Page 35 of Raising His Baby (The Sartoris 2)

“Sei così bella. C'è qualcosa di te. Come posso resistere?”

He spoke in rapid fire Italian, and the words were spoken so low as if he hardly knew he spoke. His breath warmed her face, and the desire in his eyes muddled her thoughts.

“W-what?”

The word slipped from her mouth, filled with confusion, but she eventually worked out what he said. “You are so beautiful. There’s something about you. How can I resist?” Her heart beat a drum in her ears, and she willed herself to calm down.

He flushed and drew away from her. His hand came up, and his fingers thrust into his hair. “Nothing.”

The door to the laundry room shut behind him as he made his escape. She sagged against the washing machine and shut her eyes. The rumble of the clothes spinning through their cycle gave some semblance of peace to her rattled nerves.

“Wow, it was real arrogant of me to think I could manipulate him.”

Right then she might have jumped if he gave the order. What in the world was going on with her? Why should she think Romy was so special?

“Because he is.” She bit off a groan of discontent. Romy wasn’t like his brothers—or not like Ezio. He could be hard when he wanted to be, but mostly he was gentle and kind. She realized she wanted to get to know him better and him to get to know her. A longing to help him see that all women weren’t manipulators came over her. She wasn’t sure if she could pull it off, but she was willing to give it a try.

“I’ll be there in an hour,” Sonya told Romy. Two months had passed since she decided she would prove to Romy she was different from all the other women he had known. Yet, she couldn’t see where she had made any progress. They danced around each other. Sometimes she caught him looking at her, and sometimes she gave in to a desire to eat him up with her eyes. They never kissed, and if by chance they touched while passing the baby from one to the other, she got a thrill. That was all to it. The incident with Cason stood between them. Not to mention that sometimes Romy went out at night and stayed gone until late. He never said if he was dating anyone, but what else could she think? Neither of them came clean.

Today, he wanted her to bring Arron to the office because he had a great aunt who was in town, and they were going to lunch together. Lucca would pick her, Arron, and Mamma up and take them to the office, while Sonya did her own thing.

“You’re sure you don’t want to join us?” Romy asked for the millionth time.

“No, thanks. I’m going to take advantage of the time to myself and shop.”

When he spoke, she heard surprise in his tone. “I thought you didn’t like to shop.”

She laughed. “Well, I’m going to the sports store.”

“I should have known.”

“I know I’m not very womanly.”

His tone dropped low. “There isn’t a more feminine woman than you.”

Pleasure suffused her at his compliment. “Thanks. I should go.”

“Uh, of course.”

Jeez, they we

re awkward sometimes. If it didn’t kill her when they got that way, she’d think it was funny. She disconnected the call and finished getting Arron ready. Then they headed downstairs. Mamma Sartori waddled out to the front hall, and Goro held the door for them. Out on the drive, Lucca opened the car door, and after they climbed in they were off.

Outside Romy’s work building, they prepared to leave the car. Sonya waited for Lucca to turn off the engine and run around to open the door. She was ready to escape the suffocating interior of the car. Not because of the temperature but because Mamma Sartori wasn’t the typical Italian mamma. She hardly said a word, and her rare smiles seemed reserved only for her sons and for Arron.

Sonya slid to the edge of her seat in preparation of getting out of the car but jumped in surprise when Mamma Sartori laid a veiny pale hand on her arm. “Mamma, is everything all right?”

The old woman captured Sonya’s gaze and held it with a fierce intensity. “Si lo compiere, non è vero?”

Sonya struggled to understand because she didn’t know the word compiere. “I don’t understand, Mamma. Non capisco.”

Mamma Sartori scowled at Sonya and slapped her thigh. “Felice, felice! Renderlo felice!”

“Happy,” Sonya repeated. She couldn’t believe her ears. “A-are you telling me to make Arron happy?” She repeated her question in Italian, not daring to say what she thought Mamma was really demanding. It seemed too unlikely.

The old woman took hold of Sonya’s face and squeezed. Sonya winced. She probably didn’t know her own strength even at her age. “Il mio bambino, Romy.”

Mamma Sartori wanted to know if Sonya would make her baby Romy happy. It was too much to take in. Before she could respond, Lucca opened the door, and Mamma climbed out the car, full of energy and vigor. Sonya took a minute to come to terms with what just happened, and she got out as well. She took her time following Mamma up to the floor where Romy worked. After releasing Arron to be gushed over by a woman who looked to be about Mamma Sartori’s age, Sonya got out of there. She headed toward the bank of elevators and then decided she would use the facilities first. On the way back, she slowed her step as she approached two people in the hall. Something in the way the woman whispered furtively to the man drew Sonya’s suspicions. She ducked into a narrow alcove and strained to overhear the couple.

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