‘Give me twenty minutes to shower and change.’
Her fingers toyed with the knot in her robe belt. He directed his gaze elsewhere.
‘I’d hoped you’d return earlier. You said we needed to talk?’ she ventured.
‘I’m sorry, I was delayed. Unavoid—’ He stopped when her smile dimmed. ‘We don’t have to stay long at Celine’s party. We’ll talk when we get back, sì?’
Her lips firmed. ‘We’d better. The suspense is killing me.’
Twenty minutes later, he was seriously contemplating calling off the evening. But he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he disappointed Celine.
Grimly, he slid silver cufflinks into his black silk shirt, shrugged on his dinner jacket and emerged from his room just as Ava shut the door to the guest room.
His couldn’t describe the miasma of emotions that fizzed through him.
The emerald-green thigh-length sheath she wore had no back. He knew this because her skin was exhibited in soft, gleaming peach-perfect invitation.
‘Are you missing something?’ His voice sounded strained even to his own ears.
She performed a perfect pirouette and then stared wide-eyed at him. The tingle of satisfaction he felt that she still found him attractive disappeared underneath the seething idea of other men seeing her in that piece of nothing.
She made a show of touching her fingers to the diamond studs in her lobes and the stylish pendant around her throat before checking the silver open-toed heels on her feet.
‘No, I think I’m all set.’ Her hair gleamed in the light as she raised her gaze to his.
‘Are you sure, because you look stunning, but I think you’re missing several yards of material at the back of your dress.’
Despite the surge of blood reddening her cheeks, she raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, and suddenly you care how I look, Cesare?’
His gut tightened at the blow. ‘Sì, I care. We aren’t divorced...yet. I don’t want other men to get ideas about you.’
‘Just be a gentleman and stick to compliments. I spent a small fortune on my dress.’
‘Ava, you look breathtaking. That is always a given. But the caveman in me would love to see you in something...else.’ A shroud-like something that wouldn’t make any red-blooded male wonder if her skin felt as soft and velvety as it looked.
She planted a hand on her hip, a pulse-heating smile playing on her glossy lips. ‘What exactly is wrong with it?’ she challenged, her eyes sparking fire at him.
His frustration escalated. ‘Aside from the fact that it barely covers your backside and is missing a back, you mean?’ It was just too damn shimmery.
‘But I look hot?’ she pressed with a smile that now dripped pure mischief.
‘You look hot. You look like a pure, sinfully tempting fantasy. Is that gentlemanly enough for you?’ The material caressed her thighs, brought attention to legs that seemed to go on for ever. And she’d done something to her toes. ‘What’s that?’ he rasped, barely able to take a full breath.
She followed his gaze. ‘It’s a toe ring,’ she replied. ‘Cesare, we have twenty-five minutes to get there. Will you be able to handle me looking like this or are we going to be late because you’ve suddenly developed a dislike for any other man seeing me in a short dress?’
He swallowed, tried to speak and ended up just shaking his head as her gaze wandered over him.
‘Oh, and for the record, you look hot too. I could tell you to button your shirt all the way up so no woman can see your manly, mouth-watering chest, but see, I’m a grown-up, so I’ll just suck it up. Now, shall we go?’ Her eyes had grown dark when she raised her gaze to his.
Their expression and the knowledge that she felt an iota of the feelings rampaging through him made him feel marginally better.
‘Celine will be made aware in no uncertain terms that she owes me big for this.’ He strolled over to her and held out his arm.
‘Behave yourself, Cesare.’ At his snarled, pithy response, she laughed. ‘This is going to be a long, trying evening, isn’t it?’
He took in the thrust of her chin, the hectic race of the pulse in her throat and an all too familiar spike of lust raced to his groin. ‘Sì, it is.’
Cesare knew he was being ridiculous. Jealousy had no place in his feelings because he knew by rights he had no hold on her. Besides, he would bet his sizable fortune that most of the women at the club tonight would be similarly dressed.
But most women weren’t his wife!
Another growl emerged before he could stifle it. Cursing the possessiveness that had sprung from nowhere, he grabbed her arm and stalked down the hall. ‘I don’t begrudge you the dress, cara. My only wish is that you’d received more of it for your efforts.’
She bared her teeth in a fake smile. ‘Well, keep wishing, tesoro. Who knows, Santa might come early.’
* * *
Ava was only half-listening to the guest whose name she’d forgotten. That he didn’t speak more than a dozen words of English made it easy. Her eyes tracked Cesare, who she’d smugly believed hated nightclubs and would hate this evening.
No. Far from smouldering arrogantly the way she remembered him to, he was on the dance floor, enjoying the attentions of the blonde who’d attached herself to him the moment they’d walked in the door.
She glanced down at her dress, and again wondered if she’d been wise to listen to the saleslady at the shop on the Via Condotti who’d insisted the green dress was perfect for her.
Compared to Cesare’s dance-partner’s dress, Ava’s was downright demure. The woman could easily be mistaken for a runway model. Her bone structure alone was enough to make the men here salivate with lust. The fact that she was currently breathing the same air as Cesare didn’t seem to deter other men from watching her.
A fist of jealousy lodged in her chest, squeezing until she couldn’t breathe.
It didn’t help that all day she’d felt on tenterhooks.
She couldn’t help but feel her life would unravel even further once she and Cesare finally had their talk.
‘You mustn’t worry, il mio amico. Giuliana is a man-eater, but trust Cesare.’
She turned to find Celine watching her with an expression sickeningly close to pity.
Ava forced out a laugh. ‘I’m not worried.’
‘I hope it’s because you trust him.’ Celine’s brown eyes narrowed. ‘You know he will not deliberately hurt you?’
Anxiety and confusion warred through her. ‘Unfortunately, I know nothing of the sort.’ Cesare’s withdrawal from her had shattered the foundations of her belief.
‘Hang in there. Di Goia men don’t give their love easily.’ Sadness clouded Celine’s eyes.
Ava touched her arm. ‘Cesare told me about you and Roberto...and Valentina.’
Celine’s eyes widened. ‘Really?’
She gave a slight grimace. ‘I demanded to know his connection to you.’
Celine’s smile wobbled. ‘I’m glad he told you. Even though he loved my sister, Roberto was the love of my life. A part of me is angry he died before I got my chance with him. But it’s not too late for you two. Whatever happens, hang on with everything you’ve got.’
Several minutes after she’d left, Ava remained rooted to the spot, Celine’s words echoing through her mind.
She