Page 8 of Empire of Temptation

“Ah. That is a beautiful name.”

“I’ve always hated it. Sounds too much like ‘valentine.’”

His eyebrows pulled low, like he was confused. “It is from the Roman name Valentinus, which derives from the Latin wordvalens. It means ‘healthy’ or ‘strong.’ This is an honorable name in Italia.”

Oh, boy. Sexyandsmart? My body was about to go up inflames so I forced myself to let go of his hand. Still, his touch lingered on my skin.

I shoved aside the unwelcome attraction and accepted another full glass of wine from him. I made sure not to let our fingers touch this time. “So, what do you want to know?”

“Why are you here instead of attending school?”

Leaning against the stainless steel counter, I cradled my glass in my hand. “My mother ran this place after my grandfather died. But when she died three years ago, I took over.”

“I am sorry to hear this. But is there no one else? A cousin or an uncle?”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “A man, you mean?”

“An adult, I mean.”

“I am an adult.”

He sipped his wine and stared at me over the rim. “Barely. Regardless, you need a firmer hand with your staff. You let them speak to you as if you’re a friend, not the boss.”

“Maybe. But it’s been hard to keep people around. I can’t afford to—” I bit my lip, stemming my thoughts. “I was going to say I can’t afford to lose anyone else. But in one night I’ve lost almost everyone.”

“This can be good, no? A fresh start.”

A bitter, loud laugh escaped my mouth. “Sure. Because it’s so easy to hire people here.” And I was running out of money. The restaurant had been operating in the red for the last eight months, using up the remainder of my mother’s life insurance payout. I didn’t know how much longer I could stay afloat.

“If the food and wages are good, people will come.”

He was talking in circles and I really wasn’t in the mood for?—

My stomach chose that precise moment to make a hideously loud noise. Mortified, I froze and prayed the floor would swallow me whole. Then I put my hand on my belly, like I could stem whatever was happening in there. “Sorry. Ignore that.”

He paused, glass halfway to his mouth. Then he frowned. “When was the last time you ate?”

I thought back over the day. I’d skipped the employee meal to deal with a particularly nasty vegetable supplier. Did I eat a power bar from my desk? No, it was breakfast. A bagel, I was pretty sure.

Luca sighed heavily, sounding aggrieved, and put down his glass. He took off his suit coat, then folded and placed it on the counter. Suddenly, I was distracted by wide shoulders encased in a crisp white shirt. No tie, so I could see a bit of his chest and the hair dusting his skin. Everything about him was so manly, completely different from any guy my age.

He walked around me, behind the pass, toward the gas stove. On the way he began rolling up his shirt sleeves, revealing strong forearms and tanned olive skin. I must’ve had more wine than I thought, because I itched to run my fingers over those forearms, trace the veins and tendons there.

He peeked into the pans left on the stove and pushed them out of the way, then searched through the utensils and cookware. He produced a clean sauté pan and set it on a burner.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

A clean apron appeared in his hands, which he wrapped around his waist. “Making you dinner.”

Dinner?

No way was he cooking me food. I must’ve misheard him. “I’m sorry, what?”

Instead of repeating himself, he peeked into a pot of water leftover from earlier. Luca poked at the limp noodles and shook his head. “Mamma mia,” I heard him mutter before he carried the pot to the trash and upended it, sending the pasta and water into the garbage.

Taking a fresh stockpot to the sink, he filled it with water and set it on a burner, which he lit with a flick of his wrist. He moved briskly, efficiently, like someone comfortable in the kitchen. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.

A hot Italian man who looked like thisandcooked? It wasn’t fair. I’d practically grown up in this restaurant and I was hopeless with preparing food.

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