“My office is no place for this. Come home with me, Dea,” he whispered against her lips, swollen from the refined savagery of his kisses. “I need to be with you more than you can imagine,” he confessed in a ragged voice.

  I want that too, Guido. I’m in love with you. I know I am. But if you only need me, and aren’t in love with me, then I can’t let this go any further.

  After one more long, hungry kiss, he opened the door. She was so dazed she would have fallen if he hadn’t helped her to her car.

  “I—I don’t think I can drive.” Her voice faltered.

  “Let me. My car is in the private parking area. I’ll come back for it tomorrow.”

  She shook her head. No matter how much she wanted to go home with him and throw away the key, she didn’t plan to spend the night with him. “You mustn’t leave yours here. I’ll follow you.”

  * * *

  Guido kept Dea in his sights for the short drive to his apartment. Once she’d pulled alongside him in his private parking garage, they took the elevator to the second floor. It wasn’t until they’d entered his apartment that he realized he’d never brought a woman here before.

  He turned on the lights. “Forgive my generic apartment that has no personality.”

  “Oh, yes, it does. You can tell in an instant that a bachelor lives here.”

  He flicked her an amused glance. “That bad, huh?”

  Her eyes smiled. “It tells me you’re a practical man. No nonsense about you. You certainly don’t have to make excuses to me.”

  “Nevertheless, I want to explain that the convenience of the location to the stadium makes it ideal, and it serves as my base for eating and sleeping while I’m living in Rome.”

  “Where did you live before?”

  “Naples. But I sold that apartment when I moved here. It would have been pointless to keep it. I’m afraid it didn’t have any personality, either.” She laughed quietly.

  Guido studied her features. “Is that what you really think about me? No nonsense?”

  One brow lifted. “When you were teaching me some soccer moves behind the castle, you were all business. But on second thought, maybe the Lamborghini doesn’t quite match the profile of the down-and-out bachelor who doesn’t need more than a roof over his head.”

  “Do you know something, Dea Caracciolo? I’ve never laughed as much with anyone else.”

  “You should do it more often. It’s very attractive.”

  His pulse raced. If he got started on Dea’s attributes, he’d never stop. After those moments in his office he still hadn’t recovered from being set on fire. His desire for her was off the charts.

  If she was worried he was about to carry her straight to the bedroom, she ought to be. He’d already broken his own rule about not rushing things with her. He hadn’t been able to help it. Slow down, Rossano. “Have you had dinner?”

  “Not yet. Gina and Aldo surprised me as I was leaving work this evening. They wanted to take me for a meal to thank me for the poster. I told him to save his money for soccer tickets and we went straight to the stadium. You and your staff were so nice to them.”

  “It was our pleasure.” Holding on to his last vestige of self-control, he said, “The restroom is down that hall if you’d like to freshen up first.”

  “I’d love it. Thank you.”

  “I’ll be in the kitchen. I know I saw eggs and cheese in there this morning and will whip something up for us.”

  “Perfect.”

  Guido headed there and made tasty omelets they ate at the kitchen table. He produced some oranges to go with their meal.

  “Hmm. These are gorgeous.” He watched her finish the last section of her fruit and thought he’d never seen or tasted such a luscious mouth. “So were the eggs. You’re a terrific cook.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Having lived on your own for so long, you’re probably a great chef and don’t know it.”

  He chuckled. “What I am is a nervous wreck now that the soccer season is coming to an end. Three more games now that it’s May.”

  “How many at home?”

  “One. The others will be in Cagliari and Siena.”

  She sat back in the chair drinking her coffee. “Has owning this team been fulfilling for you? Can you see doing this for years and years?”

  Her interest sounded genuine. If he had his heart’s desire, he could see doing just about anything. “I don’t know. My father’s not getting any younger. His emotional pull on me to come back to the shipping lines is strong.”

  “You’re his only son. That puts you in a vulnerable position.”

  He nodded. “But Papà has two brothers and they have three sons who also sit on the board. And there’s my grandfather. At ninety-five, he still wields influence with my father.”

  She cocked her head. “I understand from Alessandra that you’re the light of your grandfather’s life. He believes you’re the one in the family to take Rossano Shipping Lines in a new direction.”

  “But that’s my father’s decision, no one else’s.” Guido swallowed the rest of his coffee. Here they were talking in his kitchen instead of picking up where they’d left off in his office. He feared she was thankful for the breathing room between them effectively lowering the heat.

  “If you’re through eating, let’s go in the living room. I want to talk to you about something important.”

  Those fabulous orbs narrowed. “I thought that’s what we’re doing.”

  Until he learned everything hiding inside her, he knew he would never have peace. “It’s more comfortable in there.”

  She averted her eyes, a subtle sign of nervousness. “First I’ll just clear our dishes.”

  “Not tonight. Remember your rule? It applies at my house in reverse. After you.”

  * * *

  Resigned to do Guido’s bidding, Dea went through to the living room and sat on one of the chairs near the couch. He’d followed her, but the tension radiating from him let her know something was wrong. “What is it?”

  In a surprise move Guido leaned over her and put his hands on the arms of the chair, virtually trapping her. With his lips so close to hers, she couldn’t think, let alone breathe.

  “We entered deeper waters this evening. Though I want to carry you to my bedroom and make love to you all night, we need to talk before we can no longer feel the sand beneath our feet. I won’t be able to go on seeing you until I have all the honesty in you,” his voice rasped.

  All her honesty? “What do you mean?”

  “If you’re holding anything back where your feelings for Rini are concerned, I need to know.”

  After those words he gave her a long, lingering kiss that left her trembling before he released her and sat on the couch across from her with his hands clasped between his legs.

  His eyes had taken on a haunted look, as if he couldn’t make up his mind about her. Sickness swept through her.

  “I’ve told you everything! I don’t know why you don’t believe me. I think what you meant to say is, you need to hear all the dishonesty in me. The problem is, I’m not sure I could identify all of it and agree that to go on seeing each other would be a waste of time.”

  Either Rini or Alessandra had betrayed her and told Guido every ugly detail about her past. One of them had undoubtedly gone so far as to reveal the details of that tumultuous period in the past when Alessandra’s boyfriend had betrayed her and chased after Dea. No other explanation would explain why the earth had suddenly tilted.

  Now that Guido knew her history, it didn’t surprise her that he wanted to understand her behavior from her own lips. If he was hoping it was all a lie, Dea couldn’t help him out.

  She’d thought she’d put all the misery behind her and was endeavoring to become a better person who had faith in herself. But there’d be no convincing Guido of anything. The damage was too great for her to fight for him.

  What a fool she’d been to let her guard down. Now she’d fallen in love with him, and she knew this was the one fatal mistake in life she’d never recover from. There was no one like Guido, but he was beyond reach.

  On unsteady legs she got to her feet and reached for her purse on the coffee table. “There’s nothing more for me to say. Goodbye, Guido.”

  Before Dea broke down and dissolved into tears, she left the apartment and hurried to the parking garage for her car. She could hear him call out to her, but she didn’t stop. When she backed around, he stood in her way looking fierce and so handsome it hurt.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  Her breath caught. “You worded that wrong. We’re not going anywhere. All the family secrets are out. It could never work for you and me. Please move aside. It’s late and I have to be up early in the morning.”

  In the dim light of the garage his face seemed to have lost color. “I can’t let you go until we talk this out. You’ve obviously misunderstood me.”

  “No, I haven’t,” she fired back. “You were crystal clear.”

  Her words rang in the air. He finally stepped aside so she could drive out to the street. Her last glimpse of him through the mirror reflected a man wearing a mask so bleak she hardly recognized him.

  Dea drove to her own apartment. When she walked inside, she was aware that the recent joy she’d been experiencing had left her soul. Before going to bed, she removed the poster of Guido from the wall. Unable to throw it away yet, she rolled it up and put it in the closet.

  Once under the covers, she buried her face in the pillow until it was wet. No prince is going to find you, Dea. From here on out it was work and more work to get through this life.

  Friday morning after sleeping poorly, she got dressed, skipped breakfast and worked out in the gym. One of the guys on duty there, who was a big flirt, came over to bother her. He couldn’t be a day over twenty-four.

  “When are you going to let me take you out?”

  “Never.”

  “Ooh. That was brutal.”

  Dea was in a brutal mood. Even if it was her fault, her experiences with men had brought her nothing but misery. “I can see three women in here at least five years younger than I am. I’m sure they’d love your attention.”

  “They’re not you.”

  “Lucky them.”

  Her comment got rid of him for the moment. She took advantage of the time to slip back out and grab a cappuccino on her way to the shop. Today they were having a meeting to discuss a few of the men’s costumes for Don Giovanni.

  She welcomed the busy day so she wouldn’t give in to her agony over losing Guido.

  There was no one she could confide in about this, not even her aunt. It saddened her because she’d been getting along with her whole family for a long time. The next time her mom let her know Rini and Alessandra had gone back to Positano for a while, she’d fly home to visit her parents. Her parents could always fly here. That was the only way to avoid more pain.

  At quitting time Gina came over to her table, her face beaming. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done. Aldo’s a different person. Are you going to be at the game on Sunday with Guido?”

  “I plan to,” she lied without compunction. She didn’t want to talk about him, not ever again. While their heads were together, the receptionist came in the room and approached her.

  “Some flowers arrived for you, Dea. At first I thought they must be for Juliana until I saw the card with your name. They’re out in the reception room on my desk.” Her brows lifted. “Three dozen red roses! Someone’s in love.”

  Dea’s heart did a double kick. “I’ll be out in a minute. Thank you.”

  Gina nudged her. “Guido Rossano is absolutely crazy about you. If I didn’t like you so much, I’d be horribly envious.”

  “You’ve got Aldo.”

  “Yeah. I do, but there’s no one quite like the Cuor di Leone.”

  Her eyes closed. Gina was right. Guido was unique in so many ways she could hardly breathe just thinking about him. Why did he bother to send her anything? He could have no idea how painful this was for her.

  “Well, come on,” Gina urged her. “It’s time to go home. If you’re not dying to look at them, I am.”

  Dea took a quick breath. “Okay.” She grabbed her purse and followed her friend. The second they reached the foyer, the heavy perfume from the roses assailed her. They both gasped as she walked over to the enormous spray and reached for the card perched in a little plastic pick. You have to forgive me. I said everything wrong and want to start over.

  Tears stung her eyelids. She pressed the card to her heart. They couldn’t start over.

  Gina stood behind her. “If you’ll bring your car around, I’ll help you put these flowers in the backseat so you can take them home.”

  Before the flowers could be placed inside the car, Dea and Gina had to tip the vase to pour out the water. Somehow they managed. “Thank you,” she said to her friend before driving home.

  After parking in her space, Dea had some difficulty taking the roses out of the car so the heads wouldn’t get broken off.

  “Let me help,” sounded a deep, familiar male voice behind her.

  She started to tremble. “Guido—”

  “I’ve waited here wondering if you’d bring them home or throw them away at work. I have my answer.”

  Dea should have tossed them. Now she’d been caught in the act.

  “I’ll bring them in. You go ahead and open the door for me.”

  Guido had left her no choice. When they reached her apartment, he carried them out to the kitchen to fill the vase with water. He darted her a glance. “I meant what I said on the card. I need to start over with you by taking you for a drive in the country. We’ll stop at some spot for dinner and talk. Please don’t deny me this.”

  “You already know everything there is to know about me. There’s no need for more talk.”

  “We haven’t even started,” he came back. His dark blue eyes glittered. “Let’s get something straight. We may have been the closest of friends all our lives, but I swear before God that Rini has never discussed you with me. Neither has Alessandra, so you can put that misconception out of your head once and for all.”

  Was he speaking the truth? Dea wanted to believe him.

  No matter how hard she fought it, the force of his words and personality cut through her defenses like a sharp knife. Not only that, he was wearing a dusky blue jacket over a cream shirt open at the throat and beige trousers. His masculine beauty melted her on the spot. It wasn’t fair. She could feel herself weakening.

  “I—I need to shower first,” she stammered.

  “While you do that, I’ll carry these roses into the living room and put them on the coffee table. I want you to see my apology every time you enter your apartment.”

  Oh, Guido...

  Dea hurried to her room and got ready. She chose a dressy peach blouse and skirt. After brushing out her hair and leaving it loose, she joined him in the living room. The red roses had already filled it with their fragrance.

  She was probably a fool to go with him, but she’d promised herself not to make snap judgments anymore. Tonight she would hear him out one last time, but this was it.

  Quiet reigned as Guido drove them a short distance from Rome to Lake Nemi, which was set in the crater of an ancient volcano. He turned on some music. Neither of them felt the need to talk. That suited Dea, who was waiting for an explanation from him when he was ready.

  She sat back to enjoy the landscape, especially since she’d never been here before. The lush nature preserve surrounding the lake came as a pleasant surprise. He took them to a charming restaurant bordering the water and asked for them to be seated in an isolated area. The waiter led them to a candlelit table for two separated by ornamental trees.

  Guido ordered their meal. Wine and cacio e pepe, a dish of Pecorino Romano cheese and pasta to die for. Halfway through their meal she eyed him frankly. “This is delicious. The flowers were lovely too, but I’m still waiting for you to tell me why you don’t think I’ve been totally honest with you. That hurt, you know? More than you can imagine.”

  He leaned forward. “I believe you’ve told me the truth, but—”

  “But what?” she cried softly.

  “Maybe you’re still in denial over deep feelings you don’t realize are there?”

  “I take it you’re talking about Rini, the proverbial elephant in the room.” His sustained silence confirmed her suspicions. “You’re still afraid I’m in love with my brother-in-law, and you want chapter and verse, is that it?” She put her napkin on the table. “Sorry I can’t change history to make it more palatable for you, Guido.”

  His brows furrowed. “I’m not asking for that,” he insisted.

  “No? It sounds to me like you’re asking for blood, so now you’re going to get it. Long before that night, I’d been floundering emotionally when it came to men. Since childhood the image of the perfect man had lived in my imagination, but no man ever thrilled me to the point that I wanted to marry him.”

  “Until Rini,” he grated.

  “Yes. I took one look at him and no one else existed for me. The fact that there was no substance to back up that feeling—only a girl’s dream—didn’t stop me from throwing myself at him. When I say throw, I mean I slid my hands up his chest and kissed him with hunger. I’d never done such a thing in my life and assumed he had to feel the same way, but he didn’t kiss me back. In truth, he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.”

  Even with his tan, Guido’s complexion had gone ashen. “Stop, Dea—”

  “No! I haven’t finished. You wanted the unvarnished truth? Well, here it is. I suggested we get together the next evening, but he said he wouldn’t be in town. After thanking me for the dance, he walked away without saying anything about seeing me again. I left the yacht in shock.”