The Sicilian's Marriage Arrangement

CHAPTER SEVEN

GIUSEPPE looked up, his expression indolent. “Ah, it is the inattentive boyfriend. A man must accept the risks when he leaves his companion to her own devices, my friend.”

Hope said nothing because she agreed. Furthermore, tipsy on champagne, she was in no mood to appease Luciano’s stupid male ego when he’d been grinding hers into the dust. Memories of roses and other gifts rose to taunt her conscience and she quickly dispelled them. She didn’t want to think about how kind and attentive he’d been when she could still remember the sight of his lips locking with Zia’s.

Brief or not, it had been a kiss.

“You have nothing to say?” he demanded of her.

“I was just about to play a game of poker with Giuseppe, but I don’t have any money.” She indicated her swimsuit-clad body and lack of a bag with a negligent wave of her hand. “Can I borrow some?”

Luciano’s expression went flint hard. “No.”

She sighed and turned to Giuseppe. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to bet in kind, would you?”

“In kind?” he asked, looking at her as if she was a strangely fascinating creature.

“You know, let me bet something other than money?”

Giuseppe’s eyes widened as a strangled sound reached her from the doorway.

She ignored it. “It can’t be my clothes though. I’m too shy to play strip poker and besides you’d have the advantage.” In actual fact, she was thinking more along the lines of an IOU, but why be boring and say so?

Giuseppe looked at her glass of champagne, which was almost empty and back at her. “You don’t drink much, do you?”

“What? No. I don’t. Has that got something to do with playing poker? I’m sure I’m not too tipsy to read the cards, if that’s what’s worrying you.”

His gaze slid sideways to a glowering Luciano and back to her. “Not precisely, no.”

“You are not playing poker.”

She didn’t bother to acknowledge Luciano. She smiled at Giuseppe. “So, what can I bet?”

“Luciano does not want you to play.” He spoke slowly, as if she might not have gotten the message the first time around when Luciano had said it in such a bossy tone.

“I’m an American woman, you know. We’re not that great at being told what to do. For that matter, I’m not sure many modern women are.”

“Even the shy ones, I see.” His brown eyes twinkled with a level of amusement unwarranted by the situation.

“Giuseppe,” Luciano interrupted in a voice that could have razed steel, “I believe Marco would like your help entertaining his guests.”

“I am sorry, Hope. I must go.” The younger man stood, his angelic smile marked with overtones of real humor. “Duty calls. Perhaps we will get our game of poker another time.”

She sighed. “All right. I promise to let you win.”

He inclined his head toward her. “I will look forward to it.” Then he left.

She picked up the deck of cards, shuffled them, and then laid out the pattern for a game of solitaire. She’d been deprived of her gin rummy partner, but that didn’t mean she had to return to poolside to watch Zia fawning over Luciano.

She’d moved three times when she felt his brooding presence right behind her. “Why were you in here playing cards with Giuseppe?”

She didn’t bother to turn to face him, but shrugged. “I wanted to.”

“I do not like finding you alone with other men.” He sounded like a guy trying really hard to hold on to his patience.

“Really?” Well, she didn’t like him letting other women kiss him, so they were even. “I’ll remember that.”

“And not do it again?” His voice was dangerously soft, but the champagne had affected more than her willingness to let Giuseppe win at cards.

“I didn’t say that. I enjoyed playing gin rummy with Giuseppe. He’s a very nice man. He’s really good looking too,” she said with more candor than wisdom, “and not so tall that he’s overwhelming to a shrimp like me.”

Really, she should go for a guy like that instead of the ultra-masculine Luciano. Why weren’t hearts more logical?

A sharply indrawn breath behind her told her that he had not liked the provoking answer. “You prefer his company to mine?” His voice was quiet and yet she just knew he was majorly furious at the idea.

An honest answer would be too good for his ego. “I don’t know,” she surprised herself by saying. Apparently she wasn’t done being provoking. Maybe she should drink champagne more often. She studied her cards. “I only got to play one game of gin rummy with him before you came in and chased him off.”