Kate Hoffmann - His Forbidden Conquest - A Moment on the Lips / The Best Mistake of Her Life / Not Just Friends

‘Stay tonight?’ she asked softly—and regretted the question immediately, because she could see him closing off again.

‘Best not,’ he said. But his touch was gentle as he stroked her cheek. ‘Stay there. You look comfortable. And cute.’

She could push it, but she didn’t want to break this fragile new understanding between them. She wanted to strengthen it. ‘OK. Call me later.’

‘Yeah.’ Intense yearning passed briefly across his face, but he clearly wasn’t going to let himself give in, because the brooding businessman was back.

As she heard the front door close behind him her heart bled for whatever he’d seen in his childhood. In her view, having a cruel father was much worse than her own situation, growing up with no parents at all but knowing every day how much she was loved. Yes, there was a big hole in her life, and she missed her parents still, but she’d never known anything but love and kindness from her grandparents. Dante’s childhood had clearly been wreathed in shadows. And how she wanted to make things brighter. To fix it.

THE next morning, Carenza’s doorbell buzzed. Dante? she wondered with a surge of pleasure, and pressed the intercom. ‘Hello?’

‘Signorina Tonielli?’ It wasn’t a voice she recognised, and she tamped down the disappointment. ‘I have a delivery for you.’

She opened the door to discover a huge bouquet of the most gorgeous white flowers—roses, lilies, lisianthus and freesias. On a Sunday, this would have to be a special order. She signed for it with a smile, knowing who they were from before she even opened the card. Familiar spiky handwriting, with the simple message, I’m sorry. D.

She buried her nose in them, inhaling the scent. Beautiful. Like the man himself.

She could call him to thank him. Then again, she had a better idea. Especially on a bright, sunny Sunday morning.

Half an hour later, she walked into Dante’s office. ‘Hi.’

He looked up from his computer. ‘Hi.’

‘The flowers were lovely. I wanted to come and say thank you properly.’ She sat on the edge of his desk, pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her head, and leaned forward to kiss him. ‘Though you really didn’t need to. You have nothing to apologise about.’

He sucked in a breath. ‘But I hurt you.’

‘Unintentionally.’ She stroked his face. ‘Though I get why it’s a big deal for you.’ Seeing the concern thicken in his eyes, she added hastily, ‘What we talked about last night, that stays with me. But I know you’d never hurt me. I trust you, Dante. Completely.’

Dante saw the sincerity in her face and his chest felt tight. ‘How can you?’

‘Because you’re a good man. Look at what you’ve done for me, a complete stranger. You’re helping me get my grandfather’s business back on track. You do charity stuff without saying a word to anyone about it or expecting anything back. You’re something else, Dante Romano.’

This time, when she leaned forward to kiss him, he scooped her onto his lap. He let himself enjoy her warmth, her sweetness. It felt oddly as if she were starting to heal him from the inside out.

‘I know you’re busy, but I have a teensy proposition for you,’ she whispered.

His body surged at that. ‘Would that be anything like the first time you propositioned me?’

She flushed deeply at that, and he couldn’t help smiling at the outrage on her face when she protested, ‘I didn’t proposition you.’

‘No, Princess? I seem to remember you asking me to mentor you, and offering to pay me in kind.’

She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You misinterpreted me.’

But her eyes were sparkling, and he warmed to his theme. ‘And then you took your top off.’

‘Because you told me to.’

‘And Carenza Tonielli really takes orders from other people,’ he drawled. ‘Not. You did it because you wanted to.’

‘And who was it who asked me to go home with him and do him?’ she pointed out, laughing. ‘That was a hell of a lot more of a proposition.’

He shifted. ‘Mmm. Great idea. Shall I lock the door?’

‘No. I mean a different proposition.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Yesterday didn’t go quite as planned. So I’d like to try again.’

His spirits plummeted. ‘Dancing?’ he asked warily.

‘No. So can I borrow you for, say … two hours?’ She smiled at him. ‘And if I can help you catch up on the time you’re losing, just say what you need me to do. I won’t mind if you boss me about.’

His heart melted. She wouldn’t have a clue about the franchise stuff. Well, he amended, she’d learned a lot, but not enough to be of any real help. But her willingness disarmed him. ‘Two hours.’

‘Just while it’s sunny.’

He was going to have to work really late tonight to catch up. He should say no. But his mouth had other ideas. ‘I’m all yours, Princess.’

‘Good.’

She took him to the Villa Comunale, the main public park in Naples overlooking the sea. And Dante was surprised to discover just how much he enjoyed strolling hand in hand with her in the lush greenery, looking at the fountains and the statues. Something he’d never let himself have the time to do before.

When they came to the roller-skating park, Carenza removed her sunglasses again and looked straight at him. ‘Dare you.’

‘I’ve never been skating.’

She grinned. ‘Then I’ll teach you.’

‘If I fall over, I’m going to want to be kissed better,’ he warned with an answering grin.

‘Deal.’ She kissed him lightly, then hired skates for them both.

‘You’ve done this before,’ he said as she pirouetted before him on her skates.

She nodded. ‘My grandparents used to take me here when I was small. I guess it’s like riding a bike or swimming—once you can do it, you don’t forget.’

He fell over twice; she didn’t laugh, just held her hand out to him to help him to his feet again and smiled encouragement at him. But by the end of their session he was skating with her, as carefree as she was and enjoying every second of it.

Two hours turned into four. Because it would’ve been rude not to take her out to lunch, afterwards, at one of the little caffès overlooking the sea. But when they finally got back to his office, he held her close. ‘Thank you.’

‘What for?’

‘Mentoring me.’ He gave her a lopsided smile. ‘In having fun. Because I did.’

‘My pleasure.’

He could see in her eyes that it wasn’t just a pleasantry; she absolutely glowed with the knowledge that she’d given him something special.

‘I’d, um, better let you get on,’ she said.

‘Yeah.’ Funny how work didn’t seem quite as important as it usually did. Which should worry him. He couldn’t afford to lose his focus. ‘I’ll call you later. And I’ll see you on Wednesday for mentoring.’ If he could stay away from her for that long.

He managed it. Just. Though there were several texts between them, and a phone conversation that really heated Dante’s blood.

But on Wednesday, when he arrived at Carenza’s office, he saw that her eyes were red and her face was blotchy from crying.

It was the one thing he really couldn’t bear, seeing a woman cry. Not the fake tears of a woman who wanted to get her own way—he knew that Carenza was more likely to ask outright than to cry pretty little tears designed to make someone change their mind—but real pain and despair. He’d seen too much of it in his life, and it never got any easier. He still couldn’t deal with it.

He wrapped his arms round her and held her close. ‘What’s happened?’

‘I’m sorry. I should’ve cancelled. I can’t think straight enough for business, tonight.’