Julia dug through her purse. “I’ve had Alethea check up on her now and then.” She pulled out a photo and handed it to Kane. “This picture was taken a couple weeks ago.”
Kane accepted the photo, not knowing what to expect. He’d always assumed Gigi would look like a female version of Gio. He’d never actually given it much thought. He had to look at the photo twice before he believed what his eyes were telling him.
With a suddenly dry mouth, he demanded, “Who is this?”
Julia looked at him in confusion. “I told you, that’s Gigi.”
Every muscle in his body tightened painfully. Unfortunately, it was undeniably . . . Luisella.
Billions of people on the planet and the woman he couldn’t forget just had to be his best friend’s little sister.
Son of a bitch.
Chapter Five
‡
Saturday morning Gigi woke and dressed early and headed toward the kitchen to make her mother an espresso. Ever since she was a child she’d brought her mother breakfast in bed as her birthday present.
The palazzo was just as it had been six months earlier and six months before that. The stone steps in the courtyard still needed weeding between the cracks. Another painting adorned a spot that had had been vacant for years. Gigi sent money to her mother each month so she wouldn’t have to work so hard, but instead of lowering her workload her mother used the money to hunt down and repurchase items she’d sold off. Why couldn’t her mother see that no matter how many pieces she bought back, it wouldn’t change how the house felt—empty and sad. She should sell the place, but Gigi doubted she ever would. As supportive and loving as her mother was, she was stubborn in her own way.
On the way to the kitchen, Gigi stopped to pick up a new addition to her mother’s framed photos. It was of her brother Luke with his wife, Cassie, and their little girl. Although Leora had said she understood when Gigi asked that they not talk about the Andrades anymore, it was obvious she’d stayed in contact with them. The constantly updated photos kept the topic open and painfully fresh at each visit.
You’re killing me, Mamma. They’re not even related to you. Why do you care about them?
Gigi considered herself a strong person. A levelheaded one. Most of her friends would describe her the same way. She was the one they came to for practical advice. They’d never seen the past pull her in like a powerful riptide, battering her with old insecurities and things she told herself no longer bothered her. Coming home always put her off-kilter.
It had been the same on Slater Island. She wasn’t proud of any part of that trip. Her emotions had flopped back and forth so many times she hadn’t been able to sort them out even after she’d returned home. She’d tried to box them up and put them aside with everything else unpleasant she couldn’t change, but a deep sadness had lingered after her visit to the States.
She’d finally admitted to her mother she’d gone to the wedding. She’d deliberately left out certain details, but she did tell her mother that being around them made her sad in a way she couldn’t handle. Another fact she wasn’t proud of, but one her mother seemed to understand. Leora had kissed her daughter on the forehead and said, “Everything, even second chances, needs to come at the right time. Perhaps this is not it.”
Her brothers had stopped trying to make contact after that, and Gigi was able to put all of it out of her head and concentrate on starting a career. Which she had. She didn’t want to look back. Not now. Not ever.
I should ignore these damn photos. She couldn’t, though. They were in every room. Pictures of her brothers’ weddings, their parties, their children being baptized. Even though Gigi had decided to not have contact with them, watching their lives continue on without her filled her with a different, but equally unwelcome, regret.
Shouldn’t it get easier? Being in the home where her father had died, and then looking at photos of a family she didn’t know always left her feeling raw and exposed. She didn’t want to feel that way again. She didn’t like the person she was when she visited this house.
She replaced the photo on the mantel and told herself to think of it like a canker sore . . . no matter how bad it feels in the moment, it doesn’t last, and the pain is quickly forgotten.
Two days. I’m only here for two days; then it’s back to my life in Scotland.
Back to sanity.
She was gathering some pastries onto a tray when she heard a knock at the door. Gigi rushed to answer it, expecting a birthday delivery of some sort. She whipped open the door and gasped. Right on her doorstep was the one man she’d never forgotten, and the last one she wanted to see.
Kane.
Here.
Oh, God.
He was dressed in a button-down dark blue shirt and trousers, but he was every bit as sexy as he’d been in a tuxedo. Her heart started thudding wildly in her chest. Every inch of her came alive in a way it didn’t for other men. She licked her bottom lip as her mind went blissfully blank. This was the zing she’d told Annelise she was holding out for.
“May I come in?” His voice was deep and strong.
“What do you want?” Gigi asked in a whisper.
It was impossible to look away from his eyes, impossible to miss how her question had lit a fire within him. At least that was what Gigi thought until he said, “Your family sent me.”
Gigi’s breath left her in a rush. She was instantly angry, and although she didn’t want to admit it, disappointed. “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in anything they have to say.” She went to close the door, but he put out a hand to stop her.
“Not everything is about you. It’s time to stop hiding, Luisella.”
Gigi’s face went hot with a blush. “I’m not hiding.” She gave the door a slight push, but he held it firmly in place. “And I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Who’s at the door, Gigia?” Leora called from the stairway.
“No one,” Gigi answered over her shoulder and gave the door another shove. “Just a salesman peddling something we don’t want.”
“Oh, I was hoping it was . . .” Leora’s voice rose happily when she saw who her daughter was blocking from entering. She paid no attention to the obvious battle ensuing and said, “Kane! Come in. Julia told me you might drop by.”
“Leora, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” The smug look he shot Gigi made her want to slam the door in his face, but her mother was already at her side, welcoming him.
“I’ve heard so many stories about you through Gio that I feel I know you. Come in. You must be tired from traveling. Gigia, could you make some espresso for everyone?”
Gigi let the door swing wide open. “I’d love to,” she answered with heavy sarcasm.
Kane stepped inside and gave her mother a quick kiss on each cheek. “I hope I’m not intruding.”
Her mother dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “Company is the best birthday present.”
Kane met Gigi’s eyes, but directed his next comment to her mother. “I’m here to take Gigi back to the United States to meet her brothers.”
“I know,” her mother said, sounding pleased with the idea. “Do you think you’re up to the task?”
Gigi’s mouth fell open in shock. “Do either of you care that I can hear you?”
Kane turned his attention back to Leora as if Gigi hadn’t spoken. “When I set my mind to do something, I never fail.”
“It won’t be easy,” Leora warned with a demure smile.
“I don’t expect it to be, but she is coming with me.”
Finding her voice again, Gigi said, “Have the two of you lost your minds? I’m not going anywhere. And, Kane, if there was the slightest chance I was going to talk to you at all, you just blew it.”
“Gigia,” her mother scolded softly. “Where are you manners? Please go make the espresso.”
With an infuriating slight smile on his face, Kane said, “Gigia, what a beautiful name.”
Standing straighter, G
igi inhaled sharply. “Don’t call me that. My name is Gigi.”
“Gigia,” her mother scolded again, then turned and linked arms with Kane, leading him toward the parlor. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Kane. She could use a strong influence in her life. Since my Gio died, she’s been lost, and I thought if I gave her time she would find her way back. But I don’t know what to do with her anymore.”
Gigi stood just where they’d left, replaying the last few minutes in her head. Why would her brothers send a friend instead of coming for her themselves? And why were her mother and a man she’d met only once in her life talking about her as if they were on the same side?
In all of her life no man had ever spoken to her as arrogantly as Kane had. She hated to admit how hearing him talk that way had sent flames of desire licking through her. He was a man who knew what he wanted and would stop at nothing to get it.
And he wanted her.
Although, not the way she was picturing.
No, this is just my luck. Mr. Zing finally arrives, and all he wants to do is lecture me again.
* * *
Kane sat with Leora in the parlor making polite conversation, but all he could think about was how seeing Lui—Gigi—had felt.
He remembered everything, right down to his desire to throw all sense to the wind and fuck her without regard for consequence or loyalty. He wouldn’t, of course. At the end of the day she was his best friend’s little sister and would always be off limits, but that didn’t make whatever was between them less powerful.
He groaned inwardly as he remembered how he’d spoken to her. On the long flight over, he’d planned a much more diplomatic approach. He’d chosen his words carefully, mentally outlined how he would guide her toward agreeing to go back with him. In his head, he’d imagined a civil conversation.
Not the he-man, chest-pounding I’m-taking-you-back-to-the-States-whether-you-fight-me-or-not declaration he’d made.
His mother would have boxed him in the ears if she ever heard him speak that way. He would have done worse had he heard someone speak that way to his sister. Still, something had snapped within him when she’d moved to close the door in his face.
Something primal and wild.
He had come for her, and he’d decided in that moment he wasn’t leaving without her. She would fly back to meet her brothers, and he would take whatever he felt around her and deny, deny, deny the shit out of it.
That’s what men do when their cock decides it likes their best friend’s sister.
“Do you have a plan?” Leora asked, bringing Kane back to their conversation.
It was odd talking about it with Gigi’s mother, and Kane gave her a guilty, somewhat sheepish, smile. “Not really.”
Leora smiled, and he could see where Gigi’s beauty came from. Even in her sixties, she was elegant, stunning. It should have surprised him that she was on his side, but it matched what Gio and Julia had told him about her. Fiercely loyal to her daughter and the memory of the man she’d loved. “I like you, Kane. You’re strong. My Gio was like you. He didn’t make excuses for who he was, but when he loved, he loved with all his heart. Gigia needs to forgive him. She sees everything as good or bad. Forgivable or inexcusable. It’s not good for her. I live my life the best I can and leave the judging up to God. I don’t think Gigia will ever be happy until she learns to do the same.”
Kane nodded, but only because he wasn’t sure what to say in the face of such raw honesty.
“And she’s stubborn, my Gigia. Just like her father. She misses him still, you know. It’s why she hates coming here. She thinks I don’t understand, but I do. It’s why I make her come here ever year for my birthday. I miss him, too, and I will not let him be forgotten. He loved us too much for me to let that happen.”
Kane looked away, moved by Leora’s words and uncomfortable at the same time. He didn’t want to see Gigi as someone who needed him. After he convinced her to see her brothers, it was his intention to never see her again. He cleared his throat and brought the subject back to a safer topic. “Gigia is a beautiful name. Why doesn’t she use it?”
“She doesn’t want to be Venetian. Sometimes I think she doesn’t want to be my daughter. I don’t know which breaks my heart more. When I was child I used to make wishes on candles and keep them secret, believing that only then would they come true. I have learned since that very little happens if you don’t make it known. Please convince my Gigia to go with you to the States. She needs to know her brothers. And if I can impose one additional request—bring her back to me one day. All the way back, as my proud little Venetian.” Leora wiped a tear from her cheek and reached for a tissue. “I’m sorry. I’m making you uncomfortable.”
Kane leaned forward and took one of Leora’s hands in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He was both touched and overwhelmed by her request. Yes, his family often fearlessly got involved before their assistance was requested, but not with anything on this scale. “If it were in my power, I would do both for you today. I’ll do my best to get her back to the States. That’s all I can promise.”
Leora sniffed and gave his hand a pat. “Thank you.” She stood. “I’m going to retire to my room now. Good luck with my daughter, Kane.” She walked to the door and stopped just before it, looking back over her shoulder as she said, “And tell Julia she chose well.”
Chapter Six
‡
Gigi slammed three espresso cups onto the tray with the pastries. If her mother hadn’t been there she would have told him exactly where he could go.
And why hadn’t her mother told her he was coming? After Kane left, and he would be leaving soon, she would have a talk with her mother. She knew Gigi didn’t like surprises.
Of course, to Mamma, he’s only Gio’s friend, here to try to sway me into changing my mind. She doesn’t know about the added layer of humiliation I felt at his rejection . . . that he is the only man I’ve thrown myself at, only to be laughed off.
Stings like that linger.
Gigi considered leaving, taking a water taxi and hopping on the next flight home. She didn’t have to stick around and be spoken about as if she were an errant child. She was a successful businesswoman. People respected her opinion. She didn’t need to prove herself here.
It’s time stop hiding, Luisella. Kane’s words replayed in her head.
Gigi picked up the tray and straightened her shoulders. I’m not hiding, and no one can make me do anything I don’t want to do. I’ll be nice to Kane for Mamma’s benefit, then send him on his way.
She pushed the swinging kitchen door open with one hip. And I’ll do it calmly, gracefully. Because I am not the emotional wreck he met three years ago.
Not that I care what he thinks of me.
Gigi stopped at the doorway of the parlor. Kane stood at her arrival, but he was alone.
“Your mother said she was tired and retired to her room.”
Gigi forced herself to start walking again. She placed the tray on a table in front of one of the settees. “I’ll check on her after you leave, but for now, please sit.” See? Perfectly civilized and in control.
Kane took a seat beside the tray and watched her intently while he took a long sip. “Ah, nothing like Italian espresso. It’s different back home.” He replaced the cup on the tray and sat back. “However, it’s not what I’m here for.”
Gigi stood behind one of the chairs. She felt like a hare caught in the sights of a wolf. It was exciting even though she had no intention of going with him or bolting. “I appreciate that you’ve come a long way to speak with me. I’m sorry to say, though, you’ve wasted your time.”
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem put-off by her statement. “Not a waste at all, I had to come here to understand you. You’re a liar, little Gigia.”
Gigi opened her mouth to deny it, then answered shortly, “Once. One lie.”
Kane stood and approached her. “Hardly. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person you lied to that day.”
&
nbsp; “Only because I didn’t want people to know I was there.”
He continued to speak while walking toward her. “Why would anyone sneak into a wedding they’d been invited to?”
Gigi gripped the back of the chair with one hand. “I was curious, that’s all.”
Stopping just inches away, Kane loomed above her. “Another lie. They fall from your lips so easily. I wonder if you believe them yourself.”
With Kane so close, Gigi was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything besides the breadth of his shoulders and the lure of his dark eyes. She gulped. “Get out of my house.”
He ran a hand lightly down one of her cheeks. “When I leave, you’re coming with me. Tell me, Gigi, do you still swear like a sailor?”
Mesmerized by his voice, it was impossible to be offended by his words. Her lips parted involuntarily, and she raised her chin. “You deserved what I said.”
Kane rubbed a thumb across her bottom lip. “Did I? Because I refused you?”
Pride warred with common sense. If he couldn’t even remember how she’d embarrassed herself that evening, did reminding him of it serve any purpose except to embarrass herself again? She needed to back away from him, forget about the incident that had apparently not meant much to him. “Because you laughed when you did.”
He took her chin in his hand and held her face so he could look down into her eyes. “Is that what you thought? If I laughed, it was at myself for not realizing how young you were.”
Gigi gulped again. Three years was a long time. The feel of his kiss shouldn’t be so easy to remember. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t dated anyone since. When she’d first moved to Scotland she’d gone to dinner with several men. Her pride had been hurt, and she’d had something to prove to herself. But she hadn’t slept with anyone of them.
This is why.
Sorry, Annelise, you were wrong. The zing was, unfortunately, very real.
There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but they didn’t matter in that moment. She was lost in his touch, his gaze, in the tantalizing scent of him. “I was twenty-two, not a child.”