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CHAPTER EIGHT
“You seem preoccupied, grandson,” Toni commented as he hobbled with his cane into the den. He didn’t always walk with a cane but at times when his arthritis acted up, he would use his walking stick on the advice of his physiotherapist to help stabilize him while walking and help to reduce the pressure on his ankle.
Antonio was gazing outside through the French glass doors in the room. He had his hands shoved inside the pockets of his dress pants. His tie was loosened at the neck and his blazer was opened up. He was leaning against the antique oak desk, just glaring as if his vision was fixed on an object. Only it wasn’t. It was his mind that was fixated with a subject.
Lucy Shillerton.
He loathed the fact that she was dominating his every thought since he’d met her. She was nothing but trouble and Antonio knew that. Yet his mind and body were not in unison where thoughts of her were concerned. A surge of heat raced through him just visualizing her in his mind. The rounded curves of her hips, her intoxicating fragrance and thoughts of what her slender legs would feel like around his waist.
He had kissed her. That was memorable. There was something about the softness of her lips. She seemed so inexperienced, yet a breath of fresh air at the same time. Antonio had admittedly kissed a lot of women in his time to know about the individuals. Much like James Bond, he could tell a lot by the way a woman kissed, including her sincerity. He didn’t know how but he was always spot-on.
There was something that was in sync with his body and soul when his lips touched Lucy’s. His mouth literally watered to taste her sweetness all evening before he finally kissed her. But why had he done it then? Was he just curious to see if she tasted as good as she looked? He had found her fragrance so damn intoxicating at the same time, it drove him wild.
Antonio was simply captivated by Lucy’s chaste beauty. And not just the physical beauty. The attraction to her was one thing but what the kindness that rested within her was what struck him. It wasn’t as if he’d met women like that every single day. There was always an agenda with other women, followed by emotional baggage attached to the ones he’d met.
So now he was hooked on Lucy’s taste and that was bad, very bad for him. He didn’t like the feeling of being hooked or dependent on anyone. Certainly not some hot-looking woman. He had too many negative experiences in his past with Velcro-women who liked to cling on for dear life to him. He didn’t want the responsibility or the emotional commitment they desired. They wanted what he could not, would not give them. All of him. Where his heart was concerned that was off-limits. Period.
Then why was she dominating his thoughts all of a sudden? Antonio wasn’t a relationship man, so his feelings regarding Lucy brought him to the brink of cognitive dissonance. He needed to do something about that quick.
Antonio turned around to face his ailing grandfather. “Granddad, we need to talk about…your health.” Antonio said quietly, shifting the topic in his mind to the real reason he decided to pay his grandfather a visit.
“My health?” Toni sat down on the plush chair by the fireplace. “There’s nothing wrong with my health,” he continued cheerfully as he leaned back and reclined the chair. He pressed a button by the side and within seconds a staff member entered the study.
“Yes, sir. Can I get you anything?” one of his butlers asked as he entered.
“Yes, my usual, Sam. And for Antonio…?”
“Nothing. Thank you.” Antonio wanted nothing more than to get off his chest once and for all what he came to say.
“Very well. Now what is this about my health that you’re concerned with?” the elder continued the conversation.
“I’ve said it before, Grandfather, and I’ll say it again. I really think you should reconsider getting married so soon.”
The older man’s expression darkened slightly. Toni pinched his lips before answering. “Listen, Antonio. We’re not going to go through this again. I want to marry Shelly and that’s final. It is not subject to negotiation.”
“Negotiation? Grandfather, we’re not talking about a business merger.”
“That’s right. We’re talking about a marriage merger. You should try it sometime.”
