page16 (1/2)

He grinned “For what?”

“An apology What do you think?”

“Didn’t you just tell s I’m not really sorry about?”

“You’re theman I’ve ever met”

“Tell ht you here, despite that”

“Last night we had a really bad argu really awful” Big fat tears filled up her eyes And just like that Raphael went froe tenderness in his chest

Raphael leaned forward and took her tightly clasped hands in his Even as he fought it, awareness seeped through hih calluses on her hands, the slender wrists, the blunt nails—everything about her enthralled him

He looked up and his gaze snagged on her wide mouth, pinched in sadness “What happened?”

She tugged at her hands and he let go with the ut me, for lack of a better word, I like Enzo the best and it was easier to spend ti to avoid the rest of them I enjoy his company and we’ve been pretty inseparable the last teeks He’s kind, genuine and he told me the first moment that—”

“Enzo Castillaghi?” Raphael snapped Everything inside him came alert

“He’s gay and he toldme He said his family would lose it if they knew Both Giovanni and his father, Stefano, are pushing really hard for this to go through”

Raphael jerked up straight, his blood curdling “Stefano? He was there?”

Pia nodded, her gaze searching his “I didn’t realize Gio knew sowith Enzo Anyway, yesterday afternoon out of the blue Enzo and Stefano arrived for lunch After lunch, we… Enzo…proposed to arden while they watched from the terrace He said he liked et his parents off his back and I… Gio and the unwanted attention Just as a stopgap measure”

Raphael cursed hard and long