1. Prologue

Prologue

Isabella Bianchi

Santiago, Chile

Being back at Villa Libélula brings me so much joy; I love spending time at my brother Luca's place. He and his wife, Karina, own a beautiful vineyard in Alamo Peaks, a small town just outside of Santiago. I love walking around the endless rows of vines to clear my head in the mornings, going for a stroll after dinner, and watching the beautiful, starry skies against the imposing Andes mountains. It brings me peace and comfort, which is something I never experienced in my hometown of San Miguel, Argentina.

I graduated yesterday with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chile, and in the next few months, I'm supposed to be figuring out what to do next with my life. But all I want to do is let loose and enjoy life—be a carefree twenty-two-year-old—before the responsibilities that come with being an adult overwhelm me for the rest of my life.

Some people have life figured out at an early age. Exhibit A: my big brother, Gio. Ever since he was a kid, he has known he wanted to be a professor. He's currently teaching at a big university in the United States. My chest fills with pride every time I get to tell my friends—or any acquaintance, really—that my oldest brother has a doctorate in Forest Engineering, and his students call him Dr. Bianchi.

Exhibit B: Cata, my best friend and a kickass soccer player. She's the same age as me, but I can already tell she'll be one of the greatest players in the world. She's been called to the Colombia Women's National team, which is such a big honor and the reason why she won't be able to make it to my party today.

"There you are, Isa. We've been looking for you everywhere. Your guests are here." My brother Luca takes me out of my daydreaming as he comes into the cultivar.

Smiling brightly at my brother, I shake myself from my thoughts and plaster a huge smile on my lips. The day my parents decided they were done being parents, Luca stepped up and filled the role for me.

"Oh, perfect. I can't wait to introduce you to everyone." I hold onto my brother's arm and walk back toward the patio where we'll be hosting the gathering.

My oldest brother, Gio, is chatting with Karina, and the moment he sees me, he starts clapping. My cheeks turn beet red when everyone turns in my direction. Luca joins Gio, and suddenly, everyone starts clapping. I try to keep a smile on my face while tears run down my cheeks. I'm overwhelmed with emotion that all these people are here to celebrate my college degree: Luca, his wife and in-laws, Gio, and my friends Luisa and Ana with their families. Even some of the people who work at the vineyard are here, including Ines, our nanny in Argentina. She moved to Chile after Luca bought the vineyard—yet my parents are nowhere to be seen. It's amazing to feel this much love, but at the same time, it's incredibly sad to know that I can have all the love in the world but not from my parents. I mean, the people who brought me into this world don't give a crap about me, so my brothers had to fill in the void left by them.

How sad is that?

Four years ago, I moved here because my parents had already disappeared, but I don't think I will ever stop missing them. I had the best childhood; we weren't rich, but we never wanted for anything. Both of my parents were hard workers, and we used to go to Grandpa Bianchi's farm every weekend and ride horses. Sometimes, we even helped feed the chickens, goats, and cows.

But once Grandpa died, everything changed. He left a lot of money to my parents, and they did a 180. Suddenly, they started going to charity events. They would spend the night in Buenos Aires and leave us with Ines. The charities became more important than us, so they quit their jobs and became full-time socialites. That's when my older brothers stepped up and became my parental figures. And although I'm so thankful for my brothers, I miss my parents every single day.

Maybe if I became a big name in the art scene, they would look for me again.

"We're so proud of you, Isa. Graduating with honors and a bright future ahead," Gio says as soon as we're in close distance, and my two awesome brothers embrace me.

I can't help it—my tears start running faster and harder. There are so many things I want to tell my parents, but they never answer the phone. I wonder if they changed their numbers after we came to Chile.

"This is not a day for sadness. We are truly proud of you and cannot wait to see what you do next," Luca says in a serious but kind tone.

I can't help but chuckle. "When did you become the wise older brother? I thought that was Gio's job."

Gio chuckles, and Luca simply rolls his eyes. "Har, har. You know very well Karina knocked some sense into me and made me see what an amazing man I can be. And I'm not talking only between the sheets." Luca wiggles his eyebrows.

Gio and I immediately groan in fake disgust. I try as hard as I can to hold my laugh in, but a small smile forms on my lips. He doesn't need his ego to get bigger than it already is.

"What a way to kill the mood. bro," Gio says, shaking his head at Luca.

With a shrug, Luca replies, "Hey, I made her laugh. That's all that matters."

My friends Ana and Luisa join us in the circle I've made with my brothers, and I'm reminded we're not alone—I need to be a good host.

"Where are my manners? These are my brothers, Gio and Luca. The girls reach out to shake hands with my brothers. "And these are my friends, Ana and Luisa; they also graduated with me."

After introducing everyone and mingling for a bit, I peruse the buffet—a mix of Chilean and Argentinian foods on display. Tapping my index finger against my bottom lip, I think about what I should try first. The shrimp or the roasted beef sliders? Since today is my day to eat whatever I want, I put a couple of both onto my plate.

I'm about to grab a healthy load of salad when a deep and sensual voice says, "Excellent choice. I can't wait to try the sliders myself and see how the Argentinian asado compares to the Chilean one."

I'm feeling way more flustered about this food conversation than the last time I had sex, and that's not a good sign.

"Oh, hi. I didn't realize you were going to be here," I say, trying to sound nonchalant, but my voice takes on a high pitch at the end.

Gabo Godoy—Karina's brother and the sexiest man I've ever seen in my life—has more power over my hormones than I do. That's not something I want to deal with right at this moment.

"And miss your graduation? Not a chance." Gabo chuckles as he lowers to give me a kiss on my cheek. The moment his cologne hits my nostrils—a mix of leather, cedarwood, and allspice—I feel my knees weaken.

"Woah, careful there. Are you okay?" He quickly grabs my arm, forcing me to lean into his body. I can feel every single hard muscle in his chest—strong and steady, keeping me upright.

"Yeah, of course I am. I just think my heel caught on something."

Gabo looks at the ground, the smoothest concrete I've seen in my life, and instead of calling me out on my bullshit, he simply nods.

"Congratulations, by the way." He effectively changes topics as we both make our way toward the tables where everyone is sitting and enjoying themselves.

"Thank you. I still have no clue what I'm going to do with the rest of my life, but my brothers are throwing this party in my honor as if I had won a Nobel Prize."

I go for a shrimp instead of looking at Gabo. I don't know why I'm letting all these thoughts out in front of him. We've never been close. He's been living in Italy for over a decade, I think, so he only comes to Chile for the holidays.

"Your brothers are proud of you. Nothing wrong with that," he says with a shrug as if he completely gets it.

And maybe he does. Karina and I are both the youngest—having two older brothers each—and even though we don't speak much, I can tell he's incredibly proud of her. And with good reason! At twenty-six, Luca and Karina took Villa Libélula Wines to be among the top-ranked wines in South America. They've also started the process of exporting to Europe and North America.

"Maybe you're right, but I still feel I should have a better clue of what to do with my life, you know? I see both of my brothers achieving their dreams, and I don't know where to start," I say, feeling defeated. Though, maybe having this conversation with someone who's not close to me is a good idea.

"You know I'm the middle brother, right?" I nod, so he continues. "Growing up I thought I was so lucky for not having the responsibility of continuing the legacy of the Godoy name like Vicente. At the same time, I was jealous of Karina being the baby of the family and doing whatever she pleased. I felt stuck in the middle. Not enough responsibilities to tie me down, but not enough freedom either. I was still someone my parents were counting on to keep the legacy alive, just not in the same capacity as Vicente.

"As I grew older and saw my siblings rising to the challenge of fulfilling their destinies, I started to wonder: What am I going to do with my life? Am I going to just be a playboy and spend all the money that took my family so long to make on parties and frivolous things? Or am I going to turn my passion into something wonderful and continue the entrepreneurial Godoy legacy with my own architectural firm? I decided to go for the second option because the first one wasn't fulfilling, if I'm being honest."

I'm in awe of his words. Despite his struggles to find his place in his family—in this world—Gabo was able to create something utterly his. That's what I want to do, too.

"But wait, what you're trying to tell me is that you're a reformed playboy and ready for Mrs. Godoy?" I say in a mocking tone.

The deep laugh that escapes him is as much an aphrodisiac as having his scent near me. God, this man is just too much. Too bad I'm much younger than him.

Once his laugh dies down a bit, he looks me in the eyes. "Not really. I'm not looking for anyone in particular. To be honest, I don't even know what I want in a partner." He takes a sip of his pisco sour before continuing. "I guess I'm just tired of the bar scene, you know? After a while, looks are just that—looks. And what I find inside isn't as appealing, kind of like the empty playboy spending his parents' money."

His gaze never leaves me, and I love having his undivided attention. I know he's older, and I should feel out of place with him, but somehow, he sees me as an equal, and I like that.

"I'll tell you what. Why don't you spend a couple of months in Italy this summer? You can stay for as long or as little as you want. There's plenty of art to see, to create, to enjoy. From what I've heard, you have an innate talent for painting. Maybe you could create your next masterpiece while in Italy," Gabo says with an easy smile forms on his handsome face.

I nod slowly, picturing myself in Italy for the summer. Beautiful beaches, gelato, museums, small towns full of history—the possibilities are practically endless.

"You could even take a summer elective at the University of Bologna. That's where I went to school." He takes a bite of a beef slider, and I can't help but feel entranced by how his throat works to swallow.

So damn hot.

I immediately shake the not-so-pure thoughts out of my mind. The man is incredibly sexy, and the last thing I need is to have a summer fling with one of my brother's best friends, who also happens to be his brother-in-law.

"It's not a bad idea," I say after a few minutes and a few bites of my own slider. It's delicious, and it's no wonder he was enjoying his food so much. "I think I need to sleep on it and come up with a plan."

"That's the spirit, Bella." He smiles, and a dimple forms in his cheek.

How can this man grow hotter with every single minute that passes?

When I register what he just called me, I frown.

"Isabella, Bella for short," he explains like it's obvious.

I chuckle because it makes sense, but I reply, "No one ever calls me Bella. Only Isa."

"Well, I'm not just anyone, Bella darling." He gets up from the table and winks at me as he makes his way to the buffet, where he meets Luca, and they both embrace.

Yeah, I cannot have any spicy thoughts about Gabo. It'd be awkward as hell the moment the fling fizzles, not to mention that he's eight years older than me. He must have a throng of women at his beck and call in Italy.

"Isa! Oh, my God. Who's that man you were talking to? He's so hot!" Ana says as she takes the seat where Gabo was a moment ago.

A mischievous smile forms on my face as I tell her, "He's my sister-in-law's brother."

Ana raises an eyebrow and crosses her arms for good measure.

"You guys, he's one of my brother's best friends," I tell her as she looks at me like, so what? "He lives in Italy, and he's way older." I'm trying to come up with things that I think are either red flags or that would help her understand why I shouldn't go there with Gabo, but all I get is a blank expression on her face.

"I mean, if you don't like him, that's fine. But no one here is talking about marrying the man. A simple roll in the sheets with him would do," Luisa says as she joins the table.

Apparently, we've been louder than I thought.

"Yeah, the fact that he's older only makes him hotter," Ana adds. "A man who knows what to do in bed, not a boy who comes at the sight of you naked." She rolls her eyes and scrunches her face in disgust.

I can't contain the laugh that comes out of me. "Nothing is going to happen between us. I'm not even the relationship type, anyways. And besides, he only sees me as Luca's little sister."

"That's not how it seemed from afar." Ana lowers her voice so no one else can hear her, and Luisa solemnly nods.

"I'm sure you guys were just imagining things." I dismiss their observation and take a bite of my salad next.

When the girls don't say anything back, I release a long breath.

The party is in full swing: there's a band, and the buffet has been replaced by a cocktail bar. I scan the patio for my brother Gio—I want to spend as much time as possible with him before he has to go back to the United States—when I find a pair of beautiful, dark brown eyes trained on me. His stare is intense, and if I didn't know better, I'd say that Gabo Godoy was looking at his next prey. Instead of lowering his gaze, he starts walking toward me. He's wearing dark wash jeans and a black sweater that stretches along his chest, deliciously tracing his abs.

"I just wanted to say goodbye before leaving."

The way he looked at me, those weren't the words I expected to come out of his mouth. I can't hide my shock fast enough because he laughs and tries to cover it with a cough.

"I'm leaving early for Bologna and figured I'd spend the night chatting with my parents. It's something I don't get to do often."

I lower my gaze at his explanation; I don't want him to see how jealous I am that he gets to do that.

"Anyway, here is my contact info. Think about going to Italy for the summer. Of course, you don't have to stay with me, but I can be a point of contact if you need me." Gabo hands me his card and hugs me as his rich, deep chuckle sends a shot of lust through me—right to my core.

What is he chuckling about? No idea, but all I know is that tonight, I'll be replaying this encounter in my mind as I use my vibrator.

Feeling flushed by his mere presence, I remove myself from his embrace and give him a little wave.

Ugh, he must think I'm such a child.

The smile he gives me is downright panty-melting: it's so intense and masculine—just like him. With a nod, he makes his way to the parking lot. That's where I see Gio pacing back and forth with a huge smile on his face while on the phone. I decide to leave him be and go in search of my friends.

Tonight, I'll be the twenty-two-year-old girl I've been craving to be. I can think about my future another day.