“I’m more worried about losing you.”
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Chapter 2
Julia stepped out of the bedroom, feeling nervous. Gabriel had made arrangements for her to shop on his account at the local Prada boutique, and she’d chosen a Santorini-blue V-necked, sleeveless dress made of silk taffeta. Its A-line shape boasted a full pleated skirt and was reminiscent of the kind of dress worn by Grace Kelly in the 1950s. It suited Julia perfectly.
However, the boutique manager had wanted the accessories to modernize the dress, and thus she chose a sleek silver leather clutch and a pair of tangerine patent leather stilettos that Julia found perilously high. To complete the ensemble, a black cashmere wrap was provided.
She stood hesitantly in the sitting room, her hair long and loosely curled, her eyes bright and shining. She wore Grace’s diamond earrings and her string of pearls.
Gabriel had been seated on the sofa in the living room, making last minute changes to his lecture notes. When he saw her he took off his glasses and stood.
“You’re stunning.” He kissed her cheek and twirled her so he could admire her dress. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. Thank you, Gabriel. I know it cost a fortune.”
His gaze drifted down to her shoes.
She blinked. “Is something wrong?”
He cleared his throat as his attention remained riveted to her feet.
“Um…your shoes…they’re—ah—”
“Nice. Aren’t they?” She giggled.
“They’re a good deal more than nice.” His voice grew thick.
“Well, Professor Emerson, if I like your lecture, perhaps I’ll continue wearing them after…”
Gabriel straightened his tie a little and gave her a cocky grin. “Oh, I’ll see that you like my lecture, Miss Mitchell. Even if I have to deliver it to you personally, between the sheets. And it isn’t my bedroom, it’s our bedroom.”
She blushed, and he pulled her into his arms.
“We should go,” he said, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Wait. I have a present for you.” She disappeared and returned with a small box that had Prada emblazoned across the top.
He seemed surprised. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.”
Gabriel smiled and carefully lifted the lid. He pulled back the tissue paper to find a lightly patterned Santorini-blue silk tie.
“I like it. Thank you.” He kissed her cheek.
“It matches my dress.”
“Now everyone will know that we belong to each other.” He immediately removed his green tie, tossing it onto the coffee table, and began tying Julia’s gift around his neck.
Gabriel’s new suit had been custom made by his favorite local tailor. It was black and single-breasted with side vents. Julia admired the suit a great deal, but even more so, she admired the attractive figure in it.
There is nothing sexier than watching a man put on a tie, she thought.
“May I?” she offered, as Gabriel struggled in the absence of a mirror.
He nodded and bent forward, placing his hands around her waist. She adjusted his tie and fixed his collar, running her hands down his sleeves until they rested on the cufflinks at his wrists.
He gazed at her curiously. “You straightened my tie when I took you to Antonio’s. We were sitting in the car.”
“I remember.”
“There’s nothing sexier than having the woman you love fix your tie.” He took her hands in his. “We’ve come a long way since that first night.”
She reached up to kiss him, taking care not to sully his masculine mouth with her lipstick.
He brought his lips to her ear. “I don’t know how I’m going to keep the Florentine men at bay this evening. You’ll have to stay very close to me.”
Julia squealed as he put his arms around her, lifting her so he could kiss her properly, which required Julia to reapply her lipstick and both of them to check their appearance in the mirror before they left their room.
Gabriel held her hand during the short walk to the Uffizi and even after they were whisked to the second floor by a rather pudgy gentleman wearing a paisley bow tie who introduced himself as Lorenzo, Dottore Vitali’s personal assistant.
“Professore, I’m afraid we have need of you.” Lorenzo glanced between Gabriel and Julia, his eyes darting to their conjoined hands.
Gabriel tightened his grip.
“It’s for the—how you say—on the screen? PowerPoint?” Lorenzo gestured to the room behind them where guests were already congregating.
“Miss Mitchell has a reserved seat,” said Gabriel pointedly, irritated that Lorenzo was ignoring her.
“Yes, Professore. I shall accompany your fidanzata personally.” Lorenzo nodded respectfully in Julia’s direction.