by Jade, Ella
“He requested I come home but it wasn’t really a request.” She shrugged. “It’s been an adjustment. I had some freedom while I was at school. Not much. He’s very protective.”
“Does that bother you?”
“I’m used to him but he’s having a hard time with the concept that I’m not a kid anymore. I’m not the same girl who left for college.”
“You’re not a girl.” I reached across the table and took her hand. “You’re a woman. A beautiful one at that.”
“You’re probably the only man who has ever seen me as a woman.” She grazed her thumb along my hand. “I like spending time with you.”
“I’m not sure your father will approve of us.”
“Why not?” She looked into my eyes. “He’s known your family a long time. He trusts them. He trusts you.”
If she only knew... “I’m not exactly a father’s dream candidate for their daughter.”
“It isn’t up to him. As a matter of fact, you’re going to be a good indicator when it comes to him loosening the reigns and backing off.”
“Uh, oh.” I swirled my fingers along the inside of her wrist, causing her skin to prickle. “Am I part of a rebellion plan?”
“Maybe.” When she licked her bottom lip, my insides twitched.
“If it requires spending time with you, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Gianni Marchelli at my mercy?” A wicked grin crossed her lips, reminding me how much I was at her mercy.
“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. If I don’t have it, I’ll get it.” I’ll give you the fucking world.
ANGELIQUE
The evening had gone much too fast. Gianni continued asking me questions which I happily answered. No one had ever shown this much interest in me. I’d dated a few guys in college but nothing serious. I wouldn’t get too close to anyone because I wasn’t ready to have sex. That became an unintended habit through the years. Now I found myself completely inexperienced and falling for a man who would expect things from me. Things I wasn’t sure I knew how to give him. When I gazed into his eyes, I wanted to try.
We’d finished dinner a while ago but no one had come to check on us. I didn’t mind the privacy. We’d abandoned the table and taken a seat on the floor by the fireplace. Gianni opened another bottle of wine before joining me in front of the warm flames.
“We’ve talked a lot about me tonight,” I said.
“You’re very interesting.”
“You’re a mystery to me.” I slipped off my heels and stretched out my legs. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”
He smirked.
“What?”
“I have a feeling you know quite a bit about me.”
“I know what you want me to see.”
“What do you see?” He inched closer to me, resting his hand on my thigh.
“I...” When he skimmed his thumb along the hem of my dress, I lost focus.
“Yes.” He leaned forward, taking the side of my face in his hand. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” I didn’t recognize my breathless response.
When he touched me it was as if time stopped. I wanted him. All of him.
“You won’t stick around if I tell you everything.” He brushed his lips along mine. “May I kiss you?”
“Yes.”
As our mouths collided, he slid his hand from my thigh to my hip, bringing me closer to him. With each kiss, my desire for him intensified. I’d never experienced anything like this before. An unfiltered need for him came over me when he skimmed his lips down my throat.
“Your skin is so soft,” he whispered against my heated flesh. “Your lips are addictive.”
“Whoa!” I squeaked when he lifted me into his lap.
“I needed you closer.” He kissed me again. “I need so much from you.”
That scares me.
He kissed me at a feverish pace, making my heart race and my body tingle. A pulsing sensation radiated inside my core, moving lower until I had to press my legs together to stop the dampness that pooled in my panties. With each probe of his tongue inside my mouth, my nipples peaked to the point of painful pleasure. Losing myself in the moment, I straddled his lap.
He twisted his fingers in my hair, kissing me hard. I gripped his biceps in an attempt to steady myself as he trailed his lips along my jaw. The flames from the hearth scorched my back but it was the burning lust he created from within me that had my attention.
“We could go back to my place.”
His place? The winery was safe territory. If we were alone at his house, in his bedroom, he would want to... I’d have to tell him I was a...
“Not that anyone would dare bother us in here.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “We would have more privacy at my house.”
“You told the staff to leave us alone?”
“Sal instructed them not to bother us after dinner,” he admitted. “I wanted alone time with you. No interruptions.”
“The time has been nice.” I bit my lip. “I like being with you.”
“So, is that a yes to my place?”
I wanted to say yes but I had to slow down. I’d been infatuated with the idea of Gianni for years. For as long as I could remember. Now that I was getting to know him, my feelings were becoming more than an infatuation. I didn’t want to rush this. I wanted more than to be another notch on his bedpost. I’d waited for the right time to be with the right guy. I wanted Gianni to be that guy.
“It isn’t that I don’t want to.” How could I do this without insulting him? I was certain most women would gladly take him up on his invitation. “It’s getting late. I should probably go home.”
“I guess it is late.” He scooted me off his lap. “The evening flew by.”
“I’d like to see you again soon if you’re not too busy.”
“My family has dinner every Sunday. I’m sure they’d like if you joined us tomorrow.” He traced his fingers down my arm. “I like the way you shiver when I touch you.”
“You elicit a strong response from me.” I gazed into his eyes. “One I’m extremely unfamiliar with.”
“I like new territory.”
You have no idea how new this territory is for me.
“Will you have dinner with us tomorrow?”
“My father is having guests for dinner and I said I’d be there.” I would much rather have a traditional Italian dinner with Gianni. “Maybe I could get away and join you for dessert?”
“We eat early on Sundays but I’ll be around if you’d like to stop by.”
“You wouldn’t mind if I showed up when I can?”
“I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
When he kissed me softly, I realized I wanted to give him everything.
Chapter Six
GIANNI
A No-show
Dinner had been over for an hour. Dessert was being served but I wasn’t in the mood. My thoughts had been consumed with Angelique. The past two nights had been more than I had anticipated but I still couldn’t read her. When she declined my offer to come back to my place last night, I was disappointed but not surprised. She was apprehensive around me. I wanted to put her at ease. Maybe I’d been too forward. Could I tone it down? Probably not but if she gave me the chance I would try.
As I headed for the door, Dominick called after me.
“No dessert for you?”
“I have to look over those contracts and answer some emails.”
“You could do that in the morning,” he suggested.
“I know but if I get a jump on it now, I can start some new projects tomorrow.”
“You were far away at dinner. Did things not go as planned last night?” He leaned against the wall by the grandfather clock. “Sal thought the evening went well.”
“The night was perfect.” Well, except when I asked her to come home with me and she shot me down. “Angelique isn’t what I’m used to.”
“What do you mean
?”
“She’s different.” I thought about how attentive she was when I spoke. How open she was when I asked her questions about her life. “Not in a bad way. I need to adjust and figure out what she needs from me.”
“Something tells me she wants you to be you. Why else would she have agreed to go out with you?” He crossed his arms. “This is an observation but I saw the way she looked at you when we were on that hayride. She’s got a serous crush.”
“She told me she’s liked me for a long time. Maybe that’s why I don’t know how to do this. When she looks at me, she sees a fantasy. I have a feeling I can’t be who she thinks I am.”
“Why don’t you worry about that later?” He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll end up being exactly who she thinks you are.”
“And her father?”
“What about him?”
“How long do you expect him to let this go on? When I picked her up last night, it took all of his effort not to tell me to go to hell. I saw it in his eyes.”
“No one is ever going to be good enough for his daughter.”
“Especially a Marchelli.” Bruno had used my family for years but only when it was for his benefit. He dealt with us in the shadows. Never in public. Why would I think he’d be happy with his daughter dating me?
“Well, maybe Vincenzo, Salvatore or Santino, and that’s really reaching.” He laughed. “But definitely not you or I.”
“See what I’m up against.”
“I’ve never known you to back down from a challenge.”
Was the challenge worth it? She pulled a no-show today. Maybe she had rethought her infatuation with me. That was probably for the best. No way should such a smart, beautiful, young woman be caught up with the likes of me. Her father was right to be cautious.
SITTING BY THE FIRE in my family room, I worked on a proposal for a shopping center Dominick and I planned to bid on next month. I’d already answered six emails and set my schedule for the week. I wasn’t easily distracted but Angelique wasn’t far from my thoughts.
Why hadn’t she wanted to come back here with me last night? It was her choice and I respected that. It wasn’t as if I was above being rejected but the evening had gone so well. I didn’t understand why she was so skittish around me. Shutting the laptop, I rested my head on the back of the couch. When had I ever let a woman get to me? A light knock on the door coaxed me from my thoughts. The gatehouse didn’t alert me to any visitors. Dominick never bothered to knock, so it wasn’t him. It could be one of my other brothers needing to vent or wanting to have a beer. Whoever it was, maybe they could get my mind off Angelique. I placed the laptop on the coffee table and headed to the hallway. As I got closer to the muted glass doors, I could tell it was a woman standing on the porch. Please don’t be Maria.
As I approached, I realized it was Angelique. So much for taking my mind off her. Who was I kidding? If she hadn’t shown up here, I’d probably have gotten in my car and gone to her.
Opening the door, I took in her beautiful face. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks rosy from the cool night air.
“Hello.” I stepped out on the porch. “I didn’t expect you tonight.”
“I hope I’m not intruding. I got here much later than I wanted to. I wasn’t sure I should show up.” She ran her hands over the front of her arms in an attempt to warm herself. “I went to the main house but your mom told me you were here.”
“I had some work to do so I came home.”
“Oh, I could go if you’re busy.”
“No.” I opened the door. “It’s cold out here. Do you want to come inside?”
“Umm...” She glanced over my shoulder, looking into the house before returning those worried eyes back to me.
“We could go to the main house if that makes you more comfortable,” I suggested because I didn’t want her to feel obligated. “I’m sure my mom would love that and my grandmother would stuff you with cannoli. She’d say you’re too skinny.” My grandmother thought everyone was too thin. She wanted to feed the world.
“She already tried when I went looking for you.” Her melodic giggle filled the porch. “She also told me I needed to fatten up.”
“Typical Mama Stella.” My grandmother spoke mostly Italian and some broken English but she always managed to get her point across. “She thinks I have too many muscles.”
“I’m going to have to disagree.” She shivered when the wind picked up, blowing her hair to the side. “I think you have the right amount of muscles.”
“Are you coming inside or are we going to freeze out here? It is November.”
“Okay, maybe for a few minutes.”
“You can stay more than a few minutes.” I motioned for her to come inside. “I have a fire going in the family room.”
“Thank you,” she said when I took her jacket and draped it over the banister. “Your house is beautiful.”
“My mother gets all the credit. Dominick and I had our team design it but my mother decorated it.” I gazed around at the warm tones and decorative pieces that adorned the hall. “The whole place was done. All I had to do was move in.”
“It’s perfect.”
As she took in the foyer, I couldn’t help but remember when she said she could live here. I could see her living here too. Whoa! Why was I ahead of where we were? Where I usually was when it came to women? No one had ever intrigued me the way she did.
“You look stunning.” I gave her a soft kiss on the lips, not wanting to scare her away.
She had on a long, black shirt and matching leggings. It was the grey, ankle boots that caught my attention. The heel was high, sexy. I wondered if she’d let me take her on a shopping spree at my friend Kendal’s boutique. Again, I was getting ahead of myself. I could barely get her to come inside my house. Now I was thinking about buying her a wardrobe?
“Can I get you something to drink?”
She shook her head as she glanced up the stairs.
“The family room.” I pointed down the hall, taking her attention away from the bedrooms. Maybe it was me who needed the distraction. “It’s down here.”
“Okay,” she said but didn’t move.
I took her hand and led the way. “I promise I won’t bite.” Hard.
“I’m sorry.” She squeezed my hand, offering me some reassurance even if she didn’t know it. “I’m a little anxious.”
“I’m feeling that vibe.” I picked up the papers I’d left on the couch and put them with my laptop. “Actually, you’re more than a little anxious. I apologize if I contribute to that anxiety.”
“It’s all me.” She sat down, crossing her legs at the ankles. “I don’t get out much.” She laughed. “Especially with a guy.”
The more time I spent with her, the more I realized how accurate her father’s vision of her was. “We had a good time last night. I thought we were compatible.”
“You did?”
“You’re surprised?”
“I thought maybe after I asked you to take me home last night instead of coming back here would have been a turn off for you.” She fidgeted with her hands. “I could see how it would be.”
“There’s nothing about you that would turn me off.” I sat next to her. “Nothing at all.”
“I don’t know.” Her voice was soft, unsure. “There might be something.”
“Like what?”
“My feet are always cold so I wear fuzzy socks to bed.”
“Maybe you just need someone to keep those feet warm?” I inched closer to her. “I could do that.”
“I’m sure you could.”
“Are you cold now?” I trailed my hand along her throat.
“Not at all,” she whispered. “I’m kind of hot.”
“I’d agree.” I pressed my thumb to her bottom lip, tugging it down. “You’re more than kind of hot.”
“Am I?” She licked her top lip before gently biting down on my thumb. My erection sprung to attention.
“You’re more alluring than
you realize.” I kissed her lips. “That’s what makes you so enticing. You have no clue what you’re doing to me.”
Gripping her shoulders, I pushed her onto her back, kissing her slow. She didn’t tense when I fell on top of her. She ran her hands up my back, encouraging me to kiss her longer, harder. When she moaned into my mouth, I slipped my hand up her inner thigh. Parting her legs slightly, I skimmed my fingers over her center.
She sucked in a sharp breath as she arched into my hand. Kissing her neck, I took one of her pert, round breasts in my hand, squeezing as I kept my other hand busy between her legs. Rubbing and stroking through the thin material of her pants, craving more.
“Hmm...” She sighed when I took her nipple between my thumb and finger. “Gianni...”
“You’re so beautiful.” I kissed her neck. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Her chest rose and fell at a rapid pace as she dug her fingers into my shoulder blades. Hitching her leg over my waist, I tugged at her leggings, sliding them over her hips.
“Wait!” She sat up, pushing on my chest. “I can’t.”
“Why?” I took a breath, trying to settle down. I’m an idiot! Why would I have taken things that far? “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” She adjusted her pants and moved into a seated position. “There’s something you need to know about me. After I tell you, you’ll probably want me to go.”
“I seriously doubt that.” I caressed her cheek, trying to calm her. “You can tell me anything.”
“The reason I’m anxious around you isn’t because I’m afraid to be with you. It’s that I’ve never...” She took a deep breath, staring down at her hands. “I said you were intense because...”
“It’s okay.” I took her hand so she would stop fidgeting. “Take your time.”
“The reason I didn’t want to come back here last night and be alone with you was because I’ve never... I’m a virgin.”
“A virgin?” I should have seen that one coming.
Chapter Seven
ANGELIQUE
Promises
“Do you want some wine?” Gianni let go of my hand. “I have red or white.”