The Vineyards Of Calanetti. Rebecca Winters
day in the office. It was as though she’d cast some sort of magical spell over him.
In the next instant, his phone vibrated in his pocket, zapping him back to his senses. He pulled back and Kayla’s confused gaze met his. He couldn’t blame her. He was just as confused by what had happened.
He held up a finger to silence her inevitable questions—questions for which he had no answers. Because there was no way he was falling for her. Getting involved with her—with anyone—meant dealing with a bunch of messy emotions. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was end up like his parents. Just the memory of their turbulent life had Angelo immediately working to rebuild the wall between him and Kayla. He just couldn’t—wouldn’t—subject anyone to such miserable instability.
Angelo glanced down at the screen to see his brother’s name pop up. Hopefully his sister had confessed all. Angelo couldn’t wait to confront the man who’d walked away from his responsibilities.
Angelo lifted the phone to his ear. “Nico, do you have a name yet?”
There was a distinct sigh. “Is this how you answer your phone these days? Too important for a friendly greeting before diving into the heart of the matter?”
Angelo’s back teeth ground together. He quickly counted to ten, okay maybe only to five, before addressing his sibling. “Hello, Nico. What did Marianna say?”
“Nothing.”
He was losing his patience. “But why did you call?”
“You and Kayla need to return to the villa. Now. I’ll explain everything when you both get here.” The line went dead.
Angelo slipped the phone back into his pocket. He turned to Kayla, whose face was still filled with color. “We have to go.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. That was Nico and he summoned us back to the villa. It must be Marianna. I just pray there aren’t complications with the baby.” Before they left he needed to clear the air about their kiss that never should have happened. “Listen, about the kiss, I crossed a line. I...I don’t know what I was thinking.”
A myriad of expressions crossed over her face. “It’s forgotten.”
He didn’t believe her. “Can we talk about it later?”
“I’d rather not. There’s nothing to say. Besides, you have more important things to deal with.” She jumped to her feet and moved away from him. “You should get going. I’ll be fine here.”
“Nico requested you, too.” Angelo held back the startling fact that he’d feel better facing this crisis with her next to him.
Kayla pressed a hand to her chest. “But why me?”
“I don’t know. But we have to go.”
“Okay. Just let me grab my shoes and purse.” She rushed back to her room.
Angelo got to his feet and paced back and forth. Of course he was worried about his sister, but there was something else fueling his inability to sit still—Kayla’s off-the-cuff dismissal of his kiss.
The women he was used to spending time with never brushed off his advances, though each of them knew his rules in advance—nothing serious. So why did that rule not apply here? Probably because Kayla was off-limits. She was his assistant. He couldn’t forget that going forward—no matter how much his personal life spun out of control while in Italy.
From this point forward, Kayla was off-limits.
HER THOUGHTS RACED so fast that it unsettled her stomach.
Kayla stared out of the passenger window as she clasped her hands tightly together. Angelo expertly guided the rented sports car along the narrow, tree-lined road. How in the world had she lost control of the situation?
She inwardly groaned. As fantastic as that kiss had been, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Angelo at last had noticed her work and complimented her professionally. And what did she turn around and do, stare at him like some lovesick teenager—encouraging him to kiss her.
Sure, she was wildly attracted to him. What woman with a pulse wasn’t? He was gorgeous with that short, dark hair, olive skin and dark, sensual eyes. But he was her boss—the man in charge of her professional future—her dreams.
She couldn’t afford any more blunders. She had to remain aloof but professional. Surely it wasn’t too late to correct things between them. At least he hadn’t mentioned anything about sending her back to New York on the next plane, but then again they’d rushed out of the hotel so quickly that he didn’t have time to think of it. His thoughts were on his sister.
Kayla sure hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with Marianna. This was the first time Kayla had ever witnessed Angelo visibly worried. He obviously cared a great deal for his family though he never let on at the office—when he was working he was 100 percent professional—
So then what happened back there at the hotel?
Angelo pulled the car to a skidding halt in front of the villa. Before she could summon an answer to that nagging question, Angelo had her car door opened. She would figure it out later. Right now, she would offer her support in whatever capacity to Angelo’s family.
Nico rushed into the drive. “About time you got here.”
“We came right away.” Angelo frowned at his brother. “What’s the matter with Marianna?”
“Marianna?” Nico’s brows drew together in a questioning look. “This has nothing to do with our sister.”
“Then why in the world did you have us rush over here?” Angelo’s voice took on a sharp edge.
Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. She had no idea what Nico wanted, but she was fully relieved that mother and baby were okay. However, she did have to wonder why Nico wanted her here? Was he hoping that she’d play referee?
Nico’s eyes opened wide and his face became animated. “You are never going to believe this—”
“I might if you’d get to the point.”
Nico smiled in spite of his brother’s obvious agitation. “What would you say if I told you that I was just approached by representatives of Halencia? Monte Calanetti has just made the short list of locations for the royal wedding of Prince Antonio and Christina Rose.”
Angelo rolled his eyes. “Nico, this is no time for joking around—”
“I’m not. I’m perfectly serious.”
Kayla’s mouth gaped open. A royal wedding. Wow! She really was in Europe because nothing like this ever happened back in the States. Wait until she told her family. They would never believe it.
Her gaze moved to Angelo. He still wasn’t smiling. In fact, he didn’t look the least bit excited about this news. She had absolutely no ties to this village and she was over-the-moon happy for them. So why was he so reserved?
Angelo pressed his hands to his trim waist. “You called us back here to tell us this?”
“Brother, you’re not understanding. The royal family of Halencia wants us to make a pitch as to why Monte Calanetti should be the location for the soon-to-be king and his intended bride’s wedding.”
“And?”
Nico shook his head. “What aren’t you understanding? This is where you come in. You and Kayla. This is what you two do for a living—pitch ideas, convince people to go with the products you represent. That’s what we need.”
Nico wanted Angelo and her to help? Really? For a royal wedding?
The breath caught in her throat as