AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And, he admitted to himself, he’d have her in Italy. To seduce in his bed and convince about the house, all at his leisure…
It was the perfect plan.
“Actually, that would mean a lot to Marcia. I know how the family feels about her. I know, I get it—she can be…abrasive, at first. A gift from you would go a long way to making her feel welcome.”
“Of course,” Rocco grimaced, ashamed of how little his thoughts had been for his brother’s bride. “You’re marrying her, Raf. If I’m honest, she’s not who I thought you’d end up with, but that doesn’t matter. It’s your life, your choice.” He frowned, stroking his chin, before finishing the call with words he discovered were true after all, “I’m happy for you.”
And he was.
The fact that one of them had managed to salvage a somewhat normal approach to the concept of relationships and marriage after what their father had put them through was a good thing. For Rocco’s part, having seen their father’s never-ending string of women after their mother’s death had done something to his concept of relationships. The very idea of ‘happily ever after’ was anathema to him. He preferred ‘happily for now’, and usually ‘right now’. As in, for a night or two.
Because he was the oldest, and he’d seen beyond his father’s cavalier treatment of whomever he was sleeping with at the time. He’d seen the way he’d fallen apart after the accident that had killed their mother. Rocco had witnessed the old man drinking, more and more each night, grieving in a way that was impossible to stop. Grieving in a way that prevented him from being there for his sons, who were also in mourning, for they had buried their beloved mother.
Rocco saw that pain and wore it like a visceral scar. His mother had died, and his father might as well have. From that moment on, any indication of the man Matteo Santoro had once been had evaporated, like ash in the wind.
He’d never imagined himself settling down, getting married, having children. It simply wasn’t a part of what he wanted in life. Instead, he gave all of himself to his work. To the family. To making money. It was where he poured all of his energy, and how he measured his success in life, why he was so ruthlessly determined to succeed, no matter the cost.
Why the current predicament on this Hamptons deal was driving him crazy.
Perhaps another man would have walked away years ago; but not Rocco. He knew what the potential was for this development, and he’d move hell and high water to see it through.
But then, there was Maddie. Any success he had on this project would always have come at a cost. He never got involved on a personal level—it had never been necessary. Money talked.
Not with old Jack. And not with Maddie. It wasn’t moving the dial, not like he’d hoped. The only thing that seemed to get through to Maddie was when Rocco pushed her on what was best for Jack. And Jack was entirely concerned with what Maddie wanted. They were family and they loved one another. That wasn’t a foreign concept to Rocco. Despite his father’s failings, Rocco, Francesco, and Raf had been brought under the wing of their aunt and uncle. They’d spent much time with their cousins. Rocco understood the value of family, and the importance of duty to them. He wouldn’t let his family down by failing in this deal. He just needed to make sure Maddie could come out of it with everything she needed to walk away happy.
He didn’t want to think back to his time with her with guilt.
He didn’t want to think of her at all, damn it, when this was over. He needed to get her out of his system, and wrap this thing up, so he could move on with his life. Another deal, another project, another woman. That’s just how Rocco lived—and always would.
CHAPTER SIX
“YOU DID THIS.” She waved a piece of paper in Rocco’s face, hand on hip, stunning despite obviously being very, very angry. Or perhaps because of it? Her eyes glittered with emotion, her hair was wild and fiery red, her body trembled with barely contained emotion, and Rocco Santoro, about to go into a meeting with some consultants he was working with on the Hamptons project, stopped short and stared.
He could only stare.
It had only been a day since he’d seen her—two days, he supposed, if he was being technical, because she’d left in the middle of the night—and yet it seemed like much longer. She wore a pair of brown overalls with a chunky sweater underneath. It was the kind of outfit that a toddler would own and yet on Maddie, it looked, God help him, ridiculously hot. She was…fascinating. How could she pull together these colourful pieces of clothing and just make them work?
“Well?” She tapped her foot, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m waiting.”
“As am I, cara. You have not explained anything.”
“Don’t you ‘cara’ me,” she moved closer, jabbing a finger at his chest, looking around as if just noticing they were standing in the foyer of his office. “Can we talk in there?” She nodded over his shoulder.
He gestured for her to precede him then glanced at the bank of receptionists a few feet away. “Tell my two o’clock I’ll be late.”
“Yes, sir,” the closest nodded, reaching for her headset. Rocco swept into his office and closed the door, eyes absorbing Maddie, as she absorbed the view, the office, everything.
“Why do you live in a hotel?” she demanded, in the same haughty tone she’d used outside. Haughty, demanding, and angry. With him? Or herself, for letting things get out of hand the other night?
“Does it matter?”
“You have all this,” she gestured to his office. “I presume you can afford an apartment, even at Manhattan prices.”
“My place is out of action at the moment.”
“Why?”
“You have a lot of questions.”
