Tuscan Heat

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “I do not!”

  “Yes, you do.” He reached for her hand, entwining her fingers between his own. His touch was electric, the current between them combustible. “And I kind of like it,” he said, his voice dropping to a loud whisper. “But if I’m honest,” he continued after another brief pause, “I’m really hoping that you and I are seeing each other. Or getting close to that point.”

  The hint of a smile danced across her face. His touch was heated, fire coursing through her palm, up the length of her arm and exploding with a vengeance through her body. A shiver ran down her spine and back up, the sensations close to orgasmic.

  She suddenly pulled her hand from his, color heating her cheeks. Turning her body around, she lay back against him, resting her head in his lap. She pulled a grape from the bunch in her hands and slid it into her mouth.

  Donovan felt the muscles in his lower half twitch as he watched her chew, her mouth rolling in the cutest pout. Just the hint of tongue peeked past the line of her of her lips, the gesture teasing. He closed his eyes and inhaled swiftly, fighting to stall the rise of nature.

  Gianna shifted his attention away from his growing predicament by changing the subject. “Why aren’t you married, Donovan? You’re successful, handsome and intelligent. For all intents and purposes, most would consider you a good catch, so why hasn’t some equally accomplished, beautiful and smart woman gotten you to the altar?”

  Donovan pondered her question for a moment. Over the years his personal life had taken a backseat to his professional one. Even as his siblings were building relationships, finding favor with significant others, he’d been focused on his career. At best, dating had been hit or miss, no woman ever catching his full attention. Until he’d started corresponding with Gianna.

  His gaze met hers as she stared up at him, still waiting for him to answer. Curiosity seeped from her stare, questions shimmering in the light that shone in the dark orbs, and he could feel himself falling headfirst into the depths of her gaze.

  He finally answered. “I was waiting for you,” he said softly, the early evening air carrying his words away on a warm breeze.

  Chapter 6

  Gianna felt giddy. Lovesick giddy, and she hated not being able to hide it. But the emotion flooded her face. It seeped from every pore in her body. And it wasn’t going away. It had taken every ounce of fortitude not to giggle like a little girl when Donovan had said that he’d been waiting for her. Instead, she’d changed the subject again, rambling on and on about the merits of olives and wine for one’s health.

  She blew a soft sigh as she rolled onto her side, a good night’s sleep promising to elude her. They’d spent the entire afternoon together, moving from the forests of Amiata to La Guardiola, a local bar in the area that she often frequented. The Rossella Graziani Jazz Trio had been performing, and the atmosphere had been seductive. The staff there knew her by name, and her favorite drink was delivered to their table before either had a chance to get comfortable in their seats.

  There wasn’t much that they hadn’t talked about, although Gianna had purposely avoided any conversation that might have led them back to what was happening between them. Donovan had tried more than once to steer their talk to things more personal, but she had shut him down, not yet ready to voice what she found herself feeling. Because Gianna wasn’t ready to label their relationship. It was too new to her, and even though she understood he had more time and energy invested in their connection, she was still gun-shy where Donovan Boudreaux was concerned.

  But she did like him. She liked him a lot. Even his conservative nature, which was so contrary to her own, thrilled her. They balanced each other nicely, and most surprising to her was how comfortable she felt when she was with him. That level of comfort had been apparent from day one. There had only been a few moments of anxiety, and that apprehension had everything to do with her attraction to the man and the rising desire that seemed to consume her every time he was near.

  Because every time Donovan was close, Gianna found herself heated with desire. The intensity of her longing was almost like an out-of-body experience. Gianna had never wanted any man like she found herself wanting Donovan, and her body reacted on its own accord each and every time.

  With a deep sigh, she rolled to the other side of the bed, curling her body around an oversize pillow. An hour later she drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Donovan still trailing through her mind.

  * * *

  Donovan sat upright in the full-size bed, Gianna’s upcoming book in his lap. It was everything he imagined it would be and more. The woman’s talent and imagination awed him as he wondered where she found the inspiration that breathed life into her mysteries. Clearly she loved what she did, but Donovan knew that she was ambivalent about her achievements, wanting only to enjoy the peace and quiet of her Tuscany home. Her writing was an added perk to her resort-like lifestyle, but she would have easily given it up to work the vineyards.

  Admittedly, he was starstruck, idolizing everything about her. Donovan imagined that he probably came across a tad fan-crazed, and he couldn’t help but wonder if his enthusiasm might be perceived as a little creepy. He blew a heavy sigh as he closed the cover of her book. He shifted his body against the headboard and heaved another deep sigh.

  He had wanted them to talk more about the two of them and their growing relationship, but Gianna had changed the subject each and every time. It felt as if he might be reading more into the connection he thought they had than she did. And maybe she wasn’t feeling him the way he was feeling her. Because he was feeling her, feeling bewitched and spellbound by all things Gianna. But he had more concerns and questions than he had answers. He suddenly wondered if he should have been more open about his growing emotions before coming to Italy and potentially getting his feelings hurt.

  Rising, he crossed the room to shut off the lights, then crawled back into the bed. He stole a glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand, the early morning hour shining back at him. Sleep had not been his friend; he was unable to turn off the thoughts running through his mind. He missed Gianna. The day had been exceptional. They’d had a great time together, and it had ended earlier than he would have liked. Now he was missing the woman who had him tossing and turning, unable to get her out of his head.

  * * *

  The ringing telephone pulled Donovan from a deep sleep. Startled, he jumped, then struggled to find his cell phone. He’d practically fallen out of the bed when he finally pulled it to his ear, shouting “hello” into the receiver.

  Kendrick laughed on the other end. “Hey, big brother. What’s going on?”

  Donovan sat upright in the bed, blinking his eyes rapidly as he struggled to focus. The faintest hint of light shimmered through the sheer curtain that covered the one window in the space.

  “Kendrick?”

  “Yeah! Are you okay?”

  “Nothing that another couple of hours of sleep won’t fix.”

  “You’re sleeping late? That’s not like you at all.”

  Donovan yawned. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep.”

  “Oh. Are you not alone? Because I can call back if you have company.”

  Donovan could sense his brother grinning into the phone. He shook his head. “No, I don’t have company.”

  “You and your friend haven’t hooked up yet?”

  “We’ve spent time together.” Donovan could feel himself blushing, heat warming his cheeks. “But not like that.”

  “But you’ve hung out! That’s good, right? So, what’s she like?”

  There was a pause as Donovan found himself once again lost in thoughts of Gianna. “I like her,” he said finally. “And I think Mom is really going to like her, too.”

  This time Kendrick paused for a quick moment before responding. “Is it that serious? I thought you were just looking to hit it and quit
it, sort of like a holiday fling. But you’re thinking you want to introduce her to the old people?”

  “Yes,” Donovan said softly. “I think Gianna’s the kind of girl you definitely take home to meet your family. She’s special.”

  “And she feels the same way about you?”

  He shrugged, doubt suddenly flooding his spirit. When he didn’t respond, Kendrick turned the conversation, sensing Donovan wasn’t prepared yet to answer questions about his new friend and her feelings.

  “I had some time before I head back to the States, so I thought I might swing by and check out your place so I can give the girls the four-one-one. They’ve already called me a half-dozen times to see what I know, and I might have mentioned something about you and Gianna. I figured a few cell-phone photos would get them off both our backs.”

  Donovan laughed. “Might have mentioned?”

  “Yeah, it might have slipped out during a conversation or two, but that’s neither here nor there. You know how nosy the girls are. We have to give them something or they might show up on your doorstep to see for themselves.”

  Donovan shook his head. “Those are your sisters!”

  “They were your sisters before they were mine,” Kendrick said, laughing with him.

  Donovan suddenly realized how much he missed his family. “What time can you be here?”

  * * *

  When the Martelli twins pulled up in front of Donovan’s cottage, he and his brother were standing outside in conversation. The two sisters shot each other a look, a wry smile pulling at Carina’s thin lips. “Oh, my!” she muttered, her voice dropping to a low whisper.

  “Don’t you dare embarrass me,” Gianna hissed under her breath.

  Carina giggled softly.

  “I mean it,” Gianna countered, cutting an eye at her sister.

  Carina giggled again, meeting the look her twin was giving her. “What?”

  Gianna looked from one man to the other, immediately noting the resemblance. No one needed to tell her that they were somehow related. Like Donovan, the other man was a dark, tall drink of water. He wore his hair in a full afro, and he was dressed in low-slung, tattered jeans, a T-shirt adorned with a Duke University emblem and rugged Timberland boots. But his demeanor seemed more bad boy and deviant, not nearly as conservative as Donovan’s. Side by side, the two men were like night and day, yet everything about them was similar.

  As the two women approached, Donovan’s smile pulled full and bright across his face. He tossed up an easy hand and gave the two women a slight wave. “Hello!” he greeted cheerily.

  “Hi,” Carina said, almost too enthusiastically.

  Gianna shot her sister another look, grabbing her forearm in warning. She nodded in greeting. “How are you?”

  Donovan gestured toward them. “Let me introduce you to my brother. Kendrick, this is Gianna Martelli and her sister, Carina Martelli-Porter. These two ladies run the winery up the hill along with their father and Carina’s husband. Ladies, this is my brother, Kendrick Boudreaux.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Carina said as she extended a hand.

  “Kendrick, hello!” Gianna greeted.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Kendrick replied, a bright smile pulling at his full lips. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  “You didn’t tell us your brother was coming to visit,” Gianna said as she eased her way to Donovan’s side. The two exchanged a look, their stare intense. The connection was intoxicating, and it was only when Carina faked a cough that they turned back to the conversation, self-consciously giggling.

  Kendrick responded to the young woman’s remark. “I’m just passing through. I finished some business in Florence earlier than anticipated and figured I’d make a quick stop here to check on Donovan before I made my way back to the States.”

  Donovan rolled his eyes. “So what are you two up to?” His gaze shifted back toward Gianna as his voice dropped an octave. “I didn’t think I was going to see you today.”

  The two sisters traded a look, something secretive passing between them. Carina lifted her eyebrows, seeming to wait for Gianna to take the lead.

  Gianna answered. “Carina and I were headed to the market and just wanted to see if you were interested in tagging along,” she said, tossing her twin another strained look.

  Kendrick tapped his brother on the back. “They want you to tag along to market, big brother! That sounds like fun! And I can take pictures!”

  Neither woman missed the amusement in the man’s tone as color flooded Donovan’s face a deep shade of embarrassed. He shot his brother a look as the other man suddenly pulled out his cell phone and engaged the camera on the device. Before either could say cheese, he snapped the side-by-side shot of Donovan and Gianna standing just millimeters from each other.

  Donovan shook his head. “It does sound like fun,” he finally said. “We’d love to join you.”

  * * *

  Hours later, joined by Graham, the five of them sat around a table at an outdoor bistro sipping on short shots of espresso from demitasse cups as they snacked on cannoli pastry shells filled with a mixture of chocolate chips and ricotta cheese and garnished with slivered almonds. Laughter rang through the air as they shared stories and anecdotes about each other.

  “We never could get Donovan to jump with us,” Kendrick was saying, a wide smile on his face. “All of us gave it a shot, but not him.”

  “I wasn’t that crazy,” Donovan said, amusement painting his expression. “It was all fun and games right up to when Kendrick missed the mattress and broke his arm.”

  Gianna laughed. “I can’t imagine a bunch of little kids jumping out of a window onto a mattress.”

  Donovan nodded. “Well, my brothers and sisters did. The girls dared the boys so they all jumped two stories down.”

  “And I only missed the mattress because my twin, Kamaya, pushed me!”

  They all laughed.

  “Sounds like you all were a handful. And I thought our father had it hard with the two of us,” Carina said as she exchanged a look with Gianna.

  “Were you two a challenge?” Donovan asked, looking from one to the other.

  Gianna nodded. “We weren’t easy, I’ll say that.”

  “Kamaya and I weren’t too bad together,” Kendrick said. “The best we could muster up was our secret language that none of the others understood. It used to drive our oldest sister crazy!”

  Donovan nodded. “It never bothered us boys, but the girls hated it!”

  Graham chuckled. “These two liked to play practical jokes pretending to be each other. Almost got me in serious trouble when we were in college and I was trying to get Carina’s attention.”

  The twins laughed. Carina drew a warm palm across her husband’s broad back as she wrapped herself around him. “We were only testing you, baby,” she said.

  Graham laughed. “Some test!”

  Gianna smiled brightly at the two of them. She turned her attention toward Donovan’s brother. “So, Kendrick, how long do you plan to be here? We’d love to invite you to the winery for dinner and the grand tour.”

  Kendrick nodded. “I appreciate that, but I have to fly out tonight. But if the invitation stands, I’d love to take you up on it the next time I’m in town. I hope to get back sometime soon and bring my wife. Vanessa and I have never seen Italy together.”

  “Since you two eloped, maybe you can have an official celebration here with the family?” Donovan suggested.

  “We can do a fabulous reception at the winery!” Carina added. “Graham and I were actually married in the olive groves, and that’s a beautiful option if you want to take your vows again.”

  Kendrick laughed as he held up his hands. “Slow it down! Y’all are moving way too fast. Let me talk it over with my favorite girl,
and I’ll get back to you. Vanessa’s almost done with school, and then we’ll take it from there.”

  “What is your wife studying?” Graham asked.

  “She’s a documentary film major.”

  “That’s exciting!” Carina said.

  Kendrick tossed a quick glance toward his wristwatch. “I hate to run because this has been a great time, but I need to get a taxi back to the airport.”

  “We can give you a ride,” Graham said, looking toward his wife. “Carina and I need to head back, as well.”

  “Or you can ride with me and Donovan,” Gianna said, looking around the table.

  Donovan shook his head. “Gianna and I don’t need to rush off,” he said, his brow raised. “Thanks, Graham.”

  Kendrick laughed. “Yes, Graham, thank you. I appreciate the offer,” the man replied as he stood up.

  Gianna and her sister exchanged a look, a sly smile lifting Gianna’s mouth.

  Carina rose to her husband’s side. “Well, I guess we will catch up with you two later,” she said as she leaned down to kiss Donovan’s cheek. “Don’t let her scare you,” she whispered into his ear.

  He laughed as Kendrick shook his hand, tapped fists and bumped his shoulder. “I’ll call you when I get home,” he said.

  His brother nodded. “Safe travels.”

  Goodbyes and well wishes rang out between them until Gianna’s sister and brother-in-law and Donovan’s brother had made their exit, the car pulling off in the direction of the airport.

  A soft lull wafted between the couple as the two settled into the sudden quiet. Gianna reached for a cannoli that rested on Donovan’s plate and took a large bite. As she chewed, she extended the decadent pastry in his direction, pausing as she reached his lips. Clasping his palm over her hand, he took his own bite of the dessert, his eyes locked on her face.

  Her stare was teasing, heat flickering in the dark orbs. Their gazes danced in perfect synchronization, flitting back and forth in an easy give-and-take. Gianna was the first to break the silence.

  “So why did you think we wouldn’t see each other today?” she asked.