Come Away With Me (The Andrades) (22 page)

Gio flipped a switch in one of the closets, but the area remained dark. Not that there was anything inside to be illuminated.
Speaking more to himself than to her, Gio said, “The two houses must run on separate generators.” He ran his hand along the intricate wood paneling, absently caressing the house. “I remember reading an interview with Corisi after he bought the island. He planned to knock this house down. He considered it old ruins.”

Gio walked back into the main hall
, and Julia followed him. She knew Gio was far away in his thoughts, and that was okay with her.
What did he mean when he said he was looking for the truth?

They walked up one side of a double curved stairway
that led off the foyer. At the top, Julia let herself imagine filling the space below with people and laughter. “This must have been an incredible place to entertain.”

“It has ten bedrooms.
When I was a child, they were always full. My father said it was the same when he was young. Andrades have been born here. Some have even died here. My grandfather passed away in his sleep right here in the house, surrounded by his family.”

“I can see why you wouldn’t want it to be knocked down.”
Julia could only imagine Gio’s bond to the house. The home and factory she was fighting for had only been in their family for one generation. To lose something that was so linked to your family’s history must have been devastating. “Did your mother also love this place?” It was hard for Julia to imagine her letting it go if she had.

“My mother refused to step inside it.”

Interesting.

Gio walked ahead of her
into one of the rooms. She lingered in the upper hallway, running her hand along the areas where slightly darker patches of wallpaper
revealed where paintings had once hung.
Family paintings? Famous Italian artists? What would they have displayed?

What
could anyone hate about this beautiful house?

Was it because
Gio’s grandfather died here?

Julia turned from the wall, realizing she had no idea where Gio had gone. She hugged herself as a sudden chill went up her back.

It would take more than that to keep me away.

Ghosts aren’t real.

I mean, not the ones that move things around and scare people.

Her father would have argued that the universe was full of an infinite number of things the human mind could not comprehend.
Julia smiled as she remembered her mother’s rebuttal to that theory. “Show me the proof. Things fall. Lights flicker. To me, that’s not evidence of a ghost. Is every spirit a klutz that can only make a mess? You want me to believe in one? Show me a ghost that washes dishes or folds my laundry. Then I’ll believe.”

She has a point
, Grandpa Andrade. If you’re here, do something useful and help Gio find whatever it is he’s looking for.

Julia’s cell phone rang in
her purse and she screamed. She scrambled to take it out, dropped it, picked it back up, then screamed again when it rang in her hands.

I am such an
idiot
.

Caller ID
showed a blocked number.

She hesitated
, then laughed again as it continued to ring.
What do I think, this is a call from the other side? More likely it’s a telemarketer trying to sell me a place in Italy because some cookie I downloaded is announcing my location.

Julia gave herself a mental shake and answered her phone. “Hello?”

“I’m disappointed in you, Julia.”

Another
chill went down Julia’s back.
Worse than a specter . . .
“Mrs. Andrade, what a . . . surprise . . . to hear from you.”

Her
hand went protectively to her throat. Although she had done nothing wrong, Julia spun to make sure she was still alone and almost screamed again when she saw Gio standing just behind her. She covered her mouth with one hand.

Mountain climbers shouldn’t be afraid of heights.

And women who run halfway around the world with men they recently met shouldn’t be so jumpy.
Be calm. Sophisticated. I’ve got this.

He nodded toward the phone and mouthed, “Who is that?”

Julia froze.
Say something. Don’t just stare at him.
Her mind raced for a lie or an explanation, but none came. She held the phone out awkwardly, completely at a loss for what to say.

Gio took
it and pressed the speakerphone button.

No.

“Are you alone?” his mother asked.

Gio’s eyes narrowed as he recognized his mother’s voice. He looked to Julia for an explanation, but all she could do was shrug.
This isn’t good.
His mother already doesn’t like me.
I’m pretty sure this won’t help.
She made a grab for her phone, but Gio held it just out of her reach. She pleaded with her eyes for him to give her the phone, but he nodded for her to answer his mother.

“Are you daft, girl? It’s an easy yes or no question.”

Gio held her eyes, willing her to do the unthinkable.
This isn’t right. But what she said to me back in New York wasn’t right, either. Maybe he has the right to know what his mother is up to.
“Yes, I’m alone.”

In a cutting tone
she said, “I tried to be nice to you, Julia. You should have taken my offer. A smart girl would have. Now you’ll come back to nothing. After I tell Gio about you, he won’t give you the time of day.”

A deep frown settled over Gio’s expression.
His eyes were cold and unreadable. Barely above a whisper, Julia said, “There’s nothing to tell.”

“The truth is what I say it is. He won’t believe you over me.”

A deep fury contorted Gio’s features. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Mother.”

“Gio
.” Her voice jumped an octave as she said his name. Then it quickly became conciliatory. “I’m trying to protect you, that’s all. It’s obvious this girl is only after our money.”

“
What’s obvious is that I can no longer believe anything you tell me,” Gio said coldly and hung up.

Julia
hugged her stomach. Although a small part of her felt his mother had earned whatever grief her actions had brought her, the scene she’d just witnessed broke her heart. Her love for her own mother, and her sadness as the woman who had raised her so well slipped away, made her want to shake both of them.
Call her back. Tell her you love her. Give her a chance to apologize.

Gio
stared down at the phone. His hand tightened on it until the case cracked from the pressure. He threw the broken phone over the banister in disgust.

“Oh,” Julia exclaimed involuntarily
as she grabbed for it.

He looked back at her.

Julia watched the phone bounce once, then shatter on the floor below.
I did tell him that throwing things was a good way to express anger. I just didn’t know he’d start with my stuff.
“It’s fine. I mean, who would I need to call anyway, right?”

“I’ll get you another phone.”

Julia looked over her shoulder at him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I said I’
d replace it.”

“
Do what you want to do. That’s what you do anyway.”

“Are we
actually arguing about your damn phone?”

Julia clung to the railing with both hands.
Watching him fight with his mother had made her angry. And feel as helpless as she felt each time she spoke with her own mother. But Gio’s mother wasn’t sick. They didn’t have to do this to each other. They still had time, if they chose to work things out. “Yes, because it didn’t have to happen like this. You should have given the phone back to me when I asked for it.”

“
And when she came to me with lies about you? What then?”

“Maybe she wouldn’t have.” When Gio looked at her doubtfully,
Julia threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that life is short and cruel. If you love her at all, figure out why she’s angry. Appreciate that you have something not everyone does—time to fix things. Do you know what I’d give to have my mother fully back with me for even one day? I’d give anything to sit down with her and know she knew me. And not because my father told her who I was, but because she actually remembered me and our lives together.” Julia stopped and wiped a tear from her cheek. She hadn’t intended to say any of that. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled her to him and simply hugged her.
“Don’t be.” He rested his chin on her forehead. After a moment he asked, “What did she mean when she said you should have accepted her offer?”

“Does it matter?”
she hedged.

“Yes.”

“Why? The details won’t change what you know.”

“Julia.” He said her name in a tone that
meant he wasn’t giving up until she told him everything.

Julia closed her eyes and said,
“She offered me two hundred thousand dollars if I went back to Rhode Island instead of coming to the wedding with you.”

He held her back from him and searched her face.
“The exact amount you need to save your father’s business.”

“Yes,” Julia said hoarsely. There was a look in his eyes she’d seen before. It filled her with a warmt
h she fought against.

Don’t start imagining he’s falling in love.

Don’t do that to yourself.

“
But you didn’t take it,” he said softly.

Her breath caught in her throat. “I promised I’d come here with you.”

With a groan, he lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed the curve of her neck. He raised his head, his eyes full of desire. For a moment she thought he was going to say something, then his mouth descended on hers, claiming it with an intensity that had her sagging against him with pleasure. His tongue was hot and demanding, encircling hers possessively. His hands sought the zipper of her gown. Their kiss paused just long enough for him to undo it. He held the dress as she stepped out of it, then dropped it over the banister.

He i
mpatiently slid her underwear off and sent them floating down to the foyer below. His mouth was caressing her everywhere: her neck, her shoulders, tickling behind her ear. He lifted her, naked, and balanced her on the banister.

She clutched at his shoulders, out of passion and also a twinge of fear. Until now, she would have said that the most daring place she’d ever had sex was on a secluded beach. Danger heightened the intensity of the experience. She unbuttoned the front of his shirt, desperate to feel more of him.

There was something about being held by him, trusting him to protect her, meeting him in this very physical sense, that brought their lovemaking to an entirely new level. She gave herself to him in that moment. Completely. And she knew she would never want or trust another man as much as she did Gio.

With one arm supporting her back, he slid a hand
up her thigh. She shuddered in anticipation. He gently caressed the inside of each of her thighs. Teasing her. She wanted to feel his fingers on her, in her. Helpless before him, dripping wet with need, she whimpered.

He raised his head and looke
d down into her eyes. “Do you know what you do to me?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head
, unable to speak.

“
It has never been like this with anyone else.”

H
is hand slid over the outside of her wet folds. One finger slid between them and began to rub her clit with a rhythm that had her writhing against him, no longer caring about the floor far below. All that mattered was his touch and how it made her feel.

“
Say you’re mine, Julia. Tell me nothing else matters. It’s just you and me and this.”

He thrust a finger deep inside her and she cried out with pleasure. In that moment, she almost said she loved him, but she knew that wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He was taking possession of her body on the most primal level
, and he wanted to know she gave it to him willingly.

“I’m yours, Gio.”

He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. With his hands on her waist, he turned and took a few long strides until she felt a solid wall against her back. He unbuckled his belt and opened the front of his trousers, then braced her against the wall as he deftly opened a foil wrapper and sheathed himself. His tip teased at the opening of her wet center.

He kissed her deeply while he thrust i
nside her. She gasped into his mouth. This was no controlled lovemaking. His hands bit into her waist as he held her and pounded again and again. There was pleasure and pain—mixing and building within her with this wild mating. She spread her legs wider for him.

As she spiraled toward an orgasm
.

Heat spread through her. She was beyond the abi
lity to speak.