Page 105 of Burning Caine

“I have.”

His chest puffed and his head inclined toward me, like a bull about to charge. “And?”

“You went by Tony.”

A hand flew to his chest, the bull vanishing. “You remember me?”

“You sat at the back of class and laughed a lot. A lot! You were very loud, and you irritated the crap out of me, because I was trying to pay attention.”

Two strides and he’d wrapped his strong arms around me, picking me up. “Sì, that was me.”

“But you always had the right answers when the prof called on you. That irritated me even more. You were outgoing and high energy. Not the kind of person I ever would have hung out with.”

“You were very clear about that!”

With a chuckle, I said, “You asked me out once.”

He bit down on his lip, but a smile burst free. “Do you remember what you said?”

I shook my head instead of answering, remembering only that I’d turned him down.

“I’m so happy we became close now instead of then.” He kissed my cheek and held me tight. “You forgive me for not telling you sooner?”

Pulling my arms out of his grip, I wrapped them around his neck and kissed him quickly. “I do, but promise you won’t do that again?”

“I promise I’ll never again not tell you we shared a class in college.”

I yanked on a chunk of his hair. “It’s partly my fault. I should have remembered you. It was so clear when it finally came to me last night.”

“Marone, I weighed a hundred pounds more than I do now. And my curly hair? Terrible. I would have been stunned if you had recognized me.”

I tried to separate from him, but he refused to let go. “Alright, did you need to talk to me, or was that it? You know there’s no kissing and hugging and stuff at business meetings.”

“My father’s returning tonight. His trip was apparently a success. My parents are throwing a party tomorrow at their house for a big announcement.”

“Business trip?”

“Sì, to Napoli. For our third and possibly final date,” he said, feigning gravity. “I would like you to come to the party with me.”

Oh, god. “At your parents’ house? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate for a fourth date?”

If he’d told me Dr. Dominico would be in the office on Monday, so come in and talk about art, I’d be all over that. This was ‘choosing to stay in Brenton’ serious.

“Sofia will be there, as will her husband, Pietro, my brother Lorenzo, and some of my parents’ friends. There will be food and wine, and we can stay as long or as short as you want.”

Saying yes meant I was choosing him, for as long as this would last. Not leaving as soon as Cass was well enough. My brain had a tough time keeping up. My heart, on the other hand, was almost there already.

“Yeah, I’ll come.”

Chapter 41

Antonio

Idrovefastandtook the corners tight on our way to my parents’ house. This was not the time for a quiet, reflective drive like when I drove her home from the gala. This was horsepower and testosterone. And that evening, with Samantha in the passenger seat, it was foreplay.

When we arrived, she showed me a map on her phone. “You took thirty minutes. This says my place is forty-five minutes from here.”

“You love your adrenaline sports. Did it turn you on?” I pulled down my sunglasses and raised an eyebrow. “We could use the extra fifteen minutes to—”