TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) by Kallypso Masters (the false prince TXT) 📕

you need to freshen up, the bathroom is right there.” She pointed to the door that might otherwise be mistaken as a closet.

“I’m fine, but thanks.” He glanced around the room, and she wondered how he would take her eclectic choices in decor. “Nice place.”

“I like it. Would you like to have a seat?” Why was she so nervous and stilted? It was only Tony.

Instead of moving toward the sofa, he walked over to the bookshelf that held more photos than books. “Sorry,” he said, looking over his shoulder at her. “Do you mind if I take a look at these?”

“Not at all.”

She came closer to see which photo had piqued his interest, but the heat from his body sent a stray electrical spark arcing between them. She stopped in her tracks and drew in a sharp breath only to be assailed by his spicy male scent.

Recovering her wits, she turned her focus back to the photo. “That’s Gino, Marc, Sandro, and me on Easter,” she said, pointing to a photo when she was sixteen. “It might be the last photo of all of us together. Gino enlisted the following September.” They all seemed so young and innocent then, no one realizing Gino would be gone before the next Easter would come.

“Nice shot. Gino looks like a typical big brother with his little sister.”

She looked more closely at the photo to see how Gino’s hand rested on her shoulder. “He took the role very seriously, as does Marc now.”

“Sandro, too?”

“Not as much. I guess we’re so close in age that he doesn’t think of himself in that way. Which is fine with me.”

“You sound like Angelina.”

“I’m sure the four of you drove her nuts growing up. Maybe even still.”

He shrugged noncommittally and moved on to another photo. She didn’t realize he’d be so interested in photos of her family. Of course, he’d proven how committed he was to his own family, so it shouldn’t have surprised her.

“That’s you?” He pointed to a photo of her on a scuba dive years ago.

“It is. That was my first scuba dive on a trip to Grand Cayman with my college roommates.”

“You enjoy diving?”

“Very much so. I eventually got certified for advanced open-water dives, but haven’t been in the water for a couple of years. I’ll probably need a refresher course.”

“Nice. How long did it take you to certify?”

“I finished most of my dives that week for my initial certification, but every time I went back to the Caribbean before things got too busy at the resort when Mama and Papa retired, I tried to take it to the next level.” He was silent a moment, and she felt compelled to fill the silence. “I’m going to Turks and Caicos right after Angelina’s party. Already scheduled a full week of diving lessons.”

His eyes opened wider. “I didn’t picture you as such an island girl.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love my mountains! But diving provides a monumental escape from what I know. Nothing beats the warm waters of the Caribbean. Have you ever been?”

He shook his head. “I’ve been swimming in the Mediterranean off Sicily, but never the Caribbean. Snorkeled some, but I haven’t tried scuba diving.”

“I think you’d enjoy it. You’d be a natural, because you already know how to use a regulator. And Marc says you’re the strongest swimmer at the station.”

A shadow crossed his face, and she realized too late how insensitive that must have sounded after he’d suffered through a disastrous swift-water call recently. Not sure apologizing would make it better, she decided to change the subject. “We can talk more over dinner if you’re ready.”

“Sure.” He placed his hand at the small of her back to move her toward the door and sent another spark of electricity to her core. “Need a sweater or anything?” he asked, misinterpreting her shiver.

“No. It’s still warm outside. Why don’t we walk over?”

“Sounds good.” After they exited her condo, she locked the door and led him to the sidewalk. The two walked in a comfortable silence the first few minutes, passing boutiques and art galleries without stopping to window shop. When they reached Main Street, she pointed in the direction of the restaurant. “Just another block.”

“We still have plenty of time.”

“I hope you’re hungry. Dimitri’s is amazing.”

“Mm-hmm,” he said absently. His lack of enthusiasm surprised her. Of course, he had a sister who was an amazing chef, but Dimitri would win him over soon enough. At the restaurant, she reached for the door handle first, but he gently brushed her hand aside and held the door open for her. Normally not one to accept chivalrous gestures, especially when she arrived at a door first—no matter what Mama said—Carm merely shook her head with a smile and thanked him. Tony was a little old school too, being raised in a traditional Italian family as she had been.

Laughter and joyous shouts emanated from inside the restaurant. She was amazed at the crowd for a Wednesday night. “Good thing you made a reservation, Tony.” They were seated on the patio overlooking the slopes her hotel butted up against. “With a view, no less!”

When he pulled out her chair before the maître d’ could do so, she decided she liked the way Tony made her feel special. Cautious not to let this evolve into a date vibe, though, she reminded herself that they were here to discuss some family business over dinner.

So why had she just fantasized what it would feel like to have his lips brushing down the column of her neck after he seated her?

Carm’s intoxicating scent wafted to him as she sat down, and he scooted in her chair. That little black dress clung to her curves, its flirty skirt stroking her thighs in places he’d wanted his lips to return to ever since that garter reversal at the wedding reception.

Shit!

He needed to stop thinking with the wrong head. Maybe if he’d gotten more sleep last night…but the nightmares still plagued him