The Villa

was. "I wanted you the first minute I saw you. The minute you opened the front door."
    Pleasure sprinted into her, chased by panic, and puzzlement. "I'm—"
    "Don't." He spoke curtly. "Don't say you're flattered."
    "Of course I am. You're very attractive, and—" And she couldn't think straight when he was touching her. "Please. Would you step back?"
    "All right." But it cost him. "You know what happened here doesn't happen every time, with everyone."
    "I think we took each other by surprise," she began and cautiously slid down from the bench.
    "Pilar, we're not children."
    "No, we're not." It flustered her to have to straighten her sweater, to remember how it had felt to have his hands under it. On her. "Which is one of the points. I'm forty-eight years old, David, and you're… well, you're not."
    He hadn't thought anything in the situation would make him laugh. But that did. "You're not going to use a handful of years as an excuse."
    "It's not an excuse. It's a fact. Another is that we've only known each other for a short time."
    "Eight weeks and two days. And that's how long I've imagined getting my hands on you." He trailed his fingers over her hair while she stared at him. "I didn't plan on jumping you in your greenhouse and tearing off your clothes in the middle of your peat pots. But it worked for me at the time. You want something more conventional? I'll pick you up at seven for dinner."
    "David. My husband's been dead only a few weeks."
    "Ex-husband," he said icily. "Don't put him between us, Pilar. I won't tolerate that."
    "Nearly thirty years can't be dismissed overnight, no matter what the circumstances."
    He took her by the shoulders, lifted her up to her toes before she realized just how angry he was. "Tony Avano stopped being your safety zone, Pilar. Deal with it. And deal with me."
    He kissed her again, hard and long, then let her go. "Seven o'clock," he said, and stalked out into the rain.
    Worthless son of a bitch was not going to complicate his life, or Pilar's, from the grave, David determined. His strides were long, his shoulders hunched, and the fury bubbled just under his skin.
    He wasn't going to allow it. There was going to be some straight talk, with all the secrets and shadows shoved into the light. Very soon.
    Because he was scowling at his feet, and Sophia was looking down as she jogged through the rain, they ran hard into each other on the path.
    "Oops," she managed, and slapped a hand on the hat she'd tossed on to protect her from the worst of the wet. "I thought you'd gone home."
    "I had something to do first. I just tried to seduce your mother in the greenhouse. Do you have a problem with that?"
    Sophia's hand fell to her side. "Excuse me?"
    "You heard me. I'm attracted to your mother, and I just acted on it. I fully intend to act on it again as soon as possible. Is that a problem for you?"
    "Ah…"
    "No quick spin? No clever comeback?"
    Even through the daze of shock, she could recognize a furious and frustrated male. "No, sorry. Processing."
    "Well, when you've finished, send me a goddamn memo."
    As he stormed off, Sophia could almost see steam rising off him. Torn between shock and concern, she slapped a hand to the hat again and sprinted to the greenhouse.
    When she burst in, Pilar was standing, staring at her workbench. Pots were scattered, tipped over, and several seedlings were crushed beyond redemption.
    It gave Sophia a very good idea just what had gone on, and where. "Mama?"
    Pilar jumped, then quickly grabbed her gardening gloves. "Yes?"
    Slowly now, Sophia walked forward. Her mother's cheeks were flushed, her hair mussed the way a woman's hair was when a man's hands had run through it.
    "I just saw David."
    Pilar dropped the gloves from fingers that had gone numb, hastily bent to retrieve them. "Oh?"
    "He said he tried to seduce you."
    "He what?" It wasn't panic now but full-blown horror that snapped into Pilar's throat.
    "And from the look of you, he got a good start on it."
    "It was just a…" Unnerved, Pilar snatched up her apron, but couldn't quite remember how to put it on. "We had a disagreement, and he was annoyed. It's really not worth talking about."
    "Mama." Gently, Sophia took the gloves, then the apron, set them down. "Do you have feelings for David?"
    "Really, Sophia, what a question."
    One you're not answering, she thought. "Let's try this. Are you attracted to him?"
    "He's an attractive man."
    "Agreed."
    "We're not—that is, I'm not…" At wits' end, Pilar