Free Taming Her Italian Boss by Unknown Page A

fire, yet his skin felt as cold as ice. ‘In fact, I’d rather you didn’t mention him at all in my presence.’
    And then he turned and strode from the room.

CHAPTER SIX
    M AX STARED AT S OFIA , who was currently sitting on one of his mother’s sofas, staring at him expectantly. Gone was the sunshine of the previous day, replaced by a low, drizzly fog. It would probably clear up by the afternoon, but that didn’t help him now.
    There would be no walk this morning, no playing ball games in the street or a nearby square. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t many parks in Venice, so children had to make do with whatever outside space the city presented to them. He tried to rack his brains and think what he’d done as a boy on his visits here, but most of his memories were of when he was older, involving boats or other children.
    Ruby walked into the room. He hadn’t seen her since last night, and had almost got used to the bright strawberry-covered dress. Her attire was once again completely different, but somehow it seemed less of a jump this morning. Today she looked like a groupie from a rock band, with skinny jeans, a black T-shirt and a multitude of necklaces and bangles. Her dark, purple-streaked hair also seemed to be standing up a little more than usual.
    ‘Good morning,’ she said.
    Max nodded.
    Ruby must have seen the panic in his eyes, because she smiled that soft little I’m-trying-not-to-make-it-look-as-if-I’m-laughing-at-you smile. He gave up any pretence of competence.
    ‘What do I do?’ he asked, gesturing towards the windows.
    She shrugged. ‘Do something she likes to do.’
    Marvellous suggestion. Great. That was the whole point. ‘But I don’t know what she likes to do.’
    He searched around the room. His mother didn’t have many toys, just a few in the bottom section of an antique sideboard. He opened the door and started to rummage. When he was halfway through pulling things out, most of them puzzles and board games far too old for his niece, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He twisted his head and found Sofia grinning at him. ‘Dat!’ she announced firmly, pointing to a cardboard box.
    Max reached for it and opened the lid. It contained the brightly coloured wooden blocks that Sofia had been playing with yesterday. As he stared at them, the way they were worn, how the paint had been knocked off some of the corners and edges, he realised they’d once been his. Sofia nodded, walked over to the large rug that filled the middle of the room and sat down on it, waiting.
    Well, at least he knew what to do with bricks, even if they were this small. He started arranging them into a small structure, but Sofia wasn’t happy with that. ‘Build pinsess!’ she said firmly, tugging at his shirtsleeve.
    Max looked at her. ‘Huh?’
    ‘Build pinsess,’ she repeated, looking at him as if he should have no trouble obeying her command. He looked up at Ruby helplessly.
    ‘I think she’s saying “build princess”.’
    He was still lost.
    Ruby chuckled. ‘I think she wants you to build her a fairy-tale castle.’
    Max looked down at his rather square, half-finished house. Great. Now the Institute of Fine Art weren’t the only ones who weren’t pleased with an original Martin design.
    ‘What does a fairy-princess castle look like?’
    Ruby got down on the rug beside them and started gathering bricks. ‘The basics are there,’ she said. ‘You just need to embellish a little.’
    She leaned forward to pick up another brick and Max caught the scent of her perfume. He would have expected her to wear something bold and eye-watering, like too-sweet vanilla or pungent berries, but it was a subtle mix of flowers and spices. It made him forget where he’d been about to place the next brick.
    He shook himself and found somewhere, even though he was sure he’d had a different spot in mind when he’d picked the thing up.
    They finished the main structure then added turrets and a drawbridge. Ruby