“Where are your parents?” he asked. “Still alive?”
“Very much so. They’ve just left for China. It’s a special trip for them and I hate to call them back. I’m sure you’ll meet them, though.”
“I want to.” He looked around the vineyard. “I like this place. It is quiet and peaceful.”
“Not much nightlife, though.”
“Do you like that sort of thing?”
“Sometimes. The past few years, I haven’t had the time or the energy. Even with all the help I have, Danny keeps me busy. And I’ve been going to law school. I have one year left.”
“A lawyer. I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“The spy business turned out not to be for me.”
He squeezed her hand. “Mia…”
“I don’t want to talk about what happened, Rafael. Not yet.”
“As you wish. Then we will change the subject. What would you like to know about me?”
She had a thousand questions, but at that moment, she could only think of one. “Are you married?”
He stopped and faced her. “Mia, you do not have to ask me that. I would not have joined you in your bed if I had been.”
“Oh. Right. That would have been tacky, huh?”
He smiled and touched her face. “You are different, and yet so much the same. I remember the first time I saw you in the plaza. You wore a very short dress and you were laughing. That is what I remember most, the sound of your laughter.”
She felt herself getting lost in his eyes. Blue, she thought hazily. How could they be blue? She remembered how dark they had been. Contacts, of course. She’d never guessed.
He moved closer. She had a fleeting thought that he was going to kiss her, which immediately inspired panic. Getting along with Diego in bed had never been a problem. She doubted she would have a difficult transition with Rafael. But she wasn’t the same impulsive young woman she’d been back then. Now she had responsibilities.
“Tell me about your family,” she said as she took a step back. Her body trembled slightly as heat filled her. Why was doing the right thing always such a bitch?
“I am an only child. My mother died when I was three and my father never remarried.”
“How horrible.”
He shrugged. “It is the world I know. I was raised with my two cousins. Diego and Quentin.”
Like Chanel and Versace, Quentin didn’t need a second name. “We all love his clothes,” she admitted. “I can’t afford them, but I love them.”
“I will be sure to let him know.”
“Absolutely. And if he ever has any couture overstocks, he should feel free to send them my way.”
Rafael laughed. “As you wish.”
They turned back toward the house.
“You have made a good life for Danny here,” he said.
“I can’t take all the credit. My family has been great. My mom and the Grands helped with everything from midnight feedings to babysitting. Now he’s in preschool, which he loves. In fact, he insisted I sign him up for the summer program so he wouldn’t miss anything. Not that he lacked for company before. With so many cousins around his age, he’s had plenty of kids to play with.”
“Do you enjoy law school?”
“It’s interesting. I’m looking at international corporate law. My ability with languages could really be a plus.”
“That’s right. You are the language expert. How many do you speak now?”
“I’m fluent in about eight and I can get by in another five or six. I don’t have the time to study new languages the way I used to.”
“When we met you were studying Russian. I was most impressed.”
“The language was nothing. It was that damn alphabet that really did me in.”
As they approached the house, Mia saw a red BMW 3 series pull up. Instantly Umberto and Oliver appeared, guns drawn and shouting at the driver to show his hands.
Mia rolled her eyes. “Those guys desperately need a hobby,” she said as she hurried forward.
“Relax, guys,” she yelled. “He’s family.”
A rush of longing filled her. Another familiar face. Why did she suddenly feel the need to surround herself with people she could trust?
Rafael instructed the men to step back. They moved away from the car but kept their guns in plain sight. The driver’s door opened and David Stryker stepped out.
“It’s never boring here,” he said, glancing from the guns to Mia. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation.”
“There is,” she said as she flew into his arms and clung to him.
“Hey, you’re happy to see me.” He hugged her back, then stared into her face. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.”
He looked from her to the bodyguards, then at Rafael. “Why don’t I believe that?”
“Not a clue.” Mia bent down and waved at the slender blonde sitting in the passenger seat. “Hi, Amber.”
David’s fiancee gave a halfhearted wave back.
“It’s the guns,” David murmured in Mia’s ear.
“Sure. They’d put anyone off.” She turned to Rafael. “Want to call off the goon squad?”
Rafael winced. “They do not like to be called that,” he said in English, followed by instructions in Italian. Umberto and Oliver reluctantly complied.
Rafael waited while Mia helped the blond woman from the car, then nodded politely as they were introduced. There was something about the younger man…a familiarity he had with Mia that Rafael did not like.
“Complications,” Mia said brightly.
“You said they were family.” His gaze narrowed. “Family by blood?”
“Not exactly. David is my sister Katie’s stepson. In fact, David and I are responsible for bringing Zach and Katie together.”
Rafael had a feeling that David sensed his mild annoyance. The other man slipped an arm around Mia and grinned.
“We were engaged. My dad thought we were too young and vowed to break us up. Katie took the other side of the argument. It was love at first sight for the two of them.”
Mia shook her head. “If love means a lot of arguing. Although the sex was hot. At least that’s what she implied.”
David took a big step back. “No details, Mia. We have a deal. Parental unit sex is an unacceptable topic for discussion.”
“Sorry. I keep forgetting. Katie’s just a sister, so I don’t have the same ick factor.” Mia smiled at Amber. “Are we scaring you again?”
The pretty blonde smiled. “Of course not. I love all of David’s family.”
Rafael would not have been willing to bet on that fact.
Mia turned to him. “Rafael, this is Amber. She and David are going to be married in a couple of months. The Grands are going crazy, wanting to plan everything. Actually, they get along great with Amber’s mom, which helps a lot.”
“The wedding is to be held here?” he asked.
“David thought it would be beautiful and, of course, I agree,” Amber said.
Rafael wondered if her concerns ended with Mia or did Amber dislike all the Marcellis?
“The Grands made two different kinds of cake for you to sample,” Mia said. “I hope you’re hungry.”
Before Amber could protest, Mia led her inside. David chose not to follow. Rafael turned to the younger man and held out his hand.
“I’m Crown Prince Rafael of Calandria.”
David raised his eyebrows. “That’s a mouthful. It also explains the guys with guns. Interesting. You know Mia?”
