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She’d wanted her living quarters to be as far away from Rocco as possible but even her first stipulation
looked as if it was to be denied. ‘We’ll have to come up with something suitable, then.’
He rose from the desk, sauntering towards her with a gleam in his eyes that made her hackles rise. ‘You agree to marry me in one breath then seem desperate to be as far away from me as possible in the next. Anyone would think you were running scared of something.’
She forced her gaze to stay on his. ‘I don’t care what you think. I just want my privacy.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Wanting privacy is one thing. Removing yourself so far away from me that it raises questions is quite another. Do you trust yourself so little?’ he taunted.
‘It’s you I don’t trust.’
He stiffened, his jaw clenching a moment before he spoke. ‘You don’t trust me?’ His voice was infinitely mocking, covered in ice. ‘Pray tell, what have I done to deserve that distrust?’
‘You really expect me to answer that? After throwing me to the wolves the very first chance you got?’
‘I did nothing you didn’t deserve.’
It was a testament to how unguarded she was around him that pain glanced through her midriff. ‘One day, Rocco, I swear you’ll regret what you did to me. If you don’t, then you’ll just confirm how heartless you’ve shown yourself to be since you threw me out.’
For the briefest nanosecond, she fooled herself into thinking she saw regret in his eyes. But then he shrugged.
‘I’ve been called worse, cara. As to your request, if you feel that strongly about it, the adjoining suite to mine is still available.’ He lifted his hand and ran a lazy finger down her cheek, leaving a trail of fireworks beneath her skin. ‘It’s yours to decorate to your heart’s content until such time as you get over your false indignation. Then you’ll know where to find me.’
She took a step back, removing herself from his charged orbit. ‘That’s not going to happen. Because my second stipulation is that you won’t touch me again. Ever. If you want this marriage to happen, then you’ll agree that it’ll happen without any further physical advances from you.’
His eyes narrowed, and his hands dropped down to his sides. ‘I seem to recall that you’ve come willingly into my arms each time.’
Heat surged into her face, his low, thickly accented words sending flames of shame and lust through her. Memories. ‘They were temporary aberrations that will never occur again.’
‘Never say never,’ he drawled, a tight little smile lifting the corners of his mouth. ‘And be careful what challenges you issue, Mia. You know how very hard it is for me to resist them.’
She remembered all too well. Didn’t he pursue her relentlessly for three months before she agreed to go out to dinner with him?
She’d got the job at Vitelli Construction after a gruelling set of interviews and she’d accepted with the sole aim of furthering her career and a determination to do nothing to jeopardise it.
The reminder of what her mother had endured as a single parent with zero career prospects, the accusations levelled at Mia for the simple fact of her existence, was the reason she’d vowed to herself at an early age never to fall under the spell of a man to the exclusion of all else.
But Rocco had very quickly consumed all her senses, his business acumen and his personal sexual charisma overcoming her every resistance. Those warnings had proved correct eventually. She’d lived in bliss for months, fooled herself into believing she was the exception to the rule. That she could have it all.
The reality check had been harsh and devastating. Within weeks she’d lost everything, save the new life she’d carried in her womb. She couldn’t forget that abject lesson. ‘So are we agreed?’
‘Agreed that the physical side of this agreement will remain off the table until you come crawling to me?’ he mocked.
‘I won’t. But if that’s what will make you agree, then yes.’
His smile was pure shark, making her nape tingle alarmingly again. ‘Of course, cara. If you insist.’
Refusing to rise to the bait he was setting, she turned to leave.
‘That’s it?’ he enquired, sounding a little stunned.
She shrugged. ‘What else is there? You wanted me to make a decision. I have. Now Gianni and I are going home.’
He was shaking his head even before she’d finished speaking. ‘No, Mia. You are going nowhere. In anticipation of your agreeable answer, I took the liberty of getting my people to apply for a special licence. You will stay here with Gianni, and we will fly to Sicily in the morning. Preparations are already under way for us to be married.’
It was her turn to be stunned. ‘How is that even possible? You’ve only known about Gianni’s existence for a little over a day.’
‘That should tell you how much I want him in my life. You’ve said yes so what’s the point in delaying?’
