She shrugged and scooped some more chocolate onto her spoon. “It was when Georgia went on that weekend with Niccolo.”
“You were lonely?”
“Worried.”
“Worried about what?”
She gave him a look that suggested he was mad for needing to ask. “She was whisked away in a chauffeured car by a man who had two bodyguards with him.”
“Then that should have assured you she was safe.”
“No, it made me worry about what he needed bodyguards for.”
“It is a foolish person who has personal wealth the size of Niccolo’s and who doesn’t have permanent security. That was months ago, so do you only eat ice cream when you are worried?”
“Georgia and I haven’t spent much time together in recent months, and I never think to eat it when it’s just me. We used to pig out on it every week or so. We’d have a film night and stuff our faces with ice cream and popcorn.” The sadness suddenly lifted and her lips quirked. “That’s why my bum’s so big”
He laughed. “Then I shall feed you nothing but ice cream and popcorn for the rest of your stay here.”
Her eyebrows drew together in bemusement. “What, youlikemy big bum?”
“Callie, your backside isincredible.”
“It’s huge.”
“No, it’s perfect. Tell me what your favourite film is.”
“Erm… why?”
“Because I want to know you,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Okay… probably Dirty Dancing.”
He groaned. “That is my sister’s favourite film.I cannot tell you how many times she made me watch that when we were kids – we only had one television and so had to share.”
“I take it you’re not a fan,” she commented drily.
He gave a mock shudder. “I learned at a young age that I prefer films where there is more danger involved than carrying a watermelon. Favourite book published in the last fifty years?”
“The Time Traveler’s Wife.”
He rolled his eyes. “My sister will love you.”
While they slowly demolished their bowls of ice cream and all the chocolate and wafers, Dante had the great delight of watching his English beauty slowly relax as they exchanged favourites of everything from cars to colours. Trivial topics for sure, but revealing nonetheless, and by the time he’d cleared their bowls away and topped their glasses up with more rum, he knew more about Callie than she would have suspected, her body language looser than he’d ever seen it.
“How can you like fish inbatter?” he demanded to know. “It is a sacrilege.”
“How can younotlike it?” she retorted.
“I spent three years in England. You English have very bad taste in food.”
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
“I will knock it without trying it. The idea of it is an affront to my taste buds.”
For the first time since he’d confessed his real identity to her, Callie laughed, a light, musical sound that soaked through his ears and filled his chest. Taking another drink of her rum. she caught his eye and laughed again, spilling a droplet of the rum. It landed on the top of her cleavage, right above where the bedsheets were tucked around her.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he bowed his head and licked it up. She’d frozen before his tongue made contact with her skin.
