Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
I smiled. “Please.” I liked the way he masked his intimate compliment by offering me something to drink so it wouldn’t feel so tense.
He poured the glass then returned the bottle to the table. “You like red?”
“Both.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Good answer. I do too.”
Now that we’d pushed through the beginning of the conversation, it didn’t feel so awkward anymore. He seemed charming, polite, and not overly attentive. He was a handsome man who could get a woman anywhere at any time, so I knew he didn’t need this date. He was only there because he wanted to be.
“My father has nothing but good things to say about yours. He says he’s a very respectable man. He’s honest and full of integrity. It’s one of the reasons my father is such a fan of your wine, not necessarily because his customers like it, but because it comes from a good place.”
This conversation couldn’t be more different from the ones I’d had with Bones. He hated my family and wanted them all dead. He even despised me because of everything I had and he didn’t. Bones rarely had anything nice to say at all, unless he was complimenting the way I looked when he was between my legs. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say. My mother had nothing but good things to say about your family too.”
He smiled slightly. “I get the impression your father is very protective of you. When my father mentioned to yours about this date, it didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it.”
“Yeah…it’s hard for him. When I was growing up, boys weren’t a part of my life. He got better at it when I moved away, but he’s still not comfortable with it. It wasn’t until Christmas that he told me he was willing to meet a man I loved if I thought I would marry him someday. And I knew that was hard for him to say.”
Matteo nodded in understanding. “You’re his only daughter. Doesn’t surprise me. And just to let you know, I’m a pretty nice guy. I know I’m biased because I’m me, but I’m transparent. My reputation means a lot to me, especially since my family is well known and respected. If I ever did anything stupid, my father doesn’t think I’m too old for an ass-kicking. And I know your father would come after me hard, so I’m not looking for trouble.” He smiled at me, trying to keep the conversation light.
“Good to know.”
He picked up his menu and took a look. “The gnocchi is good here. I recommend it.”
“Is this place one of your restaurants?”
He chuckled. “No. God, that would be lame…”
I chuckled too, liking the way he didn’t take himself too seriously. I looked at my menu then felt my phone vibrate on the table. I turned to look at it to put it away, knowing having my phone out was extremely rude, but then I saw his name on the screen.
Bones.
Baby, he’s too scrawny for you.
My heart had finally slowed down once the introductions were made, but now it was hammering deep inside my chest even more. Adrenaline spiked through me, and my mouth immediately went dry with fear.
My eyes scanned the restaurant while Matteo looked at the menu. He was unaware of what was going on, thankfully. I looked around at the tables, but I didn’t see Bones anywhere. Was he there? Was he looking through a window? Was someone else watching me and relaying the information to him?
Matteo kept looking at his menu. “I’ve been meaning to try something else, but the gnocchi is just so good that I’m going to get it again.” He set the menu down then drank his wine. “What about you?”
I didn’t have an appetite—at all. I grabbed my menu and picked something at random. “I’ll give the chicken parmesan a try.”
“Not a bad idea.”
I set the menu down but couldn’t stop my hand from shaking. Bones was staring at me right then, watching the fear creep into my face. He was a terrifying man, and the last thing I wanted him to do was hurt Matteo. Matteo was just an innocent person who made the mistake of going on a date with me. I couldn’t let anything happen to him.
“I really loved your painting,” Matteo said. “It’s the one with the red bicycle leaning up against the wall in front of the restaurant as the sun sets. The colors were fantastic. When I looked at it, I thought I was feeling that heat from summer even though it’s been so cold lately…truly amazing. Any woman who could paint something so beautiful must be beautiful in every other way too.”
I listened to his compliment but didn’t really pay attention. “Thank you. There’s nothing I love more than to paint, and it’s wonderful to share that with other people.”