by Pamela Aares
Alana tucked a strand of hair behind Sophie’s ear. “You have school. But I promise we’ll go sometime soon.”
“Adults have all the fun,” Sophie said with the honesty of a seven-year-old.
“Not all the fun,” Matt said, grinning at the two of them. “We’re really bad at texting.”
From her seat beside Cody, Zoe laughed at Sophie’s dramatic eye rolling.
“She’s the best little one, that girl,” Zoe said. “I never tire of her. Always full of surprises. If I have a daughter, I hope she’s as spirited as Sophie.”
“If you have a daughter, she’ll turn the world on its head,” Cody said.
Zoe frowned, and he regretted speaking his thought.
“I meant that she’ll be...” What had he meant? That any child of hers would probably have her mother’s captivating beauty and wild spirit, a spirit that had Zoe racing horses along the beach and playing polo against some of the finest players in the world? That if her daughter had any fraction of her mystery and allure, the men of the world would be defenseless? “She’ll be lovely,” he settled on saying.
Zoe smiled as two spots of color rose on her cheeks. He hadn’t meant to embarrass her with his awkward compliment. For a sophisticated woman, she seemed almost unaware of her own unique qualities.
“Why don’t you spend holidays with your family?” she asked softly.
Surrounded by the chorus of happy voices, he didn’t want to dampen the spirit of the party. But he didn’t want to tell a half-truth either.
“My family isn’t like yours.” He sifted through the images of the past weeks, rapidly charting the events, conversations and—feelings. He wasn’t used to having feelings, let alone facing up to them. “We might’ve been once, but, well... things happened.” Great, really descriptive. She deserved a better answer than that. “My dad’s an alcoholic,” he said baldly. There was just no other way to put it. “He bottomed out, became abusive.” The words flowed on, even though his brain hollered stop. “Whatever we had before busted apart so fast that the only sane move I could make was to get out of there. And stay out. Until recently. Very recently.”
Jackie nudged him and handed him a plate of turkey, not looking at him or interrupting her conversation with Alex. Cody was relieved that his confession hadn’t been overheard.
He turned to Zoe and balanced the platter in front of her. She didn’t reach for it, just held him in an unblinking gaze.
She touched her fingertips to his forearm. “I admire your honesty.” She lifted the fork and slid a slice of turkey onto her plate. “Families can be so very complicated, and so often we have no words for the struggles we face.”
She took the platter from his hands and passed it to her right. When she turned back, she flashed one of those smiles that competent hostesses used to segue out of difficult situations. He knew that smile, used it himself sometimes.
“Alex is right,” she told him. “You can always spend holidays with him. There’s plenty of room, and Trovare is meant for such celebrations.”
She didn’t say with us, Cody noticed, and the deliberate word choice struck him as odd.
Perhaps the Tavonesis weren’t as problem-free as they appeared. What family could be? So far what he’d seen would put them in the running to film a long version of a cheery Tiffany’s commercial—all they needed was snowflakes and confetti drifting down from above. And yet, they were all humans too. With all the baggage the condition entailed.
He’d found that he liked their family banter, their energy and their obvious love for one another, even if everything wasn’t perfect. Maybe especially if everything wasn’t perfect. Being around them was like sipping in a lifesaving nectar that made him want more. And, in spite of his long-held reserve, the emotions he’d started to experience gave him hope for the future of his own family. How fast he’d shifted from desiring a focused, controlled life to craving undefined possibilities. He didn’t believe in miracles, but as he savored the touch of Zoe’s fingers on his arm, he found himself wishing that his destiny might include more time with her.
“Honesty is the only compass I choose to follow,” he said, struggling with the unfamiliar yearning dawning in him.
The little muscles around her eyes contracted. He knew her well enough to recognize that she didn’t understand him.
“Honesty is what guides me, keeps me on track.” He covered her hand with his. How could such a simple move seem like a bold gesture? But it did. Especially when her hand didn’t relax under his touch. “Actually, I’m just not savvy enough for all the complications of lying. Keeping all the false threads straight, it’s just not my way.”
She lowered her eyes and drew her hand away. “I understand.”
He was still pondering her reaction when a woman Cody didn’t know entered the room, spotted Zoe, and walked briskly to her. She bent and whispered in Zoe’s ear, and Zoe’s eyes went wide.
“Please tell him I’m going right over,” he heard Zoe say in hushed tones. “Tell him not to worry about anything. And that I’ll feed them first thing in the morning too.”
She rose from her chair. Then sat back down and turned to Cody.
“Alastair’s in the hospital,” she said quietly. “You remember him? The emergency people took him two hours ago. He’s worried about his horses; they haven’t been fed.”
“I’m coming with you,” Cody said, standing.
“You don’t have to, the party...” She waved an arm. “You’ll miss dessert.”
“I’m going,” he repeated, offering his hand. “Where’s your wrap?”
“In the foyer. I’ll just tell Alex.”
“Alastair has no family, no one,” Zoe said as Cody slipped into the driver’s seat of her car. She was glad he’d offered to drive the winding road in the dark night. The news had shaken her more than she’d let on. “Just this afternoon I tried to convince him to come with me tonight, to have dinner with all of us. But he refused.”
“Maybe trying to remain independent is a way old people protect themselves,” Cody said in a calm tone.
“Maybe it’s time he accepted a little more help from neighbors.”
She punched in the number for the hospital and waited while the operator connected her to the emergency room. Her heart beat fast. How had Alastair found his way into her heart in such a short time? Maybe it was his connection to her mother. No, her feelings went deeper than that connection. He was like the grandfather she’d never known—quirky, kind and wise. He had asked her for help, but on small things like choosing a paint color for a bedroom in the house he’d built for his son. But he wouldn’t let her help in the stables. Or do anything more than occasionally brush out the horses. He might be stubborn, but she’d come to treasure the occasional afternoons she’d spent at his place. She’d brought him some home-baked goodies and a selection of teas, and had more than once caught him drinking a cup. But he’d refused all further invitations to join the family for meals. Maybe the luncheon he’d attended had been more off-putting than she’d known.
“I told them you didn’t need to call here,” Alastair said in a weak voice that made her feel even worse. “But thanks for feeding my horses. I hope I didn’t disrupt anything.”
“I’m coming over there right after I finish in your barn,” she said firmly.
“You are not. Absolutely not. A man has his pride, girl. Just don’t give them any extra. You’re a soft touch, and they’ll know it immediately. Sugar has your number, and Jericho probably does too.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. He was in the emergency room and worrying about her overfeeding his horses.
“I’ll be mindful of their diet,” she said. “But who’s minding you?”
“There are so many blasted people in this room poking and prodding me, I don’t need any more. I just had one of my episodes, that’s all. Happens once in a while. Damn gardener came over to drop off a pumpkin pie and found me and called the ambulance. I don’t even like pumpkin pie.
But I do appreciate him calling you. Just feed my guys and gal, you hear? I don’t need any drama.”
“I’ll feed them in the morning as well. And then I’m coming over to the hospital.”
She heard voices in the background.
“The doc’s here. I told him I’m not staying in his fancy prison. Hospitals are dangerous.”
“If he says you can go home tomorrow, I’ll be over to pick you up.”
“I can take a taxi,” Alastair protested. “Save your gas money. I have to go now. I should charge them a fee for all the blood they’ve taken out of me. It’s good, strong blood.”
She wanted to laugh but couldn’t.
Before she could reply, he added, “Thank you, Zoe.”
Then the line clicked off.
“How is he?” Cody asked as they rounded a curve
“I can’t tell. He doesn’t want me coming over. I suppose I should respect his wishes, but I don’t want to.”
“Want me to drive you to the hospital?”
“No. He said something about his pride and not wanting me there.”
“If he’s worried about his pride, he’s probably going to be just fine,” Cody said.
“He’s ninety-one, if not older,” she said quietly.
“We should all be so lucky to be in his shape when we hit ninety.”
“Turn in here.” She pointed to the narrow drive leading up to Alastair’s.
“This is a lot of land for one man to handle,” Cody said as they wound up the long drive. “Especially an older man.”
“He’s the most”—she struggled for the word in English—“stubborn man I’ve ever met. Next to my father, that is.”
Cody pulled up in front of the barn. She leaped out of the car and shivered against the blast of brisk night air.
“Take my jacket.” Cody wrapped it around her shoulders, not allowing her to protest.
“You’ll be cold,” she said as she thrust her arms into the sleeves. His scent rose from the soft wool, and she felt wrapped in a cocoon of safety and support. And desire. She shook her head. How could she even be thinking such a thing at a time like this?
With Cody’s help, she fed Domino, Tempter and Jericho. True to form, Sugar nudged her and begged for treats.
“You are so very spoiled,” Zoe said, rubbing the mare’s neck. She lifted her gaze to Cody’s. “I imagine Alastair spoiled his wife just as much.”
“I know I’ve said this before, but you really are amazing with animals, Zoe. Why don’t you follow through on such a passion?”
She shut the stall door, ignoring Sugar’s last nudge for a treat. But she couldn’t dismiss the zing that rippled in her at hearing Cody say the word passion. She wondered if he had any idea the effect he had on her.
“I promised to help my father launch this new family wine business.”
“But Adrian is helping him.”
“The vineyard is intended to be a family affair, my father’s pet project and his way of keeping us all involved. At least those of us who don’t have established outside interests.”
“But that’s not right. You and Adrian taking on a project you have no interest in just because the others have decided on their life courses and you haven’t? Why would your fa—”
“No, stop. I can’t let you think it’s all Papa’s fault.” She didn’t want him to think badly of her father, but no matter what she said, she’d be sharing an intimate part of her father’s world. Sharing personal information with those outside the family was frowned upon. Still, Cody should know something...
“I... I cared for my mother when she got sick. I don’t think I told you that. I was there and I couldn’t let strangers do for her what I could do.”
Cody wrapped her hands in his. She squeezed back when he squeezed her fingers, relaxing at that signal of his understanding.
“I would have turned to my own pursuits after Mama died, but my father...” She focused on Cody’s hands. “My father seemed to go a little, a little pazzo. We all did.
“I’m ready to move on, but Papa, he hasn’t reached that stage yet. And so I need to be here with him. Does that make sense?”
He nodded, but she could see his mind working. She let out a nervous laugh. “It’s ironic, isn’t it, that I think I’m saving him and he thinks he’s saving me? We’re probably both deluded.”
Cody nailed her with the observant, assessing look that she’d seen on his face many times. Having his focus trained on her made her uncomfortable. Not being totally honest with him about her own plans made her miserable. But until she was ready to hop on a plane and see them to fruition, it was best to keep the gallery and her imminent return to Rome to herself. If Cody said anything to Alex or Kaz, even innocently, her whole family, including her father, would find out.
“I think you should stop seeing to family this and that and see to your own dreams, Zoe. The universe doesn’t play tricks. It’s not a mistake that you love the things you do.”
Bliss poured through her as he twined his fingers with hers. His words registered, and she began to consider that the universe had secrets she was only beginning to understand. His gentle words were the greatest of aphrodisiacs. She felt that he truly knew her and what moved her. She felt understood. No, seen, held in that special regard she’d only ever experienced in rare moments with her brothers and sisters. But as his fingers stroked hers, the passion fueling her bliss went way beyond familial.
With a fluid movement, he pulled her against his big body and murmured against her ear, “What do you want?”
What did she want? In that moment, she knew very clearly. She was tired of fighting the attraction, fighting the man who had lit up her life. She might have him only for a brief time, but she was going to have him.
Chapter Seventeen
Zoe pressed away from him, biting her bottom lip.
Cody shouldn’t have been so forward. Not at a time like this, when worry for her friend likely tumbled her emotions. But damn if he didn’t ache to make love to her, to comfort her, to show her pleasure that could erase her worries, if only for a night.
She pinned him with a look and squeezed his hand. At least she hadn’t broken the contact between them.
“Drive me home,” she said as she led him to the door of the barn and then reached out to switch off the light. “And I’ll show you what I want.”
Zoe was silent as he navigated the drive up to her house. Curiosity flooded his thoughts, along with the throbbing hope that her tone had meant what he thought it did. But there was no telling. He didn’t trust his read of anything right then, not when all he wanted was to press her naked body to his and do all the things he’d fantasized about.
When they reached the house, Cody followed Zoe to the back door and watched as she punched a code into the alarm pad.
“This is overkill on my father’s part, but he’s always loved electronic gadgets. It took me a week to memorize all the silly codes.”
He noted the high-res surveillance camera overhead and the fact that the windows next to the door were wired. The system protecting her house was far from what anyone could call a gadget. Something worried Santino Tavonesi, and Cody had a sense of just what that something might be. But he remembered his dad’s caution reminding him that none of the rumors had been substantiated. The questions forming in Cody’s mind should wait for another day.
Zoe put a finger to her lips. “Shhh... secret passage.” She giggled as she took his hand and led him up a dark staircase just inside the door.
She’d had a bit to drink during dinner, but he was sure she wasn’t intoxicated. He knew those signs only too well. Maybe the tinge of nervousness in her voice came from the same anticipation that had his guts turning somersaults.
“My apartment is at the very end.” She pointed.
They passed down a long hallway. A light flashed on and he froze in place.
“Just a motion light,” she said. “There’s likely no one here to surprise us. The rest of
the family is having dinner at a new restaurant in Napa, and Placido and Leonora have the night off.”
She pressed another code into a panel beside a door at the end of the hall. He stepped in behind her, and she clicked the door shut. With a wave of her hand, the lights came on, bathing the room in a soft radiance.
Her lips tipped up in a sultry smile. “You asked what I want?” She rose up on tiptoe, reached a hand to the back of his head and drew it down, touching her lips to his. “I want you.”
All his mental analysis of the house and his inner chatter dropped away as he parted her lips with his tongue. Her sweet warmth was the taste he remembered and tried not to crave. He wrapped his arms around her, cupping her firm backside and pulling her up against him. His tongue tangled with hers, teasing, tasting. She nipped at his bottom lip. He opened his eyes and saw the challenge flash in hers.
He broke off their kiss. “Well, then, that’s a good thing. Because I sure as hell want you.” He lifted her into his arms. It was all he could do not to have her right there on the plush carpet of her hallway, but he spied a bed in an adjacent room. He had plans, and he’d had many a long night to imagine the slow pleasure he wanted to bring her. The massive bed would do just fine for what he had in mind.
At the edge of the bed, he slid her out of his arms and set her on her feet.
“I’ll have my jacket back now,” he said, not bothering to hide the rumble of want flaring in his voice.
Hooking his thumbs in the collar, he peeled his jacket down her arms and ran kisses along the ivory skin of her throat. Heat rose from her skin, filling his senses with the scent of some spicy fragrance. He let the jacket drop to the floor and he stepped back, admiring her. The already hard tips of her nipples showed under the thin silver fabric of her dress. A flush of color crept into her face as he lifted his hand and ran his thumb across first one, then the other. As her nipples pebbled under his touch, he gave thanks that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
She drew in a shaky breath as she put a hand to his chest. She pressed her palm against his heart, balancing as she kicked off her heeled sandals. The heat of her hand blazed a brand through the starched cotton of his dress shirt.