The Billionaire's Sweet Revenge

FIVE

After the plane landed, Adrianna was the first one off. She practically ran over the flight attendants on her way out. At the end of the ramp was an attendant waiting with a wheelchair for her.

She groaned. She'd forgotten about her sister! Adrianna turned to go back, but she saw Gabe's dark head above most of the people. His gaze swept the room as though he was searching for someone. Me!

Their layover wouldn't take long, but right now, she needed to find a place to hide. The bathroom was the only logical choice.

Quickly, she headed for the nearest restroom as she texted her sister. I'm in the bathroom. Sorry I didn't wait. I'll explain later.

Once she reached the ladies restroom, she entered and pressed her forehead against the cool tile on the wall. Closing her eyes, she took fortifying breaths, grateful that nobody had been in here to make the place stink.

She couldn't let Gabriele touch her again. She wasn't strong enough. He was very good at seducing, and she couldn't play in his league. Silently, she cursed him. That teasing kiss had made her want something she was afraid to have.

Why, oh why did she agree to come on this trip?

She moved away from the wall and strode to the sink. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping it would bring her out of this sensual haze that gorgeous man had put her under. Raising her gaze, she looked in the mirror. The reflection staring back was a pitiful white face with wide eyes...and lips that Gabriele had just teased not too long ago.

Groaning, she covered her face with her hands. Valerie wasn't going to like what Adrianna had to say...but this wasn't working. Val needed to take her own identity back so that Adrianna could be herself.

Adrianna didn't know how long she'd been standing like this, but soon the door to the bathroom opened. She snapped her gaze in the direction of the door. Sitting in a wheelchair, Val entered.

"What is going on?" Val asked.

"Oh, Val...you're going to kill me." Adrianna rubbed her throbbing forehead. "But, I think Gabriele Marcelli is interested in me...in you...in us."

Val c****d her head and gave Adrianna a quizzical stare. "What do you mean?"

Adrianna blew out a repressed breath. "He sat by me on the plane. He acted like he didn't know me—you—but, I wondered if he was lying. He was being very seductive, and I told him I wasn't interested."

"Oh, wow," Val gasped. "Are you kidding me? Why wouldn't you be interested? Any ordinary woman on the planet would be interested, whether they were single or married...or a nun."

Adrianna rolled her eyes. "Quit being melodramatic."

"I mean it, Sis." Val pushed the knob on the motorized wheelchair, which brought her closer. "So what happened when you told him you weren't interested?"

Releasing a small laugh, Adrianna shook her head. "The obstinate man wouldn't back down. He...he..." Oh, she couldn't even say the words.

"He what?" Val's voice lifted.

"He kissed me."

Valerie's fast intake of breath was followed by her slapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened as she slowly shook her head. "You let him kiss you?"

Adrianna groaned. "Don't make me feel any worse than I already do. I feel like a slut."

Valerie laughed heartily. "Just because you let a guy kiss you? Oh, Sis, you're such a prude."

Adrianna scowled. "Actually, I'm a woman with morals."

"A prude." Val arched an eyebrow.

"Augh!" Adrianna paced the floor in front of the stalls. "What did you expect me to do? I was trying to pretend I was you. Not only that, I know he thinks I'm you, and I don't want him to get close. Nobody can know about your disease." She stopped in front of her sister. "Or have you forgotten?"

"Relax." Val flipped her hand. "We'll be in Italy for one month. Have all the fun you want, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." She shrugged. "And besides that, having a fling with Gabe will probably give you more confidence with other men."

"Don't you understand, I can't." She fell to her knees beside the wheelchair and grasped her sister's arm. "He wants you, not me."

Valerie's smile widened. "Does it really matter? Anna, for one whole month you are going to be me, so live it up."

Adrianna's heart knocked crazily against her ribs. Val couldn't be serious. Hadn't she wanted Gabe at one time? And yet now, she was giving Adrianna permission to live it up. The sad thing was that she didn't know how. She wasn't her sister. Instead, she was the prude Val had spoken of. There was no way Adrianna could lower her morals just for a month's romp with a gorgeous Italian Count.

When they finally left the bathroom, Adrianna was abnormally quiet. Of course, it didn't help that her mind was conjuring up everything she could do with Gabe. And yet, she silently argued with herself that doing that with a strange man was very wrong. Well, wrong for her, anyway.

"Anna, I'm quite tired," Val said in a weary voice. "I'm going to our gate and just wait for the flight."

Adrianna snapped her attention out of her crazy thoughts and to her sister. "Are you hungry? We could go get something to eat while we're waiting."

"No, I'm not hungry. Just tired." She flipped a weak hand. "But you go eat. I don't need you to wait on me hand and foot."

"Are you sure?"

Val nodded as she turned her wheelchair toward the gate.

Adrianna would never understand her sister's disease. It wore her out just thinking about it. Val was losing weight. She was weak all the time. Her appetite had disappeared. And of course, depression had set in. Adrianna couldn't even imagine.

When she came to the nearest eating establishment, she went inside and ordered a black coffee and a blueberry muffin. She paid the cashier before taking her food to an empty table.

Leaning over her coffee cup, she breathed in the aroma of the freshly ground beans. She closed her eyes and tried to let the scent relax her. She'd always think of her grandfather when she smelled coffee. They had some great memories together when she was a child, before he died. Because she never knew her father, she relied on her grandfather for everything. When he passed away, she had to turn to her mother. Since her mother was only interested in helping Valerie's modeling career along, Adrianna was ignored most of the time.

Was it any wonder she had her nose buried in books all the time? This was her fantasy world—her means of escape.

"Is this seat taken?"

The deep, sexy voice caught her off guard and she jumped. Without hearing her answer, Gabriele pulled out the chair and sat with his cup of coffee. He was just as sexy now as he'd been while they were on the plane. His clothes looked just like he'd picked them up from the cleaners. Did that man ever wrinkle?

His gaze skimmed over her and she felt as naked as she did that first time when desire had lit up his eyes. Crap! Her heart flipped quickly in her chest. No matter how much this man unnerved her, she must remain calm. Tonight was going to be a very long night.

She shrugged. "I guess it is now, isn't it?"

He sipped his coffee, keeping his stare on her. "I could not allow you to sit by yourself."

She glanced around the half-empty café. "Where is your girlfriend?"

"Trudy is not my girlfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "Someone needs to tell her that."

He laughed. "I did. Several times, in fact."

"And what was her answer?"

"It does not matter. She is not accompanying me to Italy, and so that ends any relationship she thought we had."

"Oh, I see how you are." Adrianna nodded. "Don't tell them the truth and eventually they'll realize it."

"Whatever works, right?"

She took a gulp of her cooling coffee and set it on the table. "So tell me, Gabriele. What should I expect once we arrive in Italy?"

Confusion crossed his face as he eyes narrowed and eyebrows pulled together. "You have never been to Italy?"

She searched her memory for a time if Valerie had gone, but she didn't remember one. "No."

"Ah, then allow me to be your tour guide."

Excitement rushed through her, making her heart race again. He had a habit of doing that to her.

She shook her head and chuckled. "I don't think so. I know what kind of tour will be on your mind, Mr. Naughty."

Gabriele threw back his head and laughed heartily. When his gaze met hers, his eyes sparkled. She enjoyed seeing his relaxed expression. It didn't make her nervous like the way he'd looked at her the other times.

He leaned forward and took her hands into his. "I will make you a promise, mio dolce. If you let me give you a tour of Italy, I will not seduce you for the first twenty-four hours."

"How long do most tours take?"

"Italy is a big country."

"Oh, well, I don't want to tour all of Italy."

"Where will you be staying?"

"Venice."

"That is perfect. I have an estate there."

What were the odds? Although the possibilities were endless, she'd heard of men like Gabriele. She'd read books, watched movies. Their end goal was to get the women in the sack for an unforgettable night of passion.

Her body grew weak from the thought. She'd only been intimate with a man once. Shoot, he wasn't even a man. They were still teenagers, fresh out of high school. Neither of them knew what they were doing—especially Adrianna.

She could only imagine what things Gabriele would do. Her mouth turned dry, and her heart beat in a wild rhythm. "So you won't try to hit on me?"

"Not during the first twenty-four hours."

"Can our tour be over by hour twenty-three?"

He chuckled. "I have never once forced myself on a woman. They come to me willing and ready for me to show them how a man enjoys making love to a woman." He leaned forward. "It is my goal to make a woman experience pleasure beyond anything she has ever felt before."

His deep voice sent shivers of delight across her body. He didn't need to touch her. His words said everything she wanted to hear. Curse him!

"Have you not heard about Italian lovers?" he asked. "Italy is well-known for making love. Men from my country worship a woman's body. We respect women and teach them how to be loved."

Her body grew hotter by the second. She wanted to find a tub full of ice and jump in. But mostly, she wanted to swipe everything off the table, grab his shirt and pull him across and climb on. Right here. Right now. And she didn't care who watched.