Propositioning the Rich Italian (10 page)

She drew in a sharp breath at his visual but managed to make her way to the bathroom on shaky legs. When she turned on the shower, she realized she was in trouble. She’d only been in Antonio’s presence for two days and he already had her thinking irrationally. Closing her eyes briefly, she prayed for the ability to remain sane for the next ten days.

Opening her eyes, she knew it would be difficult but felt she could manage the task. Stripping quickly, she stepped into the shower. The warm shower helped her to clear her mind. She needed to be lucid when she met his family tonight. She wanted to make a good impression on them. The thought gave her pause. Why did she care if she made a good impression on his family? She wasn’t going to see him after their two-week affair ended.

Walking by the mirror, she glanced at her reflection before sticking her tongue out. She cared because her mother raised her to. Even at the age of thirty-two, she knew her mother would still chastise her if needed.

Wrapping a fluffy towel around her body, she took a deep breath and prepared herself to walk back into the lion’s den. Her predator sat out on the balcony again, his feet propped up and the newspaper open. She could tell his attire was similar to what he’d worn the other day, only this knit shirt, a red print of some sort. His jeans, a little darker than the stonewashed ones he donned yesterday, but just as worn. Either the man was hard on laundry or his body was hard on pants. The latter she didn’t doubt because he did have a hard body. She almost choked on the thought.

Turning away quickly, she reached for the outfit she’d picked out, before rushing back into the bathroom and away from temptation. She dressed quickly, slipping into the floral green cap sleeve dress. Several minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom. Antonio hadn’t moved. She smiled, shaking her head as she reached for her bottle of lotion. A few moments later, she was completely dressed and ready to go. She headed for the balcony, Antonio looking up as soon as he heard her. He smiled before closing the newspaper, then stood up.

“You look very beautiful,
cara
.”

She smiled back. “
Grazie
.”

“Are you ready to go?”

She nodded. “As ready as I’m going to get.”

He smiled, tugging her into his arms. His hands cupped both of her cheeks before he leaned forward to place a brief kiss on her lips, a strong underlying passion there, but it was more than that. He drew back before she could figure out the rest.

“Let’s go.”

Before taking his hand, she handed him the hotel key. They made their way to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. She stilled herself for the stares, wishing the elevator could go straight up to the room but understanding why it couldn’t. The hotel catered to very famous people, and the need for security was non-negotiable. If someone managed to get by security and into the parking lot they would still have to come through the lobby. No way could anyone get through the lobby if they weren’t supposed to be there. The elevator doors opened. As usual, they received stares. Sighing, she looked over at him.

“Antonio?”

He looked down at her with an expression reserved only for her. “
Sí, cara
?”

“Have you noticed every time we come through the lobby together, people are always staring at us?”

He looked up in surprise before giving a quick glance around. “I can’t say I have noticed,
cara
.”

She smiled. “I guess you are used to it?”

He shook his head. “No,
cara
. When I am with you, you are where my thoughts are.”

She tripped literally and figuratively. He looked at her as if he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary, and she gaped at him. Before she could say anything, he stepped closer to her.

“Well,
cara,
since they are already staring, we might as well give them something to look at.”

Before she could ask him what he meant, his lips came down on hers and she was instantly caught up in another one of his steamy kisses. When he pulled back, she struggled to breathe normally.

“Do you think that was enough for them?”

She nodded slowly, still a little dizzy. His kisses made her forget her name. He took her hand again and led her out of the front of the hotel.

She gave him a puzzled look. “Is your parents’ home within walking distance?”

He shook his head. “No, but I let Macéo borrow my car. However, I have assured that we have reliable transportation.”

A black sedan waited out front for them. The driver stood there with the door open. Antonio slid in behind her. She listened to him give the driver the address before he leaned back and wrapped his arm around her. The trip to his parents’ house went by in a blur. A short time later, they pulled up in front of a beautiful home.

The front door swung open as they reached the last step. A woman looking to be the same age as her parents appeared.

“Get ready,” he whispered to her under his breath before stepping forward to greet his mother.

“
Ciao,
Mama. I have someone I would like for you to meet. This is Tierra.”

Tierra faced a long moment of scrutiny before a smile appeared on Antonio’s mother’s face. The next thing she knew, she was being embraced warmly. When his mother pulled back, Antonio gave Tierra a wry look.

“Tierra, this crazy woman is my mother, Mona.”

Tierra smiled. She hadn’t been in Mrs. Carabelli’s presence long, but she already like her.

“
Ciao. È piacevole incontrarlo
.”
Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Mona looked at her in surprise. “
Parlate italiano
?”

Tierra shrugged. “
Pochissimo
.”

Mona patted her hand reassuringly. “That’s okay. We can work on it.”

With that said, she led Tierra into the house with Antonio following behind them. The noise level inside made her slightly nervous, yet as they stepped inside, Mona raised her voice loud enough to be heard over everyone.

“Quiet, everyone. Antonio and Tierra have arrived. Act like you have manners.”

The noise level died so suddenly it was deafening. Even worse, an additional six pairs of eyes were now on her. Suddenly, a handsome man who had to be one of Antonio’s brothers broke away from the group. The smile on his face wasn’t as potent as the one Antonio was capable of delivering. He reached for her hand.

“
Ciao
, Tierra. My only regret is that I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting you first.”

She lifted one eyebrow in response to his slick charm.

“And which Carabelli are you?”

“Leonardo, but please call me Leo.”

“Tell me, Leo, does that line actually work?”

A few snickers sounded from around the room, and Leonardo gave her a wounded look. Before he could respond, he was pushed aside by a woman who could only be Amalía, a clear look of disgust on her face.

“Unfortunately, it does, which is why he uses it.”

Holding out her hand, Amalía smiled. “I’m Amalía, the only sane Carabelli around here.”

Amalía gave a brief look over Tierra’s shoulder. “Besides Antonio, of course.”

Tierra smiled at the statement. “That’s good to know.”

Amalía gave her a puzzled look. “What is?”

“The fact that I’m involved with the sane Carabelli male, of course.”

Amalía laughed before leaning forward to kiss Tierra on both cheeks. “I like her, brother. You made a good choice.”

Before Tierra could respond, Amalía moved toward Antonio. Slowly, the rest of the Carabelli family introduced themselves to her. With the exception of one who stood in the corner in a brooding manner, one that reminded her so much of Hayden’s, she did a double take. She realized the remaining Carabelli male had to be Carlo. She walked toward him slowly. Carlo’s frown seemed to deepen. She stopped directly in front of him with a smile.

“I have met everyone else, so that means you must be Carlo.”

There wasn’t any response from him, so she tilted her head to the side. “Who is she?”

She had the satisfaction of seeing his glower replaced by a look of shock but only for a moment. A muscle ticked in his jaw, a dead giveaway that her statement hit close to the real issue. Her smile widened. She recognized look. She’d seen it plenty of times with Hayden. It also meant he wouldn’t talk about it until he was ready to.

“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

With that said, she turned to walk away but paused. She spun back to face him.

“Whoever she is, I hope the two of you work it out.”

He didn’t respond, so she went to walk away again only to pause when she heard him speak.

“So do I.”

She shifted to look back at him. His stance told her he hadn’t moved, yet she knew he made the statement. Shaking her head, she made her way toward Antonio, who sat next to his father, Bruno. They seemed to be deeply involved in their conversation, but she joined them, excusing herself as she did. Antonio smiled at her before pulling her into his lap.

A few moments later, Mona announced dinner was ready, and everyone began moving toward the dining room. As soon as she entered, an overwhelmingly wonderful aroma assailed her nose. What really caught her attention was the amount of food lining the table. She looked over at Antonio.

“Are we having a celebration?”

He winked at her. “Anytime we have dinner, it’s a celebration. I hope you’re hungry.”

She was, and the plethora of food on the table made her salivate even more. She was stuffed when she finally pushed her plate away. The Carabelli’s made her feel like she was at home in Boulder City. The Carabelli’s talked non-stop. Sometimes the conversations grew to a fevered pitch because so many people were speaking at the same time. Other times the conversation settled to a normal volume because everyone was involved in it. She laughed as Antonio leaned back and patted his stomach. How he had room for anything else, she didn’t know. Personally, she might not be able to move.

“Did you make anything for dessert, Mom?”

Mona nodded at Antonio before pushing away from the table. “As a matter of fact, son, I did, and it is your favorite.”

He began to laugh as his mother left the room. Tierra looked over at him with puzzlement.
  

“What are you laughing at?”

He looked at her, his expression full of humor. “You will see.”

Mona returned a short time later, and Tierra figured out why Antonio had been so amused.

“
Panna cotta
,” she whispered.

As she did, her mind went back to the scorching events of last night. Her gaze met his, and she saw budding desire there. He leaned toward her, touching his lips to hers in what she thought would be a brief kiss. However, that wasn’t the case. When Antonio finally pulled back, she struggled to take her next breath. Heat singed her cheeks when she realized they had become the center of attention. Smiles tugged at the mouths of everyone around the table. Amalía was the first to speak up, a teasing grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Well, it is good to see my brother has found a woman who likes the same kind of dessert that he does and doesn’t mind his insatiable appetite.”

Tierra ducked her head in embarrassment. When she was finally able to meet Antonio’s eyes again, tempted to tell Amalía that she was wrong. She and Antonio might like the same dessert, but Tierra wasn’t certain she could keep with Antonio at all.

Chapter 9

Antonio looked over at the beautiful woman curled into his side, fast asleep. They were on their way back to the hotel. He was glad he let Macéo borrow his car today, otherwise he would be missing out on this. She must have been worn out from dinner with his family, but she told him she enjoyed herself. He liked how well she got along with his family as well as the way she held her own with them. His family could be a handful at times, and he wanted her to know what she was getting herself into by choosing to get involved with him.

His family also thought highly of her, and as he expected, Tierra and Amalía
got
along very well. There were times throughout dinner when the conversation switched over to rapid Italian. He translated for Tierra whenever she asked him to and a few times when she hadn’t just to make sure she followed along. But overall she kept up, impressing him.

What impressed him more than how she managed to get Carlo to speak more than his normal monosyllable word or two. Looking down into her beautiful sleeping face again, he knew he’d been right about her. The more time he spent with her, the more he felt two weeks wouldn’t be enough. When he looked up, he saw they were near the hotel. As much as he hated to, he had to wake her. She stirred slowly before opening her eyes. A soft smile appeared on her face.

“Did I fall asleep?”

He nodded and her expression turned sheepish.

“Sorry. I think between the jet lag and lack of sleep, I’m more tired than I thought.”