The Last Di Sione Claims His Prize (The Billionaire's Legacy 8)

He paused. “He’s family. Of course I feel a great deal for him.”

She smiled slightly, trying not to laugh at him, since she knew he wouldn’t appreciate it. “Alessandro, I think you might have a heart.”

He arched a brow and looked toward her. “Don’t say that too loudly. We can’t have any rumors about that getting around.”

“Why? Would it destroy your reputation for being a monster? I have ample evidence that you aren’t bad.”

“Oh, really? Give me a few examples.”

She sighed, letting out a breath and starting down a path that led back toward the estate, winding through a row of hedges that had bright pink flowers on them, little explosions of color against the dark green. She kept her eyes on those blossoms. A welcome distraction from Alex and his persistent presence.

“Well, you haven’t breathed fire once since I met you.”

“I’ve been taking antacids. It helps with that.”

She laughed, the sound pulled reluctantly from her. “Okay, I haven’t seen you gnawing on the bones of any villagers, either. In fact, I don’t think any villagers have gone missing since we’ve arrived on the island.”

“That’s because I only eat royalty,” he said, giving her a rather meaningful look.

She directed her gaze back to the flowers. “Also, you don’t sleep in a coffin.”

He reached out, grabbing hold of her arm and stopping her in her tracks. “How is it you know where I sleep? Have you been watching me?”

A rush of heat traveled up her arm from the point of contact with his hand and she blushed furiously. “Of course not. Even if I had looked into your room, you would have been shrouded behind the velvet curtains.”

“Maybe I have a coffin behind them.”

“I doubt it.”

“All right, so maybe you have caught on to my secret. I’m simply a man.”

“One who is going out of his way to help his grandfather. I think you might have a heart and a soul.”

“My heart is hard as a rock and my soul is ever so slightly charred from walking through life’s fires, but I suppose they’re still there.”

“You also didn’t…” She looked away from him, regretting the words even as she began to speak them, but finding she was unable to stop them. “You didn’t take advantage of me last night. You could have. Had you wanted to.”

“I have no interest in taking advantage of maidens,” he said, his voice hard.

Oh…oh, of course he didn’t.

It dawned on her. Suddenly. Horrifically.

Of course he didn’t have an interest in maidens. In her. Whatever madness had possessed him last night when he’d kissed her, it hadn’t been attraction. Men like him simply weren’t attracted to women like her.

To him, she was barely a woman. She was little more than a girl, and he made that very clear. Of course, she had made a similar number of comments about his age, and she didn’t truly think he was old.

“I don’t think you’re old,” she said, feeling the need to clarify it suddenly.

“Oh, that’s excellent. I guess I won’t dip into my retirement account just yet then.”

“You’re thirty-six?”

“Yes.”

“See? Not even middle-aged.”

He laughed. “Not even… You’re a minx. Do you know that?”