VINA IN VENICE (THE 5 SISTERS) (19 page)

“
Vina
,” he said on a sigh as h
e claimed her
mouth.

She
was glad they were sitting down
.  T
ravis Malone
was
every bit
as heady as the champagne
, and
Vina
was fairly certain
her knees would have buckled under the onslaught of his intoxicating kiss
es
.
  The butterflies kicked into high gear
, along with her pulse, and
her
body
temperature
jetted up so fast and furious,
she wouldn’t have been surprised to find a rash of
fever
blisters forming
.

She’d never felt like this before, so
out of control, so…greedy for more.  It shocked her to realize
how quickly she’d developed a sexual attraction for him, how deeply she needed the physical closeness that had never been part of their relationship before. 
Was this how the other women in his life had felt when he kissed them, touched them?  As if they would burst into flames from the heated desire he aroused? 

Vina felt sorry for them, and for herself as well.  Because there was no turning back now, no pretending
she and Travis
hadn’t gone past the boundaries of friendship, or that their friendship would survive if this new aspect of their relationship didn’t work out.
 
Her mind abandoned its restless wandering when Travis pulled her more snugly against his body and deepened the kiss.  Would it be worth it? 
Oh, yeah
,
she thought as his hand glided slowly up her thigh,
whatever the cost in the end, I will never regret a single moment spent in his arms.

Through a haze of
tingling nerves and
raw emotion
, it gradually registered that
the speakers were no longer piping out music
. 
Vina stifled a groan when
the soft crooning
was r
eplaced by
Catrina’
s cool, crisp voice
instructing
them to buckle up in preparation for landing.
  It wasn’t quite the same as being doused in ice water, but it came pretty close
, and as much as she regretted
relinquishing his lips,
Vina
drew her head back.

“That woman is a real mood killer,” she grumbled as she dug between the cushions
for the safety belt.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,”
Travis grinned, the devil dancing in his eyes.  “
As I recall, s
he was responsible for sparking that
bout of jealousy
which ultimately set the
mood for an extremely pleasurable encounter.”

“Yes,” Vina replied dryly, “and as
I
recall, she
cut
that pleasurable encounter
short too.”

***

A water taxi carried them to
The Palazzo Vendramin
, which
was everything Travis said it would be.
  After making sure Vina was safely in her suite, Travis left to unpack and get
settle
d
into his own suite, which adjoined hers.  She didn’t bother unpacking
just yet
, preferring instead to explore her new surroundings.  The living room was spacious and elegant with access to a private balcony that overlooked the lagoon.  Floor to ceiling windows insured a breathtaking view of the lagoon and St. Mark’s Square just across the waterway. 

There was also a large terrace, complete with a pool and Jacuzzi, where the scent
from numerous
jasmine bushes
permeated the air.  The two luxurious marbled bathrooms
had the same floor to ceiling windows and panoramic views as the rest of the suite, and the smaller of the two even led out onto
a
garden terrace.  From the window
,
she could see a path from the garden that
trailed down to a private dock where a motor boat was moored for their personal use.  Upon their arrival, they’d been informed that a master captain would be at their disposal to guide them through the coves and islands.

Vina
wandered
from room to room,
admiring the rich but tasteful furnishings and
stopping to smell the fragrant flowers adorning
every
room.  She also took note of
the
impressively well stocked
private bar
w
here a bottle of champagne was chilling
.
  Everything about
the suite
was utter perfection, including the lavishly decorated bedroom
.
 
She
was contemplating going next door to see if Travis’ suite was as amazing as hers when there was a brisk rap on her door.
  A happy smile lit her face.  Apparently Travis had the same idea.

Admonishing herself for wanting to race to the door, Vina’s steps were deliberately measured as she
went to greet Travis.  It seemed foolish to get so flustered at
the
thought of seeing him when they’d just spent
so many
hours together on the plane, but
she couldn’t help it. 
Ever since that first kiss she’d had her head in the clouds, but that didn’t mean she had to be so transparent about it. 
Schooling her expression so she didn’t look
like a
love-sick teenager,
Vina opened the door and was shaken to discover it wasn’t Travis.

A
s she stood in the open doorway
,
it occur
red
to her how foolish it was not to look through the peek-hole first.  Normally very safety conscious, Vina stared at the tall middle-aged Italian man and realized that if he meant her any harm, he could easily overpower her.  True, he was
immaculately
dressed in a dark suit and didn’t look threatening, but
looks could be deceiving.

“May I help you?” she asked warily.
 

I
t was obvious by the
man’s apologetic smile that he realized Vina was startled by his appearance.
  “
Perdonilo…forgive me,” he said in a heavily accented voice, “perhaps I should have not come unannounced, but
the Marchese and Marchesa Andollina
requested that I deliver this to you personally upon your arrival.
  I am Cayo
Bavetta
, the Andollina’s
chief security officer.”

“
Of course,” t
he tension instantly left Vina’s body as she took the envelope he h
eld out to
her
, “I remember you now
. 
Goodness,
I haven’t seen the
Andollina’s
for years,” she said, opening the envelope and scanning the invitation inside.  “I had no idea they lived in Venice now, or that they knew I would be here.”

“They d
o not live in Venice year round.  H
owever, they do have a home near the Palazzo and always arrange to be here during Carnival. 
I believe the Marchese and Marchesa were informed of your impending arrival by your solicitor, Sheldon Davis.”

“
Sheldon
told them?” 

His voice was
gentle
, the expression on his face sympathetic.  “As instructed
by
your parent
s, Miss Moore.  My
sincere condolences on your loss.”

“Thank you,” she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat.  “Tell the Marchese and Marchesa I would be happy to join them for dinner.
”

“
Then I shall be
here tomorrow evening at six o’clock to escort you. 
They will be delighted
that you have accepted, as will the
rest of the family
.
”

Vina’s face lit up.  “The boys will be there too?”

Cayo chuckled.  “You were not joking about how long it has been since you have seen them.  They are hardly boys any longer.  Fine young men, all
three
of them, and they are eager to renew
your acquaintance.”

“Are they now?” A familiar male voice said from behind Cayo.

The friendly stance Cayo
Bavetta had displayed with Vina was quickly dispensed with as he switched into the role of security officer.  Every bit as tall and muscular as Travis,
Cayo wasn’t daunted in the least by
the decided chill in Travis’ tone or the equally cold glare. 
Vina was shocked to see the two men
eying
each other with open suspicion
and was genuinely
afraid one wrong word from either of them would result in
a
test of physical strength. 

She supposed it was in Cayo’s nature
to take a defensive stand, given his profession.  But she’d never seen Travis behave like this before and didn’t quite understand why he was doing it.  Granted, there was a
strange man at her door, but since he’d overheard
at least part of their conversation, clearly Cayo was someone she knew.  In an attempt to restore the balance of testosterone to a normal level, Vina slipped past Cayo and planted herself between them. 

“
I don’t know where my manners are,” she said with a smile.  “Travis, this is Cayo Bavetta.  He’s chief of security for the Marchese and Marchesa Andollina, who were very dear friends of my parents.  And this is Travis Malone,”
she told Cayo
.  “He’s my escort during our stay in Venice, and also…”

“Ah, your bodyguard,” Cayo visibly relaxed.
             

Travis shook the hand Cayo offered, although Vina noted his manner was still unyielding.  “I am not Vina’s bodyguard,” he said stiffly, “but I
am
here to insure
her safety.”

Cayo
looked
at Vina.  “Did I misunderstand?”

“Travis and I have been friends since high school,” she explained.  “He
’s here to watch over me and make sure I don’t get into any trouble.  Isn’t that right, Travis?” Vina smiled for Cayo’s sake, but there was no mistaking the warning in the glance she shot at Travis. 

“
Personal escort and friend, that’s me,” Travis
replied, his expression as devoid of emotion as his tone.

If Cayo
noticed the tension between her and Travis, he gave no indication.  “
Had the Marchesa known you were not traveling alone, I am sure
she would have extended the
invitation to include Mr. Malone.  Shall I inform her there will be an extra guest tomorrow evening?”

“Please do,” Travis said before Vina could respond.

“I will see you both tomorrow then.  Enjoy your stay in Venice.”
             

Vina w
aited until Cayo was out of earshot before turning to Travis.  “Would you care to explain what that display of male hormones was all about?”

“Inside,” was all he said as he brushed past her and entered the suite.

Unsettled by his brisk manner
,
Vina trailed after him, acutely
aware that he was unhappy with her, although she couldn’t fathom why.  Surely he wasn’t upset that friends of her parents had invited her to dinner, especially since Cayo had also invited Travis.  She closed the door behind her and following him into the living room. 
Travis was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, a dark scowl on his face.

Vina put up a brave front as she approached him, despite the
nervous flutter in her stomach.  “
Why are you
mad
at me when you’re the one who acted like an over protective ogre?”

“Because we had an understanding,” his voice shook with anger, “or at least I thought we did until a few minutes ago.”

“What are you talking about?  I accepted an invitation to dinner, Travis.  What does that have to do our relationship?”

“What relationship?” he bit out.  “As soon as that muscle bound goon mentioned the Andollina’s three sons, my status was reduced to traveling companion and old high school buddy.”

Vina stared at him incredulously.  “You’re
not serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“This is absurd!  I have
n’t
seen the Andollina boys since I was seventeen.”

“Did you date any of them?”