Secret Pleasure (5 page)

Airlea had enjoyed learning more English from Katie and had even helped her out with her Greek and Italian.

She was almost to the top of the hill when she heard a noise behind her. Looking back down the path, she saw an old border collie jogging up the path towards her. She looked around to see if anyone else was around. Seeing no one, she called to the dog with a friendly voice.

“Hello, are you a nice dog?” Upon hearing her voice, the dog’s tail started wagging quickly. Smiling, she knew she’d received her answer.

When the dog arrived by her side, she bent and let it sniff her hand. When it sat and held up its paw, she laughed and shook it.

“Well, hello.” She looked at the dog’s collar and saw that her name was Lucy., “u chuckled at the human name. The black and white dog just looked at her with what could only be described as a smile on her doggie lips. “Well, I was going to walk up to that shed and back down. Are you up for the walk?”

The dog barked at her and got up, its tail wagging, so Airlea continued up the pathway with Lucy following her.

She could get used to living in the country. She’d grown up just outside of Venice in the small town of Adria, and after finishing school, she’d rushed to the city for medical training in Rome. She’d enjoyed living in downtown Rome in the small dorms on campus. She’d made friends and had quickly decided that she wanted to pursue physical therapy instead of being an ER nurse like her mother.

When she made it to the small building, she took a deep breath and looked around. From here she could see down another valley, at the bottom of which was a large lake surrounded by small trees. She made a mental note to make that trek in the near future. She sat down on a large rock and Lucy sat next to her, putting her head in Airlea’s lap. She pet the dog and though about her future.

Maybe losing her job had been a blessing in disguise. She’d been thinking in the last few months about getting back to Italy again. Maybe she’d find a little town and open her own therapy clinic somewhere.

She had quite a bit in savings. It wasn’t enough to do anything elaborate, but if her mother would help out, she might have enough to start off. She could always see about getting a loan at the bank, but she didn’t really like being in debt. She’d paid off her student loans in the first year of working at the hospital. She’d sacrificed a lot that year to pay everything off. Meals, friendships, and even dating, had all been put on the back burner.

Thinking about dating only brought her mind back to Angelo. She had no intention of dating anyone in the near future. After being burned by him, she didn’t think she would be able to easily trust again. After all, he had been able to hide who he really was from everyone he’d worked with for years at the hospital. Everyone there had assured her that he was the nicest man, so she’d taken a chance and gone out with him after he’d asked her a dozen or so times. Everything had worked out great that first six months. He’d really seemed like the nice guy everyone had talked about. It wasn’t until after he’d moved in that he’d started to show his true colors.

Controlling didn’t describe it well enough. He’d ruined her. That sounded harsh, but in fact, she no longer felt like she ever wanted to get married. She couldn’t believe that at one point, she’d thought he was the right man to marry, and he’d turned out to be the worst mistake of her life.

She didn’t need or want a man in her life right now, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself. She’d always been open with herself about her desires, taking her pleasures where she found them, and Dante Cardone was very easy on the eyes. Even though he’d been rude to her, she knew it was probably only his pain talking. No one could be that rude all the time, at least she hoped not. Breaking him into the routine she’d need him on was going to be a challenge. She hated being one of those strict physical therapists, but she needed him on his feet more often than he was. With an injury like his, blood circulation was vital at this stage. She needed to assess if he had any nerve damage in his shoulder and leg.

Just then Lucy stood up and started walking back down the path. Taking the hint that it was time to go, she got up, dusted off her scrubs and started down the narrow pathway.

Dante watched Airlea walk down the path with Lucy. He could just see the pathway if he leaned to the other side of his bed. When he’d seen her go by his doors half an hour earlier, he’d set his laptop down and watched her walk up the hill. Why he did this was still a mystery to him. He knew he had felt an instant pull of attraction towards her. After all, he wasn’t blind. Why was a woman like her doing a job like this?

If he knew his mother, he didn’t doubt she’d hired her just to help her friend out, like she’d said. His mother was a meddler. Even though he hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with her growing up, he’d learned that lesson early on. It had almost crushed him when he’d found out about his mother’s other life. He’d known for a few years that she had another son in the States. She’d always maintained that he was from an earlier relationship in her college years. But almost four years ago, he’d discovered the truth about his half-brother Ric Derby.

Finding out about Katie Derby, his full blood sister, had been the real shocker. He looked over at the dresser and saw the picture his mother had framed and set there. It was impossible not to see the blood connection between the two faces. His face was still pale from surgery and his eyes were clouded with drugs. The picture of them at the hospital a few weeks ago was a good reminder for him of what she looked like, since the drugs had dulled his memory.

His sister was beautiful and well worth the pain he was now going through. He would easily do what he had done again if her life was in jeopardy again. He’d always wanted a sister or brother. He’d been one of those kids that had constantly asked his mom for one when she’d been around. Now he knew why she’d always looked at him the way she had; she’d felt guilty for keeping his sister from him.

Since his return to Rome, he’d tried to stay clear of his mother, but after his surgery, it became harder and harder. His father had insisted that he recover here, at his childhood home just outside of Rome, and of course his mother had been living there full time since they had married almost a year ago.

Instantly she’d felt it necessary to try and coddle him, so he’d made a point to not allow it by throwing things while she was around. He found it quite therapeutic hearing the crashes and watching her clean up the mess. After all, she hadn’t been there most of his life.

Looking up at his door, he watched his aunt walk in with a tray of food.

“
She works you too hard,” his aunt said, setting down the tray on his night stand. “I don’t like it, or her. I can take care of you. After all, I’ve been doing it all your life while she was out—”

“Don’t,” he looked up at her, “you know better than to bring up the subject of my mother.”

He’d seen the concern in his aunt’s eyes earlier, when he’d been walking on the patio. To be honest, it had been refreshing to be outside and upright. He’d had enough of beds and the indoors for a while. What he really wished for was to take a long walk like Airlea had. Looking down at his leg, he started getting frustrated.

He’d always been in great shape, and ever since childhood he’d been very active. Futbol was his sport, and he loved the large open field, the ball to kick around, his friends, the challenges. He’d actually been really good during his college days in the US, and he’d tried out for a professional team, only to be shot down. He’d been upset for a few weeks, but then after he’d learned about his brother, he had rushed to Portland to take over his father’s business, New Edges. He’d been too curious not to get closer to the man, to see him and learn all he could about Ric. He supposed it was for the best. He was a business man, not a futbol star.

He still kept in shape by running and playing the occasional game with friends, but looking at his leg now, he doubted futbol was in his future. Damn, he hated being weak. It made him into someone he didn’t like being.

His aunt was giving him a look he knew all too well. It was the look she gave him when she was trying to make him feel guilty about something.

“Listen,” he said as his aunt sat down beside him on the bed, “I know you can take care of me, probably better than most, but the nurse is here to appease my parents. If mom says the woman stays, then I suppose we will just have to put up with her for now. I don’t like it any better than you do.”

Just as those last words slipped from his lips, Airlea walked through the door, her head held high and determination in her eyes.

“Well, now that it’s all settled that no one wants me around, it’s time for your lunch, medication, and rest. Miss Cardone, if you’d be so kind as to shut the door on your way out, thank you.”

Airlea didn’t even stop to allow his aunt to say anything in reply. Instead, she walked over and took his laptop from his lap and set it on the dresser. She took the tray from his nightstand and placed it across his lap. Then she stood and watched his aunt leave the room with a huff. He watched with humor as his aunt gave her a more viscous stare than he’d ever seen from her before, as she closed the door with a slight click.

“You shouldn’t talk to my aunt in that tone. She’s done so much for me. She’s practically my mother.”

“I understand you are having a hard time with me being here. If we could just all agree that no one wants me here and move on, maybe we can have you walking on your own in record time. Until then, I am in charge of what takes place with your schedule, is that understood? Now, eat while I go get your medication.” She walked into the restroom.

He couldn’t stop it; the glass was in his hand, and before he knew what he was doing, it was flying across the room and shattering against the bathroom door she’d just walked through.

She leaned out the door and looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

“I’m in charge of my own damned self. I don’t know who you think you are, but I didn’t ask for you to be here. I didn’t ask for your help and if I want my aunt to take care of me, than I better not hear another word about it.” He was losing steam. The morning walk had taken a lot out of him, but he was damned if he’d show the bossy nurse that he was tired.

“Feel better?” Upon her half smile, he started to pick up his plate.

“If you throw that, you won’t have any lunch. I will personally see to it that you don’t get anything else to eat until dinner.” She turned and walked back into the bathroom without another word.

He thought about it, then set the plate back down on the tray. Damn. He was just too hungry to chance it. What was happening to him? He couldn’t seem to control his moods anymore. Maybe it was the medication they had him on that made him feel like a hormonal teenage girl. He’d never had any ups and downs before. He’d been a steady, in-control kind of guy his entire life. Even when his mother had betrayed his father and lied to him his whole life, he’d taken it with dignity.

Now he couldn’t even control his temper around one of the sexiest women he’s ever seen. Maybe it was her and not him? Yeah, that was it. Hell, he knew he was trying to fool himself into believing it was someone else’s fault. The truth was the pain and being cooped up had done something to him. Maybe he needed to see a shrink?

Just then she walked back in the room from the bathroom. She stopped and looked down at him. He hadn’t eaten anything yet; he was just staring at his plate like it was full of foreign objects.

“It’s not you, you know.” She walked over and handed him two large pills.