‘Just a little distracted.’
She did look up then, surprised that he’d quoted her words back to her. He looked relaxed, mouth curved in the hint of a smile, yet his eyes were unreadable.
Stella waited. Over the years, through hard-won experience, she’d developed an awareness of people trying to use her for their own ends. Even in her family there were undercurrents as siblings jockeyed for her father’s approval, something Alfredo Barbieri encouraged.
But there were no warning bells now. Only the natural caution of a woman meeting a stranger, though even that was muted.
She wanted, desperately, to do something uncomplicated like enjoy the simple pleasures of ice cream and sunshine. And the smile of a charming man who had no idea who she was and who had nothing to gain from her.
Her grin was wide as she met his gaze. ‘Not any more. Today I’m going to live in the moment. The question is, what flavour do I choose?’
‘Why restrict yourself to one? You could have two or three.’
She laughed out loud. For some reason it had never occurred to her to indulge herself, even on something like multiple gelato flavours. ‘I like your thinking, Gio. I like it a lot.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Gio watchedStellalean over the balustrade of the Sant’Angelo bridge, watching the antics below. Her laughter was as joyful as a peal of bells. His lips twitched and his libido grabbed his lower body as heat rolled across his flesh.
He wanted more of that laughter. More of this woman with her rare smiles and moments of odd, perplexing frowns, as if something weighed on her mind.
Of course there’s something weighing on her mind. She’s playing a part, acting the innocent to entice you into letting down your guard. She’s probably wondering if you’ve fallen for her fake identity.
Even so, Gio was drawn to her. He couldn’t explain it.
Since puberty he’d attracted female interest. He had his father’s looks and now he had a fortune as well. But no woman had used such a curious way to try getting under his skin. If he didn’t know better he’d think Stella had problems on her mind other than duping him.
She seemed totally focused on the rafters in bright helmets and lifejackets, spinning in the river’s current. The big man and his friend who’d loudly boasted about their rafting prowess had almost fallen in as they tried to retrieve the paddles they’d dropped. Meanwhile the guide and the big man’s wife expertly manoeuvred the vessel.
‘I shouldn’t laugh,’ Stella murmured. ‘I’d be no better in a raft. But he was so busy big noting himself and belittling his partner, yet she was the one who grabbed his lifejacket to stop him going overboard.’
‘Hm.’ Gio’s attention had strayed from the river to the curve of Stella’s buttocks in tight white denim. He snapped his gaze away but she hadn’t noticed, her attention on the scene below. ‘I wonder if he’ll thank her?’
‘Most likely not. She’s probably taken for granted. That’s the usual way. By the time they get home he’ll probably embroider the story to make out she was the one who dropped the paddle and he saved the day.’
Hearing the sour note in Stella’s voice, Gio shot her a penetrating look. But her expression was unreadable.
She didn’t seem to be paying attention to him. He’d had women pretend not to notice him while acutely attuned to his reactions. It was part of the game of advance and retreat that often led to intimacy. He used to enjoy such flirtatious games though lately he’d tired of them.
Stella was either more adroit or playing something more complicated. He’d never been targeted by a commercial spy before, just women who wanted him and the things he could provide.
Stella Barbieri was different.
There was a splash as a large body fell from the inflatable raft. The small crowd on the river bank roared with delight but Stella stifled her laugh, as though ashamed to laugh at another’s misfortune.
He wished she hadn’t held back. He liked the sound of her joy. Even more intriguing, whenever he heard it he saw a hint of surprise in her dark eyes, as if startled at her amusement. As if she shouldn’t be feeling happy or wasn’t used to it.
Gio wanted, badly, to know which. Because while he knew she was here for some underhand reason,thatreaction was real. It was a clue to the woman behind the masquerade.
The first time he’d seen it had been when she’d chuckled over his comment she should choose more than one gelato flavour, as if such indulgence were new to her.
The second had been later as they’d strolled past the Colosseum. Two men, dressed as ancient Roman soldiers, were accepting money to have their photos taken with tourists. The pair had impressive helmets and breastplates and wore short red tunics. As they’d smiled at a camera a small boy had approached from the side and lifted one’s skirt to see what he wore beneath.
The look on the pretend soldier’s face, and the child’s glee, had been priceless. Even better had been the full-throated chortle from Gio’s companion. It had been so alluring, so sexy, he’d wanted to scoop her close and taste her laughter on his tongue.
The idea stunned him. She was an enemy. Her father had destroyed Gio’s family. He’d harboured a vendetta against Gio’s father for years because he’d had the temerity to win the woman Alfredo Barbieri wanted for himself, never mind that the woman had never wanted Barbieri.
Now the villain dared to send his daughter to Rome to spy on Gio! There could be no other explanation for her staying in his new flagship hotel under an assumed name. Whether to spy on him or the workings of the hotel or try accessing his corporate nerve centre didn’t matter. It was a declaration of war.
