Free Making over the Billionaire (an Italian Connection Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Joan Kilby

pastures dotted with livestock. Giorgio finished his call to Anna and made others, keeping busy as the time slid past.
    Over an hour into the flight her phone trilled, signaling an incoming message from Tina. Finally.
    Keep him on the yacht. It’s his birthday on Sunday. We’ll all come down then.
    Two days! How the hell was she supposed to stop him from going back to Rome once he decided he was finished with her? Tina vastly overestimated her influence on her brother.
    Giorgio closed his conversation with a sharp, “ Ciao ,” and snapped off the phone. Seeing her looking at her screen, he said, “Everything okay?”
    “Just my agent, Renaldo, letting me know an appointment tomorrow was canceled.” She tucked her phone in her purse and smiled brightly. “I’m at a loose end, completely free for the next few days.” She waited for his response, her breath tight in her chest.
    Instead of replying he gave her a cynical, assessing glance. Then his gaze shifted and he nodded to the window. “We’re almost there.”
    Naples glittered in the brilliant sunshine, curving around a wide bay. Offshore was the jewel of the Mediterranean, the fabled Isle of Capri. Further south stretched the dramatic Amalfi coast, steep cliffs bordered with tiny beaches lapped by the deep blue of the sea.
    Again, the surreal nature of where she was going jumped up and slapped her in the face. She was spending the afternoon on a yacht—and hopefully longer—with a gorgeous Italian who just happened to be a billionaire.
    Yeah, he could be an arrogant pain in the butt. And yes, she had a lot to worry about trying to keep him on the yacht, but what the hell, she was going to have fun doing it. She would find out what made him tick and how to make him crazy for her. She would take what he had to offer then leave, hopefully clutching a contract with the House of Borlenghi in her hot little hand.
    As for Giorgio being in charge? She would just see about that.

    The helicopter began its descent to the seventy-five foot motor launch anchored offshore in Naples Bay. Giorgio’s heart swelled as the gleaming white hull of Bella Sirena grew larger and larger. Here was his linden tree, his simple pleasure.
    The pilot communicated with the captain, and as they approached, white uniformed seamen ran to their stations on deck. The helicopter touched down on the pad on the top deck and the pilot cut the engine. A sailor ran forward to position the steps and Giorgio helped Layla down from the copter.
    “This is amazing.” Her veneer of nonchalance dropped away as she tried to take it all in at once, her blue eyes wide with wonder. From her viewpoint, the three decks in brilliant white with blue trim and polished brass fittings were no doubt impressive.
    Twenty-four uniformed crewmen lined up at attention as Giorgio and Layla walked aft to the main cabin. He nodded to a couple of sailors he recognized. How long had it been since he’d been on the yacht? Too long, if most of the crew had turned over since then. He’d forgotten how enjoyable he found the tang of the salt air, the warm, gentle breeze, and the sparkling azure water and crystalline blue sky.
    On the after deck, Captain Luigi Pampano, with hair more silver than Giorgio remembered, waited to greet them. He bowed with a click of his heels. “Welcome, Signor Borlenghi. Signora .”
    Giorgio embraced him heartily. Luigi had been captain since he was a boy. “This is Layla Langham from America. She’s visiting Rome for fashion week.”
    “Welcome, Signora Langham,” Luigi said in perfect English. “I hope you enjoy your stay aboard the Bella Sirena .”
    “Giorgio! It’s so good to see you.” A special woman he’d known since childhood, also wearing nautical navy blue, emerged from the main cabin.
    “Ah, Sonia. Yes, it’s been too long.” He kissed her on both cheeks. “Layla, this is Luigi’s wife and our Chief Steward, Sonia Pampano.”
    “It’s nice to meet you both.” Layla held