Page 12 of The Italian's Pregnant Enemy (A Diamond in the Rough)

“No, Lyssia. I see you. The you not even you see.”

She took a step toward him and all went silent. “Does that mean I see you? Am I the only one who sees that you’re more arrogance than substance?”

He reached out and gripped her arm and the touch was like an electric shock. He released her, as instantly as he took hold.

She was stunned into silence.

The truth was, Lyssia Anderson was a brat.

And he should not struggle with the desire to take her in hand and turn her tantrums into sighs of pleasure.

But even now, he did.

“I’m going to bed,” she said, her voice thin.

“Yes,” he said. “A good idea.”

Tomorrow she would move back to the main hotel and she wouldn’t be his problem. He could do his work without distraction.

That was all he really wanted.

CHAPTER THREE

WHENLYSSIAWOKEup the next morning, all was quiet. The kind that felt like a weighted blanket, settling over her all warm and comforting.

She didn’t want to move. Didn’t want to disturb her own relaxation. But then she remembered. Dario.

Her eyes popped open. She needed to get out of here. She was stuck in this house with that man.

She needed to call Carter, and she needed to get a room at the main lodge. Wouldn’t be an issue. Easily solved.

She tumbled out of bed and looked at the clock. She was jet-lagged, so it was an odd time, and not a good one to call Carter. Too bad.

She picked up the phone on the nightstand, a landline that was connected to the front desk. There was no tone.

That was weird.

She pushed a button to try and wake the phone up. If that was how such things worked. It didn’t seem to be.

She pushed a button again. And then again.

Nothing seemed to work.

She growled. Well, she would use her phone to look up the number to the front desk, then.

She would take some coffee first, though. She hoped that there was space available for her. Because while she was keen to get the overview of the property done, she was even more keen to get out of the presence of Dario.

He just...

He got under her skin. He had been so rude and condescending last night. Lecturing her about her relationship with Carter.

And all right, maybe they hadn’t given their relationship rules or parameters or a title. But it was there. She knew it.

She let herself think, for just a minute, that he might even be the one. That he was actually Prince Charming.

It made her heart lift.

Maybe he was the one who would see her for who she was. The one who would put the slipper on her foot...

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