Tuscan Heat Read online

  Gianna paused in the doorway, staring. He wore her father’s apron, the one given to him by her mother. In all her years, she’d never known her father to let anyone else wear the treasured garment. Clearly, she thought, Donovan had made quite an impression.

  “Ciao, Donovan,” she said as she entered the room. She moved to his side to kiss his cheek.

  Donovan turned to meet her lips instead, his mouth dancing easily over hers. “Ciao, bella!”

  “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry. I would have called you back, but your father...”

  She held up a hand, stalling the rest of his comment. “Say no more. I know my father,” she said with a smile.

  Her eyes flitted over his face, and she could see the stress that tensed the muscles. “What’s wrong?”

  Donovan shook his head, fighting to pull a smile onto his face. “Let’s talk about it later,” he said, turning to toss minced garlic and onion in the pan with the tomatoes.

  “Let’s talk about it now,” she said as she eased to his other side, clasping her hand over his.

  He met the look she gave him as he relinquished the spoon, leaving her to stir his sauce. He took a deep inhale before answering. “Dr. Northway met me at the door this morning and called me to his office.”

  “The school’s director?”

  He nodded. “A female student has filed a formal complaint against me for inappropriate conduct. She claims I asked for a sexual favor in exchange for giving her a passing grade. She says that when she told me no, I threatened to fail her. I was given the choice to hand in my resignation and leave the school quietly or to appear before a disciplinary review committee next week and risk being terminated and having my work visa pulled permanently.”

  “And you told him you were going to fight the allegations, correct?”

  He nodded. “I did. Either way, though, just the hint of any kind of impropriety could kill my career.”

  “You do know that this is all Sophie Mugabe’s doing. I warned you!”

  “I know that she supposedly received the complaint and passed it on to the administration. So she’s had a hand in it somehow.”

  “We’re not going to let her get away with this.”

  Donovan sighed and kissed Gianna one more time. “I want you to know that I didn’t do this,” he said.

  “I know that.”

  “Your father wasn’t so sure. He asked a lot of questions.”

  “He just does that. It’s a father thing. He was sure.”

  “How do you know?”

  She tapped the gray cotton fabric embroidered with the word Chef across the front. Donovan looked confused.

  “My mother gave him this. He’s never let anyone wear it. He was sure.” She looped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

  Tears misted Donovan’s eyes as he hugged her back. When he’d come to the winery, wanting Gianna to reassure him that everything was going to be all right, he hadn’t given any thought to what he would say to her father. Franco had been in the front yard when he’d pulled in, and when the patriarch had commanded Donovan to join him in the vineyards, he’d gone reluctantly.

  For the first half hour all they’d talked about were grapes and the best grapes for the best wines. Then the old man had asked him what was wrong, and Donovan was suddenly giving him a detailed blow-by-blow recap of his meeting with the school’s administrator and being temporarily removed from his teaching position. Franco had listened intently, allowing Donovan to spill until he didn’t have anything else to say.

  “So, did you do it?” the old man had asked him.

  Donovan had shaken his head steadfastly. “No, sir. I didn’t. I’m not that kind of man.”

  “Why would this young woman say such a thing?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I did reject her advances, so I think she’s trying to get revenge. But I would never compromise my integrity like that. And I would never disrespect Gianna like that.”

  Franco had nodded, then just like that, he’d changed the subject. “Has my daughter talked to you about her mother at all?”

  He’d shaken his head. “No, sir. She always changes the subject when I bring her up.”

  Franco gestured for him to take a seat, and the two rested on one of the wooden benches in the garden. Gianna’s father leaned forward, resting his arms against his thighs as he thought about the history that would soon be the story he would tell. Minutes passed before he finally cleared his throat and spoke.

  “Gianna was devastated when her mother died. Both girls were, but it hit Gianna harder. She and my Angela were together when that blood vessel burst in Angela’s head. Gianna had gotten into trouble with Sister Mary Frances at the school. Gianna was always smarter than the average bear, and she had no problems making sure you knew it. She was bored in class and smart-mouthed the nun, and they called her mother. Angela and I had already decided that Gianna needed to be moved up a grade, and so Angela went down to the school to talk to them about doing that. They were waiting for Carina to get out of class, and then my girls were all going to go get gelato. She and her mother were sitting together, and then Angela just slumped over and was gone. For years, Gianna blamed herself. She thought that if she had just been a good girl, then Angela wouldn’t have been stressed. And if she hadn’t been stressed, she wouldn’t have had the aneurysm. I sometimes think she still blames herself.”

  The man swiped a tear from his eye as he continued his story. “Angela was an exchange student doing a semester at the university when we met. I was much older and already running the winery. Mutual friends introduced us, and I thought she was the most beautiful vision I’d ever laid eyes on. Everything about her was warm. Warm brown eyes, warm brown skin and the warmest, sweetest spirit of any woman I’d ever known. My girls are just like their mother!

  “Angela had a roommate at the university. A girl named Gina Puccini. Gina’s father was a government official in Nice. Gina had a crush on me, and she wasn’t happy about me liking Angela. She wasn’t very nice to Angela when she found out we were seeing each other. She tried everything she could think of to break us up. She lied and said that Angela was seeing other boys at the school. Wouldn’t give her my messages. Would show up at group events and try to monopolize my attention. She made things very difficult for the two of us.” Franco sighed heavily as the memories flooded his spirit. He paused briefly before continuing.

  “One day I had planned to take Angela to dinner, and I went to pick her up. I arrived early because she hadn’t gotten back from class yet, but Gina was there in the room. We exchanged words, and I told her I would never love anyone the way I loved Angela. She stormed out, and I thought it was over. Minutes later the police were there asking me questions. Gina was down the hall crying, her clothes torn, claiming that I had assaulted her. When Angela arrived, they were taking me away in handcuffs.

  “Angela saved my life and my business. Had I been convicted, it would have been all over. But she did everything she could to discredit Gina’s story. And Angela went up against Gina’s father, who was determined to see me pay for what his daughter said I did. It was not a good time.

  “Gina finally admitted that she lied, but the stigma of people thinking I might be a rapist followed me for a good long while. Some even said that my Angela couldn’t do better than a man like me because she was a black woman, and only a rapist would want a woman like her. But Angela never let any of that keep us from loving each other and our girls.”

  “I’m so sorry that you two had to go through that.”

  Franco chuckled. “Me, too! And in all of our years together, my Angela never once asked me if I had done it. Her faith in me was unwavering. She loved me that much.”

  Donovan nodded, reflecting on the man’s words.

  “My Gianna, she loves y
ou that much, Mr. Boudreaux,” Franco added matter-of-factly.

  Donovan shifted his eyes toward the man, the two locking gazes.

  “I expect we’ll be having a wedding soon, no? I won’t have my daughter’s good reputation sullied. These old bats in the village would love to talk badly about her.”

  Donovan nodded, a smile pulling at his full lips. “Yes, sir. I hope so.”

  “Soon, before the Carusos’ daughter comes sniffing around for a husband!”

  Donovan laughed. “No worries there, sir! I will never love anyone like I love my Gianna,” he said.

  Franco nodded his approval. “We should prepare dinner. I’ve worked up an appetite. Do you cook?”

  * * *

  As Donovan thought back to his time with his future father-in-law, he hugged Gianna close, grateful that she and her family had come into his life. Together, they were a formidable force to be reckoned with. Every ounce of worry suddenly subsided, dissipating like water on a hot pan.

  Franco pulled the duo from their reverie. Moving into the room, he smiled as he eyed them wrapped comfortably around each other. He cleared his throat. “If burning the gravy is how you prove to me you can cook, you’re doing a mighty fine job, son! A mighty fine job!”

  Chapter 12

  Gianna woke with a start, something dark chasing her in her dreams. Relief came the instant she opened her eyes and spied Donovan slumbering sweetly beside her. She eased her leg from under his and lifted herself up against the headboard to stare down at him.

  He lay on his back with his legs splayed open, one hand cupping his privates. His head was rolled to the side, his face pressed between two pillows. He snored softly, the exhale ending in a low whistle. Watching him made Gianna smile.

  After dining with her father, she’d followed Donovan back to his home. They’d been there ever since, only leaving once to meet with Gianna’s attorney. Despite his reluctance, she’d insisted he needed legal representation. He’d argued the point, insisting that he hadn’t done anything wrong. But as her lawyer had pointed out, it would come down to being his word against Alessandra’s if they couldn’t find any proof to refute the girl’s claims.

  Signora Rossi had fed them quite a few times, her maternal instincts kicking into full swing. She’d been fawning over them both, always squeezing his cheeks, and then hers, as the moment moved her. The older woman still fussed, giving Gianna a hard time, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way. As she thought about them, Gianna admitted that one of her most favorite moments was Donovan and Signora Rossi practicing Italian and English together. He was learning quickly—their elderly friend not so much.

  Donovan shifted his body, turning his back to her. He seemed to settle down, his breathing easy, and then he rolled back again, his arms outstretched as he reached for her. Once his hands touched her skin, his fingers warm against her thighs, he curled himself close against her. The nearness of him made Gianna smile.

  He suddenly lifted his head to stare at her, his eyes thin slits as he struggled to focus. “Are you okay?” he mumbled.

  She nodded, her voice a low whisper as she snuggled back down against him, wiggling her butt against his crotch. “I’m fine, amore mio. Go back to sleep.”

  And he did, closing his eyes and drifting back into his dreams.

  * * *

  Gianna had only been asleep for a few hours when Donovan’s hands trailing across her body pulled her from her rest. His fingertips glided across her stomach to her breasts and back, dipping low to gently pull at the swirls of hair between her legs. His touch tickled, and she could feel herself smiling in her sleep.

  His warm breath blew gently against the back of her neck, and a full, hammer-hard erection pressed like steel against her butt. She felt him moving slowly against her, a gentle back-and-forth gyration as he used her body to massage himself.

  Donovan whispered, “Are you asleep?”

  Gianna chuckled softly. “How can I sleep with you teasing me like that?” she purred.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. “This woke me up.” He rotated his hips against her a second time, the bulge between his legs like steel.

  Gianna giggled softly. “That feels like it might be a problem. I think we should do something about it,” she whispered in reply.

  He nodded, his head bobbing against a pile of pillows. “I think so.”

  Gianna suddenly pulled her body from his, spinning around to face him. His eyes opened wider as she began to kiss her way down the length of his torso, pressing her mouth to that spot beneath his chin, his broad chest and the well of his belly button, until she’d crawled down low beneath the sheets.

  His erection stretched full and wide with desire. He was nicely endowed, and as she took him into the palm of her hand, his organ twitched with anticipation. Donovan sucked in a large gulp of air and held it, every muscle in his body clenched tightly.

  Without hesitating, Gianna stuck out her tongue and lightly licked the tip of his member. His whole body jumped, nerve endings firing rapidly. He blew out the breath he’d been holding and gasped out loud, his voice ringing through the early-morning air.

  Gianna swirled her tongue over the head, then licked up and down his shaft, even tonguing his testicles. Donovan groaned with pure, unadulterated pleasure, her touch taking him right to the edge of ecstasy.

  She sucked him in as she fisted the base, her hand and mouth moving in perfect sync. It was more than Donovan had anticipated, and he could feel himself giving in to the sensations that were sweeping through his body.

  He moaned as he stroked the top of her head, his fingers tangling in the thick curls. “So...so...good!” he stammered, the words coming with a raspy breath. He started to move his hips faster and faster, pushing himself in and out of her mouth. She clutched his butt with both hands to control his ministrations, her own body becoming heated, moisture pooling in her private crevices. She squeezed and manipulated the taut flesh, bringing him close to orgasm then pulling back until he couldn’t hold on. With one final shove past her lips, Donovan exploded in her mouth, wave after wave of pleasure surging with a vengeance. “Oh, sweet Jesus!” he cried. “Mio Dio!”

  Gianna savored the taste of him. She continued to suck and lick his organ as his body spasmed over and over again. When she finally pulled him from her mouth, she tilted her head back and swallowed.

  Donovan was completely spent, his entire being feeling as if he’d gone through ten rounds. He pulled her into his arms and nuzzled his face into her neck. He could feel the hands of slumber beginning to pull him back into its clutches. Unable to fight it, he whispered her name, promising to return the gesture before the new day was done.

  * * *

  Carina burst into Gianna’s office, storming through the door like a hurricane on steroids. Eyes wide, Gianna looked up from the chapter she was trying to finish, surprised to see her twin.

  “What’s wrong?” Gianna asked, a quiver of nervous energy like a shock wave through her system.

  Carina dropped into the upholstered seat in front of her sister’s desk. “What are we going to do about Donovan?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Donovan. What are we going to do?”

  “What are you talking about, Sissy?” Gianna leaned forward in her seat.

  “Everyone is talking about Donovan and some girl from the school. They’re saying she claims that he tried to take advantage of her and that he threatened her. It’s all kinds of messy!”

  Gianna blew a low sigh. “I know. He’s hired Dante to represent him.”

  “Your attorney, Dante?”

  She nodded. “Donovan has to defend himself before a university review board next week. There was no way I was going to let him do that on his own. His Italian’s not that good yet!”

  Carina nodded, blowing out a
sigh of relief. “Dante’s good. That’s good! But what are we going to do? Because we can’t let this girl get away with telling these lies.”

  Gianna smiled. “So you do believe him? You know he didn’t do it?”

  Her sister’s expression was incredulous. “Of course I know he didn’t do it! That is definitely not the kind of man I would fix you up with.”

  Gianna moved around the desk to give her sister a hug. The two held tight to each other, tears misting in both their eyes.

  Carina shook herself free from the embrace. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  Gianna shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been driving me crazy trying to figure out what’s going on and how I can fix it. I do know that Mugabe woman is behind it, though.”

  Carina’s gaze narrowed. “That professor who was dating your ex-boyfriend? Or were you dating her boyfriend?” She giggled. “You’re referring to that third leg in that little ménage à trois of yours last year?”

  She nodded. “One and the same. She’s interested in Donovan and he rejected her. I know she’s going after him to get even with him, and me.”

  “Then we’re definitely about to burst her bubble!”

  There was a pause as Gianna stood staring at her sister. Her smile slid slowly across her face. “What do you have in mind, Sissy?”

  Carina grinned. “I think we need to take a ride.”

  * * *

  Donovan sighed deeply into his cell phone receiver. On the other end, his mother was talking a mile a minute, voicing her disapproval and unhappiness in one big breath. He’d given up trying to ease her concerns, figuring once she got it out of her system they’d be able to move on. But it was starting to look as if she wasn’t going to get over it anytime soon.

  “I knew you going to Italy wasn’t going to be a good idea.”

  “Mom, this has nothing to do with me being here in Italy. You know how these young people are today. They have an air of entitlement, no sense of responsibility and they don’t concern themselves with how their bad behavior will impact other people. Unfortunately, this young woman is just plain messy. She’s told a bold-faced lie, and now I have to deal with the consequences. But you and I both know the truth will always prevail.”