Gemma Townley - When in Rome...

“There you go again,” I say crossly, pulling away. “Don’t say that when you know very well that you’re not a boring accountant. You climb up drainpipes, dance like Fred Astaire, and bust organized crime rings. That is definitely not boring, and I think you are obviously notjust an accountant.”

“Okay,” grins David. “But maybe I should spice things up just a little bit. You know, become a little less dependable, keep you on your toes?”

I punch him in the arm. “I wouldn’t say you’re exactly dependable at the moment, actually.”

David looks up, hurt. “I thought we’d been through all that?” he says quietly. “It’s been a really difficult time, Georgie, but I really think that you—”

“The curtain rail,” I interrupt, and see relief sweep across his face. “David, that curtain rail has been leaning against the kitchen wall ever since we bought it. Now, if you were really dependable, I’d have curtains up over there instead of two large windows through which my neighbors can see everything.”

“Everything?” asks David with a cheeky smile, and he starts to undo my robe. “Well, I think the least we can do is give them something really good to look at . . .”

“David!” I yelp, looking at him in horror. “You can’t be serious! There is no way I’m going to let my neighbors see—”

But before I can finish my sentence, David leans down and hoists me over his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t dream of letting them see you naked, my darling,” he says. “I meantthis .” With a deft movement, he bends down again, picks up my copy ofRoman Holiday and throws it out of the window. I hear it land with a thud below and wonder what my neighbors will make of the smashed vase, broken bottle, and used video tomorrow morning.

David puts me down on the bed and throws my robe on the floor before turning back and kissing me. As his hands move expertly around my body, he whispers in my ear, “I think we’ve had enough ofRoman Holiday , don’t you?”

Pulling off his trousers, I agree with a smile. Now that we’ve had our own Roman Holiday, I’m determined to spend less time watching TV and more time going out and experiencing things firsthand. Less time dreaming and more time doing. It’s going to be great. And anyway, I can always buy the DVD. . . .

When in Rome . . .is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

A Ballantine Book

Published by The Random House Publishing Group

Copyright © 2004 by Gemma Townley

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

Ballantine and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

www.ballantinebooks.com

Library of Congress Control Number is available from the publisher upon request.

e-ISBN 0-345-47212-8

v1.0

DEDICATION

To Maddy—for always leading the way,

and letting me come, too

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

About the Author

Copyright

WHEN in ROME . . .

GEMMA TOWNLEY

BALLANTINE BOOKS • NEW YORK

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