“Please.” His voice sounded hoarse, almost pained. “Please, cherry-bomb, come have mercy on me.”
Begging. Dominico Grimaldi, a force to be reckoned with, was begging me to come to him.
How was any red-blooded woman supposed to say no to that?
But before I could give him my answer and create a plan to oblige, the door to the sunroom pushed open. Nico was off me in a flash, catching the door and facing the intruder. I held my breath, suddenly very cold as the arousal left me for a burst of fresh fear.
“What do you want?” Nico bit out.
“Just checking the room, signore. Mi dispiace!” the housekeeper said quickly.
Nico’s voice promised death. “Don’t you know how to knock, woman?”
“I—I am just doing my job. The ladies will be in here shortly!” Sanderson stuttered.
“Well, they aren’t here yet, and you know damn well my grandmother will receive them in the front parlor,” Nico snarled. “Is there nowhere in this house I can work without being disturbed?”
“Yes, of course, signore. I’ll leave you alone,” she rushed to say, and with that, Nico slammed the door in her face.
I sagged against the wall. Fury glittered in Nico’s dark eyes as he slid his gaze to me.
“I should go,” I whispered.
That hard jaw clenched, and he gave me a short nod. But before I could take a step to the French doors, he caught my arm—my right arm.
He brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss on the inside of my wrist. “It won’t be like this for much longer, Rae.”
My stupid little heart did a flip. But it had no effect on my mind. Fear still coursed through my veins, and I was scolding myself for being so reckless. Nico let me go, and I fled outside. Heat baked through my uniform as I hurried to the staff entrance.
If they catch you, they’ll fire you.And probably Uncle Theo too.
This sneaking about was fun, but the game was far too dangerous. Nothing bad would happen to the precious heir. The Grimaldis wouldn’t even scold him. Hell, his grandfather might be the sort to smack his back and say ‘good job, lad’ over having an affair with the staff. Rich men always did that. While Nico was different, treating me with the utmost respect and showing real care, he moved in a different world than I did.
Panting hard and properly shaken, I burst into the kitchen. Cathy smiled at me from where she was slicing the bread for lunch.
“Can you spare me a few seconds to help plate the butters?” she asked.
“Sure,” I wheezed. “Where are they?”
“In the molds, setting in the fridge.” My coworker jerked her chin. “They go on the tiny plates with blue around the edge.”
“What the hell is so special about these dishes?” I muttered, pulling the stack from the edge counter and grabbing the butter from the fridge. They were formed in the shape of blossoming roses, and it was my job to pluck them from the molds without ruining Cathy’s hard work.
“Signora Grimaldi bought them on her honeymoon,” Sanderson sneered, coming into the kitchen and catching the question. “They’re from Frankfurt & Sons in London, and cost more than you’re worth, so don’t break them.”
I looked at the ugly plates. Such a stupid display of wealth and greed. Who cared what plates were used, so long as they worked?
“Magnolia, did you finish your work?” Sanderson snapped.
“Yes, ma’am. Just helping finish in here,” I said through my teeth.
“What about the baseboards in the sunroom?”
Don’t react. Don’t react!“Yes, I wiped those this morning and logged it in the tablet.”
The housekeeper narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”
She left in a cloud of putrid energy. Cathy let out a long breath the moment the door swung behind the housekeeper.
