Page 49 of Angel

I narrowed my eyes, shifting my glare onto the housekeeper.

The older woman shrugged as she handed me a scribbled shopping list, her face a mask of innocence.

I tilted my head, studying her posture. ‘You’re up to something.’

‘Me? No, Signore,’ she countered, smoothing her flower-dotted linen apron with an angelic smile. ‘I told you my hip hurts.’

‘Hmmm,’ I grunted, unconvinced by her saintly beam.

Roxy reappeared in the doorway, her face glowing as the sun’s rays reflecting off the pool fell on her.

Without warning, my heart got hit with a violent jolt, and my chest tightened.

Damn.

I racked my brain for a reason; perhaps she resembled Evangeline at a certain angle.

With an inhale, I shoved aside my wild attraction to Roxy and prowled to the door where I paused to hunt down an Uber.

I glanced down at my phone and opened the app; I wasn’t in the mood for a bus and needed a smaller vehicle with fewer bodies.

Behind me, Mrs Campanelli handed Roxy a shopping list and a few sturdy woven grocery bags shoved into one main one.

Roxy strolled to me, peering at what I was doing, and gave me a touch on my arm, shaking her head.

‘Angel, let’s please take the bus,’ she urged, clutching her sling bag and the shopping carriers. ‘It’s a much more authentic experience.’

‘Do we have to?’

She nodded, adding a lush smile as if we just hadn’t tangled in the kitchen.

Damn.

I let out a harsh breath and relented with a twist of my lips and a chin jerk, while thinking how refreshing it was to be with a woman who didn’t hold a grudge.

We trudged to the gates and out of them, then up the road to a shelter.

The simple structure, framed by iron steel posts, featured a white awning that scarcely provided cover.

The sun was a killer, and we sat on the bench where Roxy fanned herself with a small fan she extracted from her bag.

I refused her offer for the same, baking in silence under the woeful canopy.

At least, the view was staggering, and I spent a few minutes gazing out to sea, hands crossed over my chest, leaning on a steel post.

At some point, I sliced my eyes to Roxy, still confused about my earlier reaction to her.

She wore crisp white shorts, a tan sleeveless top, a patterned silk scarf knotted over her hair, and sunglasses.

Hell, she was beautiful.

A dozen local laborers strolling by on the roadside caught sight of her and reacted with wolf whistles.

A series of appreciative stares landed on her, and a construction worker walking past called out to her.

‘Ciao! Sei carina!’

My protective instincts flared hot even though he was complimenting her beauty, and I bristled, locking my jaw.