There had been something important to her about tying his hands and he’d worried when he untied them, he would be failing her, but she’d liked that part, too.
A charming, enigmatic, surprising creature was his wife. No wonder Baron had not wanted to let her go. The thought sent a shaft of annoyance through him and he dismissed it.
She’d never be Baron’s again. Tara was his now. That was all that mattered.
Angelo clasped his hands and stretched his arms, then tilted his head from side to side, working the kinks out. “I am hungry, too, stellina.”
“Then come have some breakfast,” she said breathlessly.
He looked at her and found her beautiful brown gaze riveted to his body. “Ahh…but that isn’t what I’m hungry for.”
She blushed delightfully and laughed. “That’s all that’s on offer at the moment. We need fuel. Or maybe you don’t,” she amended, looking at where the sheet tented from his body, “but I do. Have pity, Angelo, and come eat with me.”
He shook his head, laughing in a way he could never remember doing with a former lover, as he got out of the bed.
She was scandalized when he came to the table naked, but almost fell off her chair with laughter when he conceded to her modesty by tossing a napkin down over his lap.
They bantered and made love for the rest of the morning, never leaving their suite until they had to depart for their scheduled take-off time at the airport.
Tara was both obviously thrilled and sweetly nervous when he informed her they were flying to Sicily so she could meet his family.
“Finally.”
Tara looked up from her laptop. “Finally what?”
They’d been in Sicily for three weeks, but it hadn’t all been honeymoon and sexual intimacy. When she had expressed concern over her career, Angelo had been quick to offer her a dream job and set her up with her own mini office on the opposite side of the study from him in his villa.
She’d never lived or worked in such an opulent setting. What other junior manager worked at a desk that was an original Chippendale and slid her pumps off under said desk to curl her toes against genuine Italian marble? Not to mention having a staff of servants available to care for her every whim?
Was it any wonder she adored Angelo? He spoiled her rotten and every day, her love grew. She was starting to wonder if she really needed to hold back the words until he said them first.
Their relationship was unlike anything she had ever known before and he made it obvious he saw her as an equal, not a woman to be manipulated into being what he wanted.
Her husband’s voice had been so filled with satisfaction when he spoke that she wasn’t surprised by the look of triumph on his chiseled features.
She smiled at him. “You look like you just bought another company.”
“How well you know me.” That seemed to give him as much satisfaction as whatever news he’d just gotten. “I haven’t, but I’m about to.”
Something about the way he said it made her pause.
“What company is it?”
“One I’ve wanted for a very long time.”
“You’re taking down the guy who seduced your mom into selling him the family company, aren’t you?” She didn’t know how she knew, just that she did.
A strange light glittered in his eyes. “Yes.”
“How?”
“He’s gotten cocky. He never thinks his schemes can fail, but he’s wrong.”
“In what way?”
“His father-in-law leads a group of investors that make up the bulk of his financial house of cards. Once they withdraw their support, his highly leveraged company will be worse off than a lame duck on the first day of hunting season.”
She shivered at the analogy. “Why would his father-in-law remove his support?”
“His daughter has finally wised up to what a bastard the guy is and is filing for divorce.”
Just like Baron’s little oil heiress…only Baron said he was divorcing her, but she was willing to bet it was the other way around. Unless he’d found a richer prospect. Considering the fact he’d called, trying to see her, she doubted it.
Anyway, Baron wasn’t who she needed to be focused on right now.
The strange intensity emanating off of her husband was far more interesting to her. “That makes you happy?”
“Hell, yes. I helped to make sure it happened.”
A chill skittered down her spine. “What do you mean?”
“The guy had affairs.”
“That kind of man would.”
“I took advantage of the fact.”
“How?” Then she latched on to his meaning. “You made sure his wife knew about the other women?”