“Everything okay?” I asked, closing the distance between us.
Tia slipped the phone into her pocket, sighing. “My mom’s losing her mind about me staying here.”
“Really?”
“She said if I don’t come home, she’s booking a flight. Thinks I’ve either lost it... or been kidnapped by a cult.”
“You know what?” I said suddenly, pulling out my phone. “I can solve this right now.”
Tia’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“Calling my our pilot. We can have your mother here by tomorrow evening. Private jet, luxuryaccommodations—”
“Give me that!” She snatched the phone from my hand before I could complete the call. “You cannot just fly my mom across the world like it’s Uber Black.”
I shrugged, genuinely confused by her reaction. “Why not? It solves the problem.”
“That’s not...” She shook her head, somewhere between exasperation and amusement. “Not everything can be fixed with the Christakis checkbook.”
“Most things can,” I countered with a wink, though I let her keep the phone. “It’s worked for me so far.”
“This is Deanna White we’re talking about. If she hears what Kat pulled, Kat’s getting beat, and so is her mother.”
She started pacing, arms folded tight. “But more than that... this is the first time I’ve ever been on my own. Really on my own. I’ve never been away from her longer than a day or two.”
She stopped, staring at the faded parquet beneath her feet.
“I love her. I do. But after my dad left town, it was just us. She’s always been protective. Too protective. This job is my chance to prove I can stand on my own.”
“So, what are you going to tell her?”
“What I’ve been telling her. That I’m safe, that I’m working on something amazing, and that I need her to trust me.” Her smiletilted, wry and a little sad. “And I’ll send so many architectural photos she’ll get sick of hearing from me.”
“For what it’s worth,” I said, “I think it’s brave. What you’re doing.”
She looked at me then and her eyes softened. “Thanks. That means more than you know.”
9
I stepped carefully over fallen debris, my notebook clutched tightly against my chest as I documented every architectural detail of the abandoned villa. After three hours of intensive assessment, I’d filled nearly half a notebook with observations and taken over two hundred photos.
My mind buzzed with possibilities. The villa was a magnificent challenge, structurally sound at its core, but crying out for rescue after decadesof neglect.
Santo came up behind me, his chest pressing against my back, his arms wrapping around my waist. I could feel his hard length pressing into me, making me ache for something I had never done.
“I’m going to Japan next week,” he murmured, his breath hot on my ear. “Come with.”
I swallowed hard, trying to focus despite the warmth of his body and the insistent pressure of his erection. “I don’t have a passport,”
“That’s a shame,” he whispered, before turning me to face him. His eyes held mine captive. “I need to kiss you,” he said, “for all the times I won’t be able to when I’m gone.”
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. He kissed me, deep and passionate, his hands threading through my hair, pulling me closer. Between kisses, he whispered against my mouth, “Four days without you... might kill me.”
“I’m sure you’ll find another girl there to kiss,” I teased.
Santo growled, his eyes darkening as he backed me against the weathered stone wall. His palm pressed flat against the wall beside my head, caging me in. His other hand curled possessively around my hip, pulling me against him, making me feel every inch of his hardness.
“There’s only one woman I want,” he said. “And she’s standing right here.”
