Free Rome for Always (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Collection) by Judy Angelo Page A

she
was a young girl. As you can imagine, the room's got lots of green.” He gave
her a sly grin. “Be warned.”
    It was a good thing he put her on notice. When they
entered the room Arie was so surprised she almost came to a halt. It was like
she’d stepped into the Garden of Eden. When she’d heard of the green room she’d
expected to see the walls in that hue but there was no such thing. Instead, the
walls were a softly elegant shade of ivory accentuated by wainscoting of deep
mahogany. The striking thing was the abundance of plants that filled the space.
There were palms, tall and elegant in the corners and soft ferns in charming
pots hanging from the ceiling. Vases of fresh-cut flowers adorned the side
tables, adding brilliant bursts of color to the scene. But it was the
centerpiece that drew Arie’s attention. In the middle of the room was a low
glass table on which sat the biggest bouquet she’d ever seen, an explosion of
red, pink, white, blue and orange, a floral celebration of color that could
compete with the most brilliant of fireworks.
    She was so entranced by the scene that it was a moment before
she noticed the woman, tall and regal, standing by the piano and regarding her
with cool, dark eyes. In fact, there were two more of them, a brown-haired beauty
sitting on a sofa by the window with a younger-looking woman who now hopped up
to greet her.
    “Hello,” she said as she approached. “I’ve heard so much
about you, Arie. I’m Sophia, Rome’s sister.”
    Arie almost sighed her relief out loud. A friendly
greeting. It seemed that she was off to a good start. Gratefully, she took the
girl’s outstretched hand. “Pleased to meet you, Sophia.”
    But her relief was short-lived because now it was time
for her to meet the matriarch and Mrs. Milano did not look happy at all.  It
wasn’t that Rome’s mother looked unpleasant. On the contrary, there wasn’t even
a hint of a frown on her face. But she wasn’t smiling, either, and that said a
lot. As she approached she seemed cautious. Aloof, even. Arie could tell that
this woman wasn’t going to accept her as quickly as her daughter had. It was
obvious that she wasn’t getting close until she’d had a chance to feel Arie
out.
    “Welcome to Italy, Miss Angelis,” she said as she
reached out to take Arie’s hand. “I’m glad we’re finally getting a chance to
meet.” Emphasis on the word finally. Obviously, she’d had many a conversation
with Rome about his intended. Arie could just imagine the questions that had
flown. Who was she? What kind of woman was she? What was her background? Was
she of good stock? Mrs. Milano looked like the type for whom those things would
be of the utmost importance.
    But Arie refused to be intimidated. The woman wanted
cool? Well, she could be that and more. “Thank you, Mrs. Milano. I’m happy to
meet you, too.” Now that was a lie if there ever was one but she could play
nice just as well as anyone. And, for the sake of her beloved, she would play
nice. Only for Rome.
    “And I’m Lucia.” Miss Brown Hair had come to join her
mother and, just like the older woman, she was regarding Arie with a look that
could only be described as wary.
    “Pleased to meet you.” Arie took the proffered hand and
gave it a shake that said she was here and she wasn’t going anywhere soon. She
didn’t know where she’d gotten this newfound bravado but, no matter how she was
quaking inside, she would never give them the pleasure of seeing her sweat.
    She got a reprieve when Rome stepped forward to gather
his mother and then his sisters in big bear hugs. “Where’s Papa?” he asked as
soon as he’d released them. “I want him to meet Arie right away. He’s going to
love her.”
    Yeah, like your mom and sisters love me ? It was a good thing Rome couldn’t read minds or else her thoughts
would deflate him for sure. When he’d said he couldn’t wait to show her off he
hadn’t been joking. She could see it in his goofy