by Annie Seaton
Last night had been exciting, so out of character for her— she was usually reserved in dealing with new acquaintances. Feeling so comfortable with Nic had been new for her. But now in the light of day, nerves racked her, and the usual uncertainty that plagued her returned tenfold. Walking slowly to the door, she wiped her hands on her T-shirt then ran her hands through her wild curls, before pulling the door open.
Nic stood there, his expression serious, and Gia’s stomach sank. She’d been right to feel uncertain. Second thoughts in the cold light of day. Why would anyone want to waste their vacation helping out a stranger? He’d changed his mind. At least she hadn’t jumped at his offer to bankroll a show. She would have felt even more embarrassed if she had.
Gia lifted a hand to her face as her skin burned. They stared at each other until a smile spread across his face and his dark eyes crinkled at the corners. His hand appeared from behind his back holding a bunch of yellow roses.
“I saw these in the garden at the villa and I couldn’t resist the color.” He held them out to her, and she buried her face in the soft, sweet smelling petals. When she lifted her head, he leaned over and slid his lips slowly across her cheek. Yes, oh, yes.
“Come in, come in.” She stepped back to let him through the door, and as she pulled it shut, he wandered over to her easel.
“You’ve started work already?” His smile was sending those butterflies into a frenzy.
“Yes, I have to go out later, and I wanted to catch the morning light.” She wandered over to stand beside him, and Nic lifted his arm and draped it loosely around her shoulders as he stared at her painting. His skin was warm against hers, and the smell of that cologne drifted over to her. A feeling of contentment settled in Gia’s bones.
“A new one?”
She nodded.
“It looks happy. I love the way you use that scarlet shade almost as your signature color.” Nic dropped his arm, and Gia left him looking at the canvas. She crossed to the sink and found an empty jar for the roses.
“You have to go out? I was hoping I could take you for a picnic lunch and we could talk some more about my idea.” Nic leaned back on the workbench and watched her arrange the flowers.
Disappointment flooded through her and she grimaced. “I’d love to, but I have to go to my parents’ place in the village for our weekly lunch.” The disappointment evaporated as Nic held her gaze, and Gia grinned back at him. Her self-assurance took a huge upswing as he smiled. “But you know what? I think a business meeting to discuss a possible exhibition should be a priority today.”
“So you are thinking about my offer?”
She didn’t want to tell him that she’d thought of little else but his kiss, and she nodded sagely. “Yes, I am giving the idea some consideration.” The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver up her spine. “I’ll call them in a while and tell them I can’t make it today.” She kept her voice positive; this would be the first time she’d ever missed a family lunch. The only excuse Papa would accept was being too ill to get out of bed. But damn it all, she was a grown woman with her own life to explore…and live. Nic was only here for ten days, and now that she’d gotten to know him a little—if that explosive kiss could be called getting to know him—she was determined to enjoy his company whenever she had the opportunity.
“Last year I was in Siena and discovered this medieval orchard where they do a great lunch outdoors. Do you know it?” Nic asked as he wandered around the room, studying her paintings again, one by one, and Gia could almost hear the “yes” or “no” as he flicked through the canvases.
“No, I don’t.”
“It will be a business lunch. We’ll have a formal meeting to discuss my suggestion.” He flicked over another canvas and looked at her quizzically. “I hope you don’t mind me looking at these again.”
“No, no. Look your fill.” She grinned at him, thrilled that he loved her work.
Nic walked back over to her and slipped his arms around her waist, and she tipped her head back. His dark blue eyes were full of light, and heat pooled in her belly.
“You know, I swore this morning I’d keep my hands off you, but I didn’t last very long, did I? Am I going too fast for you?”
She stood on her toes and answered his question by softly brushing her lips against his. “You and I obviously have something going here. You’re only here for a few days, so what’s the point in going too slow and wasting time?” She couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth.
Nic’s arms tightened around her, and she stared back at him.
“What about your own painting? You’re here early. Have you done any work yet?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “No, there’s been this distraction I discovered when I went for dinner last night.”
“Well…” Gia stepped back and put on a mock stern face. “That’s not why you are in Tuscany.”
“But it’s a good reason to take the day off. Are you working at the restaurant tonight?”
“I am.”
“Then I’ll paint tonight. And then I’ll come and see you after you get home and tell you what I did.”
Oh, God. Just the playful look on his face was sending little trembles from her lower belly down to her thighs…and places in between. She was in trouble here; those butterflies weren’t going anywhere.
“Can I ask a favor?” She laid her hands flat on Nic’s T-shirt covered chest. “If we are going to Siena for lunch, would you mind if we left a little bit earlier? I’ve got a pair of new glasses waiting for me there. Then I can ditch this horrid pair.”
“Sure, not a problem. Do you want to do some more work before we leave?”
She left his arms and picked up her phone from the table. “Let’s go now. I’ll just call my parents, and then I’ll get changed.”
“I’ll go and check out the garden.” He shot her a smile and wandered outside, closing the door behind him. It was thoughtful of him to think of her privacy.
She dialed the restaurant because she knew her parents would be there, already prepping for the dinner trade tonight before they went home to prepare the usual huge lunch for the family. Gabriel would be there with his latest girlfriend—and his snide comments. Louisa would run in during the break when she closed her leather shop for two hours. It was time their parents realized they all had their own lives. Ha—as if little meek me would be the one to tell them that.
The little fragile flower, for goodness sake. Thinking of how Papa had introduced her to Nic reaffirmed her determination to get her message through to him now. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she was a grown woman who wanted to go—no, scrub that—who was going to Siena for the day—with a man who saw her for who she really was, who had a business proposition for her, and who had kissed her senseless. But she wasn’t mentioning any of those things to her father.
The phone rang for a long time, and Gia looked through the window as she waited for Papa to pick up. Nic leaned on the back wall, watching the hay being cut and rolled on the farm beside her land. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, and the sunlight gave a bluish glint to his black hair. Gia let the scene imprint on her memory and filed it away for a future landscape. When Nic left, she would paint him and have something to look at, even though the thought of him not being around left a hollow ache in her chest.
Already.
The phone kept ringing as she stared at Nic, drinking in her fill. Her father would be waiting for someone else to pick up, and then he would remember there was no one else there with him besides Mamma. Papa had his quirks and she loved him dearly, but it was time to stand up for herself. Way past time.
Finally his deep booming voice came over the phone. “Giannino’s.”
“Papa. It’s Gia.”
“Hello, bella figlia. Are you better? I have been very worried about you.”
“Yes, thank you. I’m ringing to tell you I won’t be there for lunch today.”
Silence. The calm before the stor
m.
“You are still sick. I am on my way.”
Gia rushed on before he could disconnect. “No, no, I am fine, but I must go to Siena. I have to pick up new eyeglasses.” A great explanation came to her. “I am sure that is why I had a headache last night.” Fingers crossed behind her back for the little white lie that sprang to her lips.
“How are you getting there?”
Irritation burned in Gia’s throat. She was twenty-five years old, for goodness sake. “With a friend.”
“A friend?”
Her courage ran out and she rushed on. “Must go, car’s outside. Love you, Papa. I’ll see you tonight.”
She hit disconnect before he could argue.
…
Ten minutes later, they were in Nic’s Morgan roadster and heading for Siena. He’d rolled the top of the car down, and Gia had tied a scarf that matched her sundress over her loose curls to hold them back.
“Your parents were okay with you canceling?”
She smiled across at him, and his heart did a slow heavy flip in his chest. She’d replaced those ugly black eyeglasses with sunglasses. She looked like a movie star. Very Audrey Hepburn. Fresh yet sophisticated, and he swallowed as he waited for her answer. Last night had rocked him. It had been so hard to leave her, and he’d had to pull back or they would have ended up in her bed. He’d thought she was shy, but her response to his kiss had sent the blood spinning through his body. When he woke up this morning, her beautiful face was the first thing to come into his mind. Was he doing the right thing by offering to help her out, or should he just bury himself away in his villa, focus on his own painting, and mind his business? No, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. She had fallen into his lap for a reason. Or almost beneath his car.
He sent a look skyward with a grin. Thanks, Mamma.
While he organized the exhibition, he would keep his distance and keep the relationship between them on a purely business level. Because he was sure she would take up his offer. It was an escape plan for her. Keep control. Sure, he could do that. He’d been doing it all his life.
Yeah, sure you can, his conscience chimed in. So what’s the first thing you did? Pick roses for her and kissed her the minute she looked at you.
She leaned back in the seat and laughed as the wind whipped her scarf off. She snatched it before it could fly away and turned to him. “I explained I wouldn’t be able to work tonight unless I went to Siena and picked up my new glasses. They were most understanding.”
Nic turned his attention back to the road. The last thing he’d expected when he’d headed for Tuscany was to meet someone like Gia. She fascinated him. She was so different from any of the other women he spent time with. For a brief moment, he considered telling her he who he was.
No, it was better that she didn’t know—although maybe she’d accept his help more readily if she knew he had more money than he’d ever need. He shook his head slightly as they approached the autostrada. If Gia knew he was a Baldini from Casa Marmo, that he’d lied to her about his identity… He very much regretted not telling her the truth from the start, but—and this was a testament to his own needs—he wanted her to accept his affection and assistance because of his own merits. Not because of the bank accounts behind his name. A talent such as hers could not be hidden away, and he would consolidate his position in the Florentine art world as the mentor who discovered her. The board position would be his for sure.
He’d worry about convincing her later. For the time being, he’d simply enjoy being in the company of a beautiful, complicated, and very talented woman.
…
It was a beautiful spring day in Siena. The weather was obliging. The sun was warm but not too hot, the breeze light. The fragrance of spring blossoms in the air followed Nic and Gia as they walked from the parking lot through the old town to Piazza del Campo. Nic had parked the car in the Stadio-Fortezza next to the Medicean fortress to avoid a fine in the limited traffic area of the city center.
Gia stopped in to her optometrista, whose rooms were conveniently located in an alley behind the piazza. She stepped out of the building and looked up and down the narrow cobbled street for Nic, clutching the bag containing her new stylish glasses. The streets were full of tourists dressed in colorful summer clothes, and Gia took a deep breath, happiness flooding through her as she enjoyed being a part of this day, away from her usual routine. Nic was nowhere in sight, so she waited outside the building until he appeared.
When he finally came around the corner, his mouth tilted in a wide smile. “Ready?” He took her arm and led her down an alley, through the edge of the town toward a green area in the middle of the city. “Come on, lunch is just down here.”
Even though they were in the center of the walled city, a long avenue lined with trees led down the hill to an orchard. Halfway down, the trees gave way to vegetable plots and orange trees. She laughed when a donkey stepped onto the pathway ahead of them and brayed with annoyance as he blocked their way.
“I didn’t know this was here. It’s gorgeous.” Gia paused while Nic shooed the donkey on with his free hand. His other hand was low on her back, and warm tingles were jolting along her nerve endings every time he increased the pressure of his hand.
“All’Orto de’ Pecci.” She read the sign ahead of them at the entrance to a large garden at the end of the avenue.
“A medieval garden with great food.” Nic slipped his arm around her waist, and they walked over to the outside tables, which were covered with a canopy of green leaves. Gia’s smile was fixed on her face. She couldn’t help it. “A great place to talk business.”
Life was good.
…
Nic had relaxed by the time they reached the outdoor table that he’d booked while Gia had been collecting her glasses. Her comment about talking business had sent a shaft of confidence shooting through him. Her lips were softly parted in a contented smile as she looked up at the grape leaves lining the steel pipes that supported the vine. He slid his hand over hers as they sat at the table and focused on her mouth as the tip of her tongue wet her lips.
“I ordered the lunch buffet that they serve to the table. I know you have to be back in time to work at the restaurant tonight, and I’d like us to discuss my offer… And if you accept, we have to make some plans.”
For the first time in his life, he had met a woman who interested him on more than a physical level. If he was looking for a partner, Gia would be the sort of woman he would spend time with, but he wouldn’t ever go down that path. Not after the train wreck his father’s life had become after he’d lost his wife. His father was blind to everything except Baldini Enterprises. Nothing mattered apart from the business. No friends. No social life. No time for his own sons. It was as though his life force had died with his wife.
“That’s fine.” Gia’s voice was soft, and Nic smoothed his thumb over the back of her hand. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him, this need to touch her skin, to feel her warmth, to smell the strawberry fragrance he now realized came from her hair. Her hair was a mass of wild black curls around her face, and his fingers tingled with the need to run his hands through the tangle. He closed his eyes, imagining her hair spread out on a snowy white pillow. He squirmed in his chair as his jeans suddenly tightened around his groin. Same as last night. He dropped the linen napkin onto his lap and cleared his throat. “Okay, so what have you decided?” Nic cursed himself. He’d meant to ease into the discussion, be gently persuasive and let her come to a positive decision with his subtle encouragement. The way he always did business. The way he’d brought so many export contracts to Baldini Enterprises. But the throbbing between his legs caused a short circuit in communication between his brain and his mouth.
“Yes.” Her voice was soft.
“Yes?” Nic couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yes to ‘let’s put on an exhibition of your work’?”
At least her reply got his attention and moved his thoughts from the bedroom.
“Are you really sure you want to help me with this?” Gia’s eyes were huge. She’d flipped the sunglasses back to hold her hair from her face.
“Do you think you could find thirty canvases? We need your first show to be representative, with enough of a range to get the buyers interested.”
“My first show?” The expression on her face was one of shock, and a surge of guilt ran through him. It was so hard to reconcile the unassuming woman in front of him with the artist who painted with such emotion.
Before he could answer, she rushed on and her words ran together.
“Nic, I want you to know something before we say any more. Okay?”
“Okay.” He nodded and waited, wondering what she was thinking.
“My feelings for you have nothing to do with my art. It is a lovely, shall we say, bonus. But if you were to decide not to help me, I’d still like you. Still be attracted to you. I need you to know that. “
Gia was honest, without artifice, and that fired Nic’s interest in her even more. Knowing she liked him, the real Nic, for what he was, without knowing anything about his wealth or his power, or what he could do for her, made his chest swell with a warmth that he was not used to.
Had it only been yesterday that he’d met her? It seemed as though he’d known her for months. Surely, one didn’t come to know a person in scant hours. Yet, he could anticipate her every quirk: the way she pushed her spectacles up, the way she wet her lips when she was unsure, and the wicked sense of humor that appeared in funny little comments when he was least expecting them.