Julia pulled back. “Why?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” Julia realized that although they had spoken about many things over the last week, he had avoided all personal topics. “We said we were going. They’re expecting us. Maddy will be hurt if we don’t show up.”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“Without even talking to me about it?”
“It’s my family.”
“And none of my business,” she said, unable to keep some of the hurt she felt out of her voice.
His silence was his answer.
Julia stepped out of his embrace. He didn’t try to stop her, and that confused her even more. Was his mother right—at least when it came to how temporary their union was? Julia didn’t feel like the flavor of the month. What they had felt special. But maybe that’s how he makes every woman feel?
In that moment of resistance, she remembered part of why she’d come to see him. “About Paul.”
Gio frowned. “Why are we still talking about that man?”
She looked him in the eye and said, “I didn’t know you fired him. I understand that he went too far, but he was protecting me. I feel awful that he lost his job over me. He and Tom have been friends forever. I can’t be the reason they don’t work together anymore.”
Gio returned to his desk and sat down, a not-so-subtle act of dismissal. “Was there something else you wanted?”
Julia glared at him. “Sometimes I don’t like you very much.”
He was around his desk with a predatory swiftness and harshly pulled her against him. “You don’t have to like me.” He dug a hand into her hair and held her immobile before him. “You want me.” Julia wanted to hate the way he took her mouth in his as if she belonged to him, but the strength of him was heady. She welcomed his plundering kiss and reveled at how he also lost control. He lifted her and carried her toward the couch.
The intercom on his desk beeped, then his secretary’s voice filled the room. “I’m ready when Julia is. We have a car waiting for us downstairs.”
Gio groaned. “Why does she hate me? Do I not pay her enough?” He let Julia’s feet slide to the ground.
Julia adjusted her clothing and gathered her thoughts. Gio was a strong man and one who was painfully honest, but he wasn’t cruel. And he cared about her; she had to believe that. “I’m going out with Rena tonight. She said she had some dresses that might fit me.”
“Dresses for a wedding we’re not attending?”
Julia put a hand on one hip. “Yes.”
“Why borrow from her? I said she could take you shopping.” Julia met his eyes angrily and his expression darkened. “Because you don’t want anything from me.”
In that moment, Julia glimpsed the reason she couldn’t stay away from him. However he tried to hide it, she knew he felt things deeply. “I do want something from you, but nothing you could buy.”
He had a cornered look in his eyes that reminded her of the stray dog her family had once brought in during a snowstorm when Julia was twelve. The dog had paced and clawed at the door as if he were trapped in the shelter they had offered him. He’d responded to attempts to pet him with defensive snarls. Her mother had suggested that they call the dog warden. They didn’t need a dog and certainly not one who might be a danger. Her father had asked them both to give him a month. He said the dog didn’t become fearful in a day, and expecting him to trust them that quickly was unrealistic.
Her father had taken a bowl of food and put it on the porch. Before he opened the door to let the dog out, he’d bent and looked into the dog’s eyes and said calmly, “You’re a good dog, and this can be your home if you want it.”
She and her mother had expected the dog to run off into the snow.
Julia smiled as she remembered how her mother had gently teased her husband by asking, “Did he answer you?”
Her gentle giant of a father had merely shrugged and said, “His actions will be his answer.”
Rodin, as they’d come to call him, became her father’s loyal shadow. He never did sleep in the house, but he met her father on the porch each morning and went with him to his furniture factory. For her father, he’d allowed the vet to give him annual shots as long as the vet came to the house. When he died, the family had buried Rodin in a plot behind the factory, beneath the tree where he’d always spent the day waiting for her father to finish work so he could walk him home.
Julia wondered what Gio would think of the comparison. The more she got to know him, the more she sensed that he needed shelter from his own storm.
Just as much as he needed someone to believe in him.
He might pretend he didn’t care what she thought of him, but she wasn’t fooled. He’ll do the right thing. Julia went up onto her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss before heading toward the door. She left him standing in the middle of his office shaking his head.
Gio dropped back into his office chair with a groan. As he always felt after Julia left, Gio felt off balance.
He called his friend Kane and told him that it was time for him to repay him for all the years that Rena had worked for him. He gave Kane Paul’s name and information and asked him to hire him. He also explained that Paul might come as a package deal with another man. Both had good work histories with his company, but for personal reasons he preferred they work elsewhere. He called down to Tom and explained the offer to him. Although he refused to hire Paul back, he wanted Julia to be happy.
One woman’s opinion shouldn’t matter so much to him.
But there was no denying that it did.
His cell phone rang. He checked caller ID and his mood soured more. “Mother,” he said coolly.
“George, tell me you’re not attending the Andrade wedding on Isola Santos. I’m surprised your uncles have the nerve to invite anyone there.” Her dislike of the possibility was clear in her tone.
He almost reassured her he wasn’t. Having Julia in his life had brought him a sense of contentment he had decided not to let ancient history threaten. Why look for answers in the past when he had everything he needed right there beside him every night?
Some doors were better left closed.
His mother hadn’t hidden her concern when she’d heard he and his brothers had attended a function with the family over the summer, but she’d settled down when nothing came from it.
Patrice Andrade, or, as she was once again known, Patrice Stanfield, daughter of one of the wealthiest oil families in the United States, wasn’t known for being an emotional woman. She had even less tolerance for dramatics in others.
Which made her escalating agitation over the wedding difficult to dismiss. It begged the question: Why?
Is it the island she hates, or the idea that we may reconcile with our father’s family?
He answered vaguely, “I told them I would.”
“How could you, Gio? With everything you know?”
“It’s a wedding. Nothing more.”
“But why are you going? They’ve invited you to weddings before. You’ve never gone. Are you hoping things will be different? They won’t be. Remember what they’ve taken from you.”
She’d voiced that sentiment a hundred times before. He’d thought himself immune to it, but this time it brought back anger he hadn’t known was still within him. “How could I forget with you around to remind me?”
His mother’s voice softened. “You’re better than them, George. They did you a favor when they showed you how they really felt. You don’t need them.”
Gio let out a relieved breath. “Is this the only topic you called to discuss? Because I have a meeting waiting for me.” Which was partially true. Somewhere in the world some executive was waiting for him to return his call.
“I saw you in the papers chasing after some woman. Making a fool of yourself in public undermines the company’s image.”
“Good-bye, Mother.”
Just before he hung up, she said, “Watch your b
rothers on the island, George. Don’t let your uncles manipulate them. They lie as easily as they breathe.”
How many times had they had this very conversation? Looking up at the ceiling in frustration, Gio said, “We’re not little boys anymore. You don’t have to protect us from them.”
“You’re wrong, George. I just hope you realize that before they tear our family apart in a way that even you can’t fix.”
She hung up.
Tear us apart?
I’d say that happened a long time ago.
Her call had changed his mind about seeing his father’s family again, and not in the way his mother had hoped. He was certain now he had to go. He needed to know what awaited him that his mother feared.
But unlike the first time he’d decided to attend the wedding, he didn’t want to bring Julia with him. If the situation got ugly, he wanted her far away from it.
Rena’s Queen Anne townhouse in Henderson Place had surprised Julia. Even to someone as new to New York as Julia was, the rare cul-de-sac neighborhood implied expensive and exclusive. And if Rena’s designer wardrobe was any indication, the area’s high price hadn’t affected her ability to shop.
Which should have made Julia feel uncomfortable, but Rena had a down-to-earth personality. As she encouraged her to try on dress after dress, Julia felt like she was with her friends back in Rhode Island preparing for prom. They laughed their way through good and bad fits.
While standing before the mirror in a navy strapless Gucci gown that fit her perfectly, Julia met Rena’s eyes in the mirror and asked, “How long have you known Gio?”
Rena smiled and looked up at the ceiling as if counting the years in her head. “I was still in braces when we first met. My brother, Kane, has been his best friend since middle school.”
A sliver of uncertainty crept into Julia. “Gio hasn’t mentioned him to me, but there is a lot he doesn’t tell me.”
Rena came to stand beside Julia in front of the mirror. Simply for the fun of it, she was dressed in a whimsical ultrafitted nude gown that boasted not only a bustier but also a long skirt covered in a layer of feathers. She said she’d fallen in love with it when she’d seen it on a runway in London but hadn’t yet found an event to wear it to. “Give him time. Gio doesn’t trust people easily. He’s had good reason not to.”
Julia couldn’t contain her question. “What happened?”
Rena smiled regretfully. “I wish I could tell you. I’m not supposed to know. He’d kill Kane for telling me.”
Changing the subject, Julia looked down at her own dress and said, “Will I need this dress? He said we’re not going to the wedding anymore.”
“He’ll go. He may say he doesn’t care about his cousins, but he does. He always has.” She took one of Julia’s hands in hers. “Take the dress, and don’t give up on him. He needs someone like you.”
Julia met her own eyes in the mirror.
I want to believe that.
I desperately want to believe that.
Several hours later, Julia followed Gio’s driver as he carried the bags of dresses and shoes Rena had loaned her. Although it was still strange having someone always at her side anticipating her needs, she had to admit it was nice.
It still feels like a dream.
Gio opened the door of his apartment and Julia’s heart pounded wildly in her chest. His eyes were dark and burning with need for her. If this is a dream, wake me tomorrow.
She flew into his arms and met his kiss eagerly. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of his bed and simply held her for a moment, breathing in the scent of her hair like he’d waited all day to do just that.
She pulled her head back and looked up at him. There was sadness in his eyes that made her want to throw her arms around him and comfort him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve decided to attend the wedding this weekend. I leave on Friday morning.”
“You leave?”
He put a hand beneath her chin and raised her face up so she would meet his eyes. “You’re not coming with me.”
Julia clasped her suddenly cold hands in front of her. “Why?” Because it’s over? This can’t be how it ends. We haven’t even fought. “You wanted me to go. What’s changed?”
He slid her off him and stood. “I no longer want you there.”
Confused, Julia stood straight and tall in front of him. “I don’t believe you.”
“I don’t know how to be clearer.”
She stepped closer and studied his expression. Questions clamored within her. Insecurities circled like vultures waiting to swoop in. Rena’s words came back to her, bolstering her resolve. Don’t give up on him. “How about just being honest?”
He lashed out verbally. “Dammit, Julia. I’m not taking you to the wedding. I refuse to involve you in this.”
Tears clouded Julia’s eyes as she saw what was behind his anger. He wanted to protect her. “Okay.”
He frowned down at her. “Why aren’t you upset?”
Julia’s throat clogged with emotion. “Because I’m listening with my heart and not my ears. My father taught me that. It’s how he said you see the soul of something. You close out all distractions and you let yourself feel the essence of it.” She took him by the hand and led him out of the bedroom to one of the couches in the living room. She sat down even when he continued to stand and glower down at her. “You’re angry, but not at me. Let’s start over. Yell and rant as much as you want. Let it out. Then we’ll talk.”
Gio shook his head in bewilderment. “What?”
“Throw something if it makes you feel better. Sometimes I do that. Bottling it up only makes it worse.”
“I don’t yell.”
“Everyone yells.”
He shook his head again.
“Then I’ll do it for you.” She let out a high-pitched angry scream.
He sat beside her. “What are you doing? Stop.”
She screamed again.
He covered her mouth. “Someone is going to call the police.”
She smiled beneath his hand. He removed it and she said, “I just released all the anger I felt when you told me I couldn’t go to the wedding. Now you do it. You’ll feel better.”
He cocked his head to one side, then started to laugh. He laughed so hard his eyes misted over. And while he did he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
She nodded with approval. “Laughter works, too. How do you feel?”
He cupped her face between both of his hands and looked down at her, his expression sobering. “Better than I have in a long, long time.”
“Do you want to talk now?
“Hell no.”
Even though she was disappointed, she was relieved to see him smiling. He swung her up and over one of his shoulders. “I just thought of another way to relieve some of my stress.”
She playfully swatted his back. “Don’t think this lets you off the hook. I want to know why you don’t want to take me to the wedding.”
He growled and rolled onto the bed with her. “What’s it going to take for you to stop talking?”
Julia smiled up at him impishly. “Do I really need to tell you?”
She didn’t.
The next hour left her pleasantly unable to speak or even form a coherent thought.
Chapter Sixteen
Julia woke in Gio’s arms. Lying naked in his embrace was heaven. He was absently tracing the curve of her lower back.
She hugged him tightly. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but she held her tongue. He would tell her when he was ready. “Gio?”
“Hmmm?” he asked, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“I care about you.”
He instantly tensed but said nothing. What is he afraid I’ll say? Who taught him that words of kindness are followed by something unpleasant?
Rubbing her hand across his lightly haired chest, Julia said, “That’s all. I just needed to say it.”
He bur
ied his face in her hair and held her for a moment longer, relaxing beneath her touch. “Did you have fun with Rena?”
Julia knew he was trying to distract her and she let him. “Yes. We even looked at some old photographs. I’m so jealous. How did you not have a gangly, awkward stage?”
He chuckled softly and ran his hand through her long hair. “I’m not sure I should let the two of you become friends.”
“Too late,” Julia said with a mischievous grin. “I love that she’s your best friend’s little sister. She told me that you and Kane ruled your high school. What was it like being so popular?”
Instead of laughing at her ribbing, his face grew serious. “Kane was my friend. The rest of them were more interested in how much money my family had. That’s the problem with money. People don’t see you. They see the car you drive. They see the house you live in. Beyond that, none of it is real. When you have enough money, it’s no longer a thrill to get more of it. All that matters is keeping it and ensuring it’s there for the next generation.”
Julia held up one of her hands and rubbed her thumb and index finger together back and forth quickly. She stopped and said cheekily, “Do you know what that is? It’s the world’s smallest violin, and I’m playing it for your very sad story. Too much money. The burden of it. How did you survive?”
He raised his hand and slapped her bare ass with enough force that she jumped, but not enough to hurt her. “I thought you were a sweet woman.”
She smiled back, unrepentant. “I am, but I call bullshit when I see it.”
“That can be a dangerous trait,” he said with a bit more seriousness. “Many people don’t like having their reality challenged.”
She propped herself up on one elbow and said, “I’m a lot tougher than you think.”
He ran a gentle hand down one side of her face and down her neck. “Are you?”
“Yes, I am.”
A pained expression twisted his face. “I don’t know what the wedding will be like. It has the potential to become an ugly situation.”