“What for?”
She wanted to say, for thinking of spitting in his drink but decided it was better
left unsaid.
“I should have held my temper in check. Had you been a client, I would have been wrong
for retaliating in kind.”
“Maggie, if you don’t mind me calling you by your first name?”
She nodded her consent.
“You don’t owe me an apology. It was my inability to channel my anger properly that
led to the incident. You had every right to stand up for yourself. In fact, had I
been a client we would have refused their business. However, if you want to say you’re
sorry for thinking about spitting in my drink, then go ahead.” He grinned at her.
Was the man some kind of psychic? Or did she mutter her thoughts out loud and hadn’t
realized it. Crap. “I uh, how—”
“You didn’t say anything if that’s what you’re wondering. You have very expressive
eyes, Maggie. Big, beautiful brown eyes.” He moved closer and took her hand in his.
Their gazes locked. Something was happening here she didn’t understand. Those feelings
she’d gotten when she first saw him hit her tenfold. This beautiful man stared at
her almost as if he found her attractive. But that couldn’t be it. He was just being
nice. Wasn’t he? She couldn’t understand what was happening here. One moment she hated
him but the now she felt a pull toward him she couldn’t explain.
“Mr. Grimaldi—” The phone rang, saving her from further embarrassing herself. “Excuse
me. I think I should take that.” Maggie could have let the call go to voicemail but
being in Gia n Marco Grimaldi’s presence was more than she could handle.
She answered the phone with a relieved, “Hello?”
GianMarco’s hearing was sensitive enough to hear Maggie’s entire phone conversation.
For politeness sake he should have made his excuses to leave, after all, he’d accomplished
what he’d come for. A force, however, he couldn’t quite explain compelled him to stay.
He frowned as the angry man yelling at the other end of the line reached him. Though
he was tempted to zoom in to hear exactly what was being said, he decided the less
he knew about this woman, the better. He didn’t want to care because it led to pain.
He should have gotten the hell out of there the minute she had opened the door with
bloodshot eyes and a sad expression on her pretty face. He’d felt guilty as hell for
being the cause of that look, but on top of that, he could feel his body reacting
to her the same way it had in the office.
“There’s no need for you to get nasty, Eugene, and you need to lower your voice. I
haven’t had a chance get to it yet. In case you’ve forgotten, you basically kicked
me out of our home and I’ve been busy trying to find means to support myself.” Maggie
seemed calm, but GianMarco could see the tension coursing through her body.
“I can go if you’d like.” GianMarco put his hand on the doorknob, but Maggie motioned
him to stay. Against his better judgment, he did. As he waited, he took a look around
her apartment. One could literally take three or four steps and be on the other side
of the room. His master bathroom was larger than Maggie’s entire apartment.
There was very little walking space around what looked like second-hand furniture
crammed inside. A couch sat in the middle of the room with two chairs on either side
and a coffee table in front. There was a twin-sized bed in one of the corners and
a kitchenette on the opposite end. None of the pieces matched but it seemed as if
she’d done the best she could with what she had. He assumed that the door beside the
kitchenette was the bathroom. Maggie had plants and pictures strategically placed
around the apartment, giving it a more homey appearance. It seemed she was trying
to make the best of what she had.
Judging from the state of her apartment, it was apparent Maggie had really needed
the job at
She wanted to say, for thinking of spitting in his drink but decided it was better
left unsaid.
“I should have held my temper in check. Had you been a client, I would have been wrong
for retaliating in kind.”
“Maggie, if you don’t mind me calling you by your first name?”
She nodded her consent.
“You don’t owe me an apology. It was my inability to channel my anger properly that
led to the incident. You had every right to stand up for yourself. In fact, had I
been a client we would have refused their business. However, if you want to say you’re
sorry for thinking about spitting in my drink, then go ahead.” He grinned at her.
Was the man some kind of psychic? Or did she mutter her thoughts out loud and hadn’t
realized it. Crap. “I uh, how—”
“You didn’t say anything if that’s what you’re wondering. You have very expressive
eyes, Maggie. Big, beautiful brown eyes.” He moved closer and took her hand in his.
Their gazes locked. Something was happening here she didn’t understand. Those feelings
she’d gotten when she first saw him hit her tenfold. This beautiful man stared at
her almost as if he found her attractive. But that couldn’t be it. He was just being
nice. Wasn’t he? She couldn’t understand what was happening here. One moment she hated
him but the now she felt a pull toward him she couldn’t explain.
“Mr. Grimaldi—” The phone rang, saving her from further embarrassing herself. “Excuse
me. I think I should take that.” Maggie could have let the call go to voicemail but
being in Gia n Marco Grimaldi’s presence was more than she could handle.
She answered the phone with a relieved, “Hello?”
GianMarco’s hearing was sensitive enough to hear Maggie’s entire phone conversation.
For politeness sake he should have made his excuses to leave, after all, he’d accomplished
what he’d come for. A force, however, he couldn’t quite explain compelled him to stay.
He frowned as the angry man yelling at the other end of the line reached him. Though
he was tempted to zoom in to hear exactly what was being said, he decided the less
he knew about this woman, the better. He didn’t want to care because it led to pain.
He should have gotten the hell out of there the minute she had opened the door with
bloodshot eyes and a sad expression on her pretty face. He’d felt guilty as hell for
being the cause of that look, but on top of that, he could feel his body reacting
to her the same way it had in the office.
“There’s no need for you to get nasty, Eugene, and you need to lower your voice. I
haven’t had a chance get to it yet. In case you’ve forgotten, you basically kicked
me out of our home and I’ve been busy trying to find means to support myself.” Maggie
seemed calm, but GianMarco could see the tension coursing through her body.
“I can go if you’d like.” GianMarco put his hand on the doorknob, but Maggie motioned
him to stay. Against his better judgment, he did. As he waited, he took a look around
her apartment. One could literally take three or four steps and be on the other side
of the room. His master bathroom was larger than Maggie’s entire apartment.
There was very little walking space around what looked like second-hand furniture
crammed inside. A couch sat in the middle of the room with two chairs on either side
and a coffee table in front. There was a twin-sized bed in one of the corners and
a kitchenette on the opposite end. None of the pieces matched but it seemed as if
she’d done the best she could with what she had. He assumed that the door beside the
kitchenette was the bathroom. Maggie had plants and pictures strategically placed
around the apartment, giving it a more homey appearance. It seemed she was trying
to make the best of what she had.
Judging from the state of her apartment, it was apparent Maggie had really needed
the job at
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