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I raised an eyebrow and patted my mouth with a cloth napkin. “So that’s your kink?”
Great. Now I was thinking of her watching me eat her.
A pink stain spread over her high cheekbones and she went back to eating her egg. “I suppose I always had a thing for the breakfasts you used to make when you stayed with us. Especially those chocolate banana pancakes.”
I smiled at the memory. Those were Olivia’s—even back then she’d been experimenting in the kitchen and used to pass the recipes on to me. “I prefer a savory breakfast now.”
“Like that?” Indy gestured at the croissant-cream confection.
“The exception to the rule. Try it.”
I speared a bit of it onto my fork and fed it to her, tensing as she licked the cream off her lips.
“Well, don’t you two look cozy.” I didn’t need to look up to know who was speaking. I still hadn’t forgiven her for nearly giving me a coronary yesterday.
“Hey, Sabrina. Where’s Pete?” Indy asked innocently.
“Already following Harris around like the good little pet he is.” She took a sip of coffee. “Oh before I forget, he said to tell you that now is the time to make your move. Whatever that means.”
“That means I need to track down Signore Visconti ASAP,,” Indy said, standing. “Any idea where he might be?”
“Probably polishing his croquet mallet.” Sabrina shrugged.
“I’ll help you track him down,” I offered, tossing my napkin on my plate.
***
As we searched the grounds, I decided to bring up what had happened that morning.
“Diana, I . . . uh . . . want to apologize again for this morning,” I said quietly, glancing down at her.
“You don’t need to apologize, Levi.” She had a dreamy expression on her face, and I remembered Fiero’s taunting words to me—that I didn’t know what sounds she made when she came.
Fuck, I had to rein in my thoughts. They were wandering in dangerous territory, and we still had another night ahead of us. Tonight, I was sleeping on that narrow sofa. No matter how much Indy’s teeth chattered.
We rounded the curving pathway near the lake, our feet crunching on the gravel. Diana gestured to the marble pergola jutting out into the lake. “Signore Visconti mentioned that he likes to take his coffee in there. If I had a place like this, that’s where I’d spend my time.” She spun around and took a big lungful of fresh air. “Can you believe how beautiful it is here? It’s going to be a perfect day. I can feel it in my bones.”
The only thing I felt in my bones was how horny I was. My mind kept wandering to all the places—the hidden corners of the villa and the garden—where I could push Diana up against the wall and discover the sounds she made when she came. It was like one morning grope had awakened decades of repressed lust.
When we finally made it to the gazebo it wasn’t Signore Visconti that we found but Helen Harris tangled up with that Italian professor Marcangeli. They broke away from each other awkwardly when we arrived, and Indy stumbled, plastering a huge smile on her face and saying brightly, “Oh hi, Helen.”
“The lovebirds,” called Helen, patting her hair. “I was showing the folly to Bruno here.”
Marcangeli stood expressionless behind Helen. I didn’t quite know what to make of him yet. I was usually a good judge of character, but he was a complete mystery—tall, slim as a reed, with deep-set eyes. They looked slowly between Diana and me, and for some strange reason I felt like they’d just unearthed all the dirty, unavowable thoughts I’d had about her in the past twenty-four hours.
“I was looking for Signore Visconti. I was hoping to talk to him this morning.”
“Giancarlo and Claudia are in the garden,” replied Marcangeli. “This is his favorite part of the weekend—the treasure hunt. He’s a big child at heart.”
“That’s an understatement,” laughed Helen. “Levi, may I steal you away for a few minutes? I’d like to go over the song list for the dancing tonight. Claudia has put me in charge.”
“Uh . . .” I hesitated, unwilling to leave Diana alone with Marcangeli.
“It’s fine, Levi. I’ll meet you back at the house for the treasure hunt.”
Helen looped her arm through mine and guided me along the gravel path above the lake. A pair of swans glided over the still water and she leaned closer, saying conspiratorially. “I am so pleased that you and Diana could be here. Claudia and I were sure this weekend would give you both the opportunity to work everything out.”
I wasn’t sure how I should answer. After all, Indy wanted to put an end to this fake fiancé farce, and she would have to work with Harris and his wife for a while.
