Page 58 of She Belongs to Me
“You’re going with an escort,” I told them.
Isabella swung around. She had one of her own she chose to ignore and had always done a very good job. She hated the protection, but there’d been a close call with regard to her life I hadn’t told her about. And wouldn’t now unless absolutely necessary.
“You’re such a party pooper.” My sister didn’t mince words.
“So be it. You two are a huge part of my family.”
I caught Alexandra off guard while my sister laughed.
“Come on before Mr. Party Pooper changes his mind.” Isabella started to guide her from the room.
Alexandra looked at me almost longingly, her mind churning with questions and comments. They’d come later. Of that I was certain.
“The boxes? There are lots of them.” Alexandra’s tone was still defiant, but I did sense some guilt. I already knew how much she’d spent and I couldn’t care less.
“I’ll have them taken to your room.” I also had a half dozen things I wanted to say to her, but best not when my cock was rock hard. I also couldn’t get out of my chair until they’d left.
Fuck, I wanted the girl far more than I should, images from the night lingering in my mind. That wasn’t going to bode well for concentrating on business.
After they’d walked out the door, I sat back in my chair.
What kind of mess had I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER 18
Alexandra
“Does your entire family drive like bats out of hell?” I asked as Isabella zoomed around another corner. She was heading away from the beach estate, her hot red convertible sports car Italian in design, or so I thought. It was also a convertible with a beast of an engine and thick leather seats that felt like butter.
“La folata del vento fornisce risposte che allevieranno le tue paure.” Her Italian accent was beautiful, easily heard over both the roar of the engine and the light breeze whistling past the windshield.
“And that means?”
“The rush of wind provides answers that will ease your fears. That’s according to my late grandfather. He used to say that to his wife when he drove like a bat out of hell.”
I genuinely liked the woman. She was intelligent and funny, a take-no-shit kind of girl and I knew she was very savvy. While dressed in jeans, gorgeous leather sandals, and a white silk blouse, anyone could easily tell she was dripping in money by the gold bracelets she wore and the watch that likely cost more than the car.
Yet she wasn’t flaunting her wealth, other than the gorgeous car of course.
“Truly profound, but what happens when you’re launching off a cliff?” I asked.
She laughed in such a hearty manner, the sound seemed uncontrollable. She also glanced into the rearview mirror. “Good point. The truth is I’m trying to lose the goons my brother tasked to babysit us.”
“He has his reasons after what I described.”
Sighing, she nodded and slowed down. “I’m not belittling the horror you went through. I can’t imagine. I’ve never seen anything like that before. My parents and grandparents were very protective.”
“Now, Nico took over the role.”
“Yes, with gusto. Now, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery. We’re headed into Palermo. Nico doesn’t like going there unless it’s for business, but I adore the older city. It’s charming yet full of history and the most fabulous nightclubs and restaurants.”
“Why doesn’t Nico like the city?”
She grinned and lifted her sunglasses when she looked at me. The woman looked like a movie star where I looked like an American pauper. I was secretly happy the clothes had arrived. Not that I’d spent two thousand dollars on a blouse, but the items were at least better suited to the world around me.
“Too many Catholic churches. They are stunning works of art, but he doesn’t like to set foot in them.”
I was more relaxed than I’d been since the night of the incident. Even with the amazing passion from the night before. I hadn’t been able to tell if he’d shut down all over again. I guess I’d find that out later if he refused to talk to me. “Afraid he’ll burst into flames?”