“Tell me about your sister.”
“Her name is Charli, and we’re identical twins.”
“Really? You mean there is another gorgeous brunette who looks just like you?”
She slaps me playfully on the chest at the compliment. Her eyes sparkle with delight when I place a hand on my chest like her soft tap wounded me.
“What? Your story is more impressive than having three brothers,” I argue.
She shakes her head, still smiling. “You Italian men love to throw out compliments like confetti.”
Another laugh bursts from me unexpectedly. She’s right, of course, though it’s not something I tend to do often.
Our two pizzas arrive before I can reply, and the conversation slows. I glance at my watch, wishing I didn’t have to return to the meeting.
“Do you need to be somewhere?” she asks, a crinkle in her shaped brow.
“Unfortunately, yes. Another meeting. But not yet. I still have time for us to enjoy our pizza.” The temptation to stay is strong. I’m enjoying Tori’s company. And what’s different with Tori is that it’s not because I want to tempt her into my bed. Although that would be an absolute pleasure.
“What were you writing in your book?” I ask, remembering earlier when I first noticed her.
“It’s a journal for my sister. This is the first time we’ve been apart, so I promised I’d write every day to tell her what I’d done and seen. We speak most days, but this is different. It’s like she’s travelling with me.”
She picks up a slice of pizza, folds the tip of the triangle up so the gooey cheese doesn’t slip off, and then takes a tiny bite.
“Will I make an entry in your journal?”
She finishes chewing. “You’ve already been mentioned as thehot Italian man sitting at a nearby table.”
I bark out a laugh. Her lack of a filter is refreshing. “You think I’m hot?”
“I thought you were Italian. I’ll have to update that to American.”
This girl is awesome. Not only gorgeous, but clever and witty. “So tell me about the places you’ve been so far.”
And she does as we continue to eat our meal, entertaining me with funny stories of her travels through Germany and Switzerland before coming to Italy. It makes me wish for the freedom to be able to pack a bag and just go. Away from my CEO responsibilities and the overbearing demands of my father.
“Where to next?”
She wipes her fingers on a paper napkin. “Tomorrow, I’m going to Sorrento by ferry. My friends are already there. Then, after a few days, we’ll travel north to Rome, then Florence.”
Sorrento? I could take her on the company yacht.The idea quickly plants itself in my head, and before I can stop myself, the words roll off my tongue. “I could take you to Sorrento tomorrow.”
Her eyes pop wide. “Really? How?”
“I’ve got a boat.” At my words, she quirks one brow. “And I have a business meeting in Capri tomorrow. You could come with me to Capri for the day, and then I’ll drop you in Sorrento on the way back.”
Okay, so I don’t currently have a meeting in Capri, but I can arrange one with the manager of our small vineyard on the island. I’m overdue for a visit.
Her gaze holds mine as she considers the offer. It’s like she’s peeling back the layers of my skin and searching within. What does she see? Hopefully, a man she can trust and someone who genuinely wants to spend more time with her. I don’t look away because I want her to see me.
Those long dark lashes shutter closed, then open again. “Thank you, I’d like that.”
“Fantastic,” I exclaim, and the suddenness makes her jump. We spend a few minutes agreeing on a time to meet tomorrow morning in the lobby of my hotel, and then it’s time to go.
I stand, adjusting my jacket. “Thank you for joining me for dinner. I really enjoyed talking to you.”
She can’t possibly know how much I needed this interlude away from work or how grateful I am. I lean down to brush my lips across her smooth cheek. She smells like a field of wildflowers on a summer’s day, as sweet as honeysuckle and as intoxicating as jasmine. Beautiful, and I want to savor the scent, but I straighten.
