by Jayne Castel
“Stop it, both of you,” she told them.
Sabrina glanced back at Adriano and met his eye. He held her gaze, his expression suddenly serious. Her breathing quickened. When he looked at her like that the whole world disappeared.
After lunch, Valentina made espresso coffees for everyone, except Luca, and brought them out on a tray onto the terrace. The adults sat back in their chairs and relaxed in the afternoon sun, while the little boy brought out a box of Lego. Luca tipped it out on the dining table and started sorting through the pieces, his impish face creased in concentration.
Adriano sat next to him, and together the two of them built a red and orange space rocket. Sabrina watched them hard at work, their dark heads bent over their creation. It was a beautiful thing, to see a father and son spending time together.
“Adriano needs to do more of this,” Valentina said quietly from beside Sabrina. Her expression was pensive as she too watched her brother and nephew. “He doesn’t spend enough time with Luca.”
Sabrina glanced back at father and son. “Why does Luca live with you?”
“Adriano’s hours are unsociable, so we decided it was best if Luca lived with me. He visits as often as he can, but it’s not enough. Luca should be with his father.”
Adriano glanced up then, having caught his sister’s words. “We already went over this the other night—I do my best, Vale.”
Beside her, Valentina stiffened. “I know you do—but your work takes too much of your time all the same. Luca needs you.”
“Enough,” Mariana murmured, placing her empty espresso cup down on the table. “Not now, not in front of Luca.”
Sabrina saw Adriano and Valentina’s gazes meet and felt the sudden tension between them. Then, Adriano looked away, put an arm around his son’s shoulders, and ruffled his hair. The boy giggled and tried to wriggle out of his father’s grip. “Tickles!”
“Are you enjoying Rome?”
Sabrina turned to find Mariana watching her. There was a keen intelligence in the woman’s gaze, and Sabrina realized she was a person who observed much, even if she said little—a trait her son had inherited.
“I love this city,” she replied truthfully.
“I hope my son isn’t a tyrant to work for?”
Sabrina laughed and winked at her, even if Adriano glowered at his mother across the table.
“I was only asking,” his mother replied with mock innocence. “You have a reputation, you know.”
Chapter Sixteen
Another busy evening at La Pasta D’Orata drew to a close, and Sabrina massaged an aching muscle in her lower back as she wiped down the last table.
“This heat is killing me,” Halina complained. The girl was moving around the restaurant, putting up the chairs onto the tables so that Roberto could sweep the floors. “Lying on the beach in forty degrees is one thing, waiting tables in a sauna is another.”
Sabrina gave a chuckle in agreement. She was drenched in sweat and couldn’t wait to stand under a cold shower and cool off. She cast a glance toward the kitchens with the last thought. It wasn’t just the sweltering temperatures she needed to cool off from though.
Adriano was driving her crazy.
They’d left Valentina’s just after four o’clock and come straight to work. She and Adriano had spoken little, although the tension between them had ramped up to the point where she’d felt like screaming. Since starting work, she’d caught him staring at her half a dozen times. It was hard not to look his way either, every time he emerged front of house. She was painfully aware of him; every nerve ending in her body was on alert. It had gotten so tense that she was beginning to wish Adriano was working at his other restaurant tonight.
A woman could take only so much denial.
There had been an awkward moment, halfway through the evening when they’d encountered each other in the hallway behind the kitchen. Sabrina was just returning from the bathroom, and Adriano was heading down to his office.
The hallway was narrow and they’d both stopped short a few feet apart. Sabrina had tried to duck left and skirt around him but he’d also moved in the same direction. An embarrassing dance had followed, where they both mirrored each other’s movements, before Adriano casually leaned back against the wall. He’d made an exaggerated gesture, as if clearing a path for her.
“Very funny,” she’d muttered, brushing past him.
“Do you see me laughing?” he’d murmured back, his voice low with sensual promise.
Sabrina had refused to meet his gaze, knowing that if she did so she’d throw herself at him. She felt his heated stare between her shoulder blades as she fled back to the restaurant.
A few hours later, and it was finally time to go home. Halina was the first to leave the restaurant. Her boyfriend was waiting outside for her, and they roared away on his motorbike. A few of the cooks left before Adriano followed them out into the night.
Sabrina lingered behind to help Roberto clean up. She needed time to pull herself together. It had been an intense day, and she felt both elated and wrung out. She also felt confused—she hadn’t ever obsessed about a guy like this. Without her realizing it, Adriano Bellini had gotten under her guard. She needed to regain a bit of control if she was going to continue on the path she’d set out on.
It was well after midnight, when she stepped outside. Owing to the hot weather, throngs of people still crossed the square. There was a carnival atmosphere in Rome tonight, and despite her fatigue, Sabrina drank it in.
She had gone two paces, when she saw Adriano leaning up against his Vespa a few feet away. Her heart leaped into her throat—he’d been waiting for her.
Wordlessly, Adriano pushed himself up off his motorbike and walked towards her. His face was in shadow but Sabrina felt herself wilt under the intensity of his gaze.
“Hi,” she said. She felt out of breath, as if she’d just run up a flight of stairs.
Adriano stepped into the orange glow of the street lamp and smiled. “Can I walk you home?”
“What about your bike?”
“I’ll come back for it afterward. It’s been a long evening—I need to walk.”
Sabrina nodded and turned away from the restaurant. Adriano fell in step next to her. Away from the piazza, the streets were quieter. The sounds of their footfalls echoed on the worn cobbles, and Sabrina was keenly aware of Adriano’s presence next to her as she walked.
“I really enjoyed the market this morning,” she said, finally. “Porta Portese was great.”
“I’m glad—not everyone likes the crowds and the chaos.”
Sabrina smiled. “I’m from New York, I’m used to it.”
Silence stretched between them for a few moments before Adriano spoke again.
“Do you think you’ll go back … to New York?”
Sabrina tensed at the question. She had been trying to deny reality—the fact that one day soon she would be going home. She wished he hadn’t asked her that.
“I’d rather not,” she replied honestly. “I prefer it here.”
“So, why don’t you stay?”
Sabrina glanced at him, and saw that Adriano was watching her intently.
“I’d love to …” she began, searching for a way to explain herself without revealing too much. “But I have a life in New York.”
“You could have one here too.”
“I know. Believe me—don’t think I’m not tempted.”
At that moment, nothing tempted her more.
If only she wasn’t working for Helen Bellini.
They arrived at the main door of Sabrina’s building, where she turned to face him. Wordlessly, he reached out and stroked her cheek.
“I’d like you to stay,” he said softly. “For purely selfish reasons, of course.”
Sabrina stared back at him and felt her pulse quicken. Did this man have any idea of the effect he had on her? When he spoke to her like that, she would agree to anything.
Adriano stepped closer. Then, without saying anoth
er word, he dipped his head and kissed her. It started off gentle, a mere brushing of the lips. A heartbeat later, he pulled her into his arms with a groan, his lips parting hers. Not caring that they were in public, even if this was a quiet street, Sabrina entwined her arms about his neck and gave herself up to the kiss.
She devoured him, as he did her. This moment had been building all day. The intensity of Sabrina’s need for him consumed her; the taste of him, the feel of his body hard against hers, nearly made her lose control.
When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.
This is going too far. Now she knew how Daniele had felt when the gang cornered him and demanded protection money; she was now officially in over her head.
“I’d … I’d better go,” she breathed, fumbling for her keys. Her fingers felt clumsy; she could barely concentrate.
“Sabrina—”
“No, really … I should. Good night, Adriano.”
Heart pounding, she walked into the building and let the heavy door swing closed behind her. This was madness; she had to put some distance between them before the last shreds of her self-restraint dissolved.
However, she had just entered her apartment and closed the door, when the intercom buzzed.
Sabrina’s mouth went dry. A few moments passed before she pressed the intercom speaker button. “Yes?”
“Sabrina … please.” Adriano’s voice filled her apartment, caressing her. “Can I come up?”
She stared at the wall a moment, fighting a need that threatened to consume her—torn between following her instincts and cold reason.
Instinct won.
Her voice was barely above a whisper when she replied. “It’s the second floor.”
She pressed the button, which released the door downstairs and opened the door to her studio. She leaned out, listening to the sound of his feet on the stone stairwell.
He appeared on the landing, lean and predatory as he stalked toward her. Sabrina stepped back, letting the door open before him as she did so. She’d done it—opened the door to temptation.
There’s no turning back now.
The moment Adriano stepped inside he was on her.
Excitement exploded in the pit of her belly when he slammed her back against the closed door. His mouth was everywhere, branding the skin of her face and neck, his hands running down the length of her body.
She felt boneless, weightless. She would die if she didn’t touch him. His mouth explored hers, and her hands roamed against the hard plane of his chest before sliding underneath to his warm skin.
Adriano pulled back from her a moment and shrugged off his shirt. His naked torso was as she’d imagined—lean and finely muscled with a light sprinkling of crisp, dark hair over his chest. He stepped forward, pinning her against the door, and kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with hers.
Sabrina groaned against his mouth. Now that they were pressed together, she could feel the hardness of his erection. She reached down and touched it, her fingertips tracing the straining bulge in his jeans.
Adriano muttered a curse against her mouth and slid his hands under her t-shirt, pulling it up over her head. Underneath, Sabrina wore a lacy bra that suddenly felt too tight, too constricting. Her breasts felt swollen and ultra-sensitive. He undid her bra and freed them, before taking the tip of her right breast into his mouth.
The heat as he suckled her caused Sabrina to cry out; her skin felt as if it was on fire. She could no longer bear the layers of clothing that separated them.
In response to her cry, Adriano suckled harder before giving her left breast the same attention. He teased her swollen nipples until she gasped his name. Sabrina writhed against him, but he held her firm, pinned up against the door.
Then, when he had reduced her to a gasping, trembling mess, he stepped back from her and started to undo his jeans. Sabrina’s gaze fused with his. She did the same, sliding off her sandals and slipping out of her jeans, before kicking them aside.
His gaze raked down the length of her body, turning her on fire. “Gorgeous,” he whispered huskily.
Sabrina allowed her gaze to do the same. She took in his narrow hips, long muscular legs, and the proud, hard length of him that strained toward her.
“You’re not bad yourself,” she whispered back.
He gave her a slow smile before stooping and retrieving his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. Sabrina saw him remove a small plastic packet and realized she’d completely forgotten about protection.
She watched him roll the sheath onto his straining penis. Oddly, it was the most sensual act she’d ever seen. Her pulse beat at the base of her throat; she had never wanted anything in her life like she wanted this man inside her.
Adriano stepped forward and pinned her back against the door. He lifted her up and spread her legs wide so that he could enter her in one smooth thrust. The sensation of him sliding deep within her, stretching and filling her to her very core, caused a deep groan to escape her. When he ground into her, so that he sat even deeper, her groans changed to whimpers.
Pleasure rippled through her and she pressed back against him, seeking him deeper still. She wanted all of him inside her. Sabrina wrapped her legs and arms about Adriano. Their mouths fused once more as he started to move inside her. He took her with exquisite slowness at first, torturing her with every hard inch of him until her body began to shudder in release.
Only then, did Adriano let himself go. He thrust hard into her so that she could do nothing but cling to him, her fingernails digging into his sweat-slicked back. Waves of pleasure shivered through her, rising up from the pit of her belly.
Adriano cried out when he came, his shout hoarse. They clung together in the aftermath, pressed against the door. Trembling, Sabrina buried her head against his chest and listened to the thunder of his heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Adriano stirred and rolled over, reaching for the naked woman on the bed next to him. The window to the small studio apartment was open, as were the shutters, letting in the glow of the streetlights outside. The light softly outlined Sabrina’s curves. She slept on her side, toward him, her face angelic in repose.
Hungrily, his gaze slid down the length of her. He took in the swell of her breasts with their dusky tips, the long curve of her back, the dip of her waist, and the dark nest of soft hair between her thighs. Adriano felt himself harden at the sight of her.
He wasn’t sorry he’d acted on instinct this evening. After that kiss, he’d been physically unable to walk away. He’d felt as if he’d die without her.
Reaching out, he stroked the length of her arm. She sighed softly, stretching out like a cat, her long dark lashes fluttering against her cheek. Adriano leaned down, his lips trailing along the column of her neck, to the satiny skin of her breasts.
He drew one of her nipples into his mouth, and felt the soft nub harden. She groaned, arching toward him. Adriano smiled and ran his hand down, over the curve of her belly to the silken down between her legs. Her thighs gently parted for him. Adriano’s smile widened, as his fingers slid inside her velvet, wet heat.
Neither of them were going to get much sleep tonight—he’d make sure of it.
Sabrina ran her hands through her disheveled hair and sat down at her kitchen table, cradling a cup of strong black coffee in her hands.
Outside, the rumble of the city awakening like a sleeping dragon, filled the streets. Somewhere in the distance, the wail of a car alarm shattered the morning’s peace.
Languorous, after a night of passion she’d remember for the rest of her days, Sabrina gingerly sipped the coffee. She’d made coffee for Adriano too, in the stovetop Mocha, before he’d gone home to shower and change.
Adriano had left her with a sensual, lingering kiss, and a melting look that promised he’d not yet finished with her. Sabrina sighed at the memory of what he’d spent the night doing to her, of what they’d done to each other. She could still smell him on her skin, and was
loath to take a shower and wash him off.
Smiling to herself, Sabrina reached out and opened her laptop. She hadn’t bothered to check her emails since yesterday morning, which seemed like a lifetime ago now. So much had happened since then.
A slow smile stretched across Sabrina’s face. Life had changed.
Sabrina clicked into her Outlook account to check her emails. A moment later, her smile faded. There was one from Helen Bellini.
Of course, her client had recognized the woman in the photos instantly.
Is this what you’ve been wasting your time on?
I don’t need photos of Adriano having dinner with his sister.
It seemed obvious now—but it hadn’t seemed so at the time. Sabrina had not wanted to send those photos; it was Helen’s insistence that had forced her to … and now she looked like an idiot.
Sabrina sighed and ran a hand over her face.
What a mess.
Yesterday had been the best of her life, but with just one email Helen Bellini had brought her back to earth. Whatever happened now, someone was going to end up disappointed.
Adriano had no idea the risk he was putting his family in, inviting Sabrina into his home, his life. She had learned a lot about his family the day before, including the fact that Adriano’s son, Luca, didn’t currently live with him.
This was what Helen wanted—proof that he was an unsuitable father. The court would not look favorably on a man who was so wedded to his work that he couldn’t have his son living with him. There was clearly some dissent in the family about it too. His sister thought he needed to sort his priorities out.
Sabrina stared down at her rapidly cooling cup of coffee.
The man trusted her, and she was lying to him. The situation had turned into a runaway train—hurtling downhill and gathering speed. She was powerless to stop it.
When she thought of Adriano, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
***
The pizzeria was in chaos. Waiters, sweat pouring from their brows, scuttled back and forth, bearing crispy, wood-fired pizzas. They called to each other, shouting to be heard over the roar of conversation on the busy terrace. Crowds of hopeful diners crowded forward, pushing to be the next in line for a free table. Occasionally, someone tried to push in, only to be ignored by the waiters.