Her tone dripped with icicles and he caught an immediate chill. Her protectiveness and loyalty toward Alexa always fascinated him. How could someone who had the potential to love be so alone? Unless she had a steady lover hidden in the background? She never brought a male companion to any of the functions. Michael studied her figure but caught no softness or satisfaction, just the usual low hum of energy she always exuded.

His thoughts flashed to their first date almost a year ago. Alexa begged him to meet Maggie, citing some strange female instinct that they’d be perfect together. The moment their gazes locked, Michael knew sexual chemistry would never be their problem. She seemed just as startled by their instant connection but played it off with an expert ease until he realized she was a contradictory bundle of emotions—a tigress caught without her roar. The stimulating, edgy conversation only heightened his desire for her, but he knew she’d never be a one-night stand, as badly as she wanted to pretend that was all they could have.

He’d briefly ached to be the man to challenge her limitations and offer more. But his close relationship with Alexa and the threat of a messy breakup kept him from extending the evening to another date. He sought a woman who would fit in with his close-knit family and not keep herself distant. Maggie was the opposite of everything he believed he needed in a mate. Boring, no. But a mass of contradictions, emotions, and work, yes. If they tore each other apart, Alexa and Nick would become the victims, and since he viewed them as family, he never put anyone he cared about at risk. Not because of his own selfish needs.

He’d practiced that move most of his life.

Still, he’d screwed up. Her almost shy offer of the possibility of another date incited a fear he’d never experienced from a woman.

The raw vulnerability on her face from his rejection startled him. But there would never be a second chance with Maggie Ryan. She’d never allow herself to be put in such a position again, and she loved to remind him of it constantly.

Alexa lifted the baby charm up. “Isn’t it beautiful, Maggie?”

“Charming.”

Michael smothered a laugh at Alexa’s warning look. Like a sulky child, Maggie backed off. “I have to get going, babe,” she said. “I have to leave for Milan soon and still have tons to do.”

Alexa groaned. “God, what I’d do to go to Milan and get a new wardrobe.” She looked down at her fashionable dress and wrinkled her face.

“Lily was worth a couple of pounds,” Maggie said firmly. “I’ll bring you back a pair of sexy heels that’ll drive Nick mad.” Her gaze veered directly to Michael’s face as if to prove a point. “Not that it takes much the way you two go at it.”

“Go at what?” Nick appeared and slipped his arms around his wife’s hips.

“Never mind,” Alexa said sharply.

“Sex,” Maggie stated. “I’m going to Milan and bringing back Alexa some sexy shoes.”

Nick looked intrigued. “How about one of those silky nightie things, too?”

“Nick!”

He ignored his wife’s embarrassed hiss and grinned. “What? She’s going to the fashion capital of the world and you don’t want lingerie? Hell, I do. The way you look is just . . . delicious.”

Maggie laughed. “Done. She’ll look hot in red.”

“I hate you both.”

Nick pressed a kiss to his wife’s neck. Michael turned his head for a moment and caught the look on Maggie’s face.

Longing.

Emotion lodged at the back of his throat as he registered the wistfulness on her face while she gazed at her brother, then the shutter slammed down and the moment disappeared.

He straightened and decided to make his move. “Maggie? Before you leave, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She shrugged. “Sure. What’s up?”

“In private, please.”

Nick and Alexa shared a look. Maggie rolled her eyes at them. “Give me a break, guys. It’s not like he’s going to ask me to marry him or anything.”

Michael winced. Nick shook his head at her antics but she only stuck out her tongue and led the way down the hall toward one of the back rooms. She jumped on the high platform bed and kicked her legs out in front of her. With her arms propped behind her back, her breasts pressed against the silvery top in a demand to be freed. God, was she wearing a bra?

Michael tried to be casual as he leaned against the wooden beam of the four-poster bed. His curiosity was rewarded when twin points poked against the soft fabric. He shifted in an attempt to get comfortable, annoyed she couldn’t have picked the formal den to have this conversation. It was too easy to imagine her spread out on the champagne quilt as he dragged her top over her breasts with his teeth. He bet her nipples were ruby-colored and very sensitive. Seemed like the fabric alone caused them to respond. Michael fought a shudder and clawed for focus.

“I have a proposition for you.”

She threw her head back and laughed. The smoky sound beckoned like a witch casting a spell. “Well, then, you’ve come to the right girl.” She licked her lips with deliberate precision. The faint sheen of wetness gleamed in the light. “Proposition away.”

He smothered a curse and decided to go for the blunt approach. “I need a pretend wife.”

She blinked. “Huh?”

“Si.” He despised the slight flush his ridiculous admission caused and forged on. “I am having some family difficulties and I’m required to marry. I need someone to go to Italy with me for a week, pretend to be my wife, spend some time with my family, then leave.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like I dropped into the Lifetime movie of the week?”

“What is Lifetime?”

She waved his question off. “Never mind, a girl thing. Um, let me think about this for a moment. You need me to pretend to be married to you, hang with your famiglia, stay in their house, and then return like nothing ever happened?”

“Yes.”

“No, thanks.” She jumped gracefully off the bed and headed out. Michael cut in front of her and kicked the door closed. She arched a brow. “Sorry, not into the dominating thing.”

“Maggie, please hear me out.”

“Hell, no. I heard enough. First off, I’m going to Milan to work, not to be a mail-order bride. Second, we don’t really care for each other, and your family would pick that up in a moment. Third, we’re not even close friends, which negates me from owing you any favors. Surely, you have some lovely young thing just begging for the opportunity to shine in this role?”

Michael held back a groan. Did he really think this would be easy? “Actually, that’s why you’ll be perfect for the job. I need someone who won’t get any strange ideas. Anyway, I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.”

“What if I am?”

“Are you?”

She pulled back. The temptation to lie glimmered in those eyes, then cleared. “No. But I’m still not doing it.”

“I’ll pay you.”

She smirked. “I don’t need your money, Count. I make enough on my own, thank you.”

“There must be something we can bargain with. Something you want.”

“Sorry, I’m a pretty happy girl. But thanks for the offer.” She reached past him for the doorknob.

She was his only candidate, and he didn’t think America had a store to buy fake brides. The final option flashed before him. It would never work, of course, and Nick wouldn’t approve. But if Maggie thought it was a possibility, she may drop right into his hands. He pushed past his conscience and played his trump card. “Fine, I guess I’ll need to ask Alexa.”

Maggie stopped. Her hair flew, then slid into place as she whipped her head up to eyeball him like a prizefighter. “What did you say?”

He sighed with mock regret. “I didn’t want to ask her to leave Lily so early, but I’m sure she will help me.”

Pure temper oozed from her pores. She clenched her jaw and spoke between gritted teeth. “Don’t even think about it, Count. Just leave her and Nick alone. Solve your own damn problems.”

“As I am trying to do.”

She lifted herself up on tiptoes and got in his face. Her breath rushed over his lips, a heady combination of coffee and cognac and arousal. “I swear to God, if you even present such a crazy idea to them I’ll—”

“What? Once I explain the situation, Nick will understand. Alexa has always wanted to travel to Italy, and it will only be for a few days. This is a family emergency.”

“You’re not family!” The words breezed past his ears with a whoosh and he caught the edge of resentment in her tone. “Stop interfering in their life and get one of your own.”

He clucked his tongue. “So angry, la mia tigrotta. Are you jealous?”

Her hands reached out and clenched around his upper arms. The bite of her nails dug into his muscles and only upped the swirling sensual tension between them. “No, I’m pissed you’re still hanging around Alexa like a lost puppy dog, and now my own brother doesn’t even see it. I wish there was a way to get rid of you. I wish I could—”

Her mouth snapped shut. Very slowly, she removed her nails from his arms and took a step back. His body mourned the loss of her female heat. Michael watched with trepidation as the gleam in her eyes brightened. Somehow, he didn’t think her next words would be good. Somehow, she looked a bit dangerous.

“If I agree to this insane plan, you’ll give me anything I want?”

Her sudden turn of direction made his stomach lurch. “Yes.”

Her lips curved into a smile, stained red and perfectly formed. He stared helplessly at that sensual mouth, made for carnal delights beyond his fantasies. Dios, his body throbbed with a painful pressure and distracted him from rational conversation. He thought of the nuns in the Catholic church he grew up with and some of the pulsing blood calmed.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

He didn’t celebrate. Just stared at her with suspicion. “What do you want?”

The triumph on her face superseded her words. “I want you to stay away from Alexa.”

Michael flinched. Somehow, his clever ammunition misfired. He mentally cursed for leaving himself wide open for her sneak attack. Her continued insistence he was secretly in love with Alexa usually amused him, but now he faced something more vital. He decided to pretend to misunderstand. “Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll keep my distance if you’d like.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Don’t think you understand the agreement, Count. When she invites you over for Sunday dinners, you will be busy. No more visiting Lily. No more attending family functions. You can deal with Nick in a business capacity, but from now on, you will no longer consider yourself a close friend of Alexa. Capisce?”

Oh yeah. He understood. His irritation grew at her inability to state his first name. The elegant title became mocking uttered from her lips, and a dominant need to force her to use his birth name shook through him. Preferably while she was on her back, thighs parted, crazed with lust for him. He retreated behind a cool facade and prayed she wouldn’t notice the bulge in his pants. “Why are you so threatened, cara? What are you afraid will happen between Alexa and me?”

Her chin lifted. “I’ve seen how easy it is to ruin something good,” she said with a tinge of bitterness. “Alexa and Nick are happy. She doesn’t need a man sniffing around the sidelines. They may trust your intentions, but I don’t.” Maggie paused. Her final words came out in a harsh whisper. “I see the way you look at her.”

Michael fought for air as her blunt words attacked him like wasp stings. She really thought so little of him. To imagine he’d try to break up a marriage and betray a trust sliced deep. Still, within his own anger and pain at her beliefs, he admired her gutsy move. Once she devoted herself to another person, she’d be loyal for life. Perhaps that’s why she avoided long-term entanglements.

Her body vibrated with tension and raw emotion. “I’m sick of everyone saying I’m crazy. Just this once, admit to me you love her. Tell me the truth, give me your promise to stay away, and I’ll pretend to be your bride.”

He studied her in brooding silence. Arguing was fruitless. Alexa reminded him of his sisters whom he’d left behind in Italy, and she soothed a need for comfort in a sometimes lonely world. She owned the impulsiveness of Venezia, the responsibility of Julietta, and the sweetness of Carina. Obviously, the warmth that radiated in his face when he looked at her had been misconstrued by her best friend.

Perhaps this was for the best.