Come Away With Me (The Andrades) (23 page)

H
e shuddered against her as he came inside her. They held each other, breathing raggedly. Still inside her, he groaned. “I can’t get enough of you.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Julia asked.
Because I feel the same.

He slid her slowly to the ground and stepped back. “It is when I know how wrong I am for you.”

They both froze at the sound of the front door opening below. A female voice asked, “Do you think they’re inside?”
Maddy.

Julia
looked into Gio’s eyes and held back a nervous giggle. He adjusted his pants, picked his shirt off the floor, and offered it to her. She slipped it on, grateful that it hung down almost to her knees.

A male voice answered her. “I doubt it. Gio swore he’d never return here.”
Luke.

“People can change. You didn’t think he’d ever accept the invitation.”

“I was wrong. Looks like I’m wrong again. He’s here.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because those are Julia’s clothes.”

Julia covered her mouth to stop the audible gasp that escaped her. She took a step back against the wall.

“Oh,” Maddy said. Then said again, with more emphasis, “
Oh.
”

Julia covered her face with her hands in mortification.
Gio pulled her back into his arms and kissed her forehead.

In a louder voice, Maddy said, “If you two can hear me, I’m really glad you came. We’re going back now, but
I was worried when you didn’t come in with the others. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She laughed. “It looks like you are. So, come on over to the rehearsal dinner when you’re ready.”

Luke
said, “Julia, have I mentioned how good you are for my brother? Don’t let him scare you off.”

Julia held her breath until she he
ard the door close behind them, Then joked, “Well, I’ve hit a new level of embarrassment.”

Gio looked angry again
, and Julia was sorry she’d spoken aloud. She laid one of her hands softly on one of his cheeks. “I don’t care what they think of me, Gio.”

Face tight, eyes burning with an emotion she couldn’t decipher, he growled, “I do. You deserve better than this.
Better than me.”

She smiled up at him, wishing she knew what to say to
remove some of the sadness in his tone. “I don’t know about that, but I do deserve some of the hors d’oeuvres I saw them serving. I’m starving.”

“After everything, you still want to go?”

She searched his eyes for a moment. “I don’t care about the party. Or the wedding. I care about you. We can leave now if you want, or we can go in there and meet every last damn relative you have. What do you want to do?”

He
hugged her to him. “What the hell is someone as nice as you doing with a man like me?”

“
You’re not nearly as awful as you think you are, Gio.”

He shook his head and took her hand, leading her down the stairs toward her clothing. “
You don’t know me.”

She stopped halfway down the stairs. He turned two stairs below her
, which brought them eye to eye. “But I want to.”

He nodded and started leading her across the foyer toward the door.

Julia , still clad only in his shirt, pulled him to a stop. “I should probably get my dress first.”

He
looked down at her and a lusty smile spread across his face. “And I’ll need my shirt back.”

She laughed up at him. “We’re already late.”

He kissed the line of her jaw and whispered in her ear, “Then it won’t matter, will it?”

The sun was dipping over the horizon the second time Gio and Julia approached the large glass mansion. This time Gio didn’t hesitate. Holding Julia’s hand, he walked straight across the lawn, up the stairs, and through the large glass doors. An older man crossed to meet them as soon as they entered.

“Gio,
it’s good to see you again.”

Gio didn’t return the compliment. He merely nodded and
said, “Julia, this is my uncle, Alessandro.”

His uncle smiled
warmly and winked at her. “The Andrades have always had good taste in women.” He looked over his shoulder and waved for his wife to join them. “My own wife is as beautiful today as she was the day I met her. Elise, come meet Gio’s date. Imagine the babies these two would make.”

Elise rushed forward and swatted at her husband. “Don’t mind him. Ever since Maddy gave us a grandchild he has baby on the brain.”
She gave Julia a kiss of welcome on both cheeks.

Looking playfully affronted, Alessandro covered his wounded heart with one hand. “
Theirs would not be any baby. With my brother gone, Gio is like a son to me. His children would be my grandchildren as much as mine are.”

Julia felt Gio tense beside her and she quickly intervened. “
I noticed there is quite a large group here already. Are they all staying in the main house?”

Alessandro looked puzzled by her question, then answered, “
Oh, yes, there are plenty of rooms. Or were you asking about the mansion? We didn’t open it for this event. It’s empty anyway. I don’t know if the generator would work after all this time. I’d have to ask Dominic if anyone has maintained it since he’s owned it. Honestly, I don’t have the heart to go see it. Perhaps after Stephan renovates it I will feel differently. It will be nice to have it back in the family.”

Gio’s hand tightened painfully on Julia’s arm. Julia glanced up and cringed at the burning fury
she saw in his eyes. Alessandro saw it, too, and a line of concern formed on his forehead.

Elise’s light tone revealed that she had missed the building tension. “
I looked for both of you when your brothers arrived, but they said you went for a walk. I can understand wanting to after such a long flight. We’re so happy to have you here. Come, let me introduce you to some of your cousins who were not able to make it to New York this summer.”

Julia whispered as they walked. “You’re hurting my arm, Gio.”

He looked down and instantly released her. “Sorry. I wasn’t aware . . .”

She took his hand in hers and gave it a supportive squeeze. “I know.”
His features were set in harsh lines.

As she and Gio followed Alessandro, Julia
felt like she’d stepped into a movie. The men were handsomely attired in tuxedos that screamed of money and power. The women were dressed in floor-length gowns and dripping with diamonds. Julia fingered the prototype necklace she’d worn. The metal was copper instead of gold. The stones were faux.

Did I really think I could network here? Which one of th
ese women would spare a second look at my costume jewelry when they’re wearing enough diamonds to buy and sell a small country?

Julia recognized Nicole from across the room.
She was exquisitely dressed in a flowing powder-blue Prada gown
and looked perfectly at home amidst the somewhat gaudy display of wealth. After Rena’s informative crash course in the wedding guests, Julia understood why. Nicole had been raised in this world, and her brother was one of the top ten wealthiest men in the world.

Nicole caught Julia watching her and said something to the tall blond man beside her.
The man, who had to be Stephan Andrade, looked up and nodded to his fiancée, and they both started walking across the large foyer toward them.

Alessandro
hugged Nicole to his side and turned to introduce her to Julia. “Nicole, have you met Gio’s girlfriend?”

If possible, Nicole’s smile grew wider at the label. She leaned in and kissed Julia’s cheeks in greeting. “Yes,
I have. Welcome, Julia. I’m so pleased you could make it.”

Stephan shook Gio’s hand. “
Thank you for coming.”

“You can thank Madison. She was
. . . persuasive,” Gio said with some irony.

Stephan laughed. “
That’s being kind. Maddy is too used to getting her way. She means well, though. And it’s impossible for any of us to stay upset with her, so I suppose it’s our fault she has boundary issues.” More seriously, he added, “Whatever brought you, it means a lot to me that you came. Nothing is more important than family.”

Alessandro smacked Gio on the shoulder. “It’s good to have all of us together again.”

Gio made a sound deep in his chest, and Julia tugged on his hand. He looked down at her, and she did her best to send him a telepathic message.
Behave.
They love you.
Julia turned her attention to Nicole and said, “You must be out-of-your-mind excited. What a beautiful location for a wedding. I saw tents going up on the far lawn. Is that where the ceremony will be?”

Nicole said, “That’s where the reception will be. For the ceremony
, we’re doing something outside.” She smiled dreamily up at her fiancé. “There is a hill about halfway between this house and the old Andrade mansion. At the very top of it, you can see both clearly. There isn’t room for chairs at the top, but the symbolism of two families coming together through our union is worth having everyone stand for the short time we’ll be there.” She looked across at Julia shyly. “That probably sounds corny.”

Julia shook her head. “
Not at all. It’s a beautiful idea.”

Innocently, Nicole said, “You and Gio should take a walk over
tomorrow and see the old house. It’s lovely.”

“
It really is,” Julia agreed spontaneously, then blushed.
I did not mean to say that.

Stephan looked at Gio curiously. “
You went over to see the old place? I didn’t realize you had any interest in it.”

Face tight, Gio said, “It was part of my childhood
as much as yours.”

Stephan nodded slowly
, then glanced at his uncle with a curious expression. Alessandro shook his head tersely in a move that clearly meant, Drop the subject.

Nicole gave the room a quick scan. “I have to tell Maddy you’re here, Julia. I wonder where she went.”

“She knows,” Julia said, then covered her traitorous mouth with one hand.
Thank God I’m not a spy. I’d fail miserably at it.

Nicole’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really? She didn’t say anything. That little stinker. Usually she tells me everything.”

Hopefully not everything.
Julia bit her lip beneath her hand.

“There’s Abby,” Nicole exclaimed with excitement and waved her over.

A beautiful brunette walked over with a tall dark-haired man. The crowd parted for them in a way they hadn’t even for the bride- and groom-to-be. Abby and Dominic Corisi: the new American royal family. Even Julia found them easy to recognize. Their whirlwind romance and wedding had been highly publicized, and their new daughter was on the cover of every gossip magazine at the grocery store. The billionaire, and the middle-school teacher who had won his heart. What was not to love about their story?

Starstruck, Julia
watched the beautiful couple and sighed audibly.

Dominic
greeted Gio with a handshake. “Good to see you again.”

Abby shook Gio’s hand warmly, then looked from Julia to Nicole.

A mischievous smile spread across Nicole’s face as she pointed at Julia. “This is
Julia
. She came with Gio.”

Abby’s face brightened with unexpected recognition
. “
The
Julia?”

Gio tensed beside Julia. “Excuse me?”

Dominic hugged his wife to his side and said with some humor, “You don’t want to know.”

Suddenly not looking very ha
ppy, Gio looked down at Julia suspiciously.

Abby
noticed and blushed. “Wow, I have been hanging out with my sister too much.”

Stephan looked back and forth between the
two. “Is this about the bet?”

Nicole
glared up at him and said, “No.” He looked about to say something else, but Nicole quickly said, “Don’t ruin it.”

Alessandro let out a hearty laugh. “
Gio, now that you’re back you’ll have to get used to the women plotting against us. Don’t worry about it. It’s always harmless. And if you ask Maddy, she’ll tell you everything. She’s the weak link.”

Nicole
whispered something to Abby.

Julia joked to Alessandro
, “That may change after those two talk to her.”

The older man
bent his tall frame and gave Julia the saddest puppy-dog expression she’d ever seen on a grown man. “Could you resist your father if he looked at you like this?” Alessandro turned his head more to the side, focused his eyes on the floor then, slowly raised them to meet Julia’s, silently pleading.

Julia burst out laughing. “You
’ve got me. I would tell you everything.”