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Rocco’s grandfather had died very young from a sudden heart attack, when Rocco was only nine. His grandmother had never remarried and had chosen instead to bring up her orphaned grandchild by herself, working her fingers to the bone to provide for him.
Rocco’s eyes narrowed on her, a small amount of surprise and a healthy dose of suspicion in his gaze. ‘And how do you know this?’
‘Caterina told me how your grandfather died, and how she knew from the first time she met him that he was the only man for her.’ Mia also remembered how her heart had sung at the time because she’d believed she had same in Giovanni Vitelli’s grandson.
How wrong she’d been!
Puzzlement replaced the suspicion in Rocco’s eyes, prompting her to ask, ‘What?’
‘I did not know you had such intimate conversations with my grandmother.’ His frown evidenced his obvious displeasure at the knowledge and Mia couldn’t defend herself against the barb of hurt that pierced her.
To hide it, she lifted her chin. ‘There were a lot of things you didn’t bother to find out about me, Rocco, starting with the misconception that I was a thief.’
His jaw immediately tightened, an accurate sign that her barb had hit home. ‘The evidence against you was real. I had proof. My competitors came into possession of the blueprints the same day you attended the meeting. A source confirmed you were in possession of it when you arrived.’
‘That’s a lie!’ For the millionth time, Mia wracked her brain for why someone had concocted such a web of lies against her, but she came up empty. She shook her head to clear the memories and to think straight beneath the intensity of Rocco’s condemning scrutiny. ‘The only thing I had in my possession when I arrived for that meeting was my briefcase containing my laptop and portfolio. And as far as I know, toying with looking and being offered a job isn’t a crime.’
‘But you didn’t tell me you were looking for a job. You hid it from me until I confronted you with it.’
Mia inhaled slowly as remembered regret flooded her. Looking for another job had been the last thing she’d wanted, but with the Vitelli Construction office grapevine blazing with speculation as to how she’d landed the job working with Rocco, she’d known to preserve her professional integrity she either had to find another position or end her relationship with Rocco. The latter had been out of the question, of course.
The job offer with Rocco’s competitor had been, seemingly out of the blue, and a step down for her, but she hadn’t dismissed it out of hand. The knowledge that Rocco would dislike the idea even more was why she’d kept the offer under wraps.
She sighed. ‘I’d meant to tell you.’
‘Really? When?’ he sliced at her, derision rife in his tone. ‘As you were walking out the door to my competition?’
‘When I was sure I even wanted the job. Things were happening so fast. We were newly engaged and the Abu Dhabi project was about to take off and—’
‘So you thought the best way forward was to give the opposition a lending hand?’
‘No! If you must know, my professionalism was being called into question because...because we were involved. It didn’t matter that we were engaged. Everyone thought I landed my position because I was bedding the boss. My degrees and hard work didn’t count for anything, not when I apparently only needed to bat my eyelashes to get a promotion.’ Humiliating heat suffused her face at the admission and the memory of the whispering campaign she’d tried to overlook, but which had become unbearable in the end. Unable to bear the force of his stare, she turned her head, only to have her move thwarted when strong fingers cupped her jaw and reversed her retreat.
His eyes had narrowed into icy slits. ‘Who called your conduct into question?’
‘It doesn’t matter who.’ The past was the past. The last thing she was going to do was name Rocco’s cousin Alessandro as the prime culprit in her harassment and character assassination whenever the chance had arisen.
Alessandro Vitelli had pretended to be cordial with her in Rocco’s presence, but hadn’t bothered to hide his contempt when they had been alone.
The one time she’d confronted him and attempted to ascertain why he despised her so much, he’d implied it was all in her head. And had actually laughed at her.
Mia had tried to put that unpleasant episode behind her.
She’d seen the way Rocco fiercely protected his family, especially his grandmother. He wouldn’t have welcomed her pointing fingers then and she had nothing to gain by pointing fingers now. ‘You were so convinced I was in the wrong when you acted as judge, jury and executioner, and doled out your punishment. Why do you want to know anyway? Because there’s a possibility you might have been wrong?’ she threw at him, and added a sweet smile. ‘If that’s the case, then maybe I should leave you to wallow in your guilt.’
To say her response had annoyed him was an understatement. The hand that left her jaw to curve around her nape tightened only a split second before he yanked her close.
Her breath fled her lungs as the hands she threw up connected with hard muscles flexing beneath the expensive cotton of his shirt. Heat flared within her, igniting sensation along nerve endings now straining with acute excitement.
‘Wh-what are you doing?’ she gasped as he hauled her into his lap.
‘Reminding myself that there must have been something besides your abrasive tongue I found so appealing about you three years ago.’ His mouth hovered over hers, the hiss of his words landing like explosive little kisses on her lips.
With a desperate gasp, she parted them to suck in oxygen and trembled violently when a primitive growl echoed from his throat. One hand slid down her back to cup her behind, exerting pressure to bring her even closer.
‘You...we can’t—’
‘I assure you, Mia, we can, and I fully intend to.’
