VITTORIO'S WOMAN (The Vittorio Series) Read Online Free Page A

snapping the brakes into place once she had him positioned in front of the table.   Lilly lifted the lid from one of the plates and inhaled the enticing aroma appreciatively, her comments on how good everything smelled eliciting little more than a grunt from Simon.  She carefully separated the food on the plate and set it in front of him then scooted her chair closer in case he needed her help.
    “Your plate is directly in front of you and there’s a fork just to the right of it.   I’ve arranged your food to make it easier for you to eat by yourself.”  Undaunted by the stubborn set of his chin, Lilly continued.  “Think of it in terms of a clock.  You have sliced beef at twelve fifteen, sautéed vegetables at twelve thirty, mashed potatoes at twelve forty-five, and a dinner roll at noon.”
    “And what time is the wine?”  he asked caustically.
    “Dinner time,” Lilly quipped, “but that’s only if you eat your lunch.”
    “I am not a child, cara , do not treat me like one.”
    Lilly lifted the lid from her own plate and settled the clothe napkin across her lap.   “Perhaps I wouldn’t treat you like a child if you didn’t behave like one.”
    Simon opened his mouth, an angry retort on the tip of his tongue, then quickly changed his mind.   Obviously, he was not going to win any verbal spars with this impossibly ill-mannered woman.  He would just have to think of some other way to rid himself of her. 
    His surly temper and blunt insults had chased off three of the therapists Milana had brought home.  The last one, the woman he referred to as a battleaxe, had been a bit more of a challenge.   It had taken sexual innuendos and a few accidental brushes of his hand against the woman’s rather large breasts to get her to throw in the towel.  Somehow, he doubted touching Lilly’s breasts would make his stomach churn in distaste, as it had with the other woman.
    “Your lunch is getting cold,” Lilly chastised lightly.   “If you prefer, I can feed you until you get the hang of it.”
    Simon crossed his arms mutinously.   “By all means, feed me.”
    Biting back the laughter that bubbled up in her throat, Lilly reached across his plate and retrieved his fork.   “Open,” she commanded, feeling a giddy rush of happiness when he did as she asked.
    She didn’t try to engage him in a conversation for fear he’d get angry again and refuse to eat the rest of his meal.   For the most part, she enjoyed feeding him because it gave her the chance to study his face up close.  In spite of the eye patches and the head bandage securing them in place, he was every bit as devastatingly handsome as she remembered.  His thick, dark hair was longer and extremely unruly, and he’d apparently rebuffed any attempts to shave him, but he still had the power to take her breath away.  The only uncomfortable moment in an otherwise tranquil mealtime came when she lifted the glass of lemon water to his lips.
    Simon’s bronzed hand closed over hers when she tipped it a little too far, causing some of the water to spill out over his chin.   It was a strange sensation, having her fingers trapped between the warmth of his hand and the coolness of the glass, and for one heart-stopping moment, Lilly wondered what it would feel like to have that warmth gliding over her skin in a soft caress.
    “Are you trying to drown me?”
    Lilly blinked.  “What?”  Embarrassed by her wandering mind, she mumbled an apology and pulled both the empty glass and her hand free from his grasp and set it back on the table.  “Would you like dessert?  There’s fresh fruit and lemon cake.”
    “No, now it is your turn to eat.”   Simon tilted his head back and drew in a deep breath.  “It has been some time since I have felt the sun on my face.”
    “We can make it part of our daily routine if you like.”
    “Your predecessors did not last more than three days, what makes you think you are so different?”
    “I don’t give