Page 19 of How Not to Mess with a Millionaire

“I could have. But I didn’t. I thought it would be easier this way.” She tried to wiggle her toes and grimaced. “Guess I was wrong.”

A pang of guilt hit him like a punch to the solar plexus. He was supposed to be assessing her injury, not questioning her furniture-moving choices.

“Where does it hurt?”

“It’s not that bad. Honest.” She tried to pull away, but he held fast, making her wince again.

“Where?” he demanded.

“My pinkie toe.”

He pressed it gently, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s probably just bruised. But we should tape it up to be sure.”

“Tape it up? Is that really necessary?”

“As you Americans say, better safe than sorry.” He released her foot and stood. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back. I think my grandmother has a first aid kit in the kitchen.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I do. You’re in my family’s home. That makes you my responsibility.”

She bristled, straightening her back and jutting out her stubborn chin. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

Oh, he’d noticed. He couldn’t stop noticing.

“I’m sure you can. But I wouldn’t want you to aggravate your injury. You might sue me or my grandmother for contributory negligence.”

“I’m not going to sue either one of you.”

He suspected as much. But he wasn’t above having a little fun at her expense. “I don’t know. I read that the United States is one of the most litigious countries in the world.”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” she asked, her voice rising. “You’re not a doctor, are you? Or a—what do they call EMTs in Italy?”

“Paramedicos. And no, I’m neither.” He didn’t offer more, like his actual profession. If his grandmother told her what he did for a living or how much he was worth, Zoe wasn’t letting on. She treated him like a man, not an instant teller machine, something he found delightfully refreshing. “But I played football at university. Soccer, I believe you call it in the States. I’ve taped my fair share of toes.”

“Fine. Get the damn first aid kid so you can go all knight in shining armor.” Her eyes drifted down to his chest, lingering there for a long moment before tracking back up to meet his gaze. “And while you’re at it, why don’t you finish getting dressed?”

Dante pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to break into an ear-splitting grin. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

He headed for the kitchen, humming “Che gelida manina”as he went. Little Miss You-Won’t-Know-I’m-Here wasn’t as unaffected by his various states of undress as she wanted him to believe.

Another little gem for the folder marked “Zoe” in his mental filing cabinet.

Chapter Five

“Shh,” Zoe hissed to the pig she was trying—unsuccessfully—to hide under her hoodie. As she’d suspected, it was only a matter of time before Houdini made his way back to Bella Vista. Time being six days. She was starting to wonder what was taking him so long. Now she was wondering how she was going to get him inside the villa and up to her bedroom without Dante noticing.

She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Dante she wasn’t giving the pig back if he showed up again. Animals didn’t run away repeatedly without a reason. Whatever Houdini was running from, she wasn’t sending him back there, even if it meant committing petty theft. Her first instinct was right. He needed her. And maybe with him around, she wouldn’t feel so lonely.

“We’re both fugitives trying to outpace our problems, aren’t we, boy?” Houdini snorted his response, and Zoe stuffed him farther inside her hoodie, struggling to zip it with one hand while she held the pig with the other.

“You have to be quiet. And stop squirming. If the master of the house finds out you’re here, he’ll never let you stay. He barely tolerates me as it is.”

Not that she minded. Much. And if she kept telling herself that, maybe she’d start to believe it.

She couldn’t understand it. People usually liked her. Sure, she had a smart mouth, and sometimes she didn’t know when to shut it and stop talking. But she was also adventurous and fun-loving and generally pretty amusing to hang out with.

Not that her housemate would know.