Page 4 of Dark Masquerade
“Please call me Aldo. Despite the circumstances and you being hurt, it was entirely my pleasure. Have you talked to Vivienne at all?”
“I have, and she told me about your request. It would be my honor.”
“Then it’s settled. Perhaps we can talk about it when you’ve recovered, but I also wanted to ask if I may take you to dinner tonight?”
Elli blinked, glancing down at her ratty old pajamas, then catching a glimpse of her disastrous hair, which she’d only just revealed from beneath the bandage. “Tonight?”
Aldo gave a soft laugh. “Blame Vivienne—she was fretting about you not having any food in your home. I take it that’s not unusual?”
Elli didn’t know how to react to that. “Um, well, yes, that is true. Unless you consider breakfast cereal a meal.”
“I donot,” he chuckled. God, he had a sexy laugh. “But what am I thinking? You probably don’t feel like going out in your condition and this weather. May I be so bold as to suggest I bring dinner to you?”
And for the life of her, Elli had no good reason to say no.
An hour later, after she had panicked after hanging up the phone, dashing around the place, tidying it and herself, and she didn’t know why she had worried. He’d seen virtually everything already. Well … noteverything. A loud knock on the door interrupted that particular train of thought. She hurried over and opened the door, taking in the vision of the crazy hot billionaire standing behind a stack of two large, steaming-hot pizzas. “One vegetarian and one pepperoni,” he greeted her. “I didn’t know if you eat meat.”
“Oh, so Viv didn’t tell youeverything?” Elli grinned at him, and he smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“Sorry.” He eased the pizza boxes onto her little dinner table. “Have I railroaded you?”
She put her hand on his arm—hey, any excuse to touch the —guy. “Not at all. I’m just kidding. Can I take your coat?”
Already, she thought of him as a tailored suit guy, so when he slipped out of his long coat to reveal a dark navy sweater and jeans, the navy bringing out the hazel in his eyes, she was taken aback—and impressed. He caught her expression and smiled.
“You like my sweater?”
No, actually, it’syouI like,she wanted to say. She breathed in his clean, woody scent and felt a pulse begin to beat between her legs. Aldo held her gaze, then smiled, stroking his hand on her cheek. God, his hands …
“Whatever you are thinking,cara mia, I am thinking too. But I am aware you have a pretty severe concussion, so maybe, tonight, we should just eat.”
Elli flushed, then giggled, shaking her head. On some men, it might have been presumption. With Aldo, it came across as devastating candor. No games, apparently. She liked that. “I’m sorry, I’m all over the place. Please, have a seat.”
They ate most of the two pizzas as they chatted, and Elli began to feel much more relaxed. Aldo was fun, intelligent, and god, he was sexy, his big frame dominating her small couch. His arm lay across the back of it, and she could feel the heat of his skin as his fingers lay inches from the back of her neck. He was easy to talk to as they discussed his business and his investment in the magazine. Elli was starting to feel excited about the forthcoming interview and told him so.
He smiled. “I’m glad …but only when you are fully recovered, little one. Then, I hope, you will come to my home and we will do the interview there. Afterward, perhaps you would dine with me?”
Elli blushed with pleasure. “I would like that very much.”
Just before ten p.m., he announced it was time he left so she could get some rest. He kissed her hand, his warm lips seeming to linger over her skin, while Elli stood in the doorway, heartrate surging. “I don’t recall when I have spent such a pleasurable evening,” he said.
She looked up at him, mesmerized by his eyes. “Me too. Thank you, Aldo. This day has been so much better than it deserved to be.”
He touched a finger to her cheek and was gone.
That night, for the first time in eight years, it wasn’t Indio who Elli dreamed of. And in the morning, a huge hamper of luxury food was waiting for her outside her door, with the note:
Just so you don’t starve while you recover, cara mia. I look forward to our next meeting. Aldo.
In amongst the expensive gourmet food was a box of her favorite breakfast cereal.
A week later, she was deemed by Vivienne to be fit enough to return to work, and two days later, she was being driven out to Aldo’s villa in Mira. As she approached, she gave a small gasp. The villa was huge and utterly Italian, but Elli had learned enough from her brother and Indio to know what was old and what was new. This villa was a recent build, which didn’t detract from its beauty one bit. Its features were simpatico with the Italian countryside around it, and although opulent, it shone with good taste.
Elli’s heart was pounding even harder now. The design of it, the feel …it reminded her of the houses Indio and her brother had designed and built at the beginning of their partnership, albeit, on a much,muchlarger scale.Thishasto be one of Indio’s,she thought, and she felt tears welling to the surface.
No. No, I will not ruin this by thinking about him,she thought to herself fiercely, and when the car pulled up and Aldo came out to meet her with a smile on his face, she pushed all thoughts of Indio to the back of her mind.
“BellaElli, it has been too long,” he said, kissing her cheek and lingering just a little too long. Elli felt her body respond, but she reminded herself to act professionally and smiled back at him.
