was irresistibly sexy and not at
all sleazy. Holy wow, did he look amazing.

Gio
and Ian were in the kitchen. I could smell the sweet hint of some sort of
culinary feat warming on the stove as Ian, donning a checkered apron, flipped
what looked like thick slices of bread with a spatula. Gio filled a cup with
coffee from the maker next to him, and held out a plate for Ian to drop two
pieces of toast onto.

“
Morning, Love.
”
Ian nodded, his attention still
focused on the range in front of him. Gio gave me a warm smile, but no words,
and I wondered if maybe he was the shy one in his family. Judging from their
mother
’
s
letter, it appeared that he was the younger of the two.
“
Making some late-night-toasting
inspired French toast for everyone.
”

With
Ian
’
s
greeting, Leo lifted his head from the paper, wearing a full smile on his face
as our eyes met.
“
Good
morning, Julie.
”

“
Morning,
”
I replied, walking into the room,
joining him in the chair at his side. I tucked my feet up underneath me and
curled into the comfort of the fabric.

“
How
’
d you sleep?
”
He folded the paper in half and set
it down on the table between us.
“
Headache?
”

“
Actually, I feel pretty good.
Remarkably.
”

“
Apparently so did my grandfather.
”

I
groaned. How I wished that had just been a dream.
“
A thousand apologies for feeling up
Renaldo. It won
’
t
happen again. Promise.
”

I
held out my pinky finger for Leo to take, but he curled all of his fingers into
mine instead of just the one. Resting our interlocked hand onto the table
between us, he said,
“
Not
a problem. He definitely gets the least action out of all the Carduccis, so he
was way overdue. Three centuries is quite a while to go without a good groping.
”

That
was the wrong time for Gio to join our conversation. Again, he didn
’
t speak, but the rounded shape of his
eyes told me exactly what he thought of our exchange, and probably what he
thought of me in general. He was lowering into that awkward, about to sit down,
stage with his knees slightly bent
—
a
person-turned-hovercraft
—
when
he popped back up and twisted away to rejoin Ian in the kitchen.

“
One by one, I think I
’
m slowly repelling your friends and
family.
”

Leo
glanced back toward Gio and shrugged, then smirked.
“
But I think you
’
re doing an equally as good of a job
attracting other ones.
”
His fingers briefly squeezed mine before pulling apart as he crossed his arms
over his body all too suddenly. Recoiling almost. His eyes peered just over the
top of my head and I could feel them connect with someone on the other side.
“
Sofia.
”

At
first I thought he was calling me by the wrong name, but then I realized it was
obviously a greeting directed toward the buxom blonde that stood over my shoulder.
When did she swoop in here? That little minx.

“
Good morning, Leo.
”
Her accent was thick, but the
sultriness coating each of her words was so much thicker. She bent at the waist
to gather her hair into a ponytail and stood back up quickly, certain body parts
jiggling a little as they fell back into place in a good jiggling sort of way.
Nothing on my own body jiggled seductively like that.
“
I finished two more kilometers after
you left.
”

I
actually stroked my chin with my thumb as I tried to decipher the meaning in
that. Had they been paving a highway somewhere together in the wee hours of the
morning? I turned around, half expecting to see her in a yellow construction
hat, but was face to boob with a bright yellow sports bra instead. And the
worst part? There was no detectable sweat on it, nor on her face or in her
hair. In fact, she smelled like roses. Literally, the girl smelled like a
frickin
’
flower. Scrunching up my nose in frustration that she could not only look, but
also smell, like that after running apparently at least 2.01 kilometers, I
looked over to Leo for some kind of clarification.

“
Nice work, Sof.
”

Sof?
Had she all of a sudden become a couch? At least my nickname, Jules, was
likened to diamonds. That was one place where I appeared to have the upper hand
and I would take it and flaunt it for all it was worth.

But
then I thought of what people often did on couches and I supposed that could be
construed to be better than jewelry. Couches could be a lot of fun. I
’
d had a lot of fun on couches in my
day. So they would probably beat out jewels every time. Unless we were talking
about the
family
jewels here, in
which case I
so
won that. If you
asked a guy if he
’
d
rather keep his couch or his balls, I was fairly certain the answer would be
obvious. Booyah!

“
Are you okay?
”
Sofia drew her head back a little
and looked at me like I might be a monkey or something equally as out of place
in the Carducci great room.

I
’
d just said booyah out loud.

“
Gesundheit,
”
Leo quickly recovered for me, even
going so far as to pull a handkerchief out of his lapel pocket and flutter it
my way.
“
Julie
’
s coming down with something.
”

“
I am.
”
I nodded and lifted the rag to cover
my face in its entirety. How long could I hide behind it without that seeming
strange? Three, four days?

“
Same time and place tomorrow?
”

I
didn
’
t
like that apparently Leo and Sof had a place and time. I wanted a place and
time with Leo. As I was whining to myself, I didn
’
t notice if he actually confirmed or
denied it, but Sofia
’
s
over-plumped lips flashing a toothy smile made me assume the former.

“
We went for a run this morning,
”
he offered as Sofia floated down the
hall. And she literally floated. That woman was like a panther with her nearly
imperceptible footsteps. She
’
d
snuck up on me like I was her latest prey.
“
It was kind of our thing.
”

They
not only had a time and a place, but also a thing? Oh mercy, I had a lot of
catching up to do.

“
So you
do
like to run.
”
That made me look like an idiot because I had not only told him of my aversion
to running, but I had actual clothing that professed this deep-seated hatred.

“
I don
’
t mind it.
”
Leo brought his coffee mug up to his
lips and took a long, slow sip.

“
Maybe I could go with you sometime.
You know, to try it out to see if I still completely despise it. But we might
have to scrounge up a hungry stray dog and tie a steak around my waist because
I
’
m pretty sure my legs will only move
that fast if I
’
m
literally being chased.
”

“
Julie.
”
He settled the cup on top of the
newspaper and swiveled toward me so our knees lined up and our faces were
close. I could smell coffee in his mug and lightly coating his breath.
“
I don
’
t want you to try to be something
else for me. I want to get to know you, not a version you think I might like. I
hope I
’
ve
made it pretty obvious that I like you already. Just keep doing what you
’
re doing.
”

“
But you and Sofia have a time and
place and a thing and a couch.
”
He squinted at me, which I discovered was what he did when trying to make sense
of my words. Poor guy. Hanging around me was going to prematurely age him with
the crow
’
s
feet he
’
d
gain from that constantly furrowed brow.
“
All
you and I have are your family jewels.
”

Leo
closed his eyes and shook his head, dismissing all of that verbal vomit
trickling from my mouth.
“
What?
”
His eyes opened but that brow bone
remained tight.
“
Never
mind. Listen. Sofia and I don
’
t
need to run together anymore. Just say the word.
”

I
clenched my teeth and tried to do it, but I couldn
’
t say it. I wasn
’
t so insecure as to make Leo change
his activities for me all because I, what? Because I didn
’
t like the thought of him and a
near-supermodel skipping through the Italian countryside, her body parts
jiggling in a good sort of jiggling manner, his light eyes flicking back toward
hers, their fingers brushing one another as they floated through rows of
sloping vineyards and hilly mountains bathed in golden, glittery morning light?

I
snapped that thought out of my mind and shouted,
“
Word!
”
Clearing my throat audibly, I added
in a quieter tone,
“
I
’
m sorry. I mean
‘
word.
’
I
’
m saying the word. That does sorta
bother me.
”

“
Understood.
”
He leaned back into his chair.
“
How about you and I go for a walk? I
know running isn
’
t
your thing, so maybe we
’
ll
take things slow.
”

I
didn
’
t
necessarily want to take things slow, but this was a good place to start. I
nodded in agreement.

“
Go get some breakfast and meet me in
the courtyard,
”
he instructed, his lips pulling into a coy grin.
“
I have something I want to show you.
”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Leo
had his back to me when I opened the French doors leading out to the patio.
Sunbaked red tiles lined the courtyard, a geometric configuration underfoot.
The sunglasses once hanging on Leo
’
s
shirt were now perched onto his nose, and his hands relaxed coolly into his
pockets, elbows slightly curved, arms hanging weightless at his sides.

“
Hey,
”
he said as he sensed me come up
behind him.
“
There
you are.
”

I
hooked my arms into the gaps of his and curled my hands up onto his shoulders
and pressed my cheek to his back. This felt completely foreign to me
—
displaying such
obvious signs of affection toward a man. But for as foreign as it was, it felt
equally natural, like my body knew how to articulate the feelings trapped
within it. Like I
’
d
somehow assimilated into this foreign culture instantly.

Had
I not just read Leo
’
s
mother
’
s
letter, I
’
m
not sure I would have been so bold, but my feelings for him were taking on a
new boldness, so it should only be expected that the rest of me would, too.
Something spilling over within my being.

“
I
’
m really glad you
’
re here, Julie.
”
His head angled into mine.

“
Me too.
”
I tugged him tighter, my chest
pressing into the curve of his muscled back.
“
Thank you for hiring me.
”

“
Of course. I can
’
t think of anyone better to create
what we
’
re
looking for. Plus, you now know Renaldo on a much deeper level than the rest of
us combined.
”

I
sighed through my mouth.
“
I
’
m never going to live that one down,
am I?
”

Spinning
on his heel to face me, Leo looked down into my eyes and laughed.
“
No, probably not.
”
Then he flicked the tip of my nose
with his index finger and said,
“
Follow
me.
”

I
felt like I was sixteen again as we walked hand in hand down the patio toward a
gravel pathway that stretched down the hillside. There was an innocence in our
handholding, and an innocence in quite a lot when it came to Leo. But maybe
what was masked as innocence was actually something else altogether. Maybe he
was just an honest-to-goodness gentleman, because it was clear Leo was not the
playboy businessman so many of the tabloids made him out to be with their
twisted captions and misconstrued images. They
’
d portrayed him in a completely
different light, only focusing on his massive sex appeal and the many zeros
attached to his family
’
s
name. Society had an ideal for men like Leo, and even if his real life persona
didn
’
t
fit the description, they would mold and manipulate whatever necessary in order
to make that match.

I
made a mental note to talk with Ian this afternoon about the direction and
scope of the images he had planned for Leo
’
s
magazine spread. While I was all for depicting him as the gorgeous man he was,
I could sense there was something much deeper to him than what coated the
surface and what he allowed society to see. If anyone could pull that out of
him through a lens, it was Ian.

“
You look very pretty today, Julie.
”

Really?
In my ratty jeans and sweater? It was almost unfair to use that word as a
description as we stood in the very center of something so magnificently
breathtaking. Endless rows of vines curled around us, their buds just now
beginning to form, green leaves stretching out of the twisted branches like
fingers reaching for the sky.

“
Thank you,
”
I replied, tucking my chin toward my
shoulder. I didn
’
t
get nervous around guys. This felt different. This was different.

“
So this road we
’
re on right now,
”
he continued, the crunch of the
gravel popping under the tread of his shoe.
“
This is actually an ancient Roman
road that lines the entire property. It dates back to the first centuries.
”

The
term
‘
all
roads lead to Rome
’
had never been more fitting.
“
That
’
s really incredible.
”

“
It is.
”
He planted his feet underneath him
and I stopped alongside abruptly, my upper body still propelling forward. I
very nearly tripped, but Leo
’
s
tight grip on my fingers pull me to a steadied position.
“
This is my favorite part of the
vineyard.
”
With a sweeping gaze that squinted against the sun cresting over the hilltop
ahead, Leo nodded.
“
There
’
s so much history here. Such a
well-traveled path.
”

We
paced a few more steps. I listened to the popping and crackling underfoot and
imagined a couple just like us walking this same path two thousand years ago.
It was hard to bind up that much history in just one thought. So many years and
lives all tied together over the centuries like links of a chain. So different,
but in many ways, so much the same. We were all people. We all felt similar emotions.
Under the veneer, we were all the same.

I
wondered how many others shared a walk similar to ours right where we stood. I
wonder how many others might have been in the beginning phase of falling in
love on this very path.

“
I learned to ride my bike on this
road.
”

There
it was. The start of that outer shell sloughing off. Leo
’
s mom said not to let anyone crack
him, and I wasn
’
t
about to do that. But I did want to get to what was inside of him. I wanted to
be the one to chip away at that smooth, polished exterior and find out what Leo
was truly made of.
“
As
you can imagine, I totally ate it.
”

The
worn cobblestones held cracks and divots so rigid that I found the toe of my
shoes getting stuck with each step. I could only imagine how a bicycle wheel
could wedge so deeply into the grooves.

“
I broke my leg right in this very
spot when I was six.
”
He thrust a finger toward the ground and sort of stomped his foot for impact.
“
Mom pampered me for a full month as
it healed, totally spoiling me with as much gelato as I could stomach and about
fifty new video games.
”

I
couldn
’
t
help the inadvertent tears that slipped into my eyes. I manufactured another
“
booyah
”
fake sneeze to make it seem like my
allergies were acting up in order to hide the fact that merely thinking about
Leo and his mom brought me to tears. Why was this ghost of a woman making me
such a mess?

“
You took care of her, too, didn
’
t you, Leo?
”

He
wasn
’
t
expecting that. I was certain of it. I figured he hadn
’
t expected much of what came out of
my mouth, but this one statement utterly leveled him. It was almost as though I
’
d literally thrown my words at him
and he had to catch every one within his grasp. And after doing so, the weight
of them pulled down on him with a tangible, heavy force.

“
My mom?
”

I
’
d said too much because there was no
way I could have known that unless I
’
d
done some blatant snooping. Which was exactly what I
’
d done. And though I should have felt
remorse over it, I was honestly counting the seconds until I could slide open
that nightstand drawer once more and read it all over again. Relive her
thoughts.

“
Yeah,
”
I pressed.
“
She was sick, wasn
’
t she?
”

His
Adam
’
s
apple stuck out more prominently in his throat than usual and I could see it
pull up and down slowly with the intentional, guarded swallow.
“
She was. And I did.
”
Those words were choppy.

It
felt like he didn
’
t
want me to know more because he didn
’
t
add to it and I didn
’
t
push him on it.

“
Over here.
”
He waved me forward.
“
This is what I wanted to show you.
”

We
wove through a row of vines that flanked us on either side like ropes guiding
us down the line. Once at the bottom, the grapes thinned out and the pathway
opened into a circular arena, small in size, but obviously an intentional part
of the design of the landscape. There was a low wooden table immediately in
front of us; planks of thick, splintered wood that resembled railway ties. And
about twenty yards away, there were three separate bull
’
s-eye targets embedded in the
hillside, all varying heights along the mountain.

“
Are you like Robin Hood or something?
”
The comparison hardly seemed fair
since he was one of the actual rich he should be stealing from in order to give
to the poor.
“
I
had no idea you were into archery.
”

I
had no idea about a lot when it came to Leo. But I hadn
’
t taken him for a huntsman.

“
I
’
m not.
”

Reaching
under the table, he pulled out a metal container that looked a little like a
toolbox. He fiddled with the lock for a few moments before popping open the
lid, revealing a collection of slingshots that would have impressed David.

“
So that month when I broke my leg...
”
Leo slid his hand into the box and
withdrew two separate slingshots
—
one
with an intricate, carved wooden base and the other with a solid, iron one.
“
...My dad got me a slingshot.
”
He placed one in my hand
—
the smaller one
made from wood
—
and
then wrapped his fingers around the other, one at a time like curling a hand
around a gun.
“
You
might not have noticed it yet because let
’
s
face it, last night was probably a bit fuzzy. But if you look out the window to
the room you
’
re
staying in, you
’
ll
see straight over the courtyard and into another bedroom window on the opposite
side.
”

He
was right. I hadn
’
t
noticed that. There was so much going on inside the room with its Renaissance
decor and distracting creepy-turned-adorable Renaldo bust that I didn
’
t initially see beyond those four
walls.

“
Anyway. That was my parents
’
room at the time.
”
He pulled back on the leather strip
until the band was taught under the pressure. With a pop of his wrist, he
released his grip, one eye closed as he tracked an imaginary object sailing
through the air.
“
They
gave me a bunch of rubber bouncy balls and I was supposed to hit their window
with one during the night if I needed something and couldn
’
t get up to get it.
”

  
As Leo bent at the waist to
retrieve a pebble from the ground, I practiced pulling on the band to bring the
slingshot back to its full potential. Closing one eye was apparently instinct,
much like closing both eyes when kissing someone was also instinct. I wondered
if it was your body
’
s
way to protect against whatever you might see once that rock careened into its
target. But even with one eye closed, you could always see the whole picture,
just not the depth in it.