Falling for Italy Read Online Free PDF Page A

eyes.
    “Be my guest. It’s your target.”
    She stepped aside, her clothes brushing against him with an almost sensuous rustle. Giovanni glanced through the telescope at his handiwork and smiled, flashing white teeth framed by that pair of unbelievably soft-looking lips.
    “Did I do that?”
    “Yep. I told you, you’re really good.”
    “Am I?” he teased, the smile still in place. “Why don’t we go out for coffee and talk more about it?”
    “I already had one earlier,” she said, tongue in cheek. After a beat, she added impulsively, “But I wouldn’t refuse a doughnut.”
     
    They decided on taking her car, since Giovanni had told her he couldn’t find anything without a GPS. Sonia drove to a nearby mall, where they could have their pick regarding food and activities. Giovanni suggested they watch a movie, but nothing on the display list appealed to her. The place was extremely crowded—what a wonder on a Saturday evening—so apparently he felt compelled to place his hand on her waist and hold it there lightly. She liked it far too much. His warm palm seemed to spread heat throughout her entire body, making her want to nestle closer against him, to press her back against his chest and let him hold her tight. The temptation was so strong it became reality for a short moment, when a couple carrying what looked like a ton of bags bumped into them. Her side collided with his chest and he tightened his arm around her, talking close to her ear to make himself heard over the loud music.
    “Make sure you stick close to me. You wouldn’t want me to get lost without a car and my GPS. I’d probably spend the night outside in the snow, looking for my sister’s house.”
    She turned her head in time to see his mouth quirk into a wicked grin, causing her heart to skip a beat. She recovered her wits just enough to sound casual as she said, “Stay close to me, Poster Boy. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for losing Italy’s computer king.”
    He laughed softly.
    “Poster Boy? Computer king? I’ll make you explain later when we can talk without shouting.”
    “What’s with the holiday music anyway? It’s barely the beginning of December, for Heaven’s sake! Almost a month ‘til Christmas and people are already getting the holiday madness. Look at this.”
    She indicated a mother with four children, who was carrying so many bags and packages she was nearly buried under them. The kids were dragging behind her, duckling-like, holding each other’s hands. The last one—a little girl who looked as though she’d barely learned to walk—sucked her thumb as if it was a nicotine lollypop.
    “Why do all kids have that stoned look?” she asked rhetorically. “I mean, they all look as though they’re lost in space, or have their own world, thinking their weird thoughts. How do their parents know they don’t conspire to kill them in their sleep?”
    He burst out laughing, hugging her to his side.
    “You don’t like kids much, do you?”
    “I don’t dislike them. It’s just…I don’t get them. When I’m around a kid, it looks at me and I look at it and neither of us knows what to make of the other. They stare with those stoned eyes and blabber incomprehensible things, like they expect you to do something. I never know what to do with them.”
    He chuckled.
    “I feel the same. Isn’t that funny? But I hope to have a bunch of kiddies one day, someone who’ll inherit my empire,” he said jokingly.
    They made their way through the walls of people to a pastries stand with a few tables scattered around. They bought a dozen doughnuts and a couple of sodas, for which Giovanni insisted paying, then they sat at one of the tables.
    As they ate, she asked, “So, what’s this computer empire business? What are we talking about here? I’ve put a gun in your hands, but I know very little about you.”
    He paused, reflexively licking the sugar off his fingers. Watching the motion of his sexy mouth, she swallowed,