sense in getting her all riled up. Not now. Not when their long waiting game was about to come to an end.
Isabel ignored Ren’s suggestion that she wear something sexy and chose her most conservative black sundress, then added a black fringed shawl scattered with tiny gold stars to cover her bare shoulders. She was feeding the cats when she heard movement behind her. A tiny pulse jumped in her throat. She turned to see an angsty-looking intellectual standing in the doorway. With his rumpled hair, wire-rimmed glasses, clean but wrinkled shirt, well-worn khakis, and the backpack slung over one shoulder, he looked like Ren Gage’s poetically inclined younger brother.
She smiled. “I was wondering who my date would be tonight.”
He took in her subdued outfit and sighed. “I knew a miniskirt was too much to hope for.”
Outside she saw a silver Alfa-Romeo parked behind her Panda. “Where did this come from?”
“My car won’t be ready for a while, so I had this delivered to hold me over.”
“People buy candy bars to hold them over, not cars.”
“Only poor people like you.”
The city of San Gimignano sat like a crown on the hilltop, its fourteen watchtowers dramatically outlined against the setting sun. Isabel tried to imagine how the pilgrims on their way from Northern Europe to Rome must have felt as they caught their first sight of the city. After the hazards of the open road, this would have looked like a haven of strength and security.
Ren’s thoughts had apparently taken the same path as hers. “To do this right, we should really approach by foot.”
“I don’t think these heels were designed for pilgrimages. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“The best-preserved medieval town in Tuscany. In case you didn’t have time to read your guidebook, that’s a lucky accident.”
“What do you mean?”
“This was an important city until the Black Death wiped out most of the population.”
“Just like the castle.”
“Definitely a tough time to go without antibiotics. San Gimignano was no longer a major stop on the pilgrimage route and lost its status. Fortunately for us, the few citizens who survived didn’t have the money to modernize the place, which is why so many of the watchtowers are still standing. Parts of
“You talked to her again?”
“I gave her permission to have the wall taken apart starting tomorrow, but only if I’m around to supervise.”
“I’ll bet she didn’t like that.”
“Ask me if I care. I put Jeremy in charge of guard duty.”
Ren parked in the lot just outside the ancient walls and slung the backpack over his shoulders. Although his angsty intellectual’s disguise didn’t hide as much of him as his other disguises had, most of the sightseers had left, and he didn’t attract too much attention as they toured the town.
He shared what he knew about the frescoes in the twelfth- century Romanesque church and was remarkably patient as she poked into the shops. Afterward they walked through the narrow, hilly streets to the Rocca, the town’s ancient fortress, and climbed its surviving tower to gaze out at the view of distant hills and fields, spectacular in the fading evening light.
He pointed toward the vineyards. “They’re growing grapes for vernaccia, the local white wine. What do you say we sample some of it with our dinner while we have that talk you’re so keen on?”
His slow smile made her skin prickle, and she nearly told him she wanted to forget both the wine and their talk so they could go straight to bed. But she was too bruised to handle any more blows, and she needed to do this right.
The small dining room at the Hotel Cisterna had stone walls, peach linen tablecloths, and another of the spectacular views that Tuscany gave away for free. From their table tucked in a corner between a set of windows, they could look down on the sloping, red tile rooftops of San Gimignano and watch the lights come on in the houses and farms that surrounded the town.
He lifted his wineglass. “To talking. May this conversation be mercifully short and wildly productive.”
As she took a sip of the crisp vernaccia, she reminded herself that women who didn’t claim their own power got stomped on. “We’re going to have an affair.”
“Thank you, God.”
“But we’re doing it on my terms.”
“Now, there’s a surprise.”
“Do you have to be sarcastic about everything? Because if you do, I need to tell you right now that it’s not attractive.”
“You’re just as sarcastic as I am.”
“Which is why I know how unappealing it is.”
“Just go on, will you? I can tell you’re dying to lay out your terms. And I’m hoping ‘lay’ is the operative word here, or is that too sarcastic for you?”
He was already enjoying himself.
“Here’s what we need to be clear about.” She ignored the fact that his eyes were flashing a dozen different kinds of amusement. She didn’t care. Too many women lost their spirit to their lovers, but she wouldn’t be one of them. “First… you can’t criticize.”
“Why the hell would I want to do that?”
“Because I’m not the sexual triathlete you are, and because I threaten you, which you don’t like.”
“Okay. No criticism. And you
“Number two… I won’t participate in anything kinky. Just straightforward sex.”
Behind the lenses of those scholarly glasses, his silver-blue wolf’s eyes grew cagey. “What’s your definition of straightforward?”
“The accepted definition.”
“Got it. No groups. No toys. No Saint Bernard. Disappointing, but I can live with it.”
“Forget it! Just forget it.” She threw down her napkin. “You are
“Sorry. I was getting bored.” He leaned across the table to flip her napkin back into her lap. “Do you want strict missionary position, or would you rather be on top?”
Leave it to him to try to turn this into a joke. Tough. Men had dozens of ways of protecting the illusion of their superiority, but she wasn’t buying into any of them. “We can be spontaneous about that.”
“Can we take our clothes off?”
“You can. As a matter of fact, it’s a requirement.”
He smiled. “If you don’t want to undress, that’s fine with me. A nice pair of black fishnets and a garter belt should help retain your sense of modesty.”
“You’re all heart.” She traced the rim of her wineglass with her finger. “Stating the obvious, this is only going to be about our bodies. There won’t be an emotional component.”
“If you say so.”
Now came the tough part, but she wasn’t backing off. “One more item… I won’t engage in oral sex.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s just not my thing. A little too… earthy.”
“You know, you’re kind of limiting my options here.”
She set her jaw. “Take it or leave it.”
Oh, he was going to take it all right, Ren thought as he watched that delectable mouth set in a mulish line. He’d made love both on-screen and off- to the most beautiful women in the world, but not one of those exquisite faces had as much life going on behind it as Isabel’s. He saw intelligence, humor, determination, and an overriding compassion for the human condition. Even so, all he could think about was scooping her up right this minute and carrying her to the nearest bed. Unfortunately, Dr. Fifi wasn’t exactly a scoopable sort of woman, not when she had
