Taming Ricardo, The Italian Billionaire

Thirty minutes later, he was disappointed to find out that she wasn’t home. Determined to see her, he decided to wait. Nearly fifteen minutes later and plenty of suspicious looks from some of the residents, he heard soft, melodious humming. He was leaned against Kyra’s door with his hands in his pockets. It was Kyra, stepping out of the elevator. She held a bag of groceries in one hand while she dug into her handbag with the other. She had earphones in her ears and was bopping and humming to whatever music she was listening to.

She was dressed in yoga pants and a tight tank top, and her hair was caught in a messy bun. Even in workout gear, she looked incredible. She swiveled her hips and did a twirl just as she pulled her key from her bag. Ricardo smiled, his gaze zeroing in on the delicious curve of her hips. When she finally looked up, she froze and let out a shriek. He moved swiftly, catching her grocery bag before it hit the floor.

“Holy shit! Ricardo!” She clutched her chest and groaned. “Please, tell me you didn’t see me attempting to dance.”

Ricardo swallowed a smile. “I did. I must say you have great moves.”

“Oh, God,” she groaned. “Kill me now.”

He couldn’t help chuckling. “There’s no need for embarrassment.”

“Why are you here?” She asked holding her hand out for her bag.

“Let me carry it in for you,” he said. “You left. Why?”

With a huff, she brushed past him to open her door. Ricardo followed her inside, to her kitchen and set the bag down on the counter. “Thank you. And what happened today shouldn’t have happened.”

“So instead of staying and discussing it like an adult, you ran?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that I’m childish?”

“No. I’m saying that your action today was childish.” Kyra delivered a withering glare and he sighed.  “Look, Kyra. I apologize for pouncing on you like some hormonal teenager. If my behavior offended you, I’m sorry. You deserve better than being fondled on my office desk.”

Kyra’s eyes widened slightly and then she covered her face with her hands. “Wow, so we’re doing this. Okay.” Looking up, she met his gaze and all Ricardo wanted to do was reach out and touch her.

Get a grip man, he silently berated himself.

“I didn’t have any complaints about being fondled on your desk, as you put it and I don’t have any now. As I recall, I rather enjoyed it. So there’s no need for your apology.” She folded her arms across her middle and averted her gaze.

Feeling relief course through his veins, Ricardo shrugged. “So why did you leave?”

“It’s not important. Let’s just forget about what happened.”

He let out a mirthless laugh. “I doubt I can just forget kissing and touching you. I dream about it every night for, Christ’s sake. And don’t tell me you can just forget.”

Shuffling from one foot to the other, Kyra shook her head? “Do we really have to remain on this subject? It’s very uncomfortable.”

“Too bad. I won’t tolerate you slipping away from me every time. I want you and I’m almost positive you want me too. Why do you keep running?”

“You know why.”

“What, because of my renovation project? I don’t think it’s that simple, Kyra.”

For a moment her face shuttered. It was the first time since meeting her that he couldn’t read her. Fearing that she wouldn’t respond, he gave her an imploring look. “Kyra, please just tell me if I’m wasting my time or not. If you look me in the eyes and tell me to leave you alone now, I will.” Releasing those words into the atmosphere left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wouldn’t be so easy to walk away from her. He waited a bit, worried about what her response would be.

She sighed. “You’re not wasting your time. I’m very much attracted to you, Ricardo. You just scare the crap out of me. Okay? There, I said it.”

He frowned. “I knew I frightened you off today.”

“It isn’t about what happened in your office.”

She fell silent and began nibbling her lower lip. He stepped forward and gripped her chin. “Don’t do that, Kyra. It makes me want to kiss you.”

Her eyes widened a fraction and she pulled away from him. Ricardo dropped his hand feeling a tinge of hurt. But his hope elevated when she murmured, “I want you to kiss me. That’s what scares me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I feel this strong attraction to you and I sort of hate myself for it. I mean, liking you goes against everything that I believe in, against everything I’ve dedicated myself to fight for. I can’t get you out of my head either and that scares me. When I’m around you, I feel like I lose myself. I-I don’t act like me.”

Ricardo stared at her for a long while, not sure how to respond. He’d been married for ten years, widowed and single for two so he didn’t quite remember how the dating game went. Perhaps he was moving too fast with Kyra. “Jesus, Kyra. Why are you making things so complicated? I like you and you like me. It’s pretty damn simple.”

“No, it’s not.

He inhaled deeply, struggling to hide his frustration. “Fine. Tell you what, we are going to have dinner and discuss everything. Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll take you somewhere nice?”

She huffed and threw her hands up. “Don’t tell me what we are going to do! How about you ask me if I want to have dinner with you? And that is precisely what I’m talking about. It’s not me to dress up and go to some fancy restaurant. I spend my nights here, alone, reading books and eating take-out. Okay? That’s me. I don’t fit into your world.”

Ricardo was taken aback but maintained his composure. It dawned on him that getting anywhere with Kyra required patience. He just got a bit of insight as to what was going on in her head. “Okay. Will you have dinner, here, with me? We can order whatever you like.”

She sent him an annoyed look. “My, you sure are persistent.”

“I’m tenacious when it comes to what I want.”  When she hesitated, he said coaxingly, “Come on, cara mia, it’s only dinner, right here in your apartment.”

Her lips lifted into a small smile. “I can’t resist when you speak Italian.”

“Ah, so that’s what it takes,” he said with a smirk.

“Uh, huh. Can I take a shower while you order some Chinese? Chinese is my favorite.”

“Anything you want, cara. I do hope Italian will be your favorite soon.”

His suggestive tone made her blush. “You’re a hopeless flirt, Ricardo.” She picked up a menu from the counter and handed it to him.

*****

“Do you like New York?”

Ricardo’s gaze settled on Kyra. She was curled up on one of the couch, eating from a carton. The entire scene was new to him. He was used to expensive restaurants and glitz and glamor. Well, that was what he had gotten accustomed to because it was what his wife had preferred. He’s never enjoyed it. This, with Kyra was simple, comfortable. He liked It.

“I do and I’m getting to like it even more now.” He kept his eyes on her and smiled when she pursed her lips and looked away. He found her shyness utterly adorable. “You know, I’m not accustomed to this.”

“What?”