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“Santino Morelli.”
“Gina Galloway.”
“Oh, I know.”
“We bothknewthat. Okay, Mr. Confidence. You’re acting like this is a job interview, and you only have one chance.”
I wriggle away from Santino’s hold as he winks at me. I’m all jelly inside. The second our fingertips stop touching, his hands claim my waist.
“A man like me understands that with a woman of your worth, he doesn’t take seconds lightly, Bella.”
I grumble at the term of endearment, and Santino offers a delicious smile. Though my mind hazes over with desire, I chew my bottom lip. “You didn’t, ahem, know my name yesterday, did you?”
Dry air catches in my throat. If Santino already knew my name, is his interest in my family business?
“No.”
Thank God.“You’re trying to get into my panties, aren’t you?” The words come out confident enough. Although my knees are dangerously weak I’m only standing because you don’t tumble in a thousand dollar pair of shoes. It’s blasphemy.
“I’d like to slide into . . .”
When I start to backtrack, his hand pulls my body against his. “Yourheart, Gina. But I’ll take whatever you're offering first and steal your heart in due time.”
Fleetingly, I’ve forgotten my favorite meal, my favorite flower, myname. I’ve crash-landed on Mars. To think, speechless has never been in my vocabulary.
Finding my voice, I reply, “Heart’s off the table. You can take me to dinner.”
At that moment, I didn’t expect much. I thought the bastard had charisma oozing from every surface of his gold-plated body. But when he took my hand, I wanted to deny the things I felt.
4
Santino
Doesn’t take a mage to know that a woman like Gina Galloway is worth more than I could give. Worth more than any man is capable of doling out, but I have money in my pockets. The type of money other rich women like her throw away, hand over fist, because of loneliness. Unlike them, Gina didn’t know how lonely she was until I appeared. I’m determined to fill that void.
The little peach dress has my hands itching to touch her smooth, flawless brown skin. Some men have a thing for baby blue eyes or green or gray, not me. Gina’s are the darkest shade of brown.
She has more curves than Stelvio Pass in Italy. I could just about run my hands through her long spirals. I block her path. We’re close now, closer than we’ve ever been. I breathe in her soft, floral perfume. Hands at her waist, I pull her in. “I can take you to dinner, but I can’t have your heart?”
“Never. Heart’s off the table, like I said.” Her fingers rest on mine; eyes hint that I should move my hands. Fingers thrumming through hers, I catch the slight hitch in Gina’s breath as I begin to walk. She follows. Hmmm, when will she follow me to bed?
First, I decide to take her somewhere nice for dinner. With all the things I want to do to her body, nourishment is a prerequisite.
* * *
We’ve walkedfor about fifteen minutes when Gina says, “This isn’t the best neighborhood . . .”
“Too bad. Dinner’s right across the street.” My fingers sweep over her shoulder. Her tresses bounce away, exposing her cocoa flesh.My thumb brushes her collarbone, foreseeing how I’ll kiss that very spot later. Gina stares at me, nervous and anxious, before squaring her shoulders. She has too much of a bad girl persona to cave.I smile.I will push this luscious, thick body to submission.
A few seconds later, she finds her voice. It’s silky and sensual as she teases, “Damn. I say this isn’t a safe area, and here I thought you’d back up that big mouth of yours with a testament about your arms.” Gina attempts to pry my fingers away from her skin, though she’s smiling and hardly making an attempt. I’ll let her go the day after never.
My gaze drops to her lips. “I assumed you were the one with the mouth.”
Gina squirms beneath my hooded gaze. I stare at her delicious chocolate breasts.Down,I tell my stiff, throbbing dick. Before I can defend myself, she touches my jaw, and I’m harder than a well-cut diamond.
Gina gives me a look. “If the food is bad, I’ll just forget your name. How does that sound?”
“Bella,” I exhale. “I’d rather you say my name ten thousand times by the end of the night.”
