Page 15 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

“What do you want me to wear?”

There’s a brief pause.

“You’ll wear whatever I say as long as it’s within reason?”

“Yes,” I say calmly.

She doesn’t hesitate.

“Jeans and a nice t-shirt.”

“Okay.”

Another pause.

“Really?”

I chuckle. “Katie, I do own other clothes besides suits.”

“You could have fooled me,” she mutters.

“I’ll see you at seven,” I say with a quiet laugh.

“Whatever,” she mutters, and the line goes dead.

I lower the phone and stare at the screen before shaking my head. That damn woman.

“Michael?”

I turn at the sound of her voice. Rosalia stands on the stone walkway that cuts through the rose garden, watching me with a small crease between her brows. I lift an eyebrow.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“It’s fine,” I tell her, sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Let’s go back to the table.”

I spend the rest of brunch listening to Matteo talk about his latest business ventures. The same ventures that buried him five million dollars in debt to my family.

What an idiot.

He speaks with the confidence of a man who thinks he’s impressive, gesturing occasionally with his hands as he explains deals and partnerships I stopped caring about ten minutes ago. Camilla beams beside him.

Across the table, Rosalia alternates between staring down at her plate and stealing small glances in my direction. I have to fight the urge to yawn. At one point, I glance down at my watch. It’s past noon. Seven more hours until I pick Katie up. That thought is the only thing that makes sitting through this bullshit tolerable.

Eventually I’ve had enough. Matteo is halfway through another explanation about some investment opportunity when I set my napkin on the table and push my chair back slightly.

“I’m going to have to cut this short,” I say evenly. “I have another engagement this afternoon.”

Matteo blinks, clearly surprised, but he recovers.

“Of course, of course,” he says, rising from his chair as well. “We completely understand. Thank you again for coming.”

Camilla immediately stands beside him, smiling brightly as if the entire morning has gone exactly as planned.

“It was lovely having you here, Michael.”

Rosalia stands last, smoothing the skirt of her dress as we all begin making our way back toward the house. We move through the rose garden before stepping inside the cool quiet of the estate’s foyer. Matteo opens the front doors and gestures toward the drive.

“We’ll walk you out.”