“No need. I already memorized most of the figures.”

Sawyer grinned. “Bet you have. Did you have the support of the board?”

“enough to move forward. It’s a risk, but calculated.

you have an ambitious plan for opening. Will you be ready in six months?”

“yes.”

She tilted her head and reached for a piece of crusty bread. The warm dough broke open, and she drizzled fruity olive oil over the edges. “A dozen things could go wrong and delay your plans.”

He watched her with a fierce intensity she wasn’t used to. Most men never gave her such full attention. Julietta wondered if it was one of his trademark moves he used to seduce women. “I’ve planned for all contingencies,” he finally said. “There will be no mistakes.”

His words dug deep. He needed this as much as she.

The knowledge soothed her nerves, and she reached for her glass. Perhaps they were more similar than she’d originally thought. Sawyer wouldn’t lose his focus over a silly challenge to bed her. Women were definitely a low priority for him. She smiled with relief. “Good. Then we both have something to prove.”

“yes, it seems we do.” Golden eyes gleamed. “The question is why?”

Her fingers closed around the last chunk of bread. She hoped he didn’t spot her tremble. “Doesn’t everyone want to make a fortune in business? Take over the world? It’s the human condition.”

Sawyer refused to follow her lead. “Is that what you want, Julietta? To make your mark?” His eyes burned. “Tell me, why did the deal with The Palace fall through?”

She kept her gaze averted and focused on the bread.

“I’m surprised you don’t know the details already. especially since you were researching La Dolce Famiglia for a while.”

“oh, I do know. I would like to hear your version of the events.”

Her temper nipped, but she answered with calm. “They decided I wasn’t the woman they originally believed I was.

The team had specific ideas and wanted no challenges. In other words, I wouldn’t have a say in my own company.”

“But you would have received prestige. Profits. Growth.”

A tiny frown marred his brow, and she had the uneasy feel-ing he was digging for something she couldn’t understand.

“Isn’t that a big enough payoff? Worth the sacrifice?”

“No. I haven’t gotten to this point to step back and let others take over.” She sipped her champagne to settle her nerves. “I’ll agree to be exclusive. But I won’t give up my rights of control. ever.”

A strange flare of lust heated his eyes, then disappeared so quickly she swore it was just a trick of the candlelight.

She wasn’t a woman to inspire such devotion, especially with such a primal force of man. “I don’t intend to partner with someone who has no opinion or spine, Julietta. Like I stated before, I need a leader who is my go-to person on all aspects. I will use every bit of intellect and talent you have.

By surrounding myself with such a team, I’ll be able to lead us, but be warned: Final approval will always be made by me.”

Her heart hammered, and she squeezed her thighs together as a jolt of arousal penetrated her core. Holy crap.

What was with this crazy reaction to his chauvinistic de-mands? She always hated men who thought they could command others just because they owned a penis. She ignored her body and pushed on. “Understood, as long as there is always a discussion with anything affecting La Dolce Famiglia.”

“of course. So, once we show The Palace what fools they were for letting you go, what next? Will this deal finally be enough?”

Her throat tightened. How dare he try to probe as if he had a right to know her thoughts? When she was finally able to gather her words, her voice was laced with ice. “Still invading personal space? My motivations are mine and not your business. How about you share yours? Will Purity finally be enough for you if it becomes a success?”

The emptiness in his eyes spoke volumes. Julietta clenched her hand in an effort not to reach across the table for contact, as if the feel of flesh on flesh could possibly soothe the gaping wound she knew nothing about. What demons rocked his past? Maybe it was better to never know. “God, I hope so,” he said. “But I won’t know until I get there.”

The waiter interrupted with a variety of steaming plates.

Crispy octopus paired with buffalo mozzarella and salty an-chovies and capers; bite-size beef ravioli in a creamy butter and thyme sauce; grilled eggplant and zucchini drizzled with oil and an array of salts. An odd intimacy buzzed around them, as if sharing secrets at the back of an Italian restaurant bonded them. What was going on? She’d gone on hundreds of business dinners to discuss contracts. Met many attractive, dynamic men who initially interested her.

The outcome always made her back away, but Sawyer challenged her at every turn and seemed to crave something more than the others. As if he not only wanted to strip her clothes off to view her naked body. Almost like he wanted to delve into her soul.

ridiculous.

She fought a shiver and bit into her eggplant. The toasty skin swirled with the pungent flavors of garlic and tomato sauce, soothing her temper. “Why did you pick Milan to un-veil your first hotels? Wouldn’t you be more comfortable back home?”

He waited to respond, obviously enjoying his food, which gave him extra points. Most Americans appreciated vast quantities with too much garnish and detail. She pre-ferred the simpler, richer ingredients in a meal that satisfied a deeper hunger in the body.

“I don’t have a home.”

His simple confession ripped past her ears. Her fork paused midair. “What do you mean? Max said you lived in Vegas and New york for a while.”

one broad shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “I live in whatever hotel I’m working on. It allows me freedom, a luxurious lifestyle, and expertise.” Shadows flickered over his face. “I stayed in Milan when I was young and learning the business. I’ve also spent a few years at the Carlton, so I’m quite comfortable in New york. I decided it would be poetic to begin here. I usually stay still for about a year.

Longer than that and I’m ready to bail.”

Her heart flinched. Family and home were part of her blood, and she couldn’t imagine not having a built-in support system. Her brother and sister might have fled to New york, but Julietta gained most of her strength from the crooked pavement under her feet and the vast Tuscan sky overhead. She had no desire to move anywhere else.

Sawyer’s casual reference to his wandering tendencies only confirmed a deeper loneliness he didn’t seem to care about.

There was no reason for her to care either. The man didn’t need any extra female support. He’d use any weak-ness to his advantage, including the possibility of her attraction. Julietta tamped down on an inner smirk. If only he knew such a road would lead him nowhere.

“you never want more?” she asked. “A place to call yours?”

She immediately regretted the impulsive words. Heat flared and crackled with amber flames, hotter than the one-hundred-proof whiskey Papa used to sneak in when he thought Mama wasn’t looking. Sawyer’s lips twisted in a sensual sneer. “overrated. I’ve learned to appreciate the present in all aspects. Taste, texture, sight, smell. I revel in everything given to me, because there’s no guarantee it’ll be there tomorrow. My home is my current location— nothing more, nothing less.” raw passion flicked from across the table and singed her like droplets of burning water.

“except Purity. It’s the one thing I want to say is a constant.

everything else eventually withers.”

“even love?”

The words flew from her lips, and she almost gasped in horror. Her cheeks heated. Dio mio, what had she done?

She must be having some kind of midlife crisis. Her normal temperament and control slipped around this man in a way that terrified her. She waited for his fury at such an intimate question, but his fork paused midair, as if he was just as shocked as she was. “What did you say?”

Julietta forced a half laugh. “I’m sorry—please disregard that question. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I think I do.” His gaze stripped, probed, tore. It took all her strength not to buckle from the intensity. “I appreciate a woman who asks whatever is on her mind. There is more strength in honesty than in pretty words that never scratch the surface of what’s real.”

“There’s no need to—”

“But I will. No, Julietta, I do not believe in love. Never have. I believe in passion and lust, honesty and loyalty. I believe in hard work and sacrifice. I believe in enjoying the gifts of this world. But I do not believe in love.”

Her fingers trembled. She reached out and drained her glass, trying not to show him how his words affected her.

Had she ever met another man with such a powerful presence? As if no topic was off-limits, and he was willing to explore every dark hidden corner of her body and soul with a fierce pleasure? yet he calmly shared one of his secrets like a gift.

He did not believe in love.

Julietta waited for the rush of relief but only experienced an odd uneasiness. Why did his confession bother her? An answering grief rose in her gut to mourn for a man she did not know, a man who asserted he experienced no gentler emotions. She ached to know more, but the longing could only end badly. He watched her, unblinking, from across the table. And she made her decision.

Their relationship must be held strictly to business.

Nothing more.

It was time she laid out the ground rules.

She pushed her plate away and snapped back to attention. “Thank you for sharing, but my question was uncalled for, and I apologize. I think moving forward we should keep the topics of conversation to work.”

His lip quirked and just like that, his emotions shifted back to distant amusement. Damn him for confusing her.

Damn him for making her act like a fool. “Such politeness.

I’m sure I made you uncomfortable talking about things that are . . . messy.”

She managed not to flinch, but her temper rose. “This will be a long journey, and we need to work closely together. Distractions from either of us would be unwelcome at this point.”

“Such as sex?”

This time, she jerked. Her glass tipped, but she grabbed it in time and righted it. Naked humor carved out the lines of his face. “Do you like to shock women, Sawyer?” she mocked. “you won’t find me that easy to manage. I’ve been harassed, propositioned, and insulted, and I’ve dealt with an array of masculine temper tantrums. I’ve seen it all and can handle it. I prefer to keep our relationship mutually beneficial for all involved, but if you want to play hardball, that’s fine, too. Capisce?”

…

Sawyer studied the woman across the table. Her gorgeous brown eyes snapped with leashed anger and a banked sensuality she kept ruthlessly in check. It was official.

He was nuts about her.

Her mind alone brought him to ecstatic heights he’d missed. The thrust and parry of conversation engaged his intellect, while his body hummed with pleasure from her physical presence. She was his feminine equal in all forms except her refusal to admit she wanted him.