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| Windows
| | Billy London
| Don't touch the hot Italian was a mantra Gina Robinson had spent the last ten years repeating to herself about her best friend, Nick Da Canaveze. She had to repeat it often, as Nick was hot beyond all reason. With a crazy-built body, a wicked sense of humour, and brains, he was the kind of man who could bring a woman pleasure with little more than a sideways glance. She had to give herself a slap on the wrist whenever she caught herself looking. And she looked...a lot.
Looking at Nick made her eyes feel good; being with Nick made her feel good. And she needed to feel good considering the state of her life. Her father had recently passed away, she was drowning in debt, and she was being hounded for money at every turn. It wasn’t the creditors who had her worried...it was those other guys. Deep down, she knew Nick could make everything better, but she wasn’t going to ruin their friendship. She really wanted to...but she couldn't. While she might playfully call him “Soprano,” Nick was her sweet dude. She could look...and fantasize...and drool discreetly, but she must not touch.
Everyone knew how Nick felt about Gina. Everyone except for Gina. Ten years was a long time to wait for the girl you love to get a clue, especially when it only took him a month to realise he wanted to worship at the altar of her body every day for the rest of his life. He’d dated other women, but all along he’d known Gina was the one for him. Gina wasn’t just good for him, she was perfect for him. She met all the requirements for the sort of woman his family would approve of: a) she could cook Italian better than his mother (don’t tell his mother) and b) she spoke Italian beautifully. The only problem was c) she wasn’t a nice Italian girl who would walk ten paces behind him, do everything he commanded and ask no questions. He knew C wasn’t going to happen in this lifetime, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
All she needed to do was meet his own two requirements: love sex and love him. While he wasn’t sure if she loved sex, he’d spent many nights imagining just how much she could do. Did her beautiful chocolate skin taste as good as it looked? Would she moan his name or scream it when he brought her to climax?
Best friends for a decade, they shared everything...except what his family really did for a living. Impatient at the best of times, Nick kept telling himself to wait for the right time to reveal the truth. Then an incident that put Gina in real danger made him realise he was done waiting around. It also made him admit what everyone else already knew: Gina was unequivocally his. No one else was going to sweep in and take what belonged to him. Da Canavezes never let anyone take from them, and only those who wanted to meet God sooner rather than later attempted such a thing.
Once he got around the whole Hi, Soprano!, Bye, Soprano!, Can you make me a cup of tea, Soprano? platonic-friendship nonsense that had up to now categorized their relationship, Nick vowed to get around to teaching her new phrases like Harder, Soprano!, Deeper, Soprano!, You're going to make me break the sound barrier when I scream out your name, Soprano!
Knowing just how independent Gina was, he decided he’d give her space to accept that being Mrs. Da Canaveze was what the future held. Of course, he’d keep giving her his intense lovemaking until he’d convinced her. After he’d “convinced” her, maybe then he'd mention what he and his family really did for a living. It might make a difference with everyone else, but he wouldn't let Gina use that to keep him away from her. He would explain it. She would definitely yell. He would put his foot down. She was his. End of story. And then all hell broke loose in the guise of his mother.
Nick finally found his hands full. He had a woman to try to keep hold of, an overbearing mother to calm down, and “business” to deal with. Gina might see the Da Canaveze name simply as the surname that would soon be hers, but that name was whispered with respect. Gina might think of him as her “dude” but those who’d crossed him populated more than a few unmarked graves. And he’d already reserved one for the man who’d dared to send his goons after his woman.
London is one hell of a big city, but is it big enough to contain the romance of Gina and Nick? Gina might want Nick, but the fiercely independent Londoner is going to make Nick earn her. Being a determined, sexy male, Nick is more than up for the challenge. He’s going to make Gina his wife, and no one is going to get in the way. Not even the future Mrs. De Canaveze.
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