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Her brain fried just looking at his handsome face. How could he expect her to decide what to do and see while they were in New York over the next few days? “Um…” Her voice trailed off. “Maybe see the Empire State Building? I’ve never been.”
He smiled indulgently, and she wondered if he thought she was a dimwit. “I can take you on the special out-of-towner tour if that’s what you’d like.”
That sounded incredibly boring. He was a sophisticated, worldly man. He didn’t want to drive her around New York looking at touristy landmarks. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m sure that sounds incredibly boring to you. Taking me around like I’m some sort of silly tourist.”
“You are, though, aren’t you? And I don’t mind. Really. I know I’d enjoy spending time with you, wherever we might go.”
Her cheeks heated at his sweet words. Did he really mean that? The sincere expression on his face told her, yes, he did. “Whatever you want to do, I’m perfectly agreeable. I’d be happy to stay here and do nothing if that’s what you’d prefer.”
“Absolutely not. When was the last time you were in New York?”
“Um, probably over ten years ago, maybe longer. When we used to come to the States, we always went to Chicago and rarely anywhere else. I have family there,” she said.
“Right.” He nodded. “And the U.S. location for Campioni is there as well.”
“Yes. That too.” She wanted to roll her eyes at herself. Their conversation was awkward and inane and it was starting to make her nervous.
Maybe this was a mistake, coming to New York with Rafe. She should’ve stayed home. Continued on with her little life like the good girl she tried so desperately to be. Working day in and day out at the family business, helping her sister, listening to Annalisa drone on and on over whatever was bugging her on that particular day. Supporting her mother through crying jags, lamenting how her father didn’t love them anymore. Secretly hoping like crazy her father would finally realize she was a worthy daughter and tell her so.
And then someday she would’ve found a nice man to marry, someone calm and steady and eager to make her his wife. They would move into a modest house not far from Campioni and her husband would probably come and work with her. They could raise two lovely children in that equally lovely house and live a perfectly lovely existence until they died perfectly ordinary deaths.
That sounded infinitely, horribly boring.
She studied the man standing before her. Just looking at Rafe filled her with an unexplainable excitement that bubbled up inside her. Her stomach bounced with nerves, and when he settled that dark, mysterious gaze on her, flashing that devastating smile, her knees literally weakened.
Yes. She had it bad. Damn it, she’d been a fool to end it with him. But maybe, just maybe, he really could show her that adventure he’d promised. Would he want to though?
“You know what I want to do?” she asked abruptly, clearly startling him, if his expression was any indication.
“Please, enlighten me.” He sounded amused, but not in a mocking way, like she was used to when she heard that same tone in her sister’s voice. No, Rafe acted as if he was in on the joke too.
“I want to go to a huge, loud nightclub, get drunk and dance.” Her stomach tumbled to her toes at her admission and she held her breath, afraid to hear his answer. She hoped he wouldn’t chastise her like Annalisa undoubtedly would.
“Really.” It wasn’t a question.
She nodded. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Get drunk and wild and sweaty on a dance floor, surrounded by a huge crowd of strangers? That’s your ultimate dream?”
When he said it like that, he made her request sound cheap and sleazy. Which admittedly, it was. “I’m being crazy, aren’t I?”
“Never.” That gorgeous smile didn’t fade. In fact, it grew brighter if that was possible. “Whatever you want, your wish is my command. I think I know just the place to take you. You’ll love it.”
