Read Online Secrets and Seduction Las Vegas (Sexy Italian Imports Book 1) by Laura Breck - Free Book Online Page A

elbow.
    Troy had held her the very same way three days before. Was Antonio making a statement?
    To the host, he said, “Table for two, please.”
    They slid into the maroon vinyl seats of a booth at the front windows, and he glanced out at the parking lot.
    “Your Ferrari?” she asked.
    “Yes. My baby.” His smile looked a little embarrassed. “I had her built and shipped over last year.”
    “Beautiful. Fast?”
    “Too fast.”
    “Just like her owner?” She smiled.
    He raised an eyebrow. “I thought we weren’t going to provoke each other, bella .”
    “No, I said you were not to provoke me .”
    He laughed. “But it’s okay for you to?”
    “I was teasing, not provoking. There’s a difference. Subtle but definite.” Her stomach jittered. Did she appear as nervous as she felt?
    Their waiter set down glasses of water and handed them menus. She read the appetizer section and listened as Antonio greeted him in Italian. The two men spoke for a few minutes about their hometowns and how long they’d lived in Las Vegas.
    The waiter said in Italian, “What a beautiful woman. Those eyes!”
    She peeked over her menu, and Antonio winked at her.
    He responded in Italian, “She wants me terribly, but, since we work together, I keep telling her, ‘No’.”
    Valerie choked back a giggle.
    The waiter gave him a disbelieving look. “ Pazzo !” He shook his head as he walked away.
    She laughed and set down her menu. “You are crazy. You know that, don’t you?”
    The smile left his face. “Unfortunately, yes.”
    She could sense his pain. What was lurking under that too-smooth façade?
    He picked up his menu. “Ready to order?”
    “Everything sounds delicious. I don’t know what I want.”
    “I’ll order for us, and we can split a few dishes.”
    “Perfect.”
    The waiter came back, Antonio ordered, and, when they were alone again, he glanced out the window.
    “Where’s your Lexus?”
    “I drove the T-bird today.”
    He looked outside. “That’s yours? Cute.” He smiled charmingly. “Just like her owner.”
    “But with a solid steel chassis, just like her owner.”
    “Beautiful on the outside…” He touched her hand. “…strong on the inside.”
    The brush of his fingers set off sparks inside her. He slid his hand from hers as the waiter delivered two glasses of red wine.
    “ Vino ?” She watched Antonio.
    His eyes darkened. “ Si, cara , you can’t expect me to eat Italian food without wine. Unnatural.”
    “Tell me about Italy. Are your parents still there?”
    “Both mom and dad. They own a winery in the Tuscany region.”
    “A winery? I bet it’s beautiful. Do you get back there often?”
    He glanced away and frowned. “No. I haven’t been back since I moved here.”
    “What about the rest of your family?” She looked at his strong profile then down at his muscular chest. Why didn’t Troy’s big pecs affect her the way this man’s did?
    “I have an older brother, two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. All in Italy.”
    Her gaze flew to his. “You haven’t seen them in five years?”
    “I fly them out here. I just haven’t had the urge to go home.”
    She could tell by way his eyes shifted he wasn’t telling the entire truth. Shaking her head, she turned off her psychologist radar.
    He sat back. “Where do you come from?”
    “I’m from Las Vegas.”
    “Parents?”
    “Yes, and an older sister and brother, Ryan, whom you met.”
    “Ah. You’re the baby of the family?”
    She sipped her wine. There was no way she was getting into birth order discussions with him. Time to change the subject. “So, are you seeing anyone?” Why did she choose that loaded topic?
    He swirled his wine glass on the table. “No.” He looked at her intently. “Not yet.”
    Her stomach skittered under his stare. “Sorry I asked.”
    He chuckled. “How did you meet the football player?”
    “My sister, Monica, set us up.”
    “She’s a doctor, right?”
    Her brows furrowed.