Page 65 of Tempted By the Devil

“Except you’re the woman I want to have dinner with,” I answer in a matter of fact tone.

I leave off the second half.

You’re also the only woman I want at home with our kids.

“Aren’t Italians very traditional?” she asks. “I’m surprised you’ve remained an eligible bachelor for so long.”

“We believe in large families. But my circumstance is less than traditional. Besides, we’ve been over this,dolcezza. Once I set my sights on what I like, I won’t settle for anything less.”

The blush can practically be seen heating her mocha brown complexion. Suddenly, she’s even more radiant than usual, like she’s lit from within. She avoids my intent study as if fearful of what she’ll find if she confronts it head on.

It’s true that she senses what I already know.

We’re supposed to be together.

“Are you close with your family?” she asks, seeking distraction.

“I have no family left. No blood relatives that is.”

Surprise causes her eyes to flit up and meet mine. “You’ve lost them all?”

“That’s right. I’m an only child. I never knew my father. My mother passed at a young age. I was raised by my grandmother. She died when I was a young man.”

“What was she like?”

“A hard ass,” I answer to her laugh. “I was the man of the house by the time I was twelve. She held me to that.”

“You grew up in Sicily?”

I nod. “A poor village called Ragusa. Times were hard. We did what we had to to survive.”

“You’re truly a self-made man…”

“You could say that. Every penny I’ve made, I’ve earned. One way or another.”

“And now you’re a billionaire,” she says under her breath. She swallows more wine as if using it as a crutch to process my story. “It’s very impressive how far you’ve come.”

“That’s what most would say.”

“What about your sister, Sofia? Did she grow up in Ragusa as well?”

I hesitate for a second. “Sofia is not my sister by blood.”

“Oh, so like me and Jayla?”

“Something like that. Her father was my mentor and I spent a lot of time with her family. She became like a kid sister to me,” I explain vaguely, then pivot on topics. “How about you? You’ve come far.”

“Rafael—”

“You were orphaned at a young age,” I interrupt. “Your mom gone just like that. No one else but your cousin to rely on. Look at you now.”

“Things might’ve turned out very differently for me—and Jayla—had Mom and Dad not adopted us.”

“Do you ever think about how they’re not your birth parents? You still call them mom and dad… but there’s a difference…”

She thinks for a second and then answers with a nostalgic calmness. “The thing is, they never made us call them Mom and Dad. We didn’t at first. It took a few years for us to think of them that way. To be honest, I lost my birth mom so young, I don’t really know her as my mother. I have very few memories of her.”

“Makes sense.”

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