Baby Mine - Tressie Lockwood Page 0,8

over to his side.

He had to admit he’d been deliberately lax with Jada, but he also knew she’d fallen in love with him. He had decided to give her some time before he sought her out again, but she’d taken him completely by surprise showing up on his doorstep. Her actions let him know without a doubt that she was the one. Now that she was here, he had no intention of letting her go.

“If there’s nothing else,” Renzo informed his brother, “I have to meet with a client. I’ll be out of the house a few hours. I expect Jada to be treated with the respect and care she deserves.”

Ettore shoved his hands into his pockets and turned toward the door with a grin on his face. “I’m sure she and Nicoletta will be best friends before the day is out.”

Renzo bit off the expletive he’d been about to utter. He and Ettore both knew Nicoletta would never accept Jada. The woman made no secret about the fact that she wanted him as a husband. His father and hers went back to childhood as friends, and that made her almost a member of the family. She would always have a place at his table if she wanted it, but she would never be his wife. The problem was he had always allowed her her fantasies. He needed to be plain, and right now might be as good a time as any.

Renzo checked his watch. He had a little time before his appointment. Being an early riser, Nicoletta would probably be just finishing with breakfast. She’d spent the weekend at his house because her family home lay two hours away. He left his office in search of her. As he strolled down the hall, music reached him from the intercom that connected each room in the house. His mother enjoyed soothing classical pieces when she baked with the cook. Hearing her raised voice in annoyance made him shake his head, and he took an alternate route to the sunroom to avoid passing the kitchen. The elevator motor started up, and he wondered who would be using it since only his mother bothered with the contraption.

When he reached his destination, he paused and scanned the room. The doors on the opposite side had been left open, and a warm breeze swept the interior. He crossed to them and peered outside. Nicoletta stood with sheers and a basket pruning flowers in the garden. He approached her. “Nicoletta, bion giorno.”

She glanced up at his voice, and he winced at the open joy in her expression. She cast down long, thick lashes and smiled. “Bion giorno, Renzo. I hoped I would see you before you left.” She approached him and laid a possessive hand on his arm before leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Renzo just turned his head in time, but her lips landed just beside his. The disappointment in her gaze radiated, and he chided himself for not making his intentions plainer. Now that he stood here, he wondered if this was the time. If she became emotional, he could not be rude and cut her off simply because he would be late for work.

“I have a full day, but I wanted to talk to you,” he began.

She gazed at him with expectance and then stepped closer. Her small breast brushed his arm. He cleared his throat, irritated this wasn’t going as smoothly as he thought it would. In business dealings he intimidated others to get what he wanted. Hell, in his personal life he had no trouble wrapping the women he chose to give attention to around his little finger. However, he had no wish to hurt Nicoletta.

“You are a very good friend of my family. Your father was instrumental in helping my father purchase his first winery, and my father bought out yours within a few years. That’s how successful he was at growing the company. He went on to expand his holdings until—”

Nicoletta pressed closer, if that were even possible. “Renzo, why are you giving me a history lesson?”

He frowned. “I’ve always felt responsible for you. The direction your family took in business wasn’t the wisest after your father let go of the winery.” He stopped, not wanting to remind her of financial trouble. Just recently her father had come to him for a loan.

The confusion on Nicoletta’s face cleared, and she radiated more happiness than she had moments earlier when he greeted her. “Renzo, you’re asking