Sexy Scoundrel: A Cocky Hero Club Novel

by Greywood, Raisa

  “That’s not what I said. He’s very smart. He managed to walk here without getting hit by a car. He can read. He can do things, Giorgio. What is he doing with his time?”

  “Nothing!” He leaped to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over. “He stays in the house and watches television when he isn’t stuffing his face with junk food. That’s what he does all day.”

  “If you wake him up, I will cut you,” I warned. “Sit your cute ass down and be quiet.”

  He stared at me, his generous mouth turning up into a smile. “You think my ass is cute?”

  “Coño. That’s what you heard?”

  “When a beautiful woman tells me she likes my ass, I listen.”

  I both hated and loved the sexy glint in his brown eyes. He had to have been kidding, but being called beautiful by such a gorgeous man stroked my ego like crazy. I reminded myself he was probably no better than Mark had been about saying things he didn’t mean to get what he wanted.

  Rolling my eyes, I said, “Sit down and eat. We need to figure out a way to get Antonio engaged and active enough that he doesn’t go walkabout again.”

  “We? Why do you care?”

  “Because he’s coming to my property and that makes me responsible for him,” I retorted. “I’d offer to keep him for a few hours during the day, but I need to find another job, and frankly, so does he.”

  Giorgio drained his wine and poured more. At this rate, I’d have both of them passed out in my house. I wondered if I ought to start a pot of coffee.

  “Would you be his caregiver?” he asked, popping another olive in his mouth.

  I stared at him for a moment and took a sip of wine. “No, but I can help you find someone who might be more suitable.”

  “Why not? You get along with him and somehow you seem to know what he needs.”

  “Several reasons,” I replied. “First off, I have a hard time believing you’d ask a perfect stranger to take care of your brother. Second, I’m not a licensed caregiver.”

  “That leads me to question how you knew how to talk to him and why you even brought up equine therapy. You must have some experience.”

  “My sister Katie had DS. She passed away from a heart defect about five years ago and Max was her horse. She would have been twenty this year.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he replied, his expression pained. “You tried to tell me about her and I cut you off.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get in touch with some of Katie’s old teachers and see if one of them knows of anyone who might fit your needs a little better.”

  “Do you have to be certified if you’re contracted as a private caregiver?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” I poured more olive oil into the dipping bowl and gave it a stir to mix the herbs in. “There’s another reason I don’t think I can do it, aside from the two I mentioned.”

  “Oh?” He ate another piece of ham and grabbed a slice of bread.

  “Yes. We don’t like each other. I’m perfectly fine leaving it at that, but I don’t think that’s a situation we need to expose to your brother. He’s a sweet young man, and doesn’t deserve to watch us fight.”

  “You say that after he threw a glass across your kitchen.”

  “It’s not the first time it’s happened. Katie had her share of meltdowns too.”

  “Will a thousand a week change your mind?”

  I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms across my chest. “Throwing money at me isn’t going to make me like you any better.”

  Giving me a dark scowl, he said, “Well, how about if I promise to stay away? I’ll have my driver bring Antonio here and pick him up, and set up an automatic payment so you never have to see me.”

  “I—”

  He emptied his glass and refilled it, then rubbed at his forehead, looking years older than he should. “Please,” he said softly. “I can’t do another phone call telling me he’s gone missing.”

  “Giorgio…” The thought wasn’t unattractive. It seemed like a lot of money, but considering I’d be taking sole responsibility for a human being, maybe it wasn’t so outrageous. “I don’t know about this.”

  Reaching across the table, he touched my hand. “You took care of your sister, didn’t you?”

  That single glancing touch made my blood pressure spike and my heart race. Why did this man affect me so much? Every time I got close to him and inhaled the spicy scent of his aftershave, I wanted him even more. I’d never felt anything like it for another man and I couldn’t understand why my body was telling me to go after this one. I didn’t even like Giorgio!

  “Well, yes, but my mother did most of it.”

  “What would it hurt to try?” he asked, tracing a finger along my wrist.

  I wanted to pull away, but I was too mesmerized by his heated touch to move. “I just… I don’t know.”

  “Would you be willing to give it a week to see if things will work out? I can get my legal team to work on writing up a contract if that would make you feel better. I’m sure Aubrey will act as your attorney for the arrangement, and if she can’t, you can choose someone else at my expense.”

  “You have this all planned out.”

  His cheeks reddening, he smiled. “No, I’m making it up as I go, but that doesn’t make it a bad idea. You get a well-paying job you’ve already proven you’re good at, Antonio gets what you’re telling me he needs, and I never have to answer another phone call telling me he’s gone missing. Besides, if I time it right, I can pick him up around dinner time.”

  “Why is that important?”

  “I’d get to eat your cooking.” He picked up a grape tomato and popped it into my mouth. “It’s hardly fair how much you’re letting me take advantage of you, really.”

  I nearly choked on the tomato before I managed to swallow it down. Giorgio was evil through and through, but the determination to go after what he wanted was what made him so successful. “You promised you’d stay away if I did this.”

  “Well, maybe a takeout box with leftovers then. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”

  “A little birdie told me you bought the property next to mine,” I said. “What are your plans for it?”

  He flushed and looked away. “I intended to put a golf resort on it, but it’s not as good as yours. I might resell it. Why?”

  “Well, I had a visitor this morning after you left,” I said, resting my elbows on the table. “It was a tabloid photog. He followed you here and thought I was your girlfriend because of your purchase.”

  Giving me an insouciant shrug, he didn’t say anything at first and ate another piece of ham from the dwindling pile. “They usually leave Antonio alone. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

  “Actually, I am worried about it. You might be okay with having your life story show up in grocery store checkout lines, but I don’t want that. I’m also not okay with them doing that to Antonio.”

  “What do you expect me to do about it?” he asked, scowling. “It’s not like I control their movements.”

  “Uh huh. What happens when one of them gets into my bison pasture? They’re usually pretty calm, but strangers traipsing through their space will set them off. Who are those idiots going to sue when they get hurt?”

  He nodded grudgingly. “I see your point. I’ll pay to have a gate installed to block their access. Would that make you more comfortable?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt. I’ve never needed one before, but I’m afraid it’s going to be necessary if I keep Antonio.” I sipped the last of the wine from my glass and smirked. “Although Leonard did a very nice job scaring off the one who visited today.”

  “I’ll make sure the pictures don’t go out,” he promised. Grimacing, he looked down at his hands. “I don’t want to make your life more difficult, Carlina. I just want what’s best for my brother, and I think that’s going to be you.”

  Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the memory card I’d retrieved. “Here’s the photos,” I said, handi
ng it to him. “I made the photog drop it before I called Leonard off. I doubt he’ll be back.”

  Full lips bowing into an evil grin, he said, “Video or it didn’t happen. That sounds hilarious.”

  That naughty smile made me want to kiss him. Dammit. “Well, there might be a frame or two of Leonard menacing him.”

  “Too bad.” He pocketed the memory card and rubbed his eyes, then swallowed the last of his wine. “I don’t know what else to do, aside from hiring private security.”

  “Sell the property next door.”

  “Do you want it?”

  “If I could afford it, I’d have already bought it. I could use the extra space.” I smiled wistfully and pointed over his head toward an aerial photo of the original homestead. “It was once part of this farm, but my grandfather sold it for taxes back in the early seventies. Anyway, we can talk about private security if it becomes an issue, but it would probably be best if you sold it.”

  “No, I have a better idea. Got a pen and some paper?”

  “Sure.” I got up and went to the desk in my office, then returned with the items he’d requested. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I’m going to transfer ownership to a holding company, then lease it to you. How does a dollar an acre sound?”

  Giorgio

  “It sounds like I need to cut you off,” Carlina replied, swiping the bottle of wine away before I could refill my glass. She was probably right. I was already feeling the effects. Aside from not eating since breakfast, I was exhausted and wired from the scare of losing Antonio.

  “Too late for that,” I said, outlining the details of the lease agreement on the sheet of paper. “I’m going to hide the ownership of the property in that holding company so I won’t be connected. You’ll get the extra space, and a measure of safety from the press.”

  “That part is a good idea. The dollar an acre is what I’m protesting. You could get a lot more for it.”

  “Pour the wine and take the offer, woman. After that, I’ll allow you to cook me a decent meal.”

  “Do you want me to smother you in your sleep?” she asked, her pretty mouth quirking into a grin that revealed the sexy gap between her front teeth.

  God, she was gorgeous. Natural hair spilled in spiraling curls over her shoulders, and she had a dusting of mahogany freckles scattered over high cheekbones. A baggy sweatshirt concealed her banging body, but I already knew what was under it and the memory made me swallow a mouthful of drool.

  “You can do it after I eat.” I gave her my best pleading smile that had always worked on my grandmother. “You muddled my senses with your beauty, then plied me with wine. It’s only fair that you feed me, too.”

  “You have enough money to fly to Paris for breakfast and you’re sitting in my kitchen begging for food,” she muttered, pulling a glass casserole from the refrigerator. “How does chili sound?”

  “Perfect.” I was hungry enough to eat anything she suggested. The antipasto had taken the edge off, but my stomach still complained.

  She put the casserole in the microwave to heat, then turned to face me, her hands shoved into the pockets of her snug jeans. “I have a nest egg stashed away for a rainy day. Charge me fair market value on the lease, and we’ll call it even.”

  I bit back the immediate denial. Carlina was a proud woman, and too stubborn by half. She’d see anything less as charity, but I didn’t want the payment to become a hardship for her. It was a crying shame I couldn’t blister her bottom until she did as she was told.

  “I’ll work up a fair amount. If you decide the arrangement doesn’t fit your needs, you can cancel the contract at any time.”

  She stared at me for several seconds, her head cocked to the side. “That sounds reasonable, I guess.”

  Nodding, I wrote down the change and slid the sheet of paper toward her. “Have Aubrey look it over before you make a final decision. We’ll have a contract drawn up next week.”

  “All right.” She poured wine into our glasses and lifted hers, her brow wrinkling into a frown. “Here’s to… Something that might come back to bite me in the ass.”

  “But it’s such a beautiful ass,” I replied, hoping she’d take the compliment as a joke.

  “Asshole.”

  The insult didn’t have any heat behind it and I bit back a chuckle when she turned away to remove the casserole dish from the microwave. She spooned a generous helping into a bowl and sprinkled cheese on top, then set it in front of me, along with a spoon and a bottle of hot sauce.

  Steam rose from the bowl, and I stirred it to mix in the cheese. I took a bite and closed my eyes. She hadn’t used ground meat and the chunks of beef were tender and savory. Although it was spicy, it wasn’t so hot that it was unpleasant to eat, and was probably the best chili I’d ever eaten.

  Scraping the sides of the bowl, I asked, “Is this what you fed Antonio?”

  “No, he picked at the antipasto for awhile, then asked to go to bed. I didn’t want to give him anything spicy, considering how far he walked today.”

  “Probably a wise decision. He doesn’t usually like stuff like this.”

  “Katie never liked it either. Do you want more? There’s plenty.”

  “Please. It’s delicious.” I handed the bowl over, wondering if I could get her to open up about her sister. “What did she like to eat?”

  “She didn’t like food mixed together, but we had to keep her diet pretty simple because of her heart condition. It was mostly brown rice and raw vegetables, with fish or chicken if we could sneak it in.”

  “Was she vegetarian?”

  “Not really, she just didn’t like the texture of meat. She’d eat fruit, but no cooked vegetables.”

  “I wonder if Antonio is the same,” I replied. “I’m afraid it’s my fault he eats nothing but junk. I took custody of him when I was barely making ends meet myself and we lived on ramen and discount macaroni and cheese.”

  She wrinkled her nose in distaste and took a sip of wine. “Gross.”

  “Yeah. He still wants that sometimes. My housekeeper indulges him and she’s not a very good cook.”

  She looked down and fiddled with the edge of her napkin. I didn’t have long to wait for the questions I knew would be coming.

  “You can tell me to mind my own business, but isn’t the Acardi family fairly well off? I’m not sure I understand how you’d ever be in a position to live off ramen.”

  “They are, but my father married against their wishes and they disowned him.”

  “Ouch. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault. Anyway, my aunt and uncle took us in when our parents died. They didn’t like it much, but didn’t want it getting out that an Acardi was in foster care. I took custody of Antonio as soon as I could. Thankfully, I won a rugby scholarship to college and managed to graduate a year early.”

  “How old were you when they died?”

  I swiped the last olive from the tray, hoping she wouldn’t dig too much. “I was thirteen.”

  “Remind me to bitch slap your aunt and uncle into next week if I ever have the misfortune of meeting them,” she muttered. “What about your mother’s family? Could they have taken you in?”

  Her offhand comment broke the tension and I laughed, imagining her doing just that. It felt surprisingly good to tell Carlina about my family. Although I’d never discussed them before, it was almost a relief to share the story with her.

  “My grandparents wanted to take us and tried to fight my aunt and uncle to court, but couldn’t afford to pay a lawyer. The judge decided we’d be better off with the Acardi side of the family since they had more money.”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  “That’s true, and I’ve made sure my grandparents have more than enough that they never have to worry about it again.”

  “Good for you.” Reaching over, she squeezed my hand. “I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been. It was hard enough with Katie, and we have a very supporti
ve extended family.”

  “Where are they now?” I asked. “Do they live close by?”

  “Some do,” she replied. “I have a few cousins in San Diego. The rest spread out to work, or married and moved away, you know, the sorts of things big families do. My parents retired and moved to Florida to be closer to my mother’s side of the family, but they visit once a year or so, and we talk at least twice a week.”

  “I never had that,” I murmured. “My aunt and uncle refused to let us see our mother’s family. Our paternal grandmother was the only person who bothered with us. She’s the one who drove Antonio to the hospital when he fell and hurt his leg.”

  “I wondered about that. His DS wouldn’t have made him limp. What happened?”

  “His balance has never been very good, and he fell down a flight of marble steps when he was four. My aunt and uncle were in the middle of a dinner party and didn’t want to bother with him.”

  “Yep, gonna slap them silly. Do you still talk to your grandmother? She sounds like an amazing woman.”

  The aching pinch of pain that happened whenever I thought about Nona was muted. Although it still stung, I didn’t mind so much. “She died a few years after I graduated from college.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured, squeezing my hand again. “It must have been especially hard after losing your parents.”

  “Thanks.” I gave her a wry smile. “She was wonderful. I didn’t know it at the time, but she had quite a little nest egg hidden away herself. When she passed, she left it all to Antonio and me, and I used it to start my business. The family was furious and I think my aunt and uncle are still bitter.”

  Carlina laughed, her eyes sparkling. “I think I’d have liked your grandmother very much. That was the perfect way to tell your aunt and uncle to fuck off.”

  Coughing, I sprayed wine across the table and burst into laughter. After wiping up the mess, I said, “I think she’d have liked you too.”

  “Do you have any contact with your aunt and uncle?” she asked, her expression sobering. “Should I worry about them coming around Antonio?”