“Yes,” she said.
“No,” Ric said.
They looked at each other after giving conflicting answers. Had she heard Ric correctly? After all they shared, it meant nothing to him?
His eyes were dark and filled with a swirl of emotions that she was unable to make out. Still, his answer hung there in her thoughts. Each time she recalled it, it was like a stab to her chest.
Their lovemaking meant nothing?
She meant nothing?
“Aw... See?” said Mr. Grosso. “I was right. There is something between you two.” His attention zeroed in on Ric. “You’re making a mistake by not marrying her as soon as possible. And trust me, you will regret it—”
“What I regret is not going over these reports,” Ric said. “I think if you have a look at what I was able to do with my program to help Gia’s business that you’ll realize it will streamline and increase business for your company.”
“I can’t trust a man with my business who can’t see what’s right in front of him.”
Ric raked his fingers through his hair. “Gia is not part of this business agreement.”
“But she should be part of your life. When you are old like me, you’ll find your business is a cold bed partner and a demanding mistress that never has enough of your time and always wants more, but never gives enough in return.”
Ric was quiet.
Gia was still trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. Mr. Grosso was trying to be some sort of matchmaker. And Ric was denying that there was anything between them. And she was quiet because she didn’t trust her voice right now. She didn’t know which man she was most upset with.
After a tense moment, Ric said, “Would you like to see the reports?”
“I think I’ve seen as much as I need to.” Mr. Grosso stood. “You get your life straightened out, and then we’ll talk.”
Ric stood. “My personal life has nothing to do with this.” His words reached the man’s retreating back. Once the man was gone, Ric turned to her. “Can you believe him?”
“What I can’t believe is you.” She grabbed her purse and followed in Mr. Grosso’s footsteps.
“Gia, wait.”
She kept going. She didn’t want to have this conversation in the restaurant with witnesses. What she had to say to him, she didn’t want overheard. And with the number of people gaping at Ric and pointing him out, she was certain a scene between them would make the headlines. That would just take a painful situation and make it unbearable.
Outside on the sidewalk, she turned the opposite direction of the valet.
“Gia, where are you going?” Ric rushed up to her.
She kept walking, stuffing down the heated words she had for him.
“Gia, please stop. Talk to me.”
It was obvious he wasn’t just going to let her walk away and find her own way back to the apartment. And so she stopped and turned to him. “What?”
His eyes widened as though he just realized what was going on. “You’re mad at me?”
“You’re sharp. No wonder you own your own business.”
“Listen, about back there. I’m sorry. That man, he was over the top. I didn’t realize he was going to talk about everything but business.”
“Not everything.”
Ric looked puzzled. “What?”
“Mr. Grosso didn’t want to talk about everything, just about us. At which point you corrected him and told him there was nothing between us.”
“Oh.” Ric forked his fingers through his hair, scattering the short curls. “That’s why you’re mad.”
“You bet it is.” Her pride stopped her from admitting how deeply his words cut. “You didn’t have the decency to tell me privately that our lovemaking was a mistake. Instead, you’ve been avoiding me. And then you blurt out to a stranger that it meant nothing to you.”
“It’s not like that.”
She narrowed her gaze on him. “Then how is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know what?” She wasn’t going to let him off that easy.
“I don’t know anything. I wasn’t expecting this, you, me and what’s going on between us.”
“Are you saying you want out? Or are you saying you were never into this thing between us?”
“What I’m saying is that I need time to process this. I need to figure things out. You are amazing.” He reached out for her hand, taking it in his. His thumb rubbed over her skin. “Can you just give me a little time?”
She let out a pent-up breath. It wasn’t the gushing admission of love she’d daydreamed about, but then again, it wasn’t a big push-off either. It was actually a realistic approach to whatever this was between them. And maybe they both could use a little time to consider things.
She gazed deep into his eyes, finding nothing but honesty. “Time is a good idea.”
His gaze searched hers. “You’re sure? We’re okay?”
She nodded. “We’re okay.”
He didn’t release her hand; instead, he laced his fingers with hers as they walked back to get the car. She wasn’t sure where they went from here.
It seemed like her life was becoming one big question mark. Would they find her father? Would things work out with her siblings? Would this thing with Ric lead somewhere?
* * *
Dinner had gone worse than he’d ever imagined.
And the ride home was quiet and strained.
Ric’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. Everything he’d worked for—everything he’d planned—was falling apart. How dare that man judge him and his work by his lack of a committed relationship? What kind of archaic thinking was that?
The only saving grace had been Gia’s calm presence. Through it all she’d remained pleasant, kept her cool and exuded a friendly demeanor. It was more than he could muster. Obviously that man had spent too much time alone, holed up in his mansion.
And then a worrisome thought came to him. Was he going to end up like Mr. Grosso? Old, alone and miserable?
He banished the thought. He liked his life. He was happy being a bachelor—not allowing anyone close enough to hurt him. He had nothing to worry about.
“I’m sorry about dinner,” he said as they neared his apartment.
“The food was good.”
“I meant the company.” He wheeled into his parking spot.
“I’m sorry your deal fell through.”
“I’m not.” He never thought he’d say those words and mean them, but he did mean it. “I won’t do business with someone so stuck in his ways.” Ric’s gaze met hers. “Thank you for being so good about everything.”
“What will you do?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t have a backup plan because I thought I’d come up with the best pairing, his company and my program. I obviously thought he would be professional. I was wrong.”
“You aren’t giving up, are you?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “You think I should try to work with that man?”
“Not necessarily him, but I’m sure your program can help another company.”
She was right, even if he wasn’t in the mood to hear it right now. At the moment, he just wanted to wallow in his disdain and anger. Sure, come tomorrow he’d see things in a different light. But for now, he just wanted to leave the subject alone.
Ric climbed out of the car and before he could round the car to get Gia’s door, she let herself out. She was unlike the other women he’d dated. Gia wasn’t helpless, but she could ask for help when she needed to. He admired her strength.
The more time he spent with her, the more he liked her. And he knew that was dangerous. Because when she tracked down her father, she would leave the island—leave him.
Unless he was to keep her at a friendly distance. He
could do that. After all, it wasn’t like he was falling in love with her. He could do the friends with benefits thing. He prided himself on being able to accomplish most anything he set his mind on. This wouldn’t be any different.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SHE FELT BAD for Ric.
The meeting had been a total bust.
Gia wished there was something she could do to help him. But she knew absolutely nothing about computers, other than the basics. Programming was way beyond her abilities.
Still, she could tell Ric was going to be in a funk the rest of the evening if she didn’t come up with a way to distract him. But what could she suggest that would keep him from heading back to his study where he’d grow even more melancholy?
When they entered Ric’s apartment, the puppy came running up to them.
Arff. Arff.
“Does somebody need to go out?” Gia knelt and petted the little guy.
His tail rapidly swished back and forth.
“Okay. We’ll go.” She straightened and reached for the red leash on the black stand near the front door. It was then that she noticed Ric was lingering nearby and a thought came to her. “Would you like to join us for a walk?”
Ric shook his head. “That’s okay.”
It wasn’t a direct no. In fact, it wasn’t a no at all. And so she tried again. “It’s a lovely evening. We could walk to the little gelato shop I spotted. I’ve been dying to try it. And then we could—”
She stopped herself before saying they could watch the sunset together. She was pretty certain that would sound like she was crossing the line between their arrangement to care for Gin and romance.
She told herself she had no room in her life for romance. She didn’t even know who she was. Putting the brakes on this relationship was for the best. But she knew it was a lie. She’d fallen for Ric. Hard.
His dark brows lifted as though in question. “Could what?”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. The more she willed herself not to blush, the warmer her face became. “I don’t know.”
“Ah, but you do know.”
If her face grew any warmer, she was quite certain her hair would spontaneously combust. “If you don’t want to go—”
“Oh, I definitely want to go now. I just need to grab something.”
Of course he would.
Without waiting for Ric, she attached the leash and was out the door in a jiffy. What was it about that man that could rattle her so much? Luckily, there was a light breeze. She welcomed the rush of air, even if it was warm.
“Hey, slow up,” Ric called from behind them.
She supposed she couldn’t act like she hadn’t heard him, not after inviting him to join her. She pulled on the puppy’s leash, getting him to slow down. Gia came to a stop. She refused to let Ric get to her. After all, he was just a guy—a sexy movie star sort of hunky man. And when he stared into her eyes, like he was doing right now, her knees went weak.
She waited for him to catch up to her. “Sorry. Gin is in a rush.”
“Is it the puppy who’s in the rush? Or is it you?”
She chanced a glance at Ric to find him smiling at her from under a navy-blue ball cap. So that’s what he had to grab. Didn’t he know that no hat could hide his good looks? And that sexy smile—was he flirting with her? Her heart picked up its pace as did her footsteps.
But she wasn’t going to let him know he was getting to her. “Why would I be in a rush to get away from you? After all, I was the one who invited you on this walk, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. I also remember you blushing.”
“Oh, you. You’re insufferable.”
At this point, he broke out in a deep, hearty laugh. This only made Gia blush more. She picked up her pace, not wanting him to see the affect he had on her.
At last they reached the park. As the puppy stretched its legs, Gia pretended to be intently interested in a red flowering plant. She would do anything to avoid Ric’s inquisitive gaze.
“Are you going to ignore me after inviting me on this walk?” His words echoed her thoughts.
She stifled a groan and then proceeded to plaster on a friendly smile. “I was just intrigued by this flower. I don’t think we have it in Tuscany.”
He held out his phone and snapped a photo of the flower. “There. All taken care of. I’ll have my assistant track down the plant for you.”
She wasn’t sure that was necessary. Still, she said, “Thank you.”
She glanced at him before quickly turning away. Something had happened tonight. Maybe it was that man assuming they were a couple. Or maybe it was going to dinner with Ric as though it were natural for her to accompany him to important business meetings. Whatever it was, the delicate balance in their relationship was tipping over into the heart-pounding, staring-into-each-other’s-eyes, kissing-like-there’s-no-tomorrow area. And she’d just promised him time to figure things out. Why did this all have to be so complicated?
“Gia, wait.” He reached out for her hand.
Her heart lodged in her throat. She stopped and turned to him. Her gaze met his once more. Did he know what she was thinking?
Ric reached out to her. His thumb gently caressed her cheek. A sigh whispered across her lips. All the while, their gazes connected.
She wanted to ask him what was happening. Where were they going to go from here? The words hovered in the back of her mouth, but her lips refused to cooperate. The words faded away.
When Ric’s gaze lowered to her lips, she knew his thoughts had strayed to the same idea she’d had. He was going to kiss her. And in that moment, she wanted him more than she wanted anything else in the world—
“Hey, aren’t you the guy from the movie?”
The voice was like a bucket of cold water thrown in the face. Both she and Ric pulled back as though they were doing something wrong. Were they doing something wrong? Had they been saved from making another mistake?
Her mind said one thing while her heart said something quite different. And right now, she didn’t know which one to listen to because the pounding of her heart was too distracting.
Ric plastered on a smile, like the one he’d worn at dinner when Mr. Grosso had started going on about how a man who could invest in a long-term relationship was a reliable sort of man. Yeah, it was that smile.
“Can I help you?” Ric asked the young woman.
“Can I get a selfie with you? My friends are going to be so envious.”
And so Ric granted the young woman one photo together. When it was over, Ric pulled his hat lower and added a pair of dark sunglasses.
“I don’t think that’s going to help,” Gia said as they walked away.
He shrugged. “I don’t know why I agreed to do that movie.”
“Sure, you do. You thought it would be fun.” At least she hoped that’s the reason he’d done it.
“In truth, it was a bet and I lost. My friend starred in it and had producing rights. It was just supposed to be a small clip, no big deal. And then I don’t know what happened.”
She knew exactly what had happened. Most every woman on the planet who had seen the clip was now part of the Ric’s fan club. Secretly she was a member too. Not that she’d ever admit it to him.
“Most men would die to be in the position of having women throw themselves at them.”
“I’m not most men.” Any hint of the smile that had been on his face was now gone, and in its place was a distinct frown.
“Why is that?” She shouldn’t have asked. It was none of her business. And yet her mouth just kept doing its own thing. “Did someone break your heart?”
At first, he didn’t respond. “It was something like that, but it’s in the past. And now I have my career to focus on.”
And here she thought she was the only one hiding behind a wall in order to kee
p from getting hurt. She sensed his wall was much thicker than hers and had been reinforced over years. How did one break down such a wall?
Deciding she needed to lighten the mood, Gia asked, “Would that be your acting career?”
He frowned and then shook his head. “A guy takes a sixty-second spot in a movie and everyone blows it out of proportion.”
“Oh, but those sixty seconds were quite something.” And then, because she couldn’t resist teasing him, she asked, “So was that a body double? You know for those washboard abs?”
His lips pressed into a firm line as his brows drew together. “You know that was all genuine. No stunt doubles were involved in the shooting of that scene.”
Then, because she was having fun, she said, “I don’t know if I believe you. You might have to prove it.” When he reached for his shirt as though to rip it off and prove himself, she hurriedly reached out and grabbed his forearm, holding it in place. “Not that I wouldn’t mind the show, but weren’t you trying to stay under the radar?”
He glanced around, as though for a moment forgetting they were in public. “Yeah, right. But I was serious. It was me. All me.”
She couldn’t help but laugh as he stressed the point.
His dark brows drew together. “I’m serious.”
“I know you are. That’s what’s so amusing.” She couldn’t stop smiling.
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to.” Men and their egos.
When they reached the gelato shop, it appeared they weren’t the only ones to have the idea on this perfect summer evening. As they stood in a long line that stretched out the door, Gin drew people’s attention. Passersby stopped to fuss over him, and the pup ate up all of the attention. There was no shyness when it came to Gin.
“Wait. Aren’t you Ric Moretti from Into the Sunset?” a young woman asked.
“It is him,” another young woman agreed.
“Hey, everyone!” the first woman shouted. “It’s the hottie from Into the Sunset.”
It all happened so fast that it caught both Gia and Ric off guard. One second they were standing beside each other, and the next there was a crowd forming around him.
The CEO, the Puppy and Me Page 12