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Something sharp knifed her gut. It felt uncomfortably like envy.
She’d stopped wondering what it would feel like to have a warm and comforting tradition set in stone, to not live with the uncertainty of wondering which whimsical place her mother would choose and what atmosphere awaited her when she inevitably dragged herself there. ‘You spend holidays with your family in Sicily?’
‘Se,’he responded, a bite of something earthy and solemn in his voice. ‘Don’t tell me, you prefer the company of a big, rowdy crowd made up of acquaintances you barely know to lose yourself in?’
She forced herself not to react because what he’d said was partly true.
Much as she’d yearned for the close comfort of her small family in years gone by, she’d come to accept that would never happen. These days Giada would much rather stay on a research vessel and work through the holidays than put herself through her mother’s inevitable roller-coaster cycle of emotions. It seemed the older her mother got, the more erratic the occasions were destined to become.
‘You know me well,’ she quipped, assuring herself that leaning into Alessio Montaldi’s stereotyped assumptions was better than revealing the stark bewilderment of her dysfunctional family.
His lips compressed, disdain reigniting in his eyes.
Giada told herself it was better this way, but she couldn’t stop the hollow yawning in her belly. ‘The evening is still young. Time enough for your brother to return. So what’s the problem?’
‘The problem is Massimo took my helicopter. And informed me by text half an hour ago that I shouldn’t expect him in the morning because he’s planning to spend the day with friends in Verbier. So the very earliest I can hope to leave this place is tomorrow evening.’
‘And to a man like you, a few more hours in a gorgeous chalet is a fate worse than death?’ she attempted to tease.
His eyes narrowed. ‘When this isn’t where I want to be or the company I desire?Se, it most definitely is,’ he bit out without mercy.
Was she shocked that he didn’t bother to hold back that her company was the last thing he wanted? Probably not. But shehatedthat intensifying hollowness in her body.
Because it reeked far too much of the dejection she suffered whenever she was with Gigi and her mother. She hated that she’d never managed to wrestle away theyearningand thehopeand fruitlesswishfor a better connection with the only family she had. Especially during the holiday season.
There was a time in the distant past when Christmas had been a true time for joy. When her mother had come within a whisker of being happy, when Giada and Gigi had the promise of a proper family within reach. Perhaps that was why she hated this time of year. Her foolish heart never failed toyearn.
And reality was always,alwaysworse than the expectation.
‘You find my words harsh? Or just personal?’
She startled and looked up to find his gaze near her plate. Following it, she saw how tightly she’d gripped her fork.
She relaxed her fingers. ‘Do you care?’ she countered, pride sparking anger. ‘We’re using each other as a means to our own ends, aren’t we? Like you said, our personal lives aren’t part of the deal. My feelings in this don’t matter. The fact that you might be my potential employer shouldn’t change anything. You employ thousands of people. I’ll do my job and we don’t even need to see each other again after tonight.’
For some reason, he looked even more disgruntled. He set his own cutlery down and picked up his wine glass.
Giada couldn’t stop herself from glancing at those capable fingers wrapped around the delicate crystal. Remembering how they’d felt against her skin when he’d thrown her over his shoulder and stormed out of the club in Gstaad. How his touch had branded her.
Heat rose to blend with the other sensations swirling through her. She shifted in her seat, willing them all away. But they remained, intensifying as he lifted the glass, his eyes fixated on her as he took a healthy gulp.
‘I stay in constant touch with my teams. I find face-to-face interaction produces the best results. Things have a habit of...festering in the dark. Assuming things are running smoothly out of sight is asking to be stabbed in the back.’
His nostrils thinned and a shadow moved over his face as he spoke. Before she could begin to work out what that meant, he continued, ‘I’ve learned not to allow that to happen. So should you, in the unlikely event, find yourself contracted to me, you won’t have the freedom of running around thinking you can do what you want. Perhaps you should consider that before this goes any further?’ There was a slice of something smug and almost...anticipatoryin his voice.
As if he relished the opportunity to toy with his prey.
A shiver raced over her. The notion that she’d be required to be at his beck and call every hour of every day—because she suspected there was nothing as mundane as a nine-to-five with this man—excitedher.
Well, nother.
Gigi.
There was that hollow again.
What was wrong with her?
Sucking in a breath, she reached for her glass of water with a touch of desperation. It would do her more good than the wine. ‘That’s good to know. And no, that won’t change my mind. I still want this job.’
