Free The American Contessa by Noni Calbane Page B

exchange with Carmina that drew her in.   Their conversation was honest and unaffected,
and Gaby learned more about him in those few moments than she had since she’d
met him.
    By
the end of the meal, the three of them were talking and laughing like old friends.   But there was nothing friendly in the look
that Luca gave her, when Carmina announced she was going to retire for the
evening.  
    His
lustful gaze panicked her into proclaiming that she, too, was ready for
bed.   Luca’s eyebrow rose at her
declaration and she shuddered with awareness.   One thing was for certain, she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight!

CHAPTER TWELVE

    Gaby
silently opened the door to the library.   The rest of the house had long gone to bed.   It was the perfect time to search for the
elusive book.   Devising that the only way
to find it was to search aisle by aisle, shelf by shelf, Gaby turned on two
small lamps near to where she planned to start her exploration.
    She
was just about to begin her hunt, when she felt two eyes upon her.   Looking up, she was startled to find a
portrait of beautiful titian haired woman staring back at her.   She hadn’t noticed the picture on her earlier
venture into the library with Carmina.  
    Inching
closer, Gaby narrowed her eyes and saw that the woman wore a necklace exactly
like the one in the photograph her Grandfather had shown her.    “Wow,” she exclaimed breathlessly.   There, in all its eighteenth century glory,
was the prize for which she searched; the answer to all the financial woes that
had recently befallen her family.   The
painting glared accusingly at her as she leaned forward to inspect the small
brass plate attached to the bottom of the frame.
    There
was no indication as to who the woman was.   Only the artists name and a date -1834.
    “What
are you doing?”
    Gaby
whirled around. “Oh,” she gasped, “You scared the hell out of me!”
    Luca
sauntered into the library and leaned against the banister of the staircase to
the second level.   Wearing a tight white
t-shirt and low slung jeans, he fairly radiated animal magnetism. “Couldn’t you
sleep?   I know I couldn’t,” he admitted.
    Looking
him up and down, Gaby walked to the closest bookshelf and fingered the nearest
book.   “I came to see if I could find something
interesting to take back to my room with me.”
    He
held out his arms and smiled sexily. “See anything you’d like to take up to bed
with you?”
    Gaby
harrumphed and continued looking at the books.   And here she thought she’d made some headway in getting to know the real
Luca tonight.   She must have rocks in her
head if she thought this guy had a sincere bone in his body.
    Moving
closer to where she was standing, he whispered in her ear.   “Tell me Gaby, what tempts you; a good
mystery? Science Fiction?    Erotica?”
    Facing
him, Gaby crossed her arms in front of her chest.   “Oh, I don’t know.   A good book is a good book.”   Holding his gaze, she replied haughtily, “But
I must say, I prefer a book where the protagonists are likable and the words
aren’t so utterly predictable.”
    Frowning
at her sharp taunt, Luca took a step back and looked away.   This was not going well.   So she thought him unlikable and his words
predictable?   He was at a loss.   If he’d flirted with Anna Maria in this way,
there was no doubt in his mind that they’d be on floor by now going at it like
rabbits.    How do you talk to a woman who
seems to see through you like a pane of glass?
    Avoiding
her gaze he exhaled. “You may want to try reading between the lines,” he said
seriously.   “Maybe a character could be
deeper than you think, but the writer just has trouble finding the right
words.”
    “Maybe,”
Gaby replied carefully.   He was
definitely trying hard to have a real conversation with her.   She could tell it was hard for him not to
fall back on seducing and cajoling a woman for whatever he wanted from