Dante's Temporary Fiancée (5 page)

She sighed. “The story of my life.”

He rested his forehead against the top of her head. “I also promised Primo that I wouldn't unbutton you any more tonight.”

“I believe he meant from now on, not just tonight,” she informed him gravely. “And I also believe you agreed to honor that promise.”

He released her and took a step back, allowing them both some breathing space. “Actually, what I promised was that I wouldn't unbutton you again until I put a ring on your finger.” He flashed her a suggestive grin. “Come Monday, I plan to have that ring right where I need it to be. Then prepare yourself to be thoroughly unbuttoned.”

L
arkin awoke to someone knocking on her door. Kicking off her covers, she stumbled to her feet and blinked blearily around. What in the world? This wasn't her shabby little apartment, but something far more sumptuous and elegant. Something a world away from her realm of experience.

Memory crashed down around her. Getting fired. Rafe's proposal. Their shocking first touch. Their even more shocking kiss. His proposition. Her losing her apartment. And finally, her arrival here with Kiko. The knock came again and she jumped.

“Just a minute,” she called.

She yanked open her bedroom door, only to discover that the knocking came from farther away. She stumbled in that direction, realizing there was someone at Rafe's front door. A very determined someone. She hovered in the foyer, debating whether or not to answer. Better
not to, she decided, considering it wasn't her house. Unfortunately, the unexpected guest had a key and chose that moment to use it.

The door swung open and a woman poked her head inside. “Rafe?” She caught sight of Larkin and her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. Nonna said—”

“What is wrong, Elia?”

Larkin recognized Nonna's voice and shut her eyes. This could not be good.

“We've come at an inconvenient time,” Elia turned to explain. “Rafe has a guest.”

Nonna replied in Italian, the sound knife-edge sharp. Then the door banged open and Nonna marched into the house. “Larkin? I am surprised to find you here.”

“I'm surprised to find me here, too,” Larkin admitted. “In fact, I'm surprised to find us both here.”

“What the
hell
is going on? Can't a man get a decent night's sleep?” Rafe's voice issued from on high and he appeared at the top of the staircase leading to the second story. “Mamma? Nonna? What are you doing here?”

He stood there, hands planted on his hips, his chest bare, a loose pair of sweats riding low on his hips. Larkin stared, dazzled. Despite his obvious annoyance, she'd never seen anything more gorgeous.

“Oh, my.”

The comment escaped, along with her breath, her common sense and every last brain cell she possessed. To her utter humiliation, his mother took note, suppressing a smile of amusement at her reaction.

But really… His body was an absolute work of art, sculpted with hard muscle that filled out his lean frame. His shoulders were broad, with strong, ropey arms, though she'd suspected as much when he'd lifted her
in them last night and carried her to the couch in his office. His abdomen was flat and sporting the type of six-pack that she would have been only too happy to spend an entire night sampling. His mane of hair fell in rumpled abandon, the colors a lush mixture of browns and golds.

“We came over to arrange a time to meet Larkin,” Elia explained. Her smile wavered. “Surprise! We met.”

Rafe thrust his hands through his hair and Larkin suspected by the way his lips moved that he was swearing beneath his breath. “Let me get dressed and I'll be down.” His gaze sharpened, arrowing in on Larkin. “May I suggest you do likewise?”

“Oh, right.” She glanced down at her own shorts and cropped T-shirt with something akin to horror before offering Rafe's mother and grandmother a weak, embarrassed smile. “Excuse me, please.”

She dashed in the direction of her bedroom and closeted herself inside. Kiko stared at her alertly from where she lay in one corner, curled up on a thick, cozy rug. “What do you say we try out the backyard again and see what you think about it in the daylight,” Larkin suggested.

She opened the French doors leading outside and watched while Kiko limped into the yard. She kept an eye on the dog for several minutes to assure herself that the fence would withstand all escape attempts before taking a swift shower and throwing on the first set of clean clothes to come to hand. The fact that a night spent in a backpack had pressed a thousand wrinkles into them couldn't be helped.

Calling to Kiko, Larkin headed in the direction of
the coffee scenting the air. She found Rafe and the women in a low, heated conversation. Since it was in Italian, she could only guess what they were saying. Nonna appeared to be offering the strongest opinion, and Larkin could make a fairly accurate guess what that opinion might be. They broke off at the sight of her and smiled in a friendly manner, though Larkin picked up on the tension that underscored their greeting.

She pretended not to notice, returning their smiles with a broad one of her own before zeroing in on Rafe. “I just want to thank you for giving me a place to stay when I lost my apartment. If you hadn't, I think Kiko and I would have been wandering the streets all night.”

“What is this?” Nonna asked sharply.

“I've been trying to tell you—” Rafe began.

“No.” He was cut off with an imperious wave. “I wish Larkin to tell me.”

“I wasn't allowed to have a pet in my apartment building. The landlord found out about Kiko last night and kicked me out. Thank goodness Rafe insisted on walking me inside. If it hadn't been for him…” She shrugged. “Obviously we didn't have the time to find a place that would accept a dog, so Rafe thought the smartest option would be for Kiko and me to use his guest room for the night. I'm just relieved that he has a Brutus fence.” She offered a quick grin. “Turns out it's also Kiko proof.”

Rafe grimaced. “After last night, I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.”

“Last night?” Elia asked sharply.

His eyes narrowed on Kiko in open displeasure. “Full moon,” he said as though that were all the explanation necessary.

“Would it be okay if I fed her now?” Larkin hastened to interrupt. “I have some kibble for her, but she needs a little bit of raw beef mixed in.”

“No problem.” He crossed to the refrigerator and rummaged through the contents. “Before you joined us, we were talking and Nonna and my mother would like to take you out today so you three can get to know each other.”

With his head buried in the refrigerator, Larkin couldn't get a good read on either his voice or expression. “I thought I might look for a job,” she temporized.

“Time enough for that on Monday.” He emerged with a small packet of steak and carried it to the cutting board. “In fact, I might have something for you at Dantes.”

“Oh, I don't think—”

“Perfect,” Elia declared with a friendly smile. “This engagement is all so sudden it's taken my breath away.”

“That makes two of us,” Larkin answered with utter sincerity.

Elia's smile wavered. “Then this should give us time to catch our breath, yes?”

Larkin's gaze swiveled in Rafe's direction where he stood at the counter slicing up the raw meat. “Not unless Mr. Organize and Conquer plans on changing his personality by the time we get back.”

The two Dante women glanced at each other and then at Larkin before breaking into huge grins of amusement. “It would seem you know my Rafaelo surprisingly well, given the short amount of time you have known him,” Nonna commented.

“Perhaps that's because he doesn't bother to hide that aspect of his personality,” Larkin replied.

“In case you three haven't noticed, I'm standing right here,” Rafe said.

He combined Kiko's kibble with the slices of meat. The dog sat at attention, watching his every move. When he placed the food on the floor, she approached it cautiously, sniffing at the floor and around the bowl before attacking the contents.

“That's a most unusual dog you have,” Elia said with a slight frown. “If I didn't know better I'd swear she was part—”

“Definitely not,” Larkin hastened to say. “She belonged to my grandmother, who raised her from the time she was a youngster.”

Rafe broke in, rescuing her from any further questions. “I gather I'm Kiko's designated sitter?”

Larkin turned to him in relief. There were times his take-charge personality came in handy. This was one of them. “Do you mind?”

“Will she eat me?”

“I don't think so.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Color me reassured.”

His dry tone brought a flush to her cheeks. “She's very sweet natured. Very beta.”

“Well, if that's settled?” Elia asked.

Not giving Larkin a chance to come up with a reasonable excuse for avoiding their girl-bonding session, Elia urged Nonna to her feet and swept everyone toward the front door. Once there, she gave her son an affectionate kiss, one Larkin noted he returned with equal affection. Then they were out the door and tucked into Elia's car. The next instant they pulled out of Rafe's drive and headed toward the city. Larkin couldn't help tossing a swift glance over her shoulder.

Elia must have caught the look, because she chuckled. “Don't worry, Larkin. We'll return you safe and sound before you know it.”

Right. It was that nerve-racking time between now and then that worried her. How in the world had she gotten herself into this mess? Yesterday she'd been free as the proverbial bird. No entanglements. No men. Just one simple goal. Find her father.

And now… Larkin shot one final desperate look over her shoulder before settling in her seat. Now she had a fiancé to deal with, his family, no job and was expected to spend the day bonding. Bonding! With Leigh's former mother-in-law, of all people. Not to mention this bizarre ache centered in her palm. She rubbed at it, which for some strange reason caused Nonna and Elia to exchange broad smiles.

Larkin sighed. What an odd family. Almost as odd as her own.

 

Rafe stared, thunderstruck. “What the
hell
have you done to my fiancée?”

“We've been doing what women have done for centuries in order to bond,” Elia said. “Shopping.”

“Makeover.” Nonna enunciated the word carefully, then smiled broadly, though Rafe couldn't tell if it was due to the word—one he'd never heard his grandmother utter before—or the results of said makeover. “This is something girls do together,” she added with an airy gesture. “You are a man. You would not understand.”

Larkin's eyes narrowed. “Don't you like it?” she asked in a neutral voice. “Your mother and grandmother went to a lot of time and expense on my behalf.”

He hesitated. Damn. Okay, this was familiar territory.
Dangerous, familiar territory. The sort of territory men discovered during their first romantic relationship. Most poor saps of his gender stumbled in unaware of the traps awaiting them until they'd fallen into the first one, impaling themselves on their own foolhardiness. Having several serious relationships plus one disastrous marriage beneath his belt, Rafe had figured he'd safely skirted or uncovered all the traps out there.

Until now.

“You look lovely.” And she did. Just…different.

Larkin's mouth compressed. “But?”

Behind her, Nonna and his mother also regarded him through slitted eyes and tight lips. “But?” they echoed.

“But nothing,” he lied. Time to regain control of the situation. First item on the agenda…get rid of Larkin's backup. He gathered up his mother and grandmother and ushered them toward the door. “It's late. Nearly dinnertime. You've spent the day bonding with Larkin and I appreciate all you've done. I know this has been very sudden, and yet you've made her feel like one of the family.”

“Of course we made her feel like one of us,” Nonna said. “Soon she will be.”

“Not too soon,” he soothed. “This Inferno business is new to both of us and a bit of a shock. We need time to get to know each other before jumping into marriage.”

Nonna turned on him. “Where will she stay until then?”

“Right here in my guest room.”

She shook her head. “That is not proper and you know it.”

He gave her his most intimidating look. Considering
she was his grandmother, it met with little success. “You think I'd break my promise to Primo?”

She lifted a shoulder in a very Italian sort of shrug. “The Inferno is difficult to resist.”

“If it becomes too difficult, I'll make other arrangements.”

Nonna gave a dainty snort. “We will see what Primo has to say about that.”

No doubt. Giving each woman a kiss, he sent them on their way before going in search of Larkin. He found her in the kitchen brewing a pot of coffee. Unable to help himself, he stood in the doorway and watched, vaguely blown away by her grace.

There was a gentle flow to her movements, as though each step was choreographed by some inner music. What would it be like to dance with her? At a guess, sheer perfection. She was made to dance, and the idea of holding her in his arms while they moved together in perfect symmetry filled him with a longing he'd never experienced with or toward any other woman.

Another image formed, a picture of another sort of dance, one that also involved the two of them, but this time in bed. She had such a natural sense of rhythm, combined with a lithe, taut shape. How would she move when they made love? Would she drift the way she did now, initiating a slow, sultry beat? Or would she be fast and ferocious, pounding out a song that would leave them sweaty and exhausted?

“Coffee?”

The mundane question caught him off guard and it took him a moment to switch gears. “Thanks.”

“Cream? Sugar?”

“Black.”

She poured two mugs. “Do you really hate it?”

Rafe hesitated, still off-kilter. It wasn't until she ruffled her hair in a self-conscious gesture that he realized what she meant. “No, I don't hate it at all. It suits you.”

And it did. Before, her hair had been long and straight, and the two times he'd seen her, she'd worn it either pulled back from her face in a braid or piled on top of her head with a clip. The stylist had cut it all off and discovered soft curls beneath the heavy weight of her hair, curls that clung to her scalp and framed her elegant features. Few women had the bone structure to get away with the stark style. She was one of them. If anything, it made her look even more like a creature from fantasy and make-believe.