Propositioning the Rich Italian (13 page)

“Are you okay,
cara
?”

Somehow she managed to nod and keep rolling at the same time. A moment later, she stopped moving looking over at him, an expression of pure happiness of her face.

“Sorry. I have always wanted to know what it felt like to lay on satin sheets.”

His smile widened. “And do you know how they feel now?”

He watched as her expression changed, becoming filled with desire. “Now I want to know what it feels like to make love on them.”

Antonio’s body began to harden as her words registered. He moved toward the bed slowly, holding his hands out to her. She took them, and he tugged her toward him, allowing her to glide over the sheets. His lips came down on hers briefly, and she melted into him. When he drew back, she moaned with disappointment.

“We will save this for later, because if I join you in bed, your family won’t hear from you, and my family won’t see us for dinner tonight.”

She shivered, but he wasn’t surprised. He knew his voice was full of promise.

When he released her from his embrace, it was with great reluctance, but he knew they wouldn’t make it out of his home if he kept touching her.

“Now, Tierra. If you want, you can go to my study and use the phone there.”

She nodded, and he assisted her off the bed then led her to his study. He showed her how to use the phone, then gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room.

* * * *

Tierra watched as Antonio left the room, giving her complete privacy. She dialed parents’ number. Her mother answered on the third ring.

“Hi, Mama.”

“Hi, baby.
How are you?”

She smiled at the joy in her mother’s voice. “I’m fine, Mama. How are you and Daddy?”

Her mother laughed. “We’re good.”

“And Hayden?”

Her mother paused, causing her stomach to dip. “He’s fine. A little grumpier than usual, but he is okay.”

Tierra closed her eyes in relief. The last thing she wanted to hear was her brother might not be okay.

“That’s good, Mama.”

She felt Antonio’s hand on her shoulder. He must have returned and heard the concern in her voice. His look of worry touched her. She smiled to let him know everything was okay before motioning for him to join her. He pulled up a chair and eased his long frame into it. She smiled when he reached for her feet and slipped her shoes off. He had a thing about rubbing her feet, not that she minded because it relaxed her. She turned her attention back to the phone as she realized her mother asked her a question and she hadn’t heard it.

“I’m sorry, Mama, can you repeat that? I didn’t hear you.”

“I asked if you are having a good time,” her mother stated.

Tierra nodded as if her mother were in the room with her instead of thousands of miles away. She rolled her eyes in amusement.

“Yes, I am, Mama.” Her eyes fell onto Antonio. “I’m having a wonderful time.”

Antonio’s smile became wicked before he pressed his thumb into the instep of her foot. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning out loud, but it didn’t keep her from slumping into the chair.

“Well, I hate to put a damper on your day, but your brother brought up a good point the other day.”

“Hayden had a good idea?”

Tierra’s mother picked up on her sarcasm quickly.

“That isn’t nice, young lady.”

“Sorry, Mama. I couldn’t resist.”

“Well, you should be thanking your brother and your father since they went over and got your stuff.”

 
The statement got her attention. She sat up, pulling her feet out of Antonio’s hands. “What stuff?”

“The stuff you had at Quincy’s. He put everything on the curb.”

She stood up, unable to hide her disbelief. “
All of it
?”

“All of it,” her mother replied softly.

“That
asshole
,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

“
Tierra Marie Davis!
”

She closed her eyes when she realized she just used profanity with her mother. Now she was glad there were several thousand miles between them.

“I’m sorry, Mama,” she mumbled.

“Even though it is true, I don’t want to hear sort of language coming out of your mouth, young lady.”

Tierra couldn’t think about her mother scolding her, her complete focus now on the outrageous news her mother just relayed her. To be honest, she hadn’t given any thought to the items she moved into Quincy’s home. The last six months before her wedding she spent combining her life with his. She couldn’t believe the bastard had the audacity to put her stuff out like trash. If anything needed to be sat out on the curb it was him.

“Don’t worry about it right now. If you need to stay with your father and I for a while it’s okay.”

Tierra closed her eyes, knowing she would. It shouldn’t take her long to find an apartment because she’d been smart enough to keep her finances separate from Quincy’s. Right now it seemed to be the only thing smart she’d done in her relationship with him. Still, it hurt.

Since she’d been a little girl, she knew what she wanted in a husband—a man like her father who doted on her mother daily. She would also describe her dad as strong, charismatic and a great provider.

She could remember waiting for her father to come home from work. When he walked through the door, it became family time. Everyone would sit around the table until homework was complete and dinner eaten. Afterward, they would watch television as a family. Until she’d gotten older, she hadn’t understood why her mother pressed so hard for the family values she instilled in her brother and her. She aspired to be at least half of the woman her mother turned out to be, strong enough to keep the family together through the good times and the bad. Right now she was definitely going through a bad time, but she refused to let it get her down. Exhaling softly, she turned her attention back to the conversation.

“Yes, Mama. I will stay with you and Dad until I can find my own place.”

It wouldn’t be all too different from what she’d done the two weeks prior to her marriage. Her lease had been up on her apartment. Instead of moving in with Quincy like he insisted, she moved a few of her thing to his place and put the rest in storage but stayed with her parents. Now she was glad she had. Subconsciously, she always felt uncomfortable with moving in with him before they married. Now she knew why.

“You can stay as long and you need to, Tierra.”

“
Thank you, Mama.”

Tierra sighed heavily before sitting back down. “Can I talk to Dad for a moment?”

“He is still asleep. Moving your things made him realize he isn’t twenty anymore.”

Tierra smiled. “Tell Dad I said thank you. Hayden as well.”

“I will.”

“Okay, Mama, I need to get going, but I will try to give you a call the same time tomorrow. I might be cutting it close since I will be sightseeing at the Imperial Forums.”

“Okay, dear. Call us when you can.”

She smiled. “I will, Mama. I love you.”

 
“Love you, too, baby. Have fun and be safe.”

“I will. Bye.”

She waited until her mother said goodbye before hanging up. While her blood had been boiling a few minutes ago, she only felt extreme sadness now. To think she’d rearranged her life for a man who obviously never cared anything about her was upsetting.

“
Cara
, are you okay?”

She looked over at Antonio and answered truthfully. “No, I’m not. My mother just informed me that my ex-fiancé put my stuff out on the street like trash. My brother and father had to go over and collect it for me.”

A frown appeared on his face. “How long did you live with your ex-fiancé?”

She shook her head before explaining to him the stupid move she made. “I never officially moved in with him. I just moved some of my furniture and clothes in.”

She looked up at Antonio, so upset and confused she didn’t know where to begin. How she could be in this situation?

“How can a man tell me he loves me, put a ring on my finger, and spend thousands of dollars on a wedding, only to do this to me?”

Antonio looked at her as if the answer was obvious, but she just couldn’t wrap her mind around it.

“It is simple, Tierra. He didn’t love you.”

He reached out and pulled her into his lap. “The actions you speak of that have been committed against you don’t speak of love. They speak of selfishness.”

He tilted her chin up with his finger. “So,
cara
, the best way to get back at him is to be just as selfish as he is if not more.”

She gave him a puzzled look.
“How?”

One of his eyebrows rose as he smiled. “You started the moment you propositioned me in the bar.”

The corners of her mouth curled upward when she realized he had a point. She leaned closer to him.

“You are right, and since we have seven more days left to spend together, I guess I better take full advantage of the situation.”

Chapter 11

“I
hate
being single.”

Tierra looked at Amalía with surprise for three reasons, one being she and Amalía had been recalling their outing from the other day. The second, Amalía was beautiful and intelligent among a host of several other things, and the third, she’d seen countless men flirting with Amalía.

“What makes you say that?”

Amalía gave her one of the infamous Carabelli looks, a look she saw when Antonio was frustrated or tired. “Because I am single. I am thirty-four years old, and I am single.”

Amalía took a sip of the fruit concoction Mona made.

“I want to know why I can’t find a good man who isn’t intimidated by me or out to use me for my last name.”

She reached out and laid a comforting hand over Amalía’s. “Because it isn’t time.”

Amalía rolled her eyes in an exasperated fashion. “I don’t want to be forty and pregnant.”

Tierra tried not to laugh at the gross exaggeration but failed. “You won’t be forty and pregnant. Even if you are, there is nothing wrong with that.”

Tierra made a wide sweeping gesture with her free hand. “It is happening out there more and more every day. Take it from me when I say not to rush into something like this. I did and I am still suffering from it.”

At Amalía’s questioning glance, she told her about the events that occurred with Quincy putting her stuff out on the curb and her father and brother having to go over to collect it. Amalía’s expression changed to shock and she shook her head.

“Men are
pigs
,” she stated vehemently.

Tierra agreed with her, but after her earlier conversation with Antonio, she realized she hadn’t loved Quincy. He’d been a security blanket for her, or at least what he represented had been.

 
They both jumped in surprise when Carlo spoke. “Well, then, I guess this would be the wrong time to ask to speak to Tierra.”

She and Amalía exchanged a look of surprise before Amalía stood up.

“If it gets you to come out of foul mood that you are always in, you can have anything you want.”

Amalía quickly disappeared inside the house, missing Carlo’s next statement. “Yes, except for what I really want I’m not sure I can have.”

Tierra remained quiet as she made a motion for him to join her. His comment spoken so quietly she almost missed it. The statement intrigued her, and she wanted to know what it meant.

“So, tell me what it is you really want.”

He responded without hesitation. “Daníella.”

She was more surprised he came right out and said it than to hear the name. From her recent conversations with Antonio, more of the Carabelli family history had been revealed, including that Carlo and Daníella were married up until four years ago. After Carlo almost lost his life in a car wreck, he divorced Daníella.

It now seemed Carlo had remorse over the decision. Unfortunately, Daníella was dating another man, for at least a year if she wasn’t mistaken. Still, Tierra had to find out where his thoughts were, better yet his heart.

“Why do you want her back?”

He gave her a blank stare that she didn’t believe for one moment. It seemed to be a question he didn’t want to answer yet. She shook her head and looked away.

“Well, regardless of why, you should remember you have already pushed her out of your life once. So, it gives her one very good reason as to why she shouldn’t dream of giving you another chance.”

 
Carlo’s gaze darkened. “And here I was thinking I would get an unbiased opinion.”

She smiled, giving his leg a reassuring pat. “You are, but you are also dealing with a woman who has had her heart broken by a man she cared for.”

She stood up, looking Carlo deep in the eyes.