Page 27 of His to Keep
Something unpleasant, like jealousy, twists in my gut. The flight attendant was pretty and like many men Gio might have a thing for women in uniform.
“When did you speak to her?”
“When you were asleep.” Gio arches an eyebrow as he studies my face. “That doesn’t bother you, does it?”
“Of course not.” I turn away to avoid his scrutiny. “So, three days?” I take off my jacket and roll up the sleeves of my jersey top. “You do realize I’m Scottish? I’ll melt in this heat.”
“It will be cooler at the villa,” Gio assures me, “and I’ve asked my cousins to sort you out with some suitable clothes until we can go shopping in a day or two.”
Hopefully his cousins have bought loose-fitting clothes in cooling fabrics and not supplied me with a sexy wardrobe more suitable for clubbing in. Who knows what red-blooded Italian men think I’d want to wear?
As we walk down the steps to the tarmac, a car pulls up and a man jumps out of the passenger side. Tall with light brown hair, he’s what you would call ruggedly handsome. Despite the heat, he’s wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He looks entirely unbothered by the scorching weather. There’s a cocky smirk on his face that I suspect is part of his permanent expression. A bit rough around the edges, he’s not the polished Mafia boss I anticipated meeting.
“Is that Damiano?” I whisper.
“Sadly not.” Gio rolls his eyes as if he’s extremely put out. “It’s Lorenzo.”
Is that bad? Gio’s manner suggests it is. “What’s wrong with Lorenzo?”
Gio doesn’t answer. He walks ahead of me and offers his hand to his cousin, Lorenzo grabs it, pulls him in for a hug, and then kisses both of his cheeks. So far, he doesn’t appear unfriendly.
“Lorenzo.” Gio’s taut shoulders betray his tension. “We were expecting Damiano.”
His cousin throws his arms wide. “You got me instead. Consider it an upgrade.” He turns to me. “And this must be thebellaHayley.”
If I had a pound for every time someone got my name wrong, even back home, I’d be a very rich woman.
“Eilidh.” Gio corrects him before I have the chance.
“Yes, of course. Eilidh.” Lorenzo pulls me close and kisses each of my cheeks in turn. Gio actually growls and his cousin’s eyes dance with amusement. I think I see now why my possessive Mafia prince was less than thrilled to see him. The handsome Italian is a flirt. “Your brother spoke fondly of you.”
“You knew…” I hesitate. “Which brother?”
“James. We did business together.”
“He never mentioned that.”
Lorenzo gives me an indulgent look. “Of course he didn’t. Such things are not for the ears of young ladies.”
From any other man that would be unbearably patronizing, but somehow Lorenzo gets away with it. I’m going to have to watch out. Charm like his can be lethal.
“Are we going to stand here all day?” Gio can barely conceal his irritation.
Lorenzo grins widely. “Of course not. Come, I will take you to the villa. It seems someone is in need of a nap.”
He winks at me and pulls open the back door of the car. Gio lifts me onto the seat, even though I’m quite capable of getting up there myself, and slides in next to me. Lorenzo closes the door behind him and gets into the passenger seat in the front. The driver, whose features are difficult to make out beneath a white baseball cap and sunglasses, revs the engine and takes off at speed. I’m alarmed, but neither Gio nor Lorenzo seems disturbed by the way the man drives so I settle back and silently pray we make it to the villa in one piece.
“Have you been to Italy before,bella?” Lorenzo swivels in his seat to face me.
“Yes I stayed near Lucca for a couple of weeks with a friend when I was younger.”
“Ah, then you already know how beautiful my country is.” Lorenzo beams with satisfaction. “When you are settled, I will take you to my new vineyard. It is my pride and joy, as you Brits say.”
That sounds like fun. Though we’re here to hide out, I’m hoping there will be a chance to explore the countryside. “I’d like that.”
“You can sample some of my finest wines, the ones I reserve for honored guests.”
“That’s generous of you.”
