Rome for Always (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) by Judy Angelo Page A

could
object she’d flung the door wide and was waving him in like she was used to
seeing him on her doorstep. She was acting like it wasn’t the first time they’d
crossed paths since they’d parted ways so many months earlier.
    Slowly, cautiously, he made his way into the room. The
only reason he was even entering was that his mother had gone in before him. At
least he had a chaperone.
    That was what he thought but when he went inside Lily
Milano was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the spacious entryway then
peered into the living room. Both empty. “Where’s my mother?” he asked, not
bothering to hide his frown.
    “Oh, she went out back with Luisa,” Daniela said with a
shrug. “Some new roses came in from the greenhouse. You know how crazy your
mother is about flowers.”
    “Oh.” Rome didn’t have much more to say after that. Right
then what he wanted to do most of all was hop into his car and head back home
so he could curl up on a sofa with Arie on his lap. He almost sighed, knowing
that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. When his mother got into one of her
raves over a brand new plant it would take a while to pry her loose.  In the
meanwhile that left him in the embarrassing position of trying to make
conversation with Daniela.
    As if reading his thought she let out a tinkly laugh. “Don’t
be a stranger. Go on into the salon. Make yourself comfortable.” When he
hesitated she laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I’ll bring you something to drink.
Just relax.”
    That did it for him. Not wanting to prolong contact he
drew his arm away and walked off to the salon where she’d received him so many
times before…until that fateful day when she’d told him she’d fallen in love
with another man.
    Rome went off to wait for his mother but he did not
relax as Daniela had instructed. The woman was up to something. He didn’t know
what but he wouldn’t rest easy until he’d figured it all out. And he would
start by drilling his mother. She’d been the one to lure him here so on their
way back she would have a lot of explaining to do.
    Within minutes Daniela was back with two glasses of
white wine. She gave him a smug smile and tossed her head, letting her long,
black hair fall in a soft cloud around her face.
    “You look good, Rome.” Her voice was low, almost
seductive. “But you look tense. You should relax more. You’ve always had a
problem with that.” As she spoke she came closer then held out the glass of
sparkling wine to him.
    It was either accept her offer or come across as rude. So,
as much as he wasn't feeling it, he reached out to take the glass from her
hand.  And, as he should have known she would, she made sure that as he took
the glass their fingers touched.
    Daniela smiled then raised her glass to her crimson lips.
As she sipped her eyes never left his face. When she lowered her glass her
smile widened. “Remind you of old times?” she asked, her voice soft and silky. “We
have so many memories in this house.”
    What the hell? Was Daniela crazy enough to think he
would go down that road with her? What they had was in the past and he was more
than happy to leave it there.  And before she made one more move he’d better
get the hell out of there.
    “Go get my mother,” he said, his voice cool as steel. “I’m
leaving.” 
    ***
     
     
    Taken aback by Vittorio’s aggressive tone, Arie could
only stare in disbelief. The man wasn’t even pretending to be nice. Just the
opposite. If the fire in his eyes was anything to go by he was barely an inch
away from despising her.
    Which was so unfair. The man didn’t even know her.
    “Aren’t you going to answer me?” he demanded as he
glared over at her. “How did you meet my son? How did you trick him into a
marriage proposal?”
    Like a slap across her face the words made Arie suck in
her breath and her mouth fell open. In a flash she caught herself and snapped
her jaws shut then she fixed him with a glare of her