Mia

Surprisingly, Christian’s suggestion was not unappealing—except that we were on Nic’s property in the middle of a celebration for a baby’s christening. Despite that—I still wanted to drag him to the ground. It was so unlike me. I’d never reacted to a guy like this. The attraction was new to me. New and wonderful...and a little bit scary. I could easily get addicted to the rush of adrenalin that punched through my system when he’d kissed me.

“You’re a dangerous man, Christian DeLuca.”

“Not even close,” he denied softly, running a single fingertip down my cheek and across my top lip. “I can’t deny that there are dangerous men in my family, but I’m just a scholar.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Then why am I having a problem believing that you’re ‘just’ anything?”

“You make an excellent point.” He tugged me into his arms, his eyes darkening. “When it comes to you, I have a feeling I could be every bit as dangerous as any of the DeLuca men.”

Knowing what I did about his family, I shivered. Oddly enough, it wasn’t in fear. It was more like awe that this straight-laced man with glasses perched on his nose, who seemed so proper and refined, truly meant what he was saying. With a trembling hand, I reached up and smoothed his tie down. “There’s no need to turn into a caveman on my account, Professor.”

Bending low, he captured my lips in a gentle kiss. It was the slightest brush of his mouth against mine, but it sent butterflies swirling in my stomach. “We are going to have to agree to disagree on that point, love. I can’t think of a better reason to turn into a caveman than you.”

“So damn chivalrous,” I sighed. “And too smooth for my own good.”

His eyes crinkled at the edges as his deep chuckle filled the air around us causing more butterflies to erupt. Then he stepped to the side and held his elbow out to me. “I would hate to tarnish my armor, and you’re too much of a temptation out here alone like this. Walk with me while I try to remind myself why taking you here and now isn’t the right thing to do?”

“You spent an awful long time in England.” I eyed him up and down before looping my arm with his. “It somehow doesn’t seem outside the realm of possibility to think that you were knighted while you were over there.”

“No knighthood for me,” he laughed as he led me along the fence line, matching his stride with mine. “My studies and professorship didn’t garner me the attention of the monarch.”

It was easy to picture him mingling with the royal family. He had an air about him that was the tiniest bit stuffy, and the way he spoke was oh-so proper. But it didn’t make him any less attractive—just different from what I was used to from the other DeLuca men. “Their loss is my gain.”

“And mine.” He tugged me closer to his side, sliding my hand around his waist before he wrapped his arm over my shoulders. “I’d take you over a knighthood any day of the week.”

“Careful, Professor. If you don’t tone down the charm, I might be the one tossing you onto the ground. Then all your effort to keep that armor nice and shiny would be for naught,” I warned with a saucy wink.

“For naught?”

“Hey!” I jabbed him in the side. “I might not have a PhD like you, but I graduated magna cum laude with a double major. I can use fancy words, too.”

“Of course you can, darling.” My spine stiffened, and I searched his face for any hint of sarcasm. When I didn’t find anything except a mixture of passion and curiosity, I relaxed into his hold again. “Although, you have to admit that it isn’t often that you hear ‘naught’ used in everyday conversation.”

“True,” I conceded. “But it seemed to fit perfectly with talk of knights in shining armor.”

“That it did,” he agreed as we reached the end of the back fence. If we followed it to the left, we’d only be able to go so far before our path would be blocked by all the tables of food—and the people surrounding them. It would mean the end of any semblance of privacy for the two of us, and I wasn’t ready to give that up. Christian must have had the same thought because he turned us around so we could walk the way we’d just come from. “Shall I hazard a guess as to what your double major was in college or will you take pity on me and give me a hint?”

“Why bother with a hint when I can just tell you?” I laughed. “I studied Studio Art and Art History.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind when I pick something for us to do on our first date.”

“Aren’t you supposed to ask a girl before you start making plans?” I teased.

“Since I don’t plan on taking no for an answer, I think it’s safe for me to figure out where I’d like to take you.”

I didn’t have an answer to that, not when I knew damn well I wasn’t going to turn him down.

“I don’t think I would have guessed that you’re an artist, though.” He switched the topic and let me off the hook, stopping to scan me from head to toe. His heated gaze lingered on my bare legs and my breasts before meeting my eyes again. “Your outfit is sleek and sexy. Not Boho Chic like I’d expect from an artist.”

My eyebrows arched at his use of the fashion term. It seemed he was full of surprising knowledge.

He lifted my free hand up to inspect it. “And there’s no paint under your nails.”

“Only because I resorted to stronger methods than my usual mineral oil scrub. It’s amazing what a bit of turpentine can do in a pinch.”

He inhaled deeply, dragging my scent into his lungs. I watched his reaction, completely fascinated as his nostrils flared and his cheeks filled with a dark red color. “I had no idea paint thinner could smell so provocative.” Then he lifted my hand closer and stroked his nose along my skin. “Too bad for perfume companies, since it’s the unique combination of turpentine and you that makes it intoxicating. They would never be able to replicate it.”

I jerked my chin to the side. “If you keep tossing out compliments like that, we’re going to need to hide behind our tree again.”

“Our tree,” he echoed. “I like the sound of that.”

“Unfortunately, the location is going to be a bit of a problem. I’m not sure that we can really call it ours since it’s in Nic’s yard, and he tends to be fairly territorial about his property.”

“Except that you’re both family,” a soft, feminine voice interrupted. We both turned to find Anna standing behind us. I’d been so wrapped up in my conversation with Christian that I hadn’t heard her approach. “He considers each and every member of the family to be part of his domain, so there won’t be any need for him to be territorial about a tree if it means you’re happy.”

I felt Christian stiffen next to me, and I was reminded again of the stories I’d heard about the reasons why he’d chosen to move so far and stayed away for all those years. Anna didn’t miss it either, judging by the look she gave me. I felt the weight of her stare. There was family, and then there was family. Some were more subject to Nic’s authority than others, and blood wasn’t always the deciding factor.

“When I find a house, maybe he’ll let me transplant this one into the yard so it can truly be ours,” Christian suggested.

“A house? Are you moving home permanently then?” Anna asked.

“Yes, it’s time,” Christian confirmed, tugging me into his side. “And I met Mia, which only reinforced how right my decision was.”

“Excellent.” Anna beamed at both of us. “Nic will be pleased to hear the news. Maybe Mia can let him know?” She didn’t wait for Christian’s response before locking her gaze with mine. “He asked me to find you and let you know that he’d like to speak with you in his office.”

“Then I guess I’d better go see what he needs,” I murmured. Anna nodded as she turned to walk away, fully expecting me to do what she’d asked.

“Don’t go,” Christian whispered.

“I have to.” I slowly slid my hand out of his hold.

“No, you don’t,” he insisted. “Stay with me, and I’ll explain it to my cousin later.”

If only I could, but turning down a summons from Nic DeLuca wasn’t an option. Not for me.