“I deserve that.” I slowly moved toward her with my hand extended. “We need to stop fighting. It’s nice out and I know how much you love being outdoors. Let’s try to salvage the day.”
“What else did my mother tell you?” She scoffed, giving me attitude. I was beginning to wonder if she knew how much I liked sassy women. Funny enough, I sensed she had figured out what turned me on, and that was a hard-to-get woman. “You obviously have talked with her more than me.”
“A lot, actually.” But I saw her point. Everything I learned about her had come from her mother, except it had been mine who’d spent hours on the phone with Giovanna’s mamma. Not me because I’d been too busy.
She ignored me and went to pet the nose of one of our horses. I couldn’t help but be captivated by her gentle touch and sweet voice as she cooed to the mare, calling her sweet girl in Italian.
“Would you like to meet your horse? She might be getting jealous at all the attention you’re giving her sister.” I strolled further down the row of stalls, wanting Giovanna to follow me. More than anything, I wanted to spend time with her.
But, so help me God if she left me again, I would not chase after her. I would be done with her, and our marriage would only be a business transaction. I’d fuck her just to get an heir out of her, and I’d go back to Cara.
“What if I said I liked this one?” She kissed the horse’s nose and stroked it.
“I’d say she’s yours.” Shoot, I might be the one getting jealous. It must have felt wonderful to be on the receiving end of her kindness and love.
“Just like that? No fighting to change my mind?” She furrowed her brow suspiciously. Was she testing me? Could she not see that I was trying to get close to her?
Perhaps not. I would do better and make my intentions clear.
“Just like that,” I replied. “Whatever you want is yours.”
She bit her bottom lip and gave the mare one more caring pat on the nose, then she strolled toward me. “Well, I should meet the horse you have for me. At the very least.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I said in a playful voice, doing my best to entice her to join me.
“Don’t confuse me. You’re giving me whiplash.”
“I could say the same to you.” I winked and reached for her hand. This time she let me take it and I had to admit; I was more than a little relieved. “How about we be nice to each other.”
“That’s an appealing thought. I don’t like confrontation.”
“Me either, actually.”
She smiled and curled her hand around mine. “So, we have something in common.”
“I think we have a lot in common. We just need to discover our similarities.” I raised her hand and kissed the back of it. “I’m genuinely sorry for hurting your feelings. Can you forgive me?”
She inhaled a deep breath, staring into my eyes. “Yes. I can forgive you. Can you promise me something?”
“Depends on what it is.” The muscles in my shoulders locked up. Was this another test?
“Will you promise to always be honest with me?” She squeezed my hand, a sign that my response would make or break us. “I need to be able to trust you, Alessio.”
“You can trust me. I promise to be honest about things outside of my family’s business.”
“I understand. But with everything else, you can’t lie to me.”
“Deal. I promise.” I pulled her toward me, needing to hug her probably more than she needed to hug me.
“What are you doing?” she asked, confusion in her voice. Yup, my thoughts were correct. When would she lower her guard and try to embrace me and our marriage?
“This is called a hug. People in Italy do it all the time.” I squeezed her and kissed the side of her head. “We kiss a lot in our culture, too.”
She laughed and tossed her head back. The sound of her amusement made the hair on my arms stand up and fullness spread through my chest.
And then she hugged me back, and it felt better than I imagined. The warmth from our bodies melted together. What would being naked feel like?
“I need to tell you something,” I told her, holding her tightly against me.
