Kindle Edition
Amazon
Author Cherry-Ann Carew
Amazon.com
Category:
Romance
Publisher: CAC Publishing
ISBN-10: B00UK8EQ02
Type: Fiction
Pages: 70
Copyright: March 10, 2015
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
A Romantic New Adult Love Story
The worst thing that could happen has happened to Temper Dawn not long after her feet touches Italian soil, where she goes to meet, for the first time, the man she’s been dating online for seven months.
She doesn’t fancy him!
To add, he turns out to be a fair-weather boyfriend, stealing her money and passport and leaving her stranded in a hotel room.
Temper involuntarily applies for a job as an au pair to the ridiculously handsome, brusque (except when he’s with his four-year-old daughter) and somewhat judgmental, Rick Davies, only to fall for the single father. Should she give in to her heart’s desire, or would it be another foolhardy move?
After being widowed, Rick dedicates his life to work and his daughter. That is, until Temper enters his life and the attraction and desire between them becomes too strong to deny.
As unspoken feelings blossom between the two, will love conquer all?
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
Temper checked the giant clock above the airport exit then trained her eyes again at the door that opened and closed every few seconds as travellers entered and exited, causing her to smell the tang of the ocean.
Part of her could hardly believe she was here, finally. It seemed like a dream, one she hadn’t yet snapped out of, but was still lucid enough to recognise it for what it was. The muted sounds of Italian dialects confirmed it was reality.
Had it been seven months already since she’d met Alessandro online on a popular dating site? Lucky for her, they’d hit it off immediately. He was kind and funny. If his profile was any indication, he was handsome as well, gifted with strong hawk-like Venetian features and tanned skin that seemed to glisten in every photo he sent her.
His smile, that’s what got her at first, even though she initially wouldn’t admit it. That seemed too shallow a reason, but it was true. His smile was genuine. Temper could spot a fake smile when she saw one. And so for seven months they’d corresponded, back and forth, until he had become almost inseparable from her life as a student.
Eventually, when meeting up came into their conversations, and it did quite often in past weeks, he invited her to visit. His friend, Clara, he told her, owned a large gift shop and was looking for a seasonal helper, and provided a room, too. It sounded like a plan to Temper, who was quite happy to have a working holiday.
It was also the perfect way to transition from graduating with a Bachelor’s degree to a full-time position as a nursery teacher, which was a stepping stone to her career path of becoming a child life specialist.
So she’d hopped on a plane to Venice, her head full of romantic thoughts about Alessandro, though it was her first time travelling solo. She’d visited France twice before, once with her grandparents and once on a school trip, both of which didn’t fill her with the kind of inexplicable excitement that flowed through her at that moment. She couldn’t wait to hear his voice.
Temper was blessed with a knack for learning languages and was fluent in French and Spanish, since communicating with Alessandro, she’d snuck Italian in. Though not as fluent as she hoped to be due to working on her dissertation, she could understand enough to get by and planned to sharpen her skills during her stay in Italy.
She cast her eyes around for the umpteenth time looking for Alessandro, while tugging at the waist of her slacks that ended a few inches above her ankles. When she saw them displayed on a manikin at H&M, it was the perfect excuse for a graduation present. The skin showing through the straps of her leather sandals seemed impossibly pale, however, among the dark tans of the other people who walked past.
The heat was beginning to get to her as the mugginess of Venice slowly crept up and engulfed her. Instinctively, her hand reached up to open the top three buttons on her white fitted blouse. It did nothing to soothe the unpleasant clamminess she felt. Noticing that far too much cleavage was exposed, she re-buttoned one of them.
Sighing, she looked at the clock again and bit her lip, then scanned the crowd in the arrivals area. There, moseying by one of the stalls, she saw him looking over the heads of people. Her heart skipped multiple beats and her hands felt moist. How long had he been looking for her?
He was even more handsome in person. Temper couldn’t help herself and jumped up, almost tripping over the suitcase at her feet waving at him with a beaming smile. It took him a moment to see her and he returned a radiant grin as he jogged over. Before she knew it, strong wiry arms wrapped around her waist in a hug.
‘Ciao, bella, you made it!’ he exclaimed.
‘I’m here,’ she said quietly.
‘Even more beautiful in person,’ Alessandro stepped back and looked her up and down, then winked.
Temper felt her cheeks blush. ‘Oh, stop it.’
‘I am being honest. I am so happy that you are here,’ he said. ‘How was your flight? Have you eaten, yet?’
To be honest, she had barely slept and had no appetite ever since leaving England. Her mind had been too busy imagining every scenario of what it would be like to finally see Alessandro in person, and what she would say to him the first time they met. Now that he was here, she could barely think of anything – they had mapped each other’s lives so perfectly, that it felt weird to be here in person with him now.
Almost as if they had known each other for a long time and in an intimate way online, that it didn’t quite translate into reality. ‘It was okay, not too long. I watched a movie and before I knew it… here I am.’
‘Which movie did you watch?’ he inquired, his bronze eyes flashing.
Temper knew he was a movie buff, but the film was so non-entertaining, she couldn’t even remember the name of it. ‘Um, an American comedy, I didn’t’ really like it.’
‘Ah, you like action and thriller movies, sì?’
‘I love them. I like comedy, too, but this one was rubbish,’ she said and picked up her carryon.
They had spent so much time talking to one another, that a huge portion of their lives had already been revealed. He knew about things that she otherwise wouldn’t have told anyone – especially where her family were concerned. The fact that her mother was an alcoholic and was verbally abusive when she was drunk, and that Temper had sought help while at university to deal with it, were two such personal things.
She blanched, realising how open she had been with someone she had never met until this moment. He seemed to detect her embarrassment and lowered his eyes.
‘I never really thought I would see you. I mean I knew you were coming; I just… it does not feel very real, does it?’ he said, touching her shoulders.
‘I know what you mean.’
‘Bene, let us go eat something, or get a drink. It is really hot out today. But first, we go somewhere special.’
‘It is. Special? Oh, okay.’
‘Come on, I will show you some real Iitaliano ospitalità,’ he told her as he wheeled her suitcase with one hand and entwined smooth, soft fingers with hers as they headed towards the kerb.
Temper blushed again. He hailed a cab and as he scooted in beside her he rattled off instructions to the driver, who nodded and took off, screeching the tires. He relaxed into the seat, raised her hand to his lips, smiled then turned his attention to the world outside.
Temper watched him peer off into the distance and reflected on the fact that their whole relationship had been based on an online forum. They had emailed and talked on Skype many times, sure, but it was strange now that they were physically close. And she wasn’t expecting strange. She had imagined what it would be like – the feeling of jubilation and excitement, the butterflies in her belly when she finally met him. But there were no flutters, much less butterflies. Instead, there was just… well, nothing. It was unsettling and something she hadn’t been prepared for.
She frowned and stole a sideward glance at him. He seemed distracted, or perhaps he simply had, like her, so much on his mind that it was impossible to concentrate. To alleviate the uncomfortable feeling she wiped her brow with the back of her hand and said, ‘I didn’t expect it to be so hot.’
He turned and looked at her with surprise, as if he wasn’t aware that she was sitting beside him then he smiled.‘Venice is very beautiful, but you are right, it is hot. In the summer time it can be very muggy, almost unbearable. I hope you brought a lot of thin clothes. It is not like England, where you need thick sweaters all the time.’
Why the bloody hell people think it’s always cold and rainy in England never failed to baffle her. Well, not all the time. We do get summers, too, you know, she wanted to tell him. Instead, she said, ‘Tell me about it. I do plan to do some shopping. I love French and Italian clothes.’
‘We can go this weekend, if you like. I know some good places you will like.’
‘That would be fab.’
‘I have to apologise on behalf of my city, though. I know that it can be a bit… eh, how you say… disorientante, confusing and a little dangerous. Do not worry. As long as you are with me you will be safe, though.’ He kissed her hand again.
Temper wished he would stop doing that and tried to discreetly disentangle her hand. He held it firm. She didn’t bother to make a big deal because her ears perked up and she sat forward. ‘Dangerous? What kind of dangers?’ She hadn’t heard about that.
Alessandro shrugged as if to alleviate her fears and gave her a boyish grin. ‘Oh, usually it is just ruffians. They like to pick pockets. Actually, you know, they say pickpocketing started in France, but to be honest, Italians have even smarter fingers, if you know what I mean. They can spot tourists a mile away.’
‘Oh,’ she said, feeling a bit disconcerted and pressed her handbag that was on her lap closer to her body.
‘Do not worry, you will be with me. You will be fine. No one will bother you.’
The taxi passed through several small city blocks, winding in and through the Venetian plazas until Temper felt all but lost. Still, the sounds and sights of old buildings filled her with a sense of congenial giddiness.
After a while, she snuck a look at him. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt as if he’d made every effort to widen the space between them, scrunching up against the opposite door of the taxi that finally pulled up at the front of a hotel. Alessandro got out before it actually stopped.
As she stepped out he said, ‘We will spend the weekend here.’
‘Huh, I thought I was staying at Clara’s place.’
He walked around to where she stood and placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘You are, bella, but it would be nice to stay here for the weekend, yes. It is central and I get to show you some of the sights. Don’t worry. Afterwards we can go to Clara’s place, okay.’
‘I suppose, but where does she live?’
‘I take you there after. You will love it, I am sure.’
Temper nodded, suddenly uncertain and hoping it didn’t show on her face. This is the special place? This was not part of the plan. They had not agreed to this. She needed a shower, she thought, following him. It would cool her down and help her to think straight.
Alessandro lugged her suitcase up the steps and into the lobby that was busy with activity. It was rather nice and had a cosy feel to it. He muttered something to the concierge, who nodded, tapped into the computer, gave him a room key, eyed her up and down then his eyes roved to her breasts and lingered. Temper turned away pretending she was admiring a basket of flowers that adorned a table.
Alessandro stopped at room 247, slid the card in, opened the door and bowed dramatically for her to enter.
Embarrassed, she smiled uncertainly, entered and was thankful for the AC.
The room was nicely decorated; the walls painted pale yellow and white, from which hung several pictures of gondoliers in gondolas including a huge one of a regatta in the center of the wall.
It had the usual amenities of a hotel room, along with a balcony, which overlooked a pool. Temper liked it and the apprehension that shrouded her from the time the taxi pulled up outside the hotel, lifted. For the first time since her arrival, she felt like she was in Venice, a city of romance.
‘Alessandro, I just have to say—’
Before she could finish the sentence, she felt his lips on hers, terse, wet, and ferocious in a clumsy kind of way. His hands tightened on the small of her back and she felt her own sweat clinging to the material. Temper stiffened and extracted herself from his embrace.
He grinned. Except it wasn’t the same grin as his profile pictures. This one was different, almost licentious.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
She touched his shoulder pushing him away and in a shaky voice said, ‘Yeah, yeah. You just…surprised me, is all.’
He shrugged. ‘Well, we have the whole weekend. Let us go get a drink, yes?’
His hand fell and found hers and she felt his strength again as he led her back out of the room.
He seemed bent on going where he wanted without any consideration to her needs.
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