There was a long lateral scar running across his the right side to the left side of his lower abdomen before trailing down to his thigh. Fortunately, the scar was on the inner part of his leg, but it was puckered. He’d wondered if she’d noticed it last night. Judging by the look on her face, she hadn’t. Amalía had told him countless times the scars only added to his masculinity, but he knew better. He knew the sight of the horrible scar could be a lot for a person to take in. Still, the hurt he saw reflected in Daníella’s eyes touched him. She was seeing the evidence of all the surgeries he’d been through to repair his damaged body. It had all been done to ensure he had the optimal chances of walking again. Yet the damage would be permanent. She was seeing that now. Daníella could see why there was a constant pain in his leg that he had to deal with because of the nerve damage. It was the reason why he was supposed to use the cane that had been issued to him.
His heart constricted as tears came to her eyes and began to fall down her cheeks. They weren’t tears of pity. They were tears of guilt judging by the expression on her face. She had nothing to be guilty about. The fact that Daníella thought she did hurt him. He held his arms out to her, and she rushed into them. He held her tightly.
“Don’t cry for me, tesoro mio. I made it through the rough part.”
That only seemed to make her cry harder. Several minutes later, she had composed herself enough to where she could speak. Daníella pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes.
“You may not believe me, but I still think you are as handsome as the first time I saw you.”
Carlo smiled because he did believe her. Her expression didn’t give any indication that she saw him as any less of a man, and it meant a lot to him.
Even though he’d lived with the scars for some time now, and they had faded somewhat, they were still very noticeable, making him self-conscientious of them on occasion. Bringing his hand up, he cupped his cheek.
“And you are just as beautiful.”
She put a little space between them, staring down at his scars before looking back at him. He knew what she was asking and nodded. At the first touch of her hand, his stomach quivered in reaction. He had touched the scars enough to know they felt slightly rough to the touch but not offensive. Daníella explored the scar for a long moment before looking back up at him.
“I can’t believe you went through this by yourself.”
He pulled her close shaking his head. “I was never alone, tesoro mio. Even when I wanted to be, I was never alone.”
She went up on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his lips. “I know. I’m just glad you finally realize it.”
Chapter Eight
“Carlo, you are going to make me late to work.”
Daníella sighed as her struggling failed to affect Carlo. He continued to nuzzle her neck in a way that was very distracting.
“Just one more kiss.”
She laughed at him as she pulled back. “You said that two kisses ago. Besides, my entire family is watching this display.”
Carlo shrugged his shoulders, waggling his eyebrows at her. “Then let’s give them something to watch.”
Daníella laughed again as she shook her head. “You’re never bringing me to work again after this.”
He gave her a wounded look. “Why not?”
“Because you don’t know how to behave yourself. Now one last kiss, and then I have to go, or I will be late setting up for my first tour.”
He obliged her quickly but passionately before letting her go. She looked up at him when he did.
“Am I going to see you tonight?”
He frowned. “If you do, it will be late. I promised Leo I would work late to cover a few hours of his shift so he can come in late.”
“Okay. Well, if you can’t come by, can you call me?”
“Yes, but I would rather see you.”
“So would I, but we shall see.”
He chuckled. “Have a good day.”
“You, too,” she murmured before turning to walk away.
She felt Carlo’s eyes on her until she entered the building, and then it was her family’s stares. All of them were smiling, none more than Silvana and Nikkía. She realized Carlo had given them something to bother her about all day.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Her family greeted her in return as she made her way over to her desk.
“Did you have a late night?”
She looked up at Silvana, smiling sweetly. “Actually I, or I should say, Carlo and I, had a late morning. We met for breakfast, and our conversation carried on longer than it should have.”
Silvana must have bought into the half lie because she didn’t question Daníella any further. The first half of her day ended up being a very peaceful one. She spent it giving two walking tours. The second half of her day she gave one four-hour tour—it was enough to keep her away from her family members’ inquisitive looks, so she didn’t mind at all. Yet, when it came time for her to leave, she dreaded having to go home to her empty apartment.
Daníella could stop by the hotel to see Carlo and try to convince him to come over, no matter how late it was, but the delicious ache between her thighs told her it might not be a good idea. So she settled for heading to her apartment. She made dinner, eating in front of the television watching a few shows she liked. After a long, luxurious soak in the tub, she climbed into bed. She sighed as she slipped between the sheets. Carlo’s scent was still there. She inhaled deeply, allowing it to lull her off to sleep. She awoke groggily a short while later when the phone beside the bed rang.
“Hello,” she whispered into the receiver.
“Did I wake you?”
“Yes, you did, but it is okay,” Daníella replied as she rolled over to look at the clock. She grimaced when saw the time.
“Are you just now getting off work?”
“Yes. I just walked out of the hotel as a matter of fact.”
She heard a smile come into his voice. “I was wondering if I could stop by your place and sneak into your bed without you noticing.”
She laughed softly in response before answering him. “First, you are always welcome here, so you wouldn’t have to sneak in. Secondly, you couldn’t sneak into my bed. I would know if you were here.” She rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling. “Third, it kind of ruins the elements of surprise when you disclose your plans before you follow through with them.”
His low chuckle reached her ears, and a shiver made its way down her spine. “This is one of the things I have always liked about you.”
“What?”
“That you are smart.”
She laughed. “Well, I have always liked your sense of humor.”
A moment of silence passed between them, and she was the one to break it. “So are you coming over?”
“Only if you are going to be up.”
“I am. I will be.”
“I will be there shortly then.”
“Okay, Carlo. Take your time.”
He told her he would before disconnecting the call. She made her way out of bed, heading downstairs to the front door. She stood in the doorway waiting for him when he stepped off of the elevator. Carlo pulled her close, and she inhaled his scent. She loved it. It spoke of his masculinity, but she knew he liked to shower as soon as he walked in from work.
“You want to take a shower?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t.”
They stepped inside, with him closing and locking the door behind him. She led the way upstairs, straight to the bathroom, and handed him a wash towel and drying towel before leaving the bathroom. Climbing back into bed, she sighed as she slipped between the comforts of her sheets. Daníella was almost asleep again when Carlo stepped out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He made his way to the bed quietly.
“I’m still awake,” she murmured before yawning. “Barely.”
Daníella smiled as he slipped between the
sheets behind her. He pulled her into his arms, tucking her body into his, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Goodnight, Daníella.”
“Goodnight, Carlo.”
Daníella wasn’t aware of drifting off to sleep, but she was aware of her alarm clock going off. She reached upward and turned it off. Carlo groaned behind her.
“Is it time to get up already?”
She smiled before nodding. “It is for me.”
Carlo rose up to look at the clock. Relief appeared on his face when he saw the time.
“Good, I can sleep for several more hours. I already told my family yesterday I wouldn’t be at breakfast.”
Daníella pouted playfully. “I had hoped we were going to go this morning.”
He lay back down before looking at her. “You can go if you like. My family will always welcome you.”
Daníella contemplated the idea before shrugging. “We’ll see, but in the meantime you can stay here and sleep as long as you like. The spare key will be by the front door. Just lock up when you leave.”
He gave her an appreciative look, telling her what time to set the alarm for. She did so and placed a brief kiss on his lips before slipping out of bed. It was time for her to get ready. By the time she was ready, Carlo was snoring softly. She smiled. He must be tired because he never snored, but it was adorable. She placed another light kiss against his lips before heading downstairs. Now she had to decide if she was going to go to breakfast with the Carabellis by herself or just stop by a café on the way, something she hadn’t done since Carlo had his accident. At first she’d spent every waking minute of her day with Carlo, not going home until Amalía or Antonio forced her to by driving her home themselves. The last time she’d gone to the Carabellis’ home by herself was the day before she received the divorce papers from Carlo.
It had only relieved her slightly to find out his own family hadn’t been aware of what he’d done. Still, it had hurt to be divorced by her husband. Never had she thought Carlo would walk away from everything they had. Surprisingly it didn’t hurt as much as it should have—as much as it used to—when she thought about it in the past. Carlo told her he knew it was mistake, and she believed him. Daníella smiled when she made up her mind to go to breakfast. It would only add to her healing process. The looks on everyone’s faces when she arrived—especially without Carlo—were priceless.
Amalía was the first to question her. “Have you talked to Carlo? Because he won’t be here for breakfast?”
Daníella nodded. “Yes, I know, but I decided I would come anyway.”
Tierra came forward to wrap an arm around her. “Well, we are glad you could make it. Now we have an extra person to sit between Amalía and Giovanni.”
“You know, I never have been able to figure out how it is the two of them always manage to sit so close to each other,” Daníella stated.
Tierra shrugged her shoulders. “I figure it is because they are drawn to each other. Sort of like magnets.”
Daníella shook her head. “Two bad magnets that need to demagnetize themselves.”
Tierra gave her an inquisitive look as they entered the dining room. “Just how long has this feud been going on?”
“For as long as I can remember,” Daníella responded with a shrug.
“Giovanni needs a woman’s touch to settle his butt down,” Tierra muttered.
Daníella laughed. “Are you matchmaking again?”
Tierra rolled her eyes. “Giovanni isn’t someone I can be a matchmaker for. His bad-boy image is enough of a marketing campaign for him.”
Daníella had to agree. Giovanni had this aura about him that spoke of danger and a good time. Once she had seen several young ladies come through the lobby of the Hotel Carabelli at the same time Giovanni had been coming through. Several of the women just stopped and stared at him. Some had made blatant gestures of interest that Daníella wasn’t going to go into describing. Whoever managed to snag Giovanni would have their work cut out for them. She would have to beat the women off with a yardstick.
When everyone began to sit down, Daníella almost laughed as Hayden sat Amalía down beside Tierra before sitting down beside her. Daníella quickly sat down on the other side of Hayden before Giovanni could take the seat. Hayden gave her an appreciative look.
“I’ll have to find a way to thank you for that.”
She inclined her head in the direction of Amalía. “Keep her from pouting and we will call it even.”
Hayden smiled. “But I like it when she pouts. It’s cute.”
Daníella had to shake her head at him. Amalía had him wrapped around her finger. She was just happy the two of them had found happiness with each other especially after the tragedy he endured. She could remember how devastated she’d been when she’d come so close to losing Carlo. Hayden had actually lost his wife and unborn child. According to Tierra, it had taken Hayden a long time to heal. Daníella couldn’t say she blamed him.
Still, it made her wonder. If everything hadn’t happened between her and Carlo, would they have had babies by now? She’d always wanted children, and she knew Carlo wanted them as well. They had always talked about having a family but hadn’t had the chance to make it a reality. Right now she wasn’t certain if it ever would be.
The noise level in the room rose, pulling her attention back to the Carabellis. She joined in the conversation when it was appropriate and managed to eat her food as well. By the time she headed for work, her day was off to a good start, and she was glad she had decided to join the Carabellis for breakfast.
Daníella walked into work and prepared for her day, starting with a four-hour tour. She liked the longer tours because they made time go by faster. After concluding her tour, she made her way back to the office, contemplating what she was going to have for lunch. To say she was hungry was an understatement. She’d walked off the nice breakfast she had at the Carabellis’. When she entered the office, she frowned. The “closed for lunch” sign was up, but no one was in the office. She called out to her family and didn’t receive an answer.
“Since when does everyone go to lunch at the same time?” she asked aloud to herself.
“When I bring you lunch and they want to give us privacy to enjoy it.”
Daníella jumped at the sound of Carlo’s voice before smiling. After a quick glance around, she didn’t see him. She continued to talk.
“You brought me lunch?”
“Yes, I did, tesoro mio. Now why don’t you come over here and see what I have.”
She followed the sound of his voice that seemed to come from her desk. As she rounded the corner, she smiled at the sight Carlo made. He was sitting at her desk relaxing, looking just as at home as he did at his own desk. A picnic basket rested on the desk beside him.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?”
He smiled as he stood up. “I figured since I missed breakfast with you I could make it up to you by bringing you lunch.”
She smiled as she reached upward to place a kiss on his lips. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do that. I had breakfast with your family this morning.”
“I heard, and I’m sure they were entertaining as usual.”
“You know they were.”
Carlo inclined his head toward the picnic basket. “Are you hungry?”
“I just came off of a four-hour tour. I’m starving.”
He indicated for her to have a seat before dragging another chair over to her. She sat there anticipating the opening of the basket.
“What did you bring for lunch?”
He chuckled. “You’ll see in just a moment.”
She watched him unpack the picnic basket, pulling out several containers, two glasses, a thermos, and a loaf of crusty bread wrapped in foil. He unwrapped the loaf before cutting it in half then sliced one half down the middle. Her mouth began to water when he began to spread the spicy mustard on the bread. She loved spicy mustard.
Carlo opened two more containers a
nd began to layer slice of tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella onto the bread. He closed the sandwich, putting it on a napkin in front of her. She watched him make another sandwich for himself, placing it on his own napkin. He opened two more containers, revealing an assortment of fruit. The grapes, strawberries, kiwi, and wedges of orange looked good.
“What do we have to drink?”
“Your favorite,” he replied as he reached for the thermos.
He filled her glass with a mixture of cranberry, orange, and pineapple juice. It sounded like a strange combination to most—even Carlo—but after the first time she convinced him to try it, he’d fallen in love with the combination himself. She raised her glass in a toast.
“To wonderful lunch and the wonderful man who brought it to me.”
Carlo touched his glass against hers before taking a drink. Daníella picked up her sandwich and bit into it. Her eyes closed in pleasure.
“Your mother should bottle this mustard and sell it.”
Carlo smiled. “The fact that she bottles it and gives it to us is good enough for me.”
They ate in silence for several moments. Daníella finished her sandwich quickly, licking the remnants of the spicy brown mustard off of her fingers.
The brown mustard was sinful and should possibly be outlawed, except she would no longer be able to enjoy it if that happened. He smiled at the sight, and she reached for a piece of fruit.
“How has your day been, tesoro mio?”
“Good as usual. I can’t say I’ve ever have a bad day at work.”
Carlo finished off his sandwich before leaning back to look at her. “You really do like doing this don’t you?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Would you give it up if you had children?”
His question made her pause, and she gave him an inquisitive look. “What makes you ask?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Just curious.”
She sighed softly. “I don’t think I would ever give this up completely. Maybe I would only do a tour or two a day like I did when we were married. “How about you?”
Morris, Stephanie - Unfinished Business [Indulgence 3] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 9
