Page 34 of The Roman's Woman (A Singular Obsession)

“My wife Elynn and I.”

Moving from the protection of the counter, she joined him in the living room. “Does that mean you’re one of the friends that Gio’s ex…”

She trailed off with a gesture.

Alex wrinkled his nose. “I was. Me and our other friend, Calen. It was…bad. Horrible woman. Which is why I am so glad to meet you.” he gushed. “Gio hasn’t been serious about anyone in a long while.”

His enthusiasm was genuine, and she was a little flustered. Alex was a forceful personality. Sophia could feel herself being carried along by it—instant relationship, just add water. The sensation was a little overwhelming, but not entirely unpleasant.

“So, I guess he tells you everything…”

Had Gio actually said he was serious about her, or was Alex inferring it?

Alex put his hands in his pockets with a little shrug and smiled. “Like I said, we’re close. By the way, my wife is dying to meet you too. We’re hoping the two of you can come to dinner soon. Calen and his wife are going to come out for a visit next week and, if you come, I’m pretty sure I can convince Sergei and his wife Eva to fly in as well.” He leaned in. “They’re dying to check you out, too.”

Her smile was awkward. “Oh, that’s great,” she said weakly.

Who were Sergei and Eva?

Gio hurried out of the hallway at speed. He almost skidded to a stop before Alex, moving to hug him with one of those hearty pats on the back masculine men tended to give each other. They spoke in what sounded like Greek before Gio walked to the bar and poured a glass of something brown and terribly expensive. Then he poured Sophia a glass of her favorite Madeira with a wink.

Sipping it, she watched the two men interact. So this was Gio’s version of Kelly. Alex seemed like a nice man. She hadn’t been expecting somebody so GQ, but perhaps that was because in the back of her mind she still thought of Gio as a man of limited means.

Which was a bit stupid of her. Looking at him now, she wondered how she could have ever believed he was uneducated or poor. Both of the men in front of her screamed money. Their wealth and breeding were obvious in the clean lines of their suits and strong masculine features.

With a little grimace, she glanced down at her utilitarian sheath dress, one of a dozen in her wardrobe.

She might need to do a little shopping. It wouldn’t kill her to buy a few outfits that fit a little better. The idea had made her uncomfortable for years. But it was doubtful anyone in the lab would call her a slut if the outline of her breasts were visible for a change. She was a fully grown woman with a high-level research job. The days of falling victim to a few cruel taunts were behind her.You hope…

Stop that.Besides, Gio loved her curves.

You can do the sexy librarian look.She could probably pull that off…and Gio would go nuts. He’d already asked her to wear her reading glasses for him when they made out last night, so it was a pretty safe bet he was a fan.

As the men caught up, she only replied when spoken to. She was silently planning the marathon shopping trip that would be required to overhaul her wardrobe. Gio seemed thrilled to hear that his other friends were coming to town.

She loved the boyish eagerness he displayed as the pair regaled her with stories from their old University days.

Don’t go there. It was way too soon to be using the word love in any context.

Alex left soon shortly after, but not before making her promise to attend dinner. Gio closed the door behind him and gave her a commiserating smile.

“I apologize for that,” he said. “Alex owns this place, and several others, all over town. He and Elynn used to stay here, but now that the baby is walking they commute from their country estate.”

She collapsed back onto the sofa, a little dizzy. “A country estate? How very Jane Austen.”

Exactly how rich were these people? A penthouse was a big apartment, but a whole estate? Did Gio have one of those?Probably several. B is for billionaire.

Oh Jesus, her head was starting to spin.

Gio sat next to her. “It’s just a house,” he said softly, reading her mind.

“Yeah…I get that. But it’s an adjustment, knowing you have obscene amounts of money.”

She’d been worried about the opposite—how he would fit in with her friends. Now she was concerned about how she would fit in with his.

Gio laughed. “It’s not obscene amounts. And most of it is not mine. The money belongs to my family. I’m simply this generation’s caretaker of it.”

Yeah, that did not make her feel better.

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