I glance at the plates, and at least wanting to put them in the sink, I reach for them, but Adriano hauls me away from the counter before setting me back down on my feet.
“Okay,” the word bursts from me. “No touching the dishes.”
“Brava ragazza,” he grumbles while he packs everything into the dishwasher.
I like that he calls me his little butterfly in Italian, and wanting to know more, I ask, “What do the words mean?”
He shuts the door of the dishwasher, then locks eyes with me. “Good girl.”
I swear my ovaries self-combust, and quickly pressing my hand to my clenching abdomen, I breathe through the wave of desire that almost knocks me onto my ass.
Holy hotness.
My reaction doesn’t escape Adriano’s attention, and smirking at me, he says, “That’s a turn-on for you.”
Yep.
He comes to take my hand, and leading me out of the kitchen, he murmurs, “Good to know.”
I was too terrified to take in anything earlier, so I admire the immense luxury of the mansion as we head toward the back. Adriano opens the glass doors, and when I step onto a veranda, I glance over the massive backyard, the lawn so perfectly cut it almost doesn’t look real.
Maybe it’s that fake grass you just hose off when it gets dirty?
Lounge chairs line either side of a rectangular pool, the water blue and inviting. Beautiful potted flowers bring splashes of color to the swimming area, like everything has been staged for a magazine shoot.
As soon as we step onto the grass, I realize it’s very real.
Adriano’s fingers wrap tightly around mine again, and I’m taken down a path toward the other houses.
Shit. His parents!
Instantly my nerves spiral, and a fine layer of sweat breaks out all over my body. I grip his hand tighter, and it has him stopping dead in his tracks.
Giving me a worried look, he asks, “What’s wrong?”
Damn, he’s perceptive.
“Are we going to your parents?”
He nods, and letting go of my hand, he places his arm around my shoulders and pulls me snug against his side. “You have nothing to worry about.”
We start moving again, and after taking three steps, I halt like a stubborn donkey. “Wait. What are they going to think of me?”
“They’re going to love you.”
I shake my head hard. “Think about it for a second. I agreed to a crazy deal with you for ten million dollars, then married you the next day. Shit, they’re going to think I’m some gold-digger.”
Turning around, determined to go back to the mansion, I’m stopped by Adriano’s arm that tightens around me, hauling me to his chest.
He pinches my chin between his index finger and thumb, then takes my eyes captive. “They will not think that. I already told them everything. They know you had no choice.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “If anything, my mother is going to dote on you to make sure I didn’t traumatize the fuck out of you.”
I place my hands against his pecs, then realize what I’m touching and quickly pull away.
Yep, Adriano feels as defined as he looks.
“My track record with families isn’t exactly great,” I admit.
My own practically hates me.
