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He didn’t want to examine the root causes of this odd feeling of disconnection too closely. He just wanted it to go away. But surely having Milly Devlin in his bed would help get that process started, at least.
Plus, he certainly didn’t want any FOMO hanging over him when he sent her on her merry way tomorrow morning. Because he had enough damn FOMO already, from the thought that what he had achieved somehow hadn’t satisfied him, that it wasn’t enough. And he didn’t know why.
She blinked, clearly surprised by his offer. ‘You have a helicopter here?’
It was his turn to frown. Actually, he didn’t, the Garner chopper was in London, because he’d taken the company jet to Naples to get here, then piloted his own launch to the partyon Capri—thanks to the hare-brained desire to meet Cade face to face for the first time in sixteen years at the Italian launch. Which he realised now had been based on some vaguely humiliating desire to show the man who had rejected him all those years ago that he was bigger and better than him now—or soon would be.
That would be the celebration Cade had chosen not to attend—and had sent his wife and sister-in-law to instead, to represent the company.
He couldn’t help being glad Cade had been a no-show now, though. Not only would Roman never have met Milly, but he might have made an idiot of himself at the ball, confronting the man out of some misguided desire to prove himself.
He didn’t need to prove himself to anyone any more. And certainly not Cade, but perhaps that was exactly the problem. He had run out of challenges in his life... Until Milly Devlin had tried to steal his boat.
‘Yes, I have a helicopter here,’ he lied smoothly, because he was not about to get bogged down in any more insignificant details.
He cupped her cheek and glided his thumb across that tempting mouth. Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath and her eyes darkened. The giddy heat leapt up his torso, and plunged into his trunks.
‘So, is it a deal? You stay the night, and I’ll get you back to Genoa in the morning?’
‘Well, I’m not sure using a helicopter for such a short trip is very good for the environment,’ she murmured, because she was just that contrary, but the heat flared regardless. Apparently, he found her contrariness as exciting as the rest of her.
What else was new?
‘Stop prevaricating,’ he said. ‘Are we having this booty call, or are we not?’ he demanded, letting his impatience show, andgoing full-on Captain of the Universe again. ‘Because if you don’t want to give me the whole night, you might as well go back to Genoa now. I have lots of plans to make you beg again—because you do it so well... But executing them is going to take considerably longer than one hour—and I do not like to be rushed.’
Indignant colour flooded into her cheeks on cue, but he could see the need in her eyes too and he had to bite back a laugh. And a groan.
The woman was so deliciously transparent—and easy to tease—it was practically a superpower. One he aimed to take full advantage of all through the night.
‘You really are the pushiest man on the planet,’ she announced, apropos of nothing. ‘Do you always have to have everything your own way?’
‘Of course,’ he replied, clasping her wrist and tugging her towards him. ‘But however pushy I am, I don’t want you in my bed unless you want to be there. So, yes or no, Milly? It’s a simple question.’
She huffed and tucked her bottom lip under her teeth to chew over the problem, then glanced at the villa. Something streaked across her face, which looked like the tantalising innocence again he had already decided was not real. But it had the same unpredictable effect, making the pulse of heat become a painful ache.
She nodded.Finally.
‘I’m in,’ she said.
Then shrieked, right in his ear, when he bent down, scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder.
‘About damn time,’ he said as he hefted her—laughing and kicking and gesticulating all at the same time—across the terrace and up the stairs to his suite.
Giddy desire warred with low-grade panic as Milly rode Roman’s broad shoulder up to a white stone terrace overlooking the sea and pounded on his back with her fists, to no effect whatsoever.
‘Put me down, you egomaniac!’ she shouted, but her breathless laugh at his outrageous behaviour ruined the effect somewhat.
‘Keep that up and I’ll drop you,’ he shouted back, then gave her bottom a stinging slap, which sent sensation skittering through her system and turbo-charged the endorphin rush that had begun to build as soon as he had interrupted her conversation with Marco.
‘The signorina is not leaving tonight. And certainly not with you.’
The memory of the possessive frown on his face and the demanding tone sent another giddy rush through her already over-eager body.
Of course, Roman’s terse comment had been unbelievably arrogant. But it had also been beyond exciting to realise he was as keen to explore their chemistry as she was—and he wasn’t shy about staking a claim.
To be fair, her protests at his outrageous declaration had all been for show really after that.
She’d been unsure of herself when they’d arrived at the dock. Unsure of what she had committed to, and whether she was being too eager, too obvious. Which was why she’d had the conversation with Marco in the first place.
