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"I’ll leave that up to you."
"Will you tell me when she is expected?"
He smiled at her wryly. "I didn’t tell you it was a she."
"I know here." She patted the place where her heart was. "You are excited, yes? This is a very special woman."
"She is."
Now, he was here anticipating her arrival. A frown touched his brow as he recalled their conversation the last couple of days. He hadn’t called her for three days, but had sent a quick text message to let her know he’d landed and was in meetings for most of the time.
"I’m really looking forward to seeing you and spending some time at the villa. I need this, I need you.”
He’d called her a couple of days ago and she’d sounded distracted and distant.
"What's wrong?"
"Just some things I’m dealing with. There was a fire at one of the shelters we contribute to and several of the children have second and third-degree burns."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"We’re in the middle of raising money to get them treatment. It's going to be a long process, and yes, we need all the help we can get."
"I’ll contact the department that deals with that sort of thing and get them to write a check. What about the building itself?"
"A lot of structural damage, but the foundation is sound."
"We should get in on that too. Are you sure that's all?"
"Isn't that enough?" She’d asked him lightly. He knew there was an undertone in her voice that worried him. Pouring a glass of the wine, he went to sit at the desk and opened his laptop.
A quick search told him there was a fire that had broken out during the night and had caused extensive damage. No one had died due to their injuries, but the burn victims had been admitted, some in critical condition. Christ! He shook his head sadly.
He’d never been part of the system and for that he was immensely grateful. He’d been on the streets and seen what could happen. He’d been hungry and focused, wanting nothing more than to have a better life. Settling back against the padded chair, he allowed himself to think about her.
He needed her, there were no two ways about it. Ever since he laid eyes on her, he’d felt it. He’d seen her, he supposed, from a distance as they rarely ran in the same circles. He’d seen her popping up in various magazines and newspapers as she went around doing her charitable deals.
Seeing her that night, and catching a whiff of her perfume, noticing her unaffected laughter and her obvious grace and exquisite beauty had knocked him back and he’d felt himself drawn to her. He’d only meant for them to have a fling, never expecting that the minute he touched her, it would be all over for him.
A smile crossed his lips as he leaned his head back and recalled the softness of her skin and the silk of her hair. Yes, he realized. He was excited about her coming and couldn’t wait.
*****
The week had been horrible and without Maxwell here, she was finding it very difficult to cope. She’d tried telling her Dad several times about the relationship, but there was always some crisis happening or it was never the right time. Before she realized it, time had flown by and the week was at an end.
Now, he wasn’t well. She’d gone down to breakfast this morning to be told by one of the maids that he was still in bed.
"I thought he’d already left?" She frowned at Janet. "I was a little late getting up this morning and thought I’d missed him."
"He called down to the kitchen and said he wanted something in bed."
Her frown deepened. "He’s still in bed?"
"Yes, Ms. Alessia. He looks a little under the weather."
"Thank you."
"Will you be having breakfast?"
