VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (8 page)

“
Tell me, Mr. Malone, w
hat does your rule book say about kissing a man I barely know before he
has
even wined and dined me?”

Chapter 4

Travis tried not to let his disappointment show
, but it wasn’t easy.  He could still feel the warmth of her breath on his lips, and though he’d been deprived of a real kiss, the brief taste he’d gotten was enough to make him ache for more.
  Admittedly, his ego was bruised by Vina’s rejection
; payment, he supposed,
for assuming
the closed eyes and part
ed
lips were an invitation.  His only shot at redeeming himself was to follow her lead
and make light of it.

“I must have picked up the wrong rule book,” he grinned.  “
I could have sworn it said never pass up the opportunity t
o
kiss a beautiful woman.”

Vina didn’t miss a beat. 
“
Straight
from the pages of The Travis Malone Dairies would be my guess.”

“Now,
that
was
cold, woman.”

“
Sorry about that,”
she sounded genuinely contrite.  “
I
haven’t eaten anything since this morning and
tend to get
a little waspish when I’m hungry.”

“In that case,
I’d better get you inside so Chef Joe can restore your blood sugar level
.”

“How very wise of you,” Vina laughed as she slipped her
hand
into his. 

Travis had never been
fond of holding hands or other displays of affection
in public.  It
i
nferred
there was
some
thing
more than a casual relationship between him and his female compan
ion
, and he avoided it like the plague
.  Now it dawned on him that he
only objected
to
that kind of
intimacy
because none of those women had been Vina.  He
liked how small and delicate her finely boned hand felt
nestled inside his palm, and
the way it subtly proclaimed Vina was his.  H
e
also
enjoyed the envious glances of other men when the Maître de
showed them to their seats.

Travis had been grateful for Joe Marinelli’s personal assurance a table would always be made available to him, but he was even more grateful when they were escorted to a secluded spot with a fabulous view of the ocean. 
There was no doubt in his mind Joe had
selected
the best table in
the restaurant for
them
.  He wondered if his ex-chef had done it as an indication of how highly he regarded Travis, or
if
Joe had
guessed
how important this date with Vina was to him.

“
But of course I remember
Miss Vina,” Joe had exclaimed when Travis called him the previous day.  “
I see you with many beautiful young ladies, but this was one is special,
si
?”

“
Sì, è molto special
,” Travis had replied.  Yes, she is very special.

“Ah,
Vina
è l’amore della tua vita
?”

“
Si
,” he’d replied again.
             

Watching Vina devour the menu with her eyes, knowing she
would
order a
real
meal, brought a smile to his face.  She had a healthy appetite,
al
though God only knew where she put it all
, and Travis loved that he could share his appreciation of good food with her.  She wouldn’t lay her napkin aside
after two bites
and
proclaim to be full
like
the majority of the women he dated did.

Being with Vina made him realize how little enjoyment he’d gotten from those women, besides a few hours of decent sex and an occasional interesting conversation.
 
It also made him realize he could never go back to that way of life.
  All he had to do was make her fall in love with him and see how good they would be together.  Considering
how quickly she’d shied away from kissing him,
that might prove to be more difficult than he’d anticipated.

Vina looked up from the menu with a pitiful sigh.  “Everything sounds so wonderful, I’m afraid to choose one for fear I’ll miss out on something even better.  Maybe I should let you choose for me.”

“I have a better idea,” Travis set his menu down.  “Why don’t we
have
Joe
suggest what
to
order
?”

Vina’s eyes widened in mock horror. 
“
Sneak back to the kitchen and ask him, you mean?  Have you lost your mind?  Chef Joe will have you quartered and served up with the linguine if you interrupt him while he’s creating one of his masterpieces!”

“It would be futile to attempt tenderizing such a hard-nosed businessman,” a heavily accented voice
said
from behind her.

“You should have told me he was there,” she hissed
under her breath
before rising from her chair to give Joe a hug.

In his defense, Travis had been aiming
to do just that
when he
said
they should have Joe suggest something. 
He couldn’t honestly say he was sorry though.  Embarrassed that Joe had overheard her comment, a warm rosy blush colored her cheeks, enhancing
the perfection of her flawless skin
. 
A wave of desire swept over him when
he
recalled
how soft and silky it felt beneath his fingertips
.
  The rest of her body would be just as soft
, just as…

“Travis?
  Did you hear what I said?
”

Travis glanced up to find Vina and Joe eying him warily.  “Sorry, my mind was wandering,” he said with
a
sheepish grin.

“I was saying that Joe suggests a glass of Riserva to start off with and Pantelleria with dessert.”

“Sounds great.  You going to feed us anything with that wine, Joe?”

Joe’s chest puffed up.  “Only the best for you and your
bello
inamorato
.

Neither of them said a word
as
Joe
rattled off the half dozen dishes
or so
he intended
to serve them
, but
Travis
could tell
Vina was struggling to maintain a straight face
.
 
Shortly after
Joe left, the waiter arrived with their wine
.  For the next two hours they enjoyed Italian cuisine
and
pleasant conversation, frequently
exchang
ing
light-hearted banter
.  After the last bite of dessert had been eaten, they sat for awhile longer, sipping the Pantelleria and
grumbling to each about how much food they’d consumed.

“
T
oo bad
we can’t take a stroll down to the beach and walk some of the pasta off,” Vina said. 

Travis
env
ision
ed
Vina standing on the shorel
ine w
ith
the water gently lapping over her bare feet, moonlight dancing off her hair
as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

“It’s a public beach…” his train of though
t
derailed when his vision expanded to include a blanket on the sand and Vina’s soft brown eyes gazing up at him.  “There’s no…uh…reason we can’t…”  Arms twined around his neck, a breathless sigh as their mouths meld
ed
together.  “…take a walk,” he finished with considerable effort.

“Are you all right?” Vina touched his arm, lines of concern etched on her face.

“I’
m fine.  I
t just seems a little warm in here all of a sudden.  Would you care to take that walk on the beach with me?”

Her expression immediately lightened.  “I would love to but I’m afraid I’d break an ankle trying to walk in sand with these
heels
.”

“
So
don’t wear
them.  We can leave our shoes in the car and go barefoot.”

“I’d have to take off my hose,” Vina sounded tempted, but not quite convinced.

“Oh, well…if you don’t want to, I understand.  I know how difficult it is for a woman like you to cut loose and enjoy the simple things in life.”

“A woman like me…?” her eyes narrowed.  “What is that supposed to mean?”

Travis shrugged.  “You know; raised prim and proper, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, afraid to get a little wet sand on her feet in case it chips the nail polish.”

“That’s pretty cheeky coming from a man wearing an Armani suit and imported Italian leather shoes.”

“I’m not the one balking at slipping my imports off to enjoy an evening stroll on the beach.”

“I’ll show you prim and proper,” Vina mumbled as she rose from her chair. 

Shoulder
s
squared, chin held high, she marched toward the door without waiting for Travis to escort her.
  He got to his feet, absently handing his charge card to the waiter who’d hurried over the moment Vina left the table.  Unruffled by her hasty departure, Travis just stood there and watched her, thoroughly enjoying
the
view and enticed by her parting words. 
It didn’t take but a few minutes for the waiter to return with his card.

“Tell Chef Joe the cuisine was magnificent and th
e service superb.”
 

Vina
è l’amore della tua vita? 
That was the question Joe had asked when h
e
discovered who Travis’ dinner date was
.  Would
Vina be
amused by it or appalled
?
  Not that he intended to tell her, at least not yet, but seeing her reaction might give some indication
as to whether she had ever thought of him
as
more than just a friend.

Si
, Travis had
told Joe
.  Yes,
Vina
was
the
love of
his
life
.
 

He stepped outside and
experienced a moment of panic when he reached the car
and didn’t see Vina. 
Turning towards the beach, Travis
peered into the darkness
and
was just barely able to make out her silhouette in the dim light.
Fear gripped his belly when he realized how vulnerable she was
sitting
all alone on one of the stone benches. He was all set to give her a stern talking to
,
but was instantly disarmed by the
impish smile
she slanted at him when he dropped down beside her.
 

Vina dangled her sandals from one finger. 
“You sure you want to risk getting san
d in the cuffs of your Armani?”

“You sure you want to risk ruining your French silk hose?”

“I’m afraid to ask how you knew they were French silk, and anyway, I hadn’t planned on ruining them.  I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to back out before I took them off.”

“
I’ll have you know I’m a very down to earth kind of guy. 
Admittedly, I do look
exceptionally
refined in my tailor made suits
, but I’m just as comfortable in the kitchen or behind the bar in my restaurants.”

Laughter danced in Vina’s eyes.  “Well, Mr. Refined Bartender, are you going to sit here and jaw all night or are you going to take me for that walk?”

***

After stashing their shoes and stockings under the bench, they walked down to the shoreline, hand in hand. 
It felt…nice, Vina admitted to herself.  She only wished she could feel ha
lf
as comfortable with other men as she did with Travis.