Dreaming of Love Read online

  Emily knew that was true. Women used men as often as men used women. That’s why she’d kept her eyes open when her brothers had brought home her soon-to-be sisters-in-law. What she found was women who loved her brothers for the attentive, loving, virile men they were, and not for their wealth or social status. She counted them lucky to have met such wonderful women.

  Dae grabbed her ribs again, and she squealed and ran toward the car. She hadn’t had this kind of unfettered fun with a man…ever. Maybe her brothers when they chased her around, but that was a whole different type of giddy enjoyment. Having this type of fun with Dae wasn’t giddy at all; it was enthralling, intoxicating, freeing. He caught up to her in three long steps and picked her up under one arm. She giggled and wiggled, secretly loving the feel of him holding her.

  “I have a deal for you.” He set her down by the car and stood with his legs wide, gazing down at her with lust in his eyes.

  “A deal?”

  “A deal.” He stepped closer, backing her up until her back hit the car, and he placed a hand on either side of her, caging her in.

  His scent filled her senses again, and when their thighs brushed, her pulse sped up. He leaned down close, pinning her in place with the sheer proximity of his body.

  “I’ll go wherever you want today, and you go wherever I want tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” He’d surprised her. She’d spent weeks mulling over her detailed itinerary for her trip. The idea of taking a day willy-nilly, not knowing what she was in store for, wasn’t something she’d ever considered.

  “Okay?” He drew his thick, dark brows together. “Didn’t I warn you not to be so trusting?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, but I’m at your disposal today. In your car, without anyone other than Daisy, who’s thousands of miles away, knowing where I am. If I don’t make it back to the villa in one piece, it won’t matter what I agree to.”

  That earned her a smile.

  “You’re a sassy woman, Emily Braden.”

  Her insides whirred with delight. Sassy? She thought of herself as organized, determined, focused in everything she did. Sassy. He saw a part of her that she’d never given much thought to, and it gave her confidence. She pushed off the car so their bodies were joined from thigh to chest, and holy moly did it feel good. With his compliment driving her, she was beginning to feel like a part of herself was climbing out from where it must have been hiding—and she decided to go with it. “You need to make higher-stakes deals, Mr. Bray.”

  “Higher stakes.” He clenched his jaw again. “Got it.”

  “Higher. Much higher.”

  His lips spread into a sexy smile, full of promise and intrigue, stirring all sorts of deliciously lewd thoughts in Emily’s mind.

  “What’s beneath your sweet facade, Emmie Braden?”

  Emmie? Emily’s gaze didn’t waver from his, even as a shudder rippled through her body. What was he doing to her? She liked this side of herself. This sassy, risqué side that was taking her by surprise and filling her with unfamiliar sexual confidence. She hooked her finger in his belt loop and his eyes followed. “Careful, Emmie. We have a cathedral to see.” He grabbed her wrist and held tight.

  For a hot second they stared into each other’s eyes, bound by sexual tension, until he broke the spell and raised her hand to his lips. He pressed a kiss to her palm, then stalked around the car to the driver’s seat, leaving her hot and bothered, and once again, uncharacteristically flustered. And he’d called her Emmie. Emmie! No one called her that, but from Dae, she liked it. A lot. She’d never met a guy who was so comfortable in his own skin, and she was more turned on than she’d ever been.

  Chapter Three

  DAE MANEUVERED THROUGH the busy streets and parked as close as he could to the cathedral, all the while wondering how the hell he was going to make it through the day without kissing Emily. No matter how much he tried to ignore the comment she’d made last night about him being a big brother, it had struck home. Every time he looked at her, he saw her as not just a hot, sexy woman, but as a sister, a daughter, and, from what he could gather, a caring friend. Since when had he begun caring so much about someone else, and how was it happening so quickly?

  Emily’s phone vibrated for the third time since they’d left the villa.

  “Are you really on vacation, or are you one of those telecommuting workers and you just like fancy environments?” He watched her face scrunch up as she read and responded to an email.

  “I’m on vacation, but I have to be available for work.” Her serious eyes remained locked on her phone.

  “Why? Your assistant, or secretary, or partner can’t handle your emails while you’re away? I just don’t get it.”

  She sighed and finally met his gaze. “My assistant is very capable. Of course she can handle them.”

  “So…”

  “So what?” She crossed her arms, and her dress tightened like she was holding her breath.

  “So when do you actually get to relax and take a vacation?” He knew he was boxing her in to a corner and he shouldn’t take pleasure in watching her squirm, but something told him Emily was a workaholic and she deserved a break. Besides, he wanted to get to know her better without the confines of dinging notifications and emails.

  She looked down at her phone, and her eyes became serious. “I like to keep on top of things.”

  “Uh-huh.” He covered her phone with his hand again. “I’ll make you a deal. How about if you let your assistant handle your emails and enjoy your vacation, at least when you’re with me, and I’ll…”

  She arched a brow. “You’ll?”

  “Hell. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll be your chauffeur the whole time we’re here.”

  She laughed, and the tension in her eased as she unfolded her arms. “Well, how can I turn that down? Let me send this email.” She sent off the email and raised her eyes. “I’ll try, but no promises.”

  “You know, it’s really simple to turn off email notifications. That might help.”

  She rolled her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear.

  “What? Would it kill you to relinquish a modicum of control so you could actually enjoy yourself?”

  She smiled, but he saw the struggle in her eyes as she stared at her phone.

  “Scared you’ll lose clients? Even the most pompous of clients understands that no one works every day of the year.”

  “I try to be better than everyone else.”

  “And I’m sure you succeed in every way. But even Superwoman deserves a break. Especially when she’s flown all the way to Italy, and even more especially when she’s on a date with a handsome guy.”

  Emily smiled, washing away her remaining tension, and scrolled through her settings. “Okay. I’m doing it, but only emails, not texts. My family might need me.”

  “Really?” He couldn’t believe he’d won her over that easily.

  “Yes, really, but I hope you like your new career, Mr. Chauffeur.”

  He reached for Emily’s hand, and she took it without hesitation. He knew the answer to his question of when he’d begun caring about someone else. Since Emily. There was something different about her. In the span of a few hours, she’d knocked him off-kilter. Even the thought of her going home to her family with a heavy heart caused by him made him feel queasy.

  Holy hell. What am I thinking? A heavy heart? What the...?

  He shook his head to clear the strange thoughts from his mind. One thing was for sure. He needed to be careful around her. It was true he was an affectionate guy, but he got the sense that it would be easy to move beyond affectionate and fall for sassy, seductive Emily Braden. But he was all too aware that a tree-hugging architect and a demolition expert would probably not play well in the sandbox for long. Still, when he looked at her wide eyes as she gazed up at the cathedral like a kid faced with a penny-candy store for the first time ever, his chest constricted in an unfamiliar way. He couldn’t restrain himself from capturing the moment.


  “Hold up, Em.” He pulled her close, slipped his phone from his pocket, and snapped a picture with the impressive cathedral in the background.

  “Why do you keep taking our picture?”

  “I don’t know. It feels right. Does it bother you?” Why was he taking their picture so often? He had never been a photo guy, but there was something about Emily that had him cataloguing their time together. Maybe it was because he knew they had only a few days, or that she had him confused as hell and thinking new thoughts that scared him a little. All he knew was that he liked being with her and wanted to remember every detail of her beautiful face. Other than that, he had no idea what the hell he was doing.

  “No.” She searched his eyes and then said softly, “I like it.”

  The way her eyes darkened and her lips curved into a sweet smile made his stomach feel funky. He knew he was playing with fire, but he had no interest in dousing the flames.

  “Good, then the picture taking will continue. Now that that’s settled, what’s your cell number?”

  “That’s your smooth line to get my number?” She arched a brow.

  “No. That’s my way of sending you these pictures so your friend Daisy can show your brothers that you’re alive and well.”

  “Oh.” She dropped her eyes and smiled.

  He pulled her against him, loving the feel of her soft curves. He lifted her chin with his finger, and when he was sure he had her attention, he said, “Did you really expect me to admit that lame line was my way of getting your number?”

  She pushed at his chest and rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

  “Impossible is definitely off the table where you’re concerned. Possible, Emmie. All this…” He ran his hand up and down his body with a teasing smile, though he was anything but teasing. He didn’t have time to play games with Emily, and he didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to scare her off, either. “All this is totally possible. If you give me your number.”

  “That’s pretty high stakes. You learn quickly.” She gave him her number and he sent her the pictures.

  He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted her number, but now that he had it, he wanted more. A lot more.

  BETWEEN DAE’S STRONG grip on her hand and the artful nuances of the rosette and rose windows, the statues of the apostles and Mary, coupled with the intricate architecture and meticulous details of the cathedral, Emily’s heart was racing. Or maybe it was caused by the way Dae smelled like strength and heaven wrapped into one, or the way he was looking at her, like she held all the answers.

  “You’re staring at me.”

  A smile played across his lips. “Am I?”

  “Uh-huh. You’re making me nervous.”

  “Oh, come on. You must be used to guys staring at you.” He stepped closer and bent his head forward. His hair curtained their faces from the rest of the world—and Emily’s pulse kicked up again.

  “You’re…” She swallowed to gain control of the urge to rise up onto her toes and kiss his full lips. “You’re looking at me different from the way most guys do, and you’re supposed to be staring at the cathedral.” She tried to shift her eyes to the magnificent cathedral towering before them, but she couldn’t. Her eyes remained trained on the very masculine, very real man standing an inch away, who was making her head and heart go crazy, stealing her ability to focus one second at a time.

  His dark, penetrating gaze seared through her, warming her from the inside out. Anticipation pulsed around them. Every second he remained silent felt interminable. His scent, the look in his eyes, the way his hair shielded them from the rest of the world—it all wound together and drew Emily up onto her toes, unable to resist him for a second longer.

  I’m going to kiss you. That new side of herself was guiding her, stretching her comfort zone to new places. She felt the earth shift, the world close in on them, as if only the two of them existed—and she wanted to stretch a little more.

  I have to kiss you.

  Her eyes began to close as she felt his grip on her hand tighten. This was it. Their lips would finally meet. She felt his breath whisper across her cheek as he leaned closer.

  “Shall we go inside?”

  She sank to her heels and stumbled backward on shaky legs. What?

  “Inside. Yes. Definitely yes.” Holy crap! She’d misread everything? Him? The air around them sizzling? She moved as if in a daze, feeling foolish and nervous as they joined the line for the cathedral.

  Thankfully, the line moved quickly.

  “Want to climb to the top of the dome first?” He looked…normal.

  Why didn’t he look as flustered as she felt? He was glancing around at the other people, looking up at the cathedral; his eyes even danced over Emily. They danced, they didn’t drag or get hung up on her like hers were to him. Stuck on his freaking Adonis-like muscles.

  “Uh-huh.” Emily couldn’t get past the awkward feeling of nearly kissing Dae and having him jerk her back to reality. Was she really that out of practice in reading men? He’d held her hand, called her nicknames, and stood close enough that she could feel heat rolling off him. She might not have dated much recently, but she knew when someone was attracted to her. What was he doing? Why was he keeping his distance? Or was this all a stupid game to him? Was she so swept up in his attentive nature and good looks that she’d allowed herself to believe it?

  She glanced at his warm eyes, the sincere smile that curved his lips—and now she was more confused than ever. She saw the interest in his eyes. No woman could misread the way the air sizzled between them. Not even her. Not even out of practice. Maybe she was just overthinking things.

  Dae kept a tight grip on her hand as they followed the arrows toward the dome. Emily focused on counting each of the four-hundred-plus steps as they climbed the stone stairs. It was easier than trying to decipher the fast and furious emotions coursing through her. The steps were spiraled, though squared off. They were wide and stable—a blessing in disguise, as she felt Dae’s eyes on her. As the steps went from steep to shallow and became narrower, Emily felt Dae’s hand on her back, steadying her, ensuring her safety, while completely oblivious to the fact that every touch made her legs less stable.

  “You doing okay?” he asked softly.

  Confused out of my mind, but... “Yeah. Fine.” The walkway was darker and in some places, colder, than she’d imagined it would be, and still, with Dae walking behind her, it also felt romantic and a little dangerous—in a good way. She lost count of the steps the third time his hand touched her back. His touch was a much more interesting distraction, and she began counting how many times he touched her.

  He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist as a group of people descended the narrow stairwell. “You’re awfully quiet for fine,” he whispered, sending a shiver down her spine.

  Emily couldn’t answer. What would she say? Why didn’t you kiss me? You confuse me? Even in her head she sounded like either a petulant child or a horny adult, and she wasn’t sure either was appropriate for whatever was brewing between them.

  After the group passed, they began their trek up again.

  “Fine is what women say when they’re really not fine.”

  She heard the smile in his voice, and damn if he wasn’t right. She was kind of annoyed at him for that, but he touched her again, and that sexy smile of his turned that unwarranted annoyance back into desire again.

  Ugh. She was hopeless.

  He placed his hand on her back for the thirty-eighth time as the walkway opened up and they came to a balcony that overlooked the stained-glass windows. The narrow balcony went partially around the circumference of the dome. The balcony was surrounded by a clear plastic shield, so there was no chance of falling. Above them were the magnificent frescoes climbing all the way up the dome.

  “I knew the stained glass would be spectacular, but look down.” Emily pointed to the intricately inlaid marble floors below.

  “The view doesn’t change for me.
No matter how high we climb, it’s always spectacular.”

  She turned and found his eyes locked on her. Her pulse soared and her stomach twisted. He wasn’t just sending mixed messages; he was the king of mixed messages. He was the master of them.

  “You know what we need to do…” Dae’s eyes lit up with that wicked, playful grin of his as he draped an arm around her.

  “Kiss?” She slapped her hand over her mouth. Holy Christ. When did she lose her filter? Ever since I met someone I really wanted to kiss.

  His eyes darkened, and his face grew serious as he withdrew his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture.

  OhGodohGodohGod. What was she thinking? Emily wondered if she could scale the plastic barrier and use her dress as a parachute on the way down to the floor below.

  “Now, that was priceless.” Dae ran his finger down her cheek. “So, you think we should kiss, huh?”

  She was sure her cheeks were beet red. She couldn’t even think of a snappy comeback.

  “Shut up.” She pushed him away and focused on the gorgeous colors coming through the windows across the balcony. She imagined him laughing inside. Kiss? You? Mortified, she tried to make herself feel better. I’m hot, aren’t I? Warm, at least. And smart. Definitely smart. If she needed to chase a man, he wasn’t the right man. How many times had her mother told her that? Well, not many, but enough that it had stuck.

  She felt his presence behind her before he touched her or uttered a word. Goose bumps raced up her arms and—embarrassingly—she felt her nipples harden.

  “Impossible,” she mumbled.

  “Totally possible,” he whispered as he took her hand and led her back to the stairwell without saying another word.

  What. The. Hell?

  They continued climbing the stairs in silence, save for the sound of Emily’s heart thumping against her chest. Possible? What did he mean by possible? Who says something like that but doesn’t kiss the object of possibility?

  This time when a group of tourists passed on their way down, Dae moved to the step behind her, his hands fastened to her waist. This did all sorts of crazy things to her head. His face would be close to her butt, or maybe his head was at her hips. She hoped for hips rather than butt, but she couldn’t be sure. There was no way she was turning around on the steep stairs to find out. All she could do was pray he wasn’t thinking she had the butt of a twelve-year-old boy. She’d never been particularly curvaceous, which she’d always been a little self-conscious of. And now, with her brothers’ fiancées around more often, she was even more aware of her slender frame. She didn’t have an hourglass figure like Pierce’s fiancée, Rebecca. Heck, she wasn’t even as curvy as Daisy, who drew every man’s eyes in Trusty. And Callie and Elisabeth were, well, they were perfect all over. Emily felt plain and simple, with understated curves and a lean body that, thanks to good genetics, she barely had to work for.