Italy. I’m actually out of the States and in another country! Riana stepped off the plane and took a deep breath. The air was warm and relaxing and so foreign!There wasn’t much to see at the airport but the little she did see excited her. She spread her arms out and leaned her head back. “I’m in Venice!” She kissed her fingers and blew kisses. “Ti amo Venice, ti amo!”Allan laughed behind her but she didn’t care. She was too happy to care and, in fact, she didn’t mind sharing the love. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on to him so she could lift her legs off the ground and force him to support her weight.“Wow!” He quickly wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her up against him.“Thank you, Allan. No one has ever done anything as wonderful as this for me.” She planted a short kiss on his lips. “So are we g

Riana stepped into the Imperial suite. She’d never seen a hotel as beautiful as this. The moment she stepped into the lobby, it took her breath away. The crystal chandeliers wowed her, the diamond-like structure sparkling when the crystals hit the light, and the exquisite, old-fashion furniture and traditional decorations spoke of their cultural history. “Is this where we are staying?” she whispered to Allan, in complete awe. Allan nodded, his lips turned down in a frown. “Yes. It does look old fashioned, nothing like The Ritz.” “Oh no, it’s just perfect.” She turned full circle, trying to take the entire room in. “Don’t you see what they are trying to do? The best centuries were the eighteenth and nineteenth when royalty meant something more than Prince William and Puff Daddy having equal celebrity status.” She stopped before him. “Anyone into art, photography, painting, design…whatever the genre, this is art heaven. It’s like stepping back in time, I just love it.” Allan looked

Riana watched Allan sit silently a few feet away from her, clearly deep in thought. She feared he was worrying about work and how much he’d neglected just to entertain her.Maybe they should just go back to the hotel?“Gratzie,” she said to the vendors and held up one finger as she pointed back to Allan with her thumb. “Could you give me just a minute. I just want to make sure he’s all right.”They responded with holding up a finger and pointing at Allan, too. Riana laughed, realizing too late that she should have brought an English-Italian dictionary with her.She moved toward Allan and stood next to him. She smiled. He hadn’t noticed her yet. She pushed her fingers into his raven hair and tugged his head back. “Earth to Allan?”His lips twitched in what looked like a forced smile. “Get what you like?”“What’s wrong? Are you worried about work because we

Riana felt her body tremble at Allan’s anger. She fought the urge to stand up and run after him as he stomped away. She’d never seen such anger in his eyes before and the fear of rejection kept her where she was. She didn’t even turn around to watch him leave.She just sat there, with her head bent and her shaking hands in fists on her lap. She hadn’t meant to offend him, she just found his line of work and what it did to people inexcusable and had hoped what Loraine said wasn’t entirely true.But when she’d practically called him a vulture feeding a pack of hyenas and he’d responded with ‘it’s nothing personal just business’ something inside her just snapped. She had been one of those families that were left stranded when the textile factory her mother worked at was taken apart. Allan may not have had anything to do with it, but from the cold way he’d said ‘it’s nothing personal just busines

Alan bit his lips shut to hold back the laugh threatening to bubble out and nodded. No one had ever called him misguided either. He should be offended, but it was too darn funny how she tried to find the good in him after pointing out his faults.“First you question my integrity then call my career, my family’s seventy year old business mind you, a misguided choice.”She shrugged. “Just because it is a seventy year old family practice doesn’t mean it’s the right choice. I understand that you might not have had a choice, but had to take the reins from your father, probably because you are the first-born son and he wanted to retire to a tropical island with your mother, which is something a couple their age should do. I mean, they’d given a lot of years to—”Allan kissed her to shut her up. It was nice to hear her rambling again and ever better to feel her lips against his. But they needed to clear the air befo