“More than you can imagine.” She had happily spent the last twenty minutes zipping from Barefoot Beach to Mr. Woods’s retirement community in Bonita Beach with her arms wrapped around Alex’s rock solid abs and her breasts pressed against his muscular back. To say it was exhilarating was an understatement.
She unstrapped her helmet and shook out her hair, finger combing her long waves before she got off the bike. Handing him the helmet, she gave him a high five and he laughed.
Alex held her hand as they walked from the parking lot to the sidewalk leading to Mr. Woods’s condo on the first floor of a three-level building on a lake.
“Mr. Woods said to come right in. He left the front door unlocked because he’ll be on the back porch setting up tea.” She chuckled. “His version of tea is a combination of half bourbon and half tea.”
Alex’s mouth kicked up at one corner. “I like him already. How old is he?”
“He just turned eighty-two, and he’s in pretty good shape. He has tons of dance trophies he’s very proud of. When he retired, he cruised the world with his wife and was awarded prizes in dance competitions.”
“How did you meet him?”
“Through my grandmother. After my grandpa died, she began to go to her community club for weekend dances. She met Mr. Woods there and they became good friends. He was her dancing partner until she passed.”
Alex smiled. “That generation was big on dancing, wasn’t it? My grandparents are gone on both sides, but I remember they used to love to dance.”
They reached Mr. Woods’s front door and Georgiana knocked to let him know they’d arrived. When he didn’t answer, she opened the door and gasped when she saw smoke coming from the kitchen. “Mr. Woods?” she called out, rushing toward the kitchen. “Where are you?”
Alex bolted into the house and shouted, “He’s out in the patio.” From the corner of her eye she watched him scoop Mr. Woods up from his recliner and carry him out, cradling him carefully against his chest as if he weighed no more than a babe.
In the kitchen, she ignored Alex’s shouts for her to get out. She knew exactly where the fire extinguisher was because she’d placed it in the kitchen cabinet herself. She quickly doused the flaming dishtowel, and then dashed outside to join Alex, who was holding a loudly complaining Mr. Woods in his arms.
Alex’s dark eyes blazed as he scowled at her. “What is wrong with you? I told you not to go in there. The stove could have exploded!”
Georgiana swallowed hard. She understood why he was angry, but she had done the right thing. “It was only a tiny fire,” she said patiently. “I put it out right away with the fire extinguisher I bought with Mr. Woods a year ago.” She lifted her chin and stared back at him.
Stern displeasure emanated in waves from his rigid body as he towered above her. “You could have gotten killed in there. Of all the lame-brained, crazy-assed things to—”
“Will you two stop fighting?” Mr. Woods’s jowls shook with high indignation. “For God’s sake, put me down. I’m a grown man, not a baby to be carried around like this!” His pale blue eyes narrowed to severe slits as he poked Alex’s inflexible chest.
Alex visibly strove to harness his ire as he turned his attention to Mr. Woods. “I’m sorry, sir, I needed to get you out of the smoke quickly. Will you be okay if I set you down?”
“Of course I will. I’m old, but I’m not a relic!” he said with a loud harrumph. “Do it now.”
Alex nodded and set him down carefully. “Hold my arm and get your balance before letting go,” he said firmly. “I don’t want you to topple over.”
“I won’t,” Mr. Woods said, affronted. Surprisingly though, he paid heed and didn’t let go until he was steady on his feet. Eyeing Alex suspiciously, he ran a freckled hand through his thinning white hair. “Are you with the fire rescue? Where’s your truck?” he demanded.
Georgiana touched Mr. Woods’s arm gently. “Mr. Woods, this is Alex. Remember I told you I’d be coming with him?”
“I’m not a firefighter, I’m a physician,” Alex said to him kindly.
“I don’t need a doctor,” Mr. Woods groused. “What I need is a piece of this little gal’s chocolate cake.” When he mentioned the cake his whole face brightened with eagerness.
“Then you’re in luck because I have it right here,” Georgiana said, motioning to the tote on her arm. She hadn’t even noticed it was on her shoulder when she put out the fire, her adrenaline had been so supercharged.
“It’ll have to wait until the smoke clears. I’ll open the windows and let you know when you can go in and enjoy the cake,” Alex said before striding away.
When he was out of earshot, Mr. Woods turned to her with probing eyes. “I thought your boyfriend’s name was Bill.”
“It is. Was,” she corrected. “What I mean is Bill was my boyfriend, but I broke up with him yesterday.”
“On Christmas Eve? Too bad, honey.” He scratched his head. “How is Alex in the picture now? Is he an old boyfriend?”
“No.” There was no need to get into details and confuse Mr. Woods, so Georgiana tried to condense the last twenty-four hours as best as she could. Smiling, she simply said, “Yesterday, Bertha stalled out in front of Alex’s beach house and he was kind enough to have her towed to a garage. When I told him I wanted to come see you today, he offered to bring me.”
“That was nice of him.” Mr. Woods beamed at her. “Sounds like he might be a good match for my special girl,” he said, patting her knee fondly. “When are you flying home?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Mr. Woods nodded. “That’s good. My daughter and her family are flying in tomorrow.”
“That’s great!” Georgiana hopped up when she saw Piper’s red convertible pull into a guest parking spot beside the Vespa. “Hey, look who’s here. It’s Piper,” Georgiana said, delighted to see her. “I’ll be right back, Mr. Woods. Please don’t go back into the house until Alex says it’s safe to go in.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I can have my chocolate cake,” he said.
Georgiana ran towards the car, anxious to get to Piper before Alex came out. When Piper got out of the car, Georgiana hugged her. “Merry Christmas. You look so festive! I love your dress and your holiday jewelry is amazing.”
Piper looked like a bohemian gypsy in a multi-colored silk mini shift and gladiator sandals that laced up her tanned calves. She wore a lapis lazuli and gold necklace around her neck, dangling jade and gold earrings, and several jade and lapis lazuli encrusted gold bangles. Her glossy dark hair was pulled back in a sleek bun at the nape of her neck.
Rather than making Piper look severe, the hairstyle threw her piquant features to the forefront. She wasn’t traditionally pretty, but rather striking, and her best feature was her dark-lashed turquoise eyes that sparkled like the jewels she worked with.
“Thanks.” She grinned. “I might look like a Christmas tree, but I don’t care. It makes me happy to wear my creations.”
“You don’t look like a Christmas tree,” Georgiana said with a dismissive snort. “Your jewelry is gorgeous on you.”
“Thanks, it was my Christmas present to myself because my holiday collection sold out. I made enough to pay for next year’s rent,” she said happily.
“Way to go, Pippi Longstocking! I’m so glad you’re here. I had no idea you were coming over too,” Georgiana said.
Piper raised a brow. “You would have known if you had called me back, Georgie,” she said pointedly. “Honestly, it’s not like you to disappear like that.” She shook her head in exasperation. “First you break up with Bill, then you meet the kind doctor and spend the night at his house, but you neglect to check in with your best friend when you know I’ve been worried about you.”
“I know. It’s crazy and I’m sorry I disappeared on you, but I was distracted,” Georgiana said with an apologetic smile. She pointed to the cookie tin in Piper’s hands. “Are those the cookies you baked with Beth and her kids?”
Georgiana chuckled. “Brilliant minds think alike.”
Piper looked Georgiana up and down with an appraising eye. “You look dazzling, Georgie Porgie. That shade of fuchsia suits you. Makes your blue eyes pop and your skin look all rosy. Why, you’re even glowing,” she said with a sly smile. “Care to tell me why?”
“I’m probably still flushed from riding on Alex’s Vespa,” Georgiana said, waiting for Piper’s reaction.
“Shut up. Is that his Vespa?” At Georgiana’s nod, Piper whistled low in her throat. “The Vespa is hot, but Dr. Tall, Dark and Wicked is even hotter. I saw his picture, Georgie, and all I can say is I’d be glowing too if he’d rescued me,” she drawled.
“Shh, lower your voice,” Georgiana hissed, looking over her shoulder. “Alex is in the house. When we got here, we had to put out a mini fire because Mr. Woods had fallen asleep while the teakettle was on the gas stove and a kitchen towel caught fire.”
Piper’s eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. “Oh no! Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s fine. He’s resting over there,” Georgiana said, pointing to where Mr. Woods sat on the bench. “The only thing wounded is his male pride because Alex carried him out of the house, and now he feels emasculated.”
“Aw, you can’t blame him. Poor guy.” Piper waved at Mr. Woods from afar and blew him a kiss. “Mr. Woods, I’ll be with you in a sec. I just need to talk shop with Georgie for a bit.” When she turned back to Georgiana, Piper grabbed hold of her arm. “I only have a few seconds to tell you what I found out about Dr. Cortes when I Googled him.”
“Why did you Google him?”
“Duh, because I was very worried when you didn’t call me back! All I can say is you sure have a knack for attracting millionaires.” She paused and inhaled dramatically. “Though in this case I should say billionaires,” she whispered, her hand squeezing Georgiana’s arm.
Georgiana’s brows snapped together. “What on earth are you babbling about, Piper? Ouch, do you have to use a death grip on me?” she asked, wrenching out of her hold.
“Be quiet and listen,” Piper hissed. “Alex Cortes is the billionaire son of the late celebrity couple, Dr. Rafael Cortes and his wife, Monica. He inherited gazillions after they died.”
“Billionaire,” Georgiana repeated tonelessly. “I didn’t know that.” Butterflies swarmed her stomach as she wondered what else Piper would reveal.
“Why do you look so spooked?” Piper demanded. “They were the celebrity couple who died in a plane crash several years ago. Remember?”
Georgiana shook her head to buy time as she tried to process what Piper was saying.
“He was the really handsome obstetrician and fertility expert who helped Cassandra Hadley have a baby at forty-four. Georgie, don’t look at me that way.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Surely you remember Cassandra. She was on the “Housewives of Bel Air”, the reality TV show, and had a very public breakdown when her only son died in a ski accident.”
“I vaguely remember it. Get to the point, Piper,” Georgiana urged, with an eye toward Mr. Woods’s front door in case Alex walked out.
“There was a huge scandal involving Alex’s mother, who was a beautiful and glamorous anesthesiologist. Anyways, she cheated on her husband, Alex’s father, with her writing partner. The tabloids made mincemeat out of her reputation, and then just before they were about to divorce, Alex’s parents got back together. I remember watching it on the news because it was on Christmas Eve that their private plane went down in Naples.”
“How awful,” was all Georgiana managed to say. Somehow it didn’t feel right to gossip with Piper about Alex’s parents, especially since the incident still haunted him, and he had trusted her with his feelings earlier.
“Yeah, pretty awful,” Piper agreed. “Alex must have some major trust issues because of it.”
Dawning misery descended on Georgiana as she stared at Piper, distressed. “Something else is even more awful, Piper,” she said after a moment.
Piper blinked rapidly. “What it is? You look so worried, it’s scaring me, Georgie.”
“How is Alex ever going to trust a woman if his own mother cheated on his father? The father he adored and hero-worshipped?” she said morosely.
Georgiana had been so shocked when Alex had revealed the details, she hadn’t thought things through. Now it made sense. No wonder he didn’t believe in marriage and family life. His parents’ ideal marriage had crumbled like a house of cards before his eyes.
“Maybe that’s why he’s a die-hard bachelor?” Piper mumbled, fidgeting with her bangles. With a frustrated sigh, she laid a light hand on Georgiana’s arm. “I’m sorry I told you. It’s such a downer, but I had to—for your sake. You’re too trusting, Georgie, and I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
Georgiana sighed. “It’s okay. I understand why you did it. But everything you told me doesn’t change the fact that I think Alex is simply…” She searched for the right word. “Awesome,” she said finally. “He is everything I’ve been looking for in a man but never found—until now.”
Forehead creased, Piper stared at her with incredulous eyes. “You found this out in just two days?”
“Two amazing days,” Georgiana breathed. “If you’d told me last week that I would fall head over heels for someone in two days, I would have laughed at you, but there it is.” She made a cross over her heart and held her right hand up. “Truth.”
“Well look at that. Dr. Awesome is coming our way, chickie.”
Georgiana whirled around and her heart skipped a beat as Alex strode toward them, smiling. “Oh good, he’s not mad anymore. He was ready to throttle me when I ran in the kitchen and put out the fire with the extinguisher.”
“That was dangerous, but I would have done the same. I’m glad it turned out okay.” As Alex got closer, Piper grinned impishly. “Dayam, he is hawt. No wonder you’ve been incommunicado,” she mumbled from the corner of her mouth.
Introductions were made and they all waited outside because Alex wouldn’t allow them to go into the house yet.
“It’s still too smoky,” he said, reinforcing his case.
With a sigh of resignation, Mr. Woods helped himself to Piper’s beautifully decorated Christmas cookies while they waited. “Piper, these are delicious,” he said, biting into a bell-shaped sugar cookie covered in fondant and decorated with tiny silver dots. “They remind me of the ones my Sarah used to make every year,” he said, his blue eyes clouding sentimentally.
Alex’s smart phone rang and he answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hey Alex, it’s Marisol. Abuelita Coqui wants to know when her favorite grandson is coming by to see her,” she said, her lilting voice laced with humor.
“I always suspected I was her favorite, and not Marcos. Although I am her adopted grandson,” Alex said, playing along. “I’m not sure I can make it to the party. I’m with a few friends and can’t leave them. It’s a bit complicated,” he added, not wanting to elaborate.
“Do you think they’d like to come over? We have plenty of food and music, and everyone’s in a party mood. Everyone except for your goddaughter who’s cranky and missing the baby whisperer,” Marisol teased.
Alex chuckled. “I see my reputation precedes me.” He could hear Marisol talking to Abuelita Coqui in rapid fire Spanish in the background, and then Abuelita Coqui got on the line.
“Alejandro, what’s this I hear that you’re not coming to see me? After all the empanadas I made for you?” she said guilt-shaming him in a droll tone.
“Of course I want to see you, viejita linda,” he said, calling her a lovely old lady, “but I’m resolving something for a few friends, and I don’t know how long it will take.”
“Invite them to the party. Like Marisol said, there’s plenty of food and we want to see you.” She sounded so
eager; Alex knew he had to make it to the party one way or the other.
“Just a minute. I’ll ask if they want to come.” The second Alex mentioned a party, Mr. Woods said, “How soon can we go?”
Piper said, “I’m game.”
And Georgiana said, “Let’s go!”
“It looks like you’ll have four more guests, Abuelita,” Alex said.
“Good. Don’t forget to save a tango for me,” she said, her voice warm with a smile.
“I’ll do better than that. I’m bringing you a partner who has won trophies for his dancing.”
“Oh?” She sounded delighted. “How old is he?”
“Just the right age,” Alex said, smiling at Mr. Woods.
“What are you waiting for?” Abuelita Coqui said. “Come now.”
Alex hung up and wondered what he’d gotten himself into. By agreeing to bring everyone over he was opening himself up to personal questions. But seeing the anticipation on the trio’s faces before him, he didn’t have the heart to dampen it.
Georgiana rose from the bench. “Piper, if you’ll take Mr. Woods and follow us, I’ll go with Alex on his Vespa,” she said.
Mr. Woods ran a weathered hand along the Vespa’s side when they reached it. “I had one of these when I was younger. A red, spiffy one,” he said, eyeing it longingly. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Mr. Woods’s words hit Alex in the gut. Nothing was permanent and before you knew it, life could change with one single, tragic event.
Enjoy it while it lasts. The words mocked Alex as he drove to Marcos’s house with the pleasurable feel of Georgiana’s soft breasts pressed against his back and her trusting arms snugly wrapped around his midsection.
Chapter 11
The moment Georgiana entered Marcos and Gabriela’s Mediterranean style, spacious home in old Naples, she felt surrounded by warmth and friendliness.
A petite blonde bouncing with energy greeted them at the door. She had blond tousled hair, sparkling amber eyes that tilted up at the corners, and a smile that spelled mischief. Her face reminded Georgiana of an impish Disney princess.
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