FOUR
1678 Words
He grinned again. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Why, um...would you want to join me?"
"Because I am bored, and you look bored, so I thought we would be bored together."
She chuckled. "Well, since you put it that way. I guess I am bored."
He leaned back in the seat, his long legs stretched out in front of him as far as they'd go without bumping into the seat ahead of them. The longer she studied his body, the more she realized he was exactly the kind of man she always dreamed about. So far his charm was appealing, his appearance could make any man weep with jealousy, and his accent... Ahhh, sexy beyond comparison.
"So Gabriele? What do you do for a living?" She might as well get the conversation moving, especially since she didn't want to talk about herself. Or Valerie's life. "Or does a Conte work at all?"
"I do a lot."
"Like what?"
He shrugged. "I help with the family business, plus I'm an investor in my sister's fashion designer company. There are also a few other businesses where I have a share in stock, but I am certain those subjects will bore you to tears."
"Don't be too sure. I'm quite interested in stocks and bonds, and investing money."
"What do you do?" he asked.
What could she say without really telling him about her life? She was here portraying her sister, yet she didn't want to tell a man who owned shares in a fashion design business that Valerie Olsen had been a high-paid super model a year ago.
"I'm into sales and marketing," she answered with a grin. "I do a lot of community work, also."
So she decided to slip a little bit about herself in there, too. What harm would that bring?
"Sales and community work? That does not tell me much."
"Neither did your answer," she challenged.
"But I told you more than you did."
She paused for a moment as her mind created what she could say next. What Val might say. "Let me guess," she rested her fingers briefly on his arm, "you want me to tell you how I love long walks along the beach, and I love cuddling up next to a loving man near a fireplace, and holding hands while we walk through an empty park while staring up into the night sky and counting stars?"
His gaze darkened and one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other in a grin. "Do you? Because I do."
She giggled. "You do? Even cuddling next to a loving man?"
He let out a sharp laugh. "Substitute loving man for sexy woman, and the answer is yes."
Immediately, she pictured herself with Gabriele doing these romantic things. Not good!
"Is there more you would like to tell me?" he asked sweetly.
She shook her head. "Sorry, but I like to be secretive."
He chuckled and sipped his drink, which reminded her that she had a drink also. She brought the plastic cup to her lips, and Gabriele's gaze dropped to that spot as she sipped. Her heart hammered in a wicked rhythm.
Why did she think he was sexy just watching her drink? Maybe it was the way his brown eyes darkened, and his face relaxed.
She switched her focus briefly across the aisle. The redhead Gabriele came with was asleep in her seat with her head against the window, her mouth wide open.
Adrianna looked back and Gabriele. "So tell me about your girlfriend."
"She is not—"
"I know." She stopped him. "You said she's not your girlfriend, but I saw her draped over you while we waited to board the plane."
A grin slowly stretched across his face. "You were watching me?"
Heat scalded her cheeks, and she about died from embarrassment. This was one of the many reasons she was never good with men. She couldn't keep her foot out of her mouth long enough.
Chuckling, she tried to cover her blunder. "Well, your girlfriend does...shall I say, stand out in a crowd."
He nodded. "She is not my girlfriend. She is just traveling with me."
"All the way to Italy?"
"No. We will part ways in Atlanta."
"Oh."
"It will be just you and me all the way to Italy." He leaned closer and covered her hand with his. "Does this please you?"
Her heart skipped a beat. He had no idea!
"Listen, Gabriele, I wasn't asking so you would think...well, you know..."
"Sì, I know." He lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "But does the idea please you? I want to get to know you better, and from the way you have been responding to me, I believe you are interested in getting to know me better, also."
He could read her well. Unfortunately, she couldn't allow herself to get close to him. It was bad enough he was sitting by her, leaning toward her. She was here as Valerie, and her sister's life lately had been a secret. Nobody knew about her disease.
The lights in the cabin dimmed slightly, making the closeness between her and Gabriele more discreet. She cursed the flight attendants. What was wrong with them? Couldn't they see she needed their help if she was to resist the man sitting next to her?
"You are quite full of yourself. Are you aware of that, Gabriele?"
A lazy grin touched his chiseled face. He lifted his hand to her face and stroked her cheek, still warm with mortification.
"Sì, and I am very confident that you are interested in me. Do you not think I can tell when a woman wants a man?"
She grumbled under her breath. This conversation was definitely getting out of hand. But his intoxicating brown-gray eyes held her prisoner and she couldn't look away.
"I'm quite certain you know when a woman wants you."
"Are you saying you are not interested in me?"
She chuckled. "I'll admit, you have caught my attention, but I wouldn't exactly say I want you."
His eyebrows lifted. "You do not? Impossible!"
"No, it's not impossible. I really don't want you." She kept the smile on her face, but tried to speak with conviction.
His thumb stroked her bottom lip. "Oh, I think differently. There is a sparkle in your eyes when you look at me. Your cheeks flare an adorable red when I catch you watching me. And even the tone of your voice lowers as you speak."
She sucked in a worried breath. Had she really been doing that? She was in big trouble now. There was no way she could act like Valerie.
"Well, I'm sorry to have sent you the wrong signals, but I'm really only interested in you as a friend."
"A friend?"
"Yes."
His head nodded slowly as his gaze moved over every inch of her face before coming to rest on her mouth. The cocky smile never left his face.
"Do you think you can resist my charm, mio dolce?"
She scooted closer to him, leaning her face toward his until they were mere inches away. "I will definitely try. I'm not like the women you date. I won't easily fall for your seduction."
"Is that a challenge?"
She gulped as her heartbeat quickened. It sure sounded like one. Why did she say that? She didn't want to challenge him. But she didn't want him to think she was easy, either.
Yet, she was Valerie. And Val would have been easy with Gabe.
No. Adrianna couldn't think that way. It didn't matter if she played her sister, she would not do that.
"I didn't offer a challenge."
"Are you certain?"
"Does it hurt your ego when a woman tells you she's not interested in sleeping with you?"
He laughed, and his minty breath fanned across her face, sending shivers over her body.
"I did not say anything about sleeping with me."
Heat rushed to her face again.
"I can assure you, when we are together, you will not be getting any sleep at all." He winked.
Part of her wanted to slap him and push him away. But the lonely, bookworm woman who'd never had a sexy man hit on her, wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss him. Would it really be that terrible if she gave into her urges and let him kiss her?
She shook her head. "You're being over-confident again."
"I am only telling you the truth."
"I have no doubt s*x with you is wild and unforgettable. You just won't be doing it with me."
"I bet I can change your mind," he whispered as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.
Her heart jumped to her throat. Her hands moistened. Yet she stiffened. Be strong... s*x no—kiss yes.
Closing her eyes, she allowed his lips to breeze over hers. It wasn't a kiss. Not really. More like a tease.
His tongue barely touched her dry lips, and the velvety smoothness of it nearly had her sighing with pleasure, and wanting so much more. Instead, she kept her lips together, willing them not to part.
Just as she thought he'd do more, he withdrew. She opened her eyes and looked at him. A smirk highlighted his features, and it was too dark to see what shade his eyes had turned.
"You are stronger than I imagined," he said with humor in his voice. "But I will not give up."
She finally swallowed the cotton dryness in her throat. "Gabriele, please. This is not a game. I'm really not looking for anything more than friendship."
"We shall see." He left his chair and moved to his other seat.
Clutching her shaky hands together, she tried to relax in her seat, knowing she'd be nothing but nerves until they reached Italy. She wasn't looking forward to his game of seduction.
Yet, why was excitement pumping through her and making her body come alive like it never did before?
- Writer
