Hell, Sergio, you don’t make things easy for yourself, do you?
Still, he’d already won over her body. Now all he had to do was win over her heart.
Easier said than done.
‘So in your bachelor world, Sergio,’ Bella remarked thoughtfully as she dressed, ‘does a friend with benefits have to share?’
Sergio wasn’t sure what she was getting at. Till the penny dropped.
‘I suppose you’re referring to the Countess,’ he said.
‘Call me old-fashioned—or unusual, if you prefer—but I wouldn’t like you to go from her bed to mine tonight.’
Sergio liked her being jealous, or possessive. Or whatever you would call it. It wasn’t the same as love, but it was a good start.
‘I would never go from Claudia’s bed to yours, sweet Bella,’ he said, and leant over to kiss her lightly on the mouth.
When his head lifted he noted a wealth of doubt still in her eyes. Sergio supposed he had no one to blame but himself. He’d painted himself as a swinging bachelor and was now living with the consequences. He imagined that Bella wasn’t about to fall for him—let alone marry him—till he showed he was a man of his word whom she could trust.
‘I have never slept with the Countess,’ he told her. ‘She is a friend and neighbour, nothing more. Look, why don’t you come with me tonight? I can easily ring Claudia and explain I have a guest.’
She frowned, then shook her head. ‘No, no, please don’t. I really don’t want to have to wear that silly wig and be introduced as someone else.’
‘Then come as yourself. The Countess loves nothing better than to entertain a celebrity in her home.’
‘But I thought you wanted to keep my identity a secret!’
‘That was before. I realise now that I was being paranoid about the paparazzi. Besides, Claudia won’t tell anyone if I ask her not to. On top of that, what kind of holiday is it if you can’t relax and just be yourself?’
Her frown dissolved into the loveliest of smiles. ‘You really are a very nice man,’ she said. ‘When you’re not being wicked,’ she added before he could take her compliment to heart.
‘I’m only wicked around you,’ he said, and she laughed.
She was still smiling when they boarded the boat.
‘What’s so funny?’ he asked.
‘I was thinking how much I enjoy being your friend with benefits. I’m going to miss you when I have to go back to New York.’ She sighed. ‘If only you didn’t live so far away...’
‘There are planes, you know, Bella. I can be in New York in a few hours.’
She looked genuinely surprised. ‘You’d come and visit me?’
‘I think I could be persuaded,’ he said, having resolved not to rush things.
‘What would I have to do to persuade you?’ she asked.
He smiled what he hoped was a devilishly charming smile. ‘I’ll show you later tonight.’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BELLA WASN’T OFTEN nervous these days. But she felt nervous tonight. Or was it excitement that was making her heart pound as she walked, hand in hand, with Sergio to the villa next door?
I’ll show you later tonight...
She hadn’t been able to get his erotically charged promise out of her head.
He was a devil with the ladies, she accepted. A very handsome devil. He looked utterly gorgeous tonight dressed in tailored black trousers and a snow-white silk shirt, opened at the neck. He’d shaved off the macho stubble he’d been sporting since she arrived, but it didn’t make him any less attractive to her. She found his well-groomed appearance even sexier, because she knew the conservative image he projected tonight wasn’t the real Sergio. The real Sergio was nothing like she’d always imagined. There was nothing conservative about the man who’d suggested their friends with benefits relationship. A shiver ran down her spine as she wondered what more benefits lay in store for her later tonight.
‘Are you cold?’ he asked straight away.
‘A little,’ she lied. How could she possibly be cold when her whole body was burning with desire?
‘You should have brought a wrap,’ he said. ‘That outfit you’ve got on is lovely but not exactly designed to be worn outside on a cool evening.’
Bella was wearing a white pantsuit with flared trousers and a halter-necked top with a mostly bare back. The top was lined but the amount of skin exposed meant that a bra was out of the question. She hadn’t brought many clothes with her, but this outfit was a staple with her when travelling. It could be rolled up into a ball then unravelled without a single crease. She’d paid a small fortune for it but her stylist at the time had said the outlay would be well worth it in the end.