Page 13 of Sev’s Blackmailed Bride (The Dante Dynasty #1)

F oolishly, Francesca assumed she’d seen the last ofSev.

The delusion lasted right up until she decided to eat lunch at her desk, ordering from her favorite deli, aplace that offered fast delivery service and thick sandwiches, stuffed with every imaginable delicacy.

Within thirty minutes her sandwich arrived, along with a sprig of vivid-blue forget-me-nots, their delicate scent sweetening the air in her tiny office.

“Thank you,” she said to the delivery boy before burying her nose in the fragrant blossoms. “What a nice thing to do.”

He eyed her speculatively. “Do I get an extra tip for bein’ so nice?”

“Absolutely.” She handed it over with a smile. “And thanks again.”

“No sweat. The flowers weren’t from me, by the way. There’s a note that came with them. Istuck it in the bag with your sandwich.” With a cheeky grin he darted from the office .

She couldn’t help but laugh at his audacity.

Then curiosity got the better of her. She opened the bag and found a business card tucked inside.

She glanced at it and, to her dismay, her fingers trembled.

Sure enough, the linen-colored pasteboard had Sev’s name and business information typed on the front. On the back, he’d scrawled Remember.

Somehow, he’d figured out where she usually ordered lunch.

And for some reason, she spent the rest of the day sniffing the forget-me-nots as she struggled to do as he asked and remember.

.. remember that dating Sev promised a fast end to a short career.

Worse, it would put an even faster end to her burgeoning relationship with her father.

Her mouth firmed. She wouldn’t allow anyone—not even a man as sexy as Severo Dante—to interfere with either of those two goals.

The next morning on her way to work, she swung into her favorite Starbucks, desperate for caffeine after a sleepless night of wishing she were in Sev’s bed once more.

To her dismay, the line stretched long and wide and she schooled herself to patience.

Far ahead, toward the front, she caught a glimpse of a distinctive set of shoulders and striking ebony hair.

Unbidden, her heart kicked up a notch and the air escaped her lungs in a softrush.

It wasn’t Severo Dante, she silently scolded, and constantly obsessing over him wasn’t going to help matters.

She refused to see Sev in every man with an impressive build and dark coloring.

She needed to get a grip. Deliberately, she forced her gaze away only to catch herself peeking at him as he finished paying and turned to leave.

This time the breath exploded from her in an audible gasp as she realized it was Sev. He came directly toward her with the languid grace so uniquely his, carrying a pair of cappuccinos. He handed her one with a warm smile and a quiet, “Tesoro mio,” before continuing out thedoor.

“Oh, God,” the woman behind her said with a groan. “Does that happen to you often?”

“No.” Francesca stared at the cappuccino, then at the door through which Sev had vanished, before glancing at the woman behind her. “At least... not until recently.”

“I don’t suppose you know what tesoro mio means?” Before Francesca could respond, the woman shouted out, “Hey, who knows what tesoro mio means?”

“Italian. It means my treasure,” an older woman toward the front of the line calledback.

“Wow,” Francesca’s companion in line murmured. “Just, wow.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself. ”

Francesca knocked back the drink Sev had given her in the vain hope it would pull her out of the sensual stupor fogging her brain. It didn’t. Instead, she spent the next twenty-four hours daydreaming abouthim.

The next morning, Friday, she wasted her entire time in line searching in vain for Sev’s distinctive build.

She refused to be disappointed when she didn’t spot him, and even came up with a handful of reasonable excuses for lingering in the small bistro while she sipped her drink. But he never showed.

When she arrived at work, she was stunned to discover a blown-glass vase sitting on her desk with a new flower to replace the forget-me-nots, this time a sprig of orange blossoms. The white star-shaped blooms caressed the flame-red glass, the contrast between the two colors quite striking.

Unable to resist, she picked up the vase, the sweet perfume of the flowers flooding her senses while the delicate glasswork warmed within herhold.

It was an incredible piece with sinuous curves that flowed from base to stem and seemed to beg for her touch.

Had Sev stroked it, just as she was now doing?

Were her fingers tracing the same path his had taken?

It was a distinct possibility, since no one who held this gorgeous creation could resist running their fingers along the flowing lines of the fiery glass .

“Oh. My.” Tina came to peer over Francesca’s shoulder. “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“It’s a gift.”

“And orange blossoms. Très romantique!”

“Really? Ididn’t know. Ijust love the scent.”

“Mmm. They mean eternal love.” Tina’s eyes filled with laughter. “Or innocence. I’ll let you decide which is more appropriate.”

Definitely not innocence. Francesca hastily returned the vase to her desktop.

She took a seat and pulled out her sketchpad, determined to get straight to work.

Not that she accomplished much. More times than she could count she found herself staring into space with a reminiscent smile on her face while she stroked the vase and inhaled the sweet scent of orange blossoms.

Saturday came and Francesca assumed she wouldn’t have to worry about Sev showing up at Starbucks, or sending her a gift at work, or finding some other way to tempt her into giving in to his blatant seduction. Or so she thought until she opened the door to her apartment to his latest surprise.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

Sev lowered the fist he’d been about to use on her door. “I came to talk to you. ”

“I thought we decided we weren’t going to contact each other again,” she said. “Nothing can come of this, you realize that, don’t you? No matter how much I might want to see you, it means losing my job, and I won’t risk that.”

He stared down at her with such heat that it was a wonder it didn’t turn the air to steam. “I’m well aware of that fact. Not that it changes anything.” He glanced over her shoulder and into her apartment. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Please, Francesca.”

Just those two words and she felt her resolve fading. “What’s the point, Sev?” she whispered.

“This. This is the point.”

He cupped her face and took her mouth in a passionate kiss.

Francesca closed her eyes as Sev made his point, as well as several others, in ways sweeter and more generous than any that had gone before.

She gave herself up to sheer rapture, surrendering to desire over common sense.

Without even realizing it, she backed into her apartment and Sev kicked the door closed behind them.

Endless minutes passed before she surfaced with a groan.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this again. It’s not safe.” She fisted her hands in his shirt. “ Listen to me, Sev. I’m telling you straight out. You can’t show up at Starbucks or send me flowers or any more gorgeous vases—thank you, by the way—or slip me notes in my lunch.”

“Fine. Iwon’t. Instead, why don’t I steal you away for the weekend?”

She had to give him credit for sheer brazenness, if nothing else. “Forget it. I’ve already told you—”

He nodded impatiently. “Yeah, yeah. Heard it all before. That still doesn’t change anything. We need time together in order to resolve our differences.”

“We can’t resolve our differences,” she emphasized. “There are simply too many obstacles.”

“Obstacles we haven’t made any effort to overcome. I’d like to try and correct that oversight. I’ve made reservations. We’ll be discreet. No one will find out we’ve been together.”

“And if I say no?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Will you blackmail me again?”

“Would that make it easier for you to surrender?” His voice dropped, reminding her of a certain moonlit night when he’d whispered the most outrageous suggestions in her ear, suggestions he’d then turned from proposition to action.

“Come with me, Francesca. Or I swear I’ll show up at Timeless and tell everyone who’ll listen that we’re lovers. ”

“I don’t believe you. You’re just saying that because—”

He leaned in, stopping her with another endless kiss. “Don’t challenge me.” There was no mistaking the warning in his dark eyes. “When have I ever failed to follow through on my word?”

“Right now,” she informed him. “All this week. You said—” She hesitated, struggling to recall precisely what he had said when they last met.

As far as she could remember, she’d done most of the talking that day.

He gave her a knowing look and she blew out her breath in an aggravated sigh.

“Okay, fine. You might not have come right out and said it, but you did agree to end the affair.”

He tipped her face up to his. “Does it look like I agree with our ending things?”

Not even a little. “Without question.”

His slow, knowing smile proved her undoing. “Go pack a bag. We can finish arguing about it in the car.”

She turned without another word and crossed to her bedroom.

Five minutes later she returned with an overnight bag, more certain with every step she took that she’d completely lost her mind.

And maybe she had, but after five minutes with Sev, she no longer cared.

One more weekend and then she’d put an end to their relationship, she promised herself.

Just these two days together and then no more. After all, who would ithurt?