Page 10 of The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession)

He kept watching her with those intense gold eyes, the corners of his lips turned up.

She tugged on her collar to move a little air under her shirt, careful not to expose any additional skin. “Hot in here, isn’t it?”

His eyes warmed, flashing gold for an unnerving second. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the waiter arrived with their meals. After they dismissed him, she spooned a forkful of pasta into her mouth and promptly rolled her eyes heavenward.

“Oh, good God,” she whispered, almost reverently.

“Yes,” Gio said, hissing aloud after taking a bite.

Giggling, she took another sip of wine before digging in with relish. Across from her, gold eyes watched her approvingly, which was nice. Richard would have been hiding a disapproving frown if she ordered such a rich meal in his presence. Her ex was tall and naturally whip-thin. The fact he ate like an anorexic rabbit only added insult to injury. It was refreshing to eat dinner with a man who enjoyed food for a change.

Gio launched into a history of Florence, detailing the local attractions she couldn’t miss.

“I feel like I should be writing this down,” she said, her head whirling with the list of sights she had to make time for.

He leaned forward. “How much time do you have?”

“A little over two weeks.”

“And that’s for the whole country?”

“Minus Milan. I’ve done Milan,” she informed him.

“Lucky Milan,” he murmured softly, and her cheeks flamed.

She threw her napkin at him. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Grinning, he waved the waiter over for the check. He ushered her out of the restaurant with a hand on the small of her back. The heat of his touch became the only thing she could feel, and she was glad the streets were darker now so the blush on her cheeks wouldn’t be as apparent.

TheCarabe Gelateriahad a line out the door. After waiting their turn, they walked along the bustling streets eating their gelato.

“All the flavors you could have chosen, and you went with chocolate and vanilla,” he teased as she spooned more of her dessert into her mouth.

She shrugged. “I’m a dessert purist. But I do plan on going back there and trying those different flavors of granite tomorrow,” she said, referring to the slushy-style drink that was popular in hot weather.

Gio glanced at her from under long black lashes. “Speaking of tomorrow, why don’t you let me take you around town? I can show you Firenze from a local’s perspective.”

Sophia frowned. “Don’t you need to work? Or can you do your act here?”

“No. I would have to ask for permission. Every town has its own rules. But I could use the time off. Even performers need a vacation,” he said, looking down at his feet. “I need to meet my aunt, which I can do over breakfast, and then I’m all yours. If you want company, that is.”

It sounded like a huge mistake. She was too attracted to him. Spending more time with him could be dangerous. And she always played it safe. It was one of Kelly’s biggest criticisms about her.

Aren’t you tired of safe?

Accepting his offer as tour guide didn’t mean she had to sleep with him. She was a grown woman with a considerable amount of discipline. It would have been impossible to reach the level of her career was at without it.

“I can show you where to find the bestzepoli,” Gio said enticingly.

She laughed. “All right. Meet me outside of my hotel after your breakfast with your aunt.”

Those gold eyes gleamed in the night. “I’ll be there at ten.”

Chapter 4

Gio’s body was alternating between flashing hot and cold as he made his way to the penthouse suite he kept in Firenze. Why didn’t he tell her the truth? What the hell was wrong with him?

He’d kept going over it in his head—the perfect words to explain. But he chickened out each time. He let her keep thinking he was this other Gio, the street performer. It had felt so good to be out from under the cloud of suspicion following him that he hadn’t been able to go through with his confession.

---