Chapter 15

Fifteen

Gia

W e stayed in bed for a while, reminiscing about our childhoods. I relayed what it was like to grow up in the pizzeria, doing homework in the office and learning to cook next to my father. Back then, I absorbed everything he had to say.

“I can’t imagine growing up the way you did. For me, it was more about tutors and activities, the ones that would improve our résumés for college. Everything we did was to impress other people. Even when it came to volunteer work.”

It didn’t sound warm and loving to me, but I had a feeling his parents thought they were preparing him for the real world.

“There weren’t a lot of hugs or expressions of love. But we were financially supported. We’re successful business owners, so it paid off.”

“What do your brothers do? I’m sure you’ve mentioned it, but I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Sebastian owns a few farm-to-table restaurants. He never liked having a boss, so he bought a few failing restaurants and made them into what he wanted.”

“I can’t imagine having that kind of money and freedom,” I said, running my hand over his chest, loving the feel of his hair beneath my fingers.

“You’re successful.”

“I sink most of my money back into the business. I only pull enough of a salary to cover living expenses.”

“Is that necessary?”

“We don’t all have money to fall back on. I built the business from scratch. No loans. I need to work hard for a few more years, then it will get easier, and I can relax.” Not wanting his focus on me and my business when I wasn’t as successful as him or his brothers, I said, “What about your other brothers?”

“Liam’s in corporate. Wells is a musician. Our music lessons were meant to be a supplement to our education, not our career. Our parents never approved of Wells majoring in music, but if a Sharpe is going to do something, he must be the best at it.”

“That’s a lot of pressure.”

“We’re used to it. We should head back. You’re probably getting hungry.”

“That’s a good idea.” I needed to salvage the day and get something done. I’d never taken an entire day off before. Anxiety built in my chest.

“Let me feed you, and if you still want to head home, I won’t stop you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Like you could.”

It was a bluff because he’d already convinced me to spend the day with him, not working.

He pulled up the anchor and started the engine so we could head back. He sat in the captain’s chair with his legs spread. “Come here.”

I went to him easily, standing between his legs and leaning into his chest. He easily steered around me. We didn’t speak, just enjoyed each other’s company. We’d shared a bit about our pasts, and neither of us felt the need to fill the air with unnecessary chatter.

I felt like I belonged here in his arms. Like we could do this every Sunday from now on, and I’d be content. It was stupid and ridiculous, but I wasn’t ready to let go of this vision.

Silas called ahead, so a couple of workers met us at the dock and quickly had the boat tied to the pilings. We gathered our things, and I waited for Silas to lock up before we headed to the hotel.

In the lobby, he stopped in front of the elevator. “I was thinking we could order room service.”

My stomach grumbled.

“But what do you think about going back to my place? I could cook for you. I want to cook for you.” His gaze flicked to mine, and I saw a vulnerability there I’d never seen before.

No man besides my father and brothers had ever cooked for me. “That would be nice.”

“I’ll run up and get our things.”

I waited for him in the lobby, wondering how I’d gotten sucked into an evening with Silas. I couldn’t resist him. Was he like this with every woman, or just me?

Silas stepped off the elevator, scanning the lobby for me, his shoulders relaxing when he found me.

I approached him, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Were you worried I left?”

He chuckled. “You have a history of running.”

“I’m sorry if you were worried.” I wanted to reassure him I wouldn’t freak out again or have second thoughts about us, but I couldn’t make that promise. Everything was okay when we were together, but I couldn’t predict how I’d feel when I left.

He must have called to have his SUV brought around because it was waiting for us at the curb. He opened the door, and I stepped inside, pleased he hadn’t allowed the valet to do it. I liked that he treated me as someone to be respected and taken care of.

When he climbed inside, he reached over the console and interlaced his fingers with mine. I couldn’t take my gaze off the sight of his long fingers wrapped around mine. My heart squeezed, and I had to look away. I let out a breath, trying to steady my rapidly beating heart.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Silas said, as if he sensed my discomfort. “We’re in this together.”

I didn’t say anything, just felt grateful that he got how hard it was for me to be here.

He drove down a stone lane lined with trees. We came upon a large cluster of trees, and then there was a clearing for his house.

“The best part is that it backs to the water.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” I said as we got out.

He grabbed our bags and held out his hand to me.

The house was a two-story with a large wraparound porch. I’d already fallen in love with it, and I hadn’t seen the view from the back or anything inside. I loved that he had a respite from the resort. A place he could go and be quiet.

Inside, he dropped our bags and led the way through the large family room and kitchen, through French doors to the deck. It was more of a covered porch with steps leading to the backyard and the water.

We stopped at the railing, looking over the lake. “This is gorgeous. I’d never leave if this was my place.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Silas moved behind me, surrounding me from behind and kissing my neck. “One more reason to keep you here.”

I leaned back into his chest as he straightened, wishing we never had to leave.

He sighed. “As much as I love this view, I promised you a home-cooked meal.”

“You don’t have to. We had a long day. We could just order in.”

“I never do that here. The point of being here is that I’m off the grid. Room service isn’t a call away, and there’s no one rushing to do my bidding.”

“Life is so tough for you,” I teased, though I respected him even more for it.

He led the way inside, opening a bottle of wine and pouring me a glass. “Have a seat while I whip something up.”

I sat at the island with the windows displaying the water behind him. “I have the best view.”

He cocked a brow. “Watching me cook?”

I laughed. “The water.”

“Hmm. I don’t know if I like the competition.”

“I love both.” Every minute with him made it easier to stay. I forgot the reasons why I should be at home, working on my next big project.

He pulled out some chicken, adding seasoning before putting it in the oven, and then boiled a pot of water for the pasta. While everything was cooking, he cut up tomatoes.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” I asked, feeling lazy for sipping wine while he did all the work.

Silas glanced up at me and winked. “I love cooking, and I want you to relax and have a good time. You can help next time.”

Warmth spread unheeded through my body at his sweet words. “I’d like that.”

“I assume you know how to cook?”

“It was a requirement for everyone in the family. It wasn’t an only girls cook kind of family. Mamma always said she wanted her boys to be able to impress their women.”

Silas barked out a laugh. “I like your mom. She’s practical.”

I smiled, enjoying sharing about my family. “She never let the boys get away with a messy room or not putting away their dishes. And I think they turned out okay. They’re respectful of women.”

Silas tipped his head. “Matteo?”

I laughed. “He seems like a player, but he has a huge heart. I was always the one he’d talk to after one of his dates.” Then I stopped, thinking I shouldn’t be spilling Matteo’s secrets to his friend.

Silas lifted his head from the chopping. “I won’t tell him you said anything. He can keep his street cred.”

“Matteo would make a good boyfriend. If only he’d be willing to show who he is underneath all the bluster.” He had been hurt by his first girlfriend, and I watched as he pretended everything was okay. He put on this persona, one that said he was a good time. But he was so much more than that.

“I think that’s true of all the Giovanni kids.”

“Are you talking about me?” I asked, not sure I wanted the answer.

“I think you have a heart of gold, and I’m the lucky guy who gets to see it.”

“Who says I’ve shown it to you?” I teased.

A smile spread over his face. “Oh, I’ve seen it.”

I should have been scrambling to protect myself, to shore up my walls so he couldn’t see through, but I was enjoying this time we were spending together, and it was better now that I was more at ease with him.

Then he sobered. “You can trust me with your truth, Gia. I won’t hurt you.”

I scoffed. “No one can promise that.”

He paused, his knife pressed flat against the cutting board. “Let’s put it this way. I don’t want to hurt you.”

My heart beat a steady rhythm under my rib cage. “You might not intend to, but it’s still possible.”

Silas shook his head, lifting his gaze to meet mine. “Anything’s possible, but that’s not the way to live your life—so afraid of the worst-case scenarios that you can’t live your life to the fullest.”

“And you think my being here and spending time with you is living my life to the fullest?”

He smirked and said, “Something like that.”

“I’ll admit I had fun today.”

He finished chopping tomatoes and scraped them from the board into a serving bowl. Then he rounded the corner and stood in front of me. “That’s a start.” Then he placed a featherlight kiss on my lips and dropped his forehead to mine.

Something passed between us then, heavy and meaningful, and before I could analyze it fully, he’d moved away to check the boiling water and add the pasta to the pan.

“You need more wine?”

I pushed the empty glass toward him, wondering what I’d gotten myself into. I worried about what would happen tomorrow. Would everything go back to normal? Would we be able to work together after everything we’d shared?

“Can you stop worrying about the what-ifs and enjoy our time together?” Silas asked as he poured wine into my glass.

“How do you know I’m doing that?” I asked as I reached for the now-full glass and sipped it.

“You get this pensive look on your face.”

“Mmm.” He read me like no one else could, or it was more likely that he took the time to get to know me. I was able to push everyone else away. I was usually so strong that no one worried about me. Not even my family.

They assumed I had everything handled, and while that was nice, it was better to have someone who saw underneath. Who read between the lines and knew what I needed before I did.

He poured a second glass for himself. “This will pair well with dinner.”

“Do you ever take those boats on the water?” I asked, pointing to a kayak and canoe I noticed lying along the shore.

“I love going early in the morning or at dusk. It’s quiet and peaceful.”

“I’d love to go with you sometime.” I wasn’t sure where that came from or if it was a good idea, but how he described it was too enticing to ignore.

Silas flashed me a smile. “I’d love that.”

The warmth that had filled my chest all day expanded to the rest of my body. I watched while he finished dinner and then helped him get the food onto plates before we carried them onto the porch to eat at the large table there.

He kept the lights low so we could see the water as we ate. I was starving, and we ate quickly. Afterward, Silas left the plates and asked, “Would you like to see the water up close?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yes.”

He stood and held his hand out to me. It was natural to take it and allow him to interlace his fingers with mine, his palm flat against mine as we walked down the wooden steps and across the short expanse of lawn to the water that lapped on the shore.

“The only downside to this property is I can’t have a dock here. If you already have one, you can keep it. Apparently, they’re not good for wildlife.”

“I can imagine.”

“It would be nice to sit on it in the evening, though.”

I lifted my chin, taking in the sight of the moon in the distance. “I get that, but I can’t imagine that being a downside. It’s so peaceful here.” I could almost forget Silas was the owner of a luxury resort. Here, he didn’t have to keep an eye on whatever was going on or nod at every manager he encountered. Here, he was able to relax.

Silas led us to a couple of Adirondack chairs by the shore. He sat in one and tugged me onto his lap. I draped my legs over his and curled into his body, content to be near him and the water.

After a while, I said, “I could sit like this all night.”

His voice rumbled through his chest and into my shoulder. “Me too. But eventually, the bugs will find us.”

I snuggled deeper into his chest, keeping my gaze on the water. “Let’s stay for as long as we can.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Whatever you want.”

When had a man ever anticipated what I needed and delivered it? I couldn’t remember a time anyone took care of me. I did such a good job of it—or maybe I acted like I did—that it didn’t leave room for anyone else. But I enjoyed being here with him like this.

Clouds rolled in, and the air started to smell like rain by the time Silas suggested we clean up.

I was drowsy from the day on the water and the big meal. When I offered to help clean the remnants of our dinner, Silas waved me off, telling me to get ready for bed. I didn’t argue because I was swaying on my feet.

I followed his directions to the top of the stairs and down the hall to the master. The room had soft-gray walls and natural wood furniture I thought might have been handmade. I brushed my teeth with a spare toothbrush I found in the bathroom and brushed my hair with my fingers before washing my face.

I climbed into the king-size bed, and the bedding was so comfortable, I almost drifted off by the time the bed dipped and Silas joined me. His breath was minty fresh, as if he’d just brushed his teeth. “I like having you in my bed.”

I rolled into him, resting my forehead on his chest, loving his warmth and solid presence. He tightened his arms around me like he didn’t want to let me go.

Who would have thought a few months ago I’d be in Silas’s arms? It was incomprehensible, yet I felt more comfortable with him than anyone else.

He kissed my forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

At his insistence, I closed my eyes again and fell asleep, content in his arms.