Page 12 of The Baby His Secretary Carries

Her melancholy must have reflected on her face because Gio said, “It must be hard to be so far away from her.”

“It is. The age gap puts us in different life stages, too. I homeschooled for the rest of high school, then went to a local college, so I could live at home as long as possible. But when I finished my degree, I was ready to start my life. I wanted to live on my own and build a career. Mom was always adamant that she didn’t adopt Libby so I could raise her. She’s been nothing but supportive of my ambitions and encouraged me to put in for the transfer to London when I mentioned it. I honestly didn’t think I’d get it, let alone wind up here.”

In his family home in Genoa, about to pretend she was his fiancée.

“Ah. Now I understand.” He nodded. “You want to go back to New York so you’re with your family when—”

“Gio.” She gave him her sternest look.

“Off-limits.” He lifted his hands. “But we can look at working out of New York.”

“You’re relentless, aren’t you?”

“I consider it one of my strengths, yes.”

Her phone pinged again. She glanced and saw Sasha had responded.

Can’t talk right now. Getting ready for a thing.

Molly didn’t take offense at what seemed like a dismissal. For many reasons, Sasha and Rafael were being very secretive about having a baby by surrogate. If there were stylists and others milling about, Sasha wouldn’t be able to talk freely.

“Everything all right?” Gio asked.

“Mmm-hmm.”Note to self: keep your thoughts off your face around him.She clicked off her phone and dropped it into her bag.

“Good.” He rose. “Let’s go tell my grandfather.”

Otto’s color was still poor and he had an IV taped to the hand that rested on his chest.

“She’s back.” He weakly lifted his other hand.

Molly hurried forward to cradle his cool, stiff fingers in both of her own.

“Ah,sei caldo,” he said of her warm hands. “Why have I never met you before?”

“I work in the London office.” She glanced at Gio for guidance.

“But you’re American?” He switched to English.

“Molly started in our New York office a few years ago.” Gio’s heavy hands arrived on her shoulders, provoking an acute, prickling awareness from the fine hairs on the back of her neck, down her spine.

Every cell in her body switched its polarity to align toward him. Her stomach muscles tensed and her breasts tingled. Her cheeks stung with a blush she fought to reveal, but she was certain Otto read her reaction to Gio like a neon sign.

“For the last year, she’s been working under Valentina. I dispatched Valentina to New York, to deal with that issue we’ve been chasing there,” he said in an aside.

“Bene, bene,”Otto said distractedly, his sharp gaze moving from Molly’s pink cheeks to the way Gio’s hands lightly massaged her upper arms.

“I wasn’t entirely honest with you earlier, Nonno,” Gio continued.

“I can see that.Assistente?” he scoffed.

Molly was reacting so helplessly to Gio’s caresses on her arms, she used her free hand to cover his, stilling his touch.

He immediately brought her into the cage of his body, folding one arm over hers while sliding the other around her stomach. He pulled her into the wall of his chest and settled her backside against his pelvis.

Heat flooded through her, melting her bones like wax. She found herself leaning into him, blushing hard while helplessly trying to hide her profound reaction and certain she was failing. She stared at the hand she still held so Ottorino wouldn’t see directly into her soul.

“This is happening faster than we expected.” The rumble of Gio’s voice vibrated from his chest into her back. “But I’ve asked Molly to marry me and she has agreed. I wanted you to know, to put your mind at ease.”

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