a grateful smile and knew it was time to leave. I had a small apartment in Siena, the closest city to the family estate, but I also had living quarters inside the manor. Tonight, for expediency, I chose to stay in the manor so our walk downstairs to the grounds was easy, even in heels.
Sophia clutched my arm and inhaled sharply as the grounds came into view. We pulled out all the stops for this event. Catering to an old-world guard, stately elegance was the key. We hired a catering company to transform a section of the grounds into a magical place with fairy lights winding through the cypress trees and a full orchestra playing classics from various Italian composers.
“You always outdo yourself,” Sophia said, awed. “Truly magical, my friend.”
I smiled, appreciative of her praise, but I was already in work mode. My father broke apart from his cluster of friends to kiss me on both cheeks. “You are a vision,” he said, beaming. “Your mother would be proud.”
Mama had passed several years ago, leaving me as the sole female in the Baroni family. My father would never remarry but I wished he would so he would have something to focus on other than what I was doing with the business.
I loved him deeply but he was steeped in the old ways and resistant to anything that rocked the boat, which caused friction between us.
Mama had always been the buffer that kept Papa and me from ruining each other with our stubborn natures. I missed her so much. It seemed unfair that our family had suffered so much loss, but I wasn’t one to cry about things I couldn’t change.
I couldn’t help but wonder, if it were Enzo coming to him with the idea of cultivating the lost varietals, would my father have jumped on the idea, calling it innovative and brave? But because it’d been me to make the suggestion, he’d considered the idea brash and foolish.
“Thank you, Papa,” I murmured. “Everything came together well for tonight. I’m pleased you’re happy.”
“Very happy indeed,” he said, his barrel chest puffing up with pride. “My daughter knows how to put on a beautiful event.”
I smiled through my irritation. I did far more than put on a good party. I was single-handedly dragging Castello di Baroni back into the limelight, but I wasn’t going to mention that. As Sophia said, my father liked to believe that Baroni wines sold themselves, that our reputation was all that was needed to push sales, but he was wrong.
Maybe at one time…but times had changed and the competition was far fiercer than ever before. If left to my father’s plan, Baroni wines would’ve become irrelevant long ago.
“My…who is that?”
Sophia’s sharp intake of breath drew my attention straight to Dante Donato walking into my party as if he’d been invited. Instant irritation warred with a grudging appreciation for the form he cut through a crowd. If he’d been stunning in a business suit, he was downright criminal in a tuxedo. I could fairly hear the ladies in attendance fluttering their lashes and staring hard enough to be considered lewd.
“Sophia, would you mind keeping my father company while I greet our new guest?” I said from between gritted teeth. I didn’t wait for Sophia’s answer, too annoyed to care that I was frowning as I approached Donato.
“I don’t recall your name being on the guest list,” I said coolly as I met Dante beneath the twinkling arbor. “Why are you here?”
His gaze caught mine and for a moment I swore my heart skipped an extra beat. There was something intense about the way his gaze held mine that I couldn’t quite tear my eyes away. Normally, I was the one arresting people with my stare.
Sexuality was a weapon I freely used and made no apologies for, but suddenly I felt like the hunted instead of the other way around. I lifted my chin, ignoring my body’s sudden warming, and gave him a pointed look. “I could have you thrown out,” I told him.
“You could but that would be very ill-mannered of you,” he said, a slow, sensual smile forming on his lips. “I was invited.” He produced a gilded invitation and handed it to me as proof.
It was indeed an actual invitation. I frowned. “How did you get this?” I asked with genuine confusion.
“Is the how that important? I am here and I’m an invited guest so to throw me out would be incredibly poor form on your part.”
He was right. I couldn’t throw him out with an invitation in his hand and he was already attracting attention. Forcing a smile, I looped my arm through his and said, “Well, then, let me be the first to welcome you to Castello di Baroni’s Una Notte Magica.”
The minute our bodies touched I knew I should’ve thrown him out—because the immediate sparks between us were dangerous.
“Magical indeed,” he murmured, a sexy half smile playing with his lips. “Let me guess, you created this masterful entertainment for this evening?”
“It is one of my many duties,” I said, careful to keep my voice even and controlled, smiling as if I were pleased as punch to have him crashing my party. “Truly, I’m curious how you received an invitation. This is black-tie, invitation-only and I approve the guest list.”
“Not my style,” he said with amusement in his tone. “Suffice to say, I’m here and I look forward to an entertaining evening spent with good company.”
I didn’t like mysteries, much less mysteries perpetrated beneath my nose. My intuition tingled and I guessed, “Was it Mia?”
“And if it were? I would not have you punish her,” he said, his voice firming in a way that sent shivers dancing down my back. “She is a dedicated and loyal employee.”
“I wouldn’t punish her,” I said, annoyed that he thought I would do something so terrible for a small lapse in judgment. Mia had done no harm and probably thought she was helping in some way. “Let me guess, you charmed your way into gaining her ticket.”
“Charm is something that comes to me naturally, but I can promise you it wasn’t my intention to get invited. I didn’t even know about tonight until she produced a ticket. However, I was happy to accept.”
“And why is that?”
We paused, and he turned to regard me with open interest as he answered smooth as cream, “Because I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my time in Italy than to spend it with you.”
It could be a line but he didn’t have a practiced way about him, and that caused my breath to quicken in the same organic way.
“I have no time for games, Mr. Donato.”
Was that a slight catch in my voice, a subtle quaver that gave away the liquid heat building in my belly? God, I hoped not.
The chemistry between us prickled with intensity and I felt myself losing my edge, which was as dangerous as it was alluring.
I never lost my edge.
Until now.
“I really should’ve had you thrown out,” I murmured as his head dipped toward mine.
“Probably,” he chuckled, seconds before his lips closed over mine.
