Chapter 24
SAMMIE
As I watched Romeo at the other end of the restaurant talking on the phone with his boss, I prayed that Victoria would ban him from sitting with me.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like him. Now the problem was the complete opposite.
I fancied the bloody pants off him.
God, I should not have thought about taking his pants off…
It wasn’t the first time today that I’d thought about him, but I couldn’t help it.
Not only had he bought that pastry for me to have on the way to Matera, he’d also saved two for me this morning because he knew I liked them.
How was this man still single?
At one point I forced myself to think of Edward and what nice things he’d done for me during the short time we’d spent together and I came up with a big fat zero.
The only things I could remember were negative. How he’d food shamed me, how he’d reacted when I told him about the company I’d worked for. How he’d snarled during that volleyball match. And how he hadn’t even bothered to tell me he was leaving or message me since then.
Romeo, on the other hand, had been nothing but attentive. Always looking out for me, checking on me, encouraging me to enjoy my food, bringing me food he knew I’d like. He didn’t ridicule my job. He was interested. He didn’t make me feel stupid.
It’s his job! my brain screamed at me.
That was like swooning over a chef because he cooked a meal that you paid for.
Gah. Get it together, girl.
Romeo ran his hand through his dark, shiny hair, causing his bicep to bulge and the sexy thoughts whooshed straight back into my mind.
I knew I was supposed to be curbing my thoughts, but cut me a bit of slack. The man was the fittest guy I’d ever seen in real life.
No actually, scrap that. Name any hot Hollywood film star, musician or model and I can guarantee you that Romeo was ten times hotter.
At least.
The man must work twelve-hour days, but he always looked utterly gorgeous. His deep olive skin glowed like it’d been freshly kissed by the sun. Looking that good should be illegal.
And despite whatever supposedly went on with a guest and his reputation, something told me that he was a decent guy. I could just feel it.
Relaxing music played in the background and we were so close to the sea I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks. I tried to focus on the incredible views, but my gaze kept returning to Romeo.
Seconds later he ended his call and started walking towards me. I tried to act all cool by pretending that I’d been looking at the views and not at him the entire time, but I doubted I succeeded.
He stopped to say something to the ma?tre d’, who nodded, then walked away. He was probably getting a waiter to clear away the extra table setting.
But then Romeo pulled out the chair opposite me.
WTF.
‘So,’ he said and my gaze flicked to him.
God, those eyes. I could get lost in them for days.
It was a really good thing we wouldn’t be having dinner together.
I wouldn’t survive. It was kind of him to sit down to tell me the news though to soften the rejection.
Little did he know that I’d be relieved to not be dining with him.
‘I have spoken to Victoria and she has agreed for me to keep you company this evening.’
‘What?’ I said a little louder than I’d intended.
‘But only if you feel comfortable. If you prefer to dine alone it is not a problem.’
‘No, I…’ Shit. What was I supposed to say now?
If I said that I didn’t want to eat with him, I’d sound ungrateful and might hurt his feelings.
But if I said yes, I’d end up fancying him more.
And I was guaranteed to put my foot in my mouth at some point.
I always did. ‘It’s fine!’ I squeaked. ‘That is if you don’t mind.
You’re babysitting me so much, soon I’ll have to start calling you Daddy! ’ I cackled, then cringed.
Oh. Dear. God.
When I’d said that I was guaranteed to put my foot in my mouth, I wasn’t expecting to do it so soon.
‘It would not be the first time that a woman has called me that.’ Romeo’s eyes darkened, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
A bolt of desire shot between my legs.
Jesus .
‘Oh, yeah?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds like an interesting story…’
‘Have you looked at the menu?’ he asked.
‘Not yet,’ I replied, getting the hint that he wanted to change the subject.
I wasn’t surprised. The man had barely sat down before I’d brought the conversation straight to the gutter.
‘So, you two are dining together! Excellent!’ Kim called out from the table behind us.
‘Victoria agreed that it is important to ensure that all of our guests are looked after, so although this is not something our Love Alchemists would normally do, because of the difficult circumstances, we wanted to make an extra special effort to make sure that Samantha is happy.’
‘Well, I think that it’s very good of the hotel to agree to that,’ Timothy added.
‘And if there’s anyone that can make Samantha happy, I’m sure it’s you,’ Kim smirked, then winked at me. So cheeky, but she was probably right. ‘Enjoy your meal.’
‘In all seriousness though,’ I said, turning back to face Romeo, ‘you don’t have to sit with me if you don’t want to. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve eaten alone and I’m sure it won’t be the last.’
‘No. I have been told to make sure that you enjoy yourself and I will not fail.’
The waiter brought over a platter of different breads and some olive oil and rested it on the pristine white tablecloth then took our order. Soon afterwards he brought over a bottle of wine and poured it into our glasses.
As I took a sip, I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Oh my God!’ I sighed. ‘This is amazing. I think I’m going to have to buy an extra two suitcases when I go back. One to steal the pillows and the other to fill it with this wine and my favourite prosecco. It’s the best booze I’ve ever tasted.’
‘Surely not better than the many bottles of wine you drank on the plane.’ Romeo flashed a cheeky smile.
‘Oi!’ I slapped his arm playfully. Blimey, I’d forgotten how firm it was. ‘I told you, it was only one mini bottle of wine. Not bottles , plural. And I didn’t even drink all of it!’
‘Of course, I believe you,’ he said. ‘By the way, how is the jet lag? Have you recovered yet?’
‘You are terrible!’ I grinned, then hid my face behind my hands. ‘I didn’t mean to say I had jet lag,’ I winced.
‘I know. You only said it because of all the bottles of wine, plural , that you drank on the plane.’ This time Romeo laughed and I chuckled with him.
‘Honestly, I can’t believe some of the crap that comes out of my mouth sometimes. It’s so embarrassing.’
‘Do not be embarrassed.’ Concern washed over his face. ‘I hope I did not offend you.’
‘Course not!’ I grinned. ‘I love a bit of banter. And Banter Romeo is much better than Grumpy Romeo .’
‘ Grumpy Romeo ?’ His brows furrowed.
‘Yeah. When we first met, you acted like you didn’t want to be there. I thought everyone who worked at the Love Hotel would be like a ray of sunshine and then I met you and you were all grumpy, like you didn’t enjoy your job at all.’
Romeo blew out a breath.
‘I enjoy my job. It is just that day my… Never mind. You would not understand and you are a guest. I cannot burden you with my troubles.’
‘Go on. I need to understand why you acted like such a judgemental dick.’
‘A dick?’ He frowned. ‘There is nothing wrong with my dick.’
‘No! It means…’
‘I am pulling your leg. I know what it means! You thought I was a dick?’
‘Only when we first met.’
‘ Scusi .’ His face fell and now I wondered if I was the one who had offended him. Maybe calling him a dick was a bit strong. Especially considering the fact that he’d been helping me out all week.
‘Just before you arrived I got the news that Biscotti, my family’s dog, was ill and was about to be operated on. They were not sure if she would make it so I was upset. I know that might sound dramatic because she is a dog and not a human but…’
‘I’m so sorry.’ I reached out and rested my palm on his. As soon as my hand connected with his skin, my whole body lit up like a fireworks display.
‘I get it. We had Tyson, our dog, for years. He was part of the family. And when he passed I was so cut up. I loved him more than I loved most people.’
Romeo’s eyes widened.
‘That is exactly how we feel about Biscotti. She is so much more than just a pet. We adore her. She gives us so much love.’
‘How is she now?’
‘She is better, grazie . It was close, but she is a fighter.’
‘I’m so happy to hear that.’
Romeo looked down at my palm on his and embarrassment washed over me.
‘Sorry.’ I pulled my hand away. ‘I didn’t mean to… I just… I hate hearing about any animals suffering and I could see you were upset and…’
‘It is okay. You do not have to explain. I appreciate your concern. It means a lot. I hope to visit Biscotti this weekend when I go to see Mamma.’
My heart fluttered and a wide grin spread across my face.
Earlier, I’d thought my interest in Romeo was purely because of his looks, but we hadn’t even started eating yet and I could already see that there was more to him than just a pretty face.
‘What?’ Romeo’s brows furrowed.
‘Nothing!’ My grin widened. ‘You’re just full of surprises.’
‘Why?’
‘The grumpy Love Alchemist who has a soft spot for animals and goes to visit his mamma? How are you still single?’
‘I told you, I do not date.’
‘Oh yeah, I forgot.’
That was a lie. I knew he’d said that in Matera but my stupid brain brought it up anyway.
The waiter delivered our starters and we both thanked him before getting stuck in.
‘By the way, how old are you?’ I asked.
‘Thirty-three. Why?’
‘Just curious. And what do you do when you’re not working?’ I asked.
‘I go to the beach to swim. I love the water. I have a boat that I take out sometimes,’ Romeo said.
‘Really?’ I perked up. ‘That’s cool.’ I slid a forkful of ravioli into my mouth and nearly keeled over on the spot. It was so good.
‘Taking it out is very relaxing. It is just me and the water.’
‘Sounds amazing! The only boat or should I say ferry that I’ve been on is one from Dover to Calais when I was on a school trip.’
‘Ah, that is very different. A smaller boat is much more peaceful.’
‘I bet. What else do you like doing?’ I asked.
If he was this big flirt, then he’d probably enjoy partying or drinking or some other activity that involved him interacting with lots of women. Yeah, he said he wasn’t looking for a relationship, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have hookups.
I took another glug of my wine.
‘I like pottery,’ Romeo said casually and I spat a mouthful of wine in his face.
‘Shit! I’m so sorry!’ I winced, whipping the thick napkin from my lap and handing it to him.
Romeo squinted, wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, looked at me and then burst out laughing.
‘Samantha, Samantha.’ He shook his head whilst his deep chuckle continued to vibrate from his chest. ‘You are one of the most amusing women I have ever met.’
He wiped his damp cheeks with the napkin, then licked around his lips, catching the remaining droplets of wine with his tongue.
I was sure he didn’t intend it to be erotic, but seeing his tongue moving so skilfully was hot as fuck and had me thinking about what else he was good at licking.
‘Please, call me Sammie,’ I said as I tried to divert my dirty mind from straying down Filthy Thoughts Street. ‘Samantha’s what my mum calls me when I’m in trouble. My friends call me Sammie.’
‘So we are friends now?’ Romeo quirked an eyebrow.
‘Course! I don’t share my second-hand wine with just anyone.’
Romeo snorted.
‘I cannot believe you spat in my face.’ He shook his head good-naturedly. ‘I offer to keep you company at dinner and this is how you repay me.’ He gestured to his damp face and continued mopping it up.
He was being a good sport about it though. If someone spat in my face, I’d go straight to the loo to rinse it off. But if it was Romeo’s spit, I’d just leave it.
‘I really am sorry,’ I winced. ‘It’s just that when I look at you, nothing says this is a guy who enjoys making shit with clay .’
‘Appearances can be deceiving.’ His eyes darkened.
‘Yeah,’ I said, my heart beating faster.
Was it me or had the temperature just shot up ten degrees?
I couldn’t even blame the sun because it was almost ten at night.
The air crackled between us and as our eyes locked, I wondered what else there was to discover about Romeo.
Because as much as I knew I shouldn’t, I wanted to know everything .