"i want to come, but i'm really tied up here." gia winced. "i'll see what i can do... if i get free, tell me again what time i should be at delvecchio's."

"five thirty. it was the only time they could take us last minute."

"i'm not sure i can be done with my downtown appointment this afternoon by five thirty. don't be surprised if y'all have to go on without me." gia made a mental note to ask jason if they could shop for a gift today and drop it off at the restaurant before her family arrived.

"i was afraid you'd say that." mila sounded disappointed. "if your schedule changes and you can make it, then come by. i know your dad would be thrilled."

"sure. yeah. thanks for the heads up. if i end up having to leave the gift at the restaurant, i'll text you. talk to you soon."

gia shoved her phone in her purse again and turned suspiciously to the hall, wondering if she'd find jason lurking there. but no. she crept downstairs and found him in the kitchen sipping coffee and browsing his newspaper.

"so we need to drop your nephew's insurance card by the pediatrician's office?"

his question rattled her. "i can take care of it and be back by two."

jason's blue eyes turned dark, his entire expression disapproving.

or not...

"i'll be driving you, gianna." he spoke her full name, telling her with just one word that she'd reached an unbendable boundary.

she tried to hold in a sigh. "i also need to drop off a little something for my dad. would it be possible to stop by a mall first?"

"of course."

"if you don't have time, i understand. you sounded like you were on an important call when i first came downstairs, so-"

"nothing is more important than you."

his words made her stomach flutter. honestly, she didn't understand her husband. he hadn't even pretended that he believed in love, yet he'd done everything to make her happy, comfortable, and sated since she'd walked through his door. if he'd told her that he loved her this morning, she would have believed him. oh, his demeanor could be remote. but his behavior spoke volumes, every word saying so clearly that he cared.

confused and yearning, gia lowered her gaze. "thank you."

"my pleasure. why don't you shower? i'll set out something for you to wear. we'll leave when you're ready."

"i can find my own clothes. you don't have to..."

gia stopped. no, jason didn't have to choose her clothes, but his raised brow told her that he wanted to. in fact, he insisted. it should really bug the independent woman in her, but the idea that he sought to select every stitch on her body from the skin out excited her.

"all right," she murmured.

"excellent. off with you. i'll take care of everything else."

jason watched his wife walk up the stairs. she intended to keep him separate from the rest of her life. not acceptable. he suspected gia worried about her parents' reaction to their marriage. no, he wasn't catholic, but marco and silvana angelotti would surely find other redeeming qualities in him-namely that he would always take care of their daughter.

later, he'd allow himself to feel disappointment in gia's behavior. now, he had other plans.

before he'd asked thorpe to reach out to his wife, jason had examined his marriage from every angle and found three impediments to making their relationship last. he'd cured the first by bringing gia here to actually spend time with him so she could see what their life together might be like. he hadn't completely fixed the second problem, but he'd started the process. it shouldn't take much longer. the last? well, maybe today he could enact change...even if he had to force her to face her fear.

for now, he'd show her a pleasurable afternoon while he ironed out this new wrinkle between them: her insistence on love.

frowning, he pulled out his phone and made a few arrangements, then headed upstairs to the bedroom he shared with his wife. that had a nice ring, and he had to admit that he'd been much happier since getting her under his roof. she looked better rested. he'd even managed to put a few pounds back on her. all in all, it had been a successful nine days.

time to step up his game and close the deal.

once in the master bedroom, he heard the shower running behind the closed bathroom door. prowling to his adjoining walk-in closet, he opened his armoire and pulled out a few bags. he'd carefully chosen the contents of each over the past week. a bra here, a skirt there. understated but sexy heels. a designer bag with a beautiful pop of bright pink. according to his assistant, these would thrill gia, and he enjoyed buying her things she'd never buy for herself.

next, jason pulled open the jewelry drawer. inside, he found the tiffany blue velvet box with gia's wedding ring tucked away and clutched it in his fist.

nothing ventured, nothing gained...

with a decisive nod, he shut the armoire doors and laid all the items out on their bed, including the ring.

quickly, he made use of one of the showers down the hall, then returned and dressed, just waiting for her reaction. it should be enlightening.

chapter six

about mid-morning, they pulled up in front of one of the swanky, old-money malls of dallas. she'd heard of this place, but it was easily thirty minutes from her part of town, and she'd never had the bank account to shop here.

gia pursed her lips. she couldn't blame jason for bringing her to this mall when she hadn't been specific about which one she wanted. his condo wasn't far from here, and to a guy, one shopping center was probably as good as the next. hopefully, at least one store would allow her to buy a present for her dad that didn't cost her an arm and a leg. but when they breezed in from the parking lot and the first merchant on her right was tiffany, gia didn't hold much hope.

and it reminded her of the little blue box jason had put on the bed beside the ensemble-minus panties, of course-that he'd instructed her to wear. in every other way, the outfit was classy, well-made, and fit perfectly. she'd squealed over the raspberry-colored kate spade bag. even the black jimmy choo kitten heels were surprisingly comfortable. since the tags had still been on everything, she'd choked at the cost. was jason insane? nine hundred dollars for a roberto cavalli skirt? she would never have even looked at something this pricy, much less bought it. but this was his show, so she'd worn everything he'd given her, hoping like hell she didn't spill anything and stain the garments.

jason escorted her inside, then stopped her with a subtle grasp in front of the legendary jeweler. "where's your ring, gianna? i set it out for you to wear."

damn. she'd known he would ask. "in my purse. i don't think wearing the ring is such a good idea."

"because you don't think you'll be mrs. denning much longer?"

gia hesitated. everything between them was up in the air. until she figured out whether she could stay with a man who might never say he loved her, she had to play it safe. "because at this point we've only agreed to spend a few more days together. i'd hate to lose it while we're deciding about the future."

he didn't look happy with her answer. "do you dislike it?"

it was far bigger than anything she'd ever imagined someone putting on her finger. she was almost afraid to find out how much he'd spent on it. every minute she'd worn it last year, she'd checked to make sure the center stone hadn't somehow popped out or that the ring hadn't slipped off her finger.

"if you don't like it, i'll get you something else." he looked toward tiffany & co.

"that's not it. i just..." how did she put this into words? "the conversation we had this morning disturbed me. the point of marriage and family is love. desire isn't enough."

"do you really mean to give up on us because i won't say three silly words? other than that one conversation, we're getting along perfectly. i've enjoyed this time with you more than i can express. until this morning, i believed you felt the same. am i wrong?"

lying wouldn't solve anything. "no."

"good. having a realistic view of marriage in no way negates the fact that i care about you. you're not just a trophy or a body to me. i believe we can have a good life together. i've got nothing against roses and champagne. i'm happy to buy you all the lace you want. i'm too direct to ever compare your eyes to stars or whatever romantic drivel people spout. beyond that, no two people should have their world revolve entirely around the other."

"none of that is love." was he really that clueless? where did he get these notions? she had a suspicion... "you know, we never talked about your parents. tell me about them."

"let me put your wedding ring on your finger and i will." when she opened her mouth to object, he shushed her. "if you lose it, it's insured. i'll replace it. any other objections?"

at the moment? "no."

in truth, the ring was beautiful, but it was dangerous to entertain the fantasy they were a loving husband and wife out together for a relaxing afternoon before they returned home to cuddle on the couch to watch tv or make love.

"so what's the problem? do you want to avoid wearing my ring more than you want to hear about my parents?"

with his tight jaw and down slashing brows, he turned away angrily. but when gia curled a hand around his elbow and nudged him to face her, he looked more hurt than anything. her resistance melted.

"i do want to hear." gia dug into her purse and laid the cheerful blue box in her palm.

jason's big fingers curled around hers, her ring sandwiched between them. when they touched, the electric contact gave her a jolt. he curled his other hand around her neck and cradled her head. god, she always got so lost in his eyes...

during their year apart, she'd often had dreams about him. no matter what happened during those episodes, when she woke, it was his eyes that haunted her. but she loved so much more about jason.

his sophisticated precision and the relentless way he attacked life had always fascinated her, yes. he cut through the bs and simply said what others only dared to think. once he'd zeroed in on her, he'd quickly snagged her attention and conquered her heart. since then, he hadn't let go. gia thought she had, but now she wasn't so sure.

"baby..." he murmured as he bent to brush a kiss over her lips.

gia closed her eyes, soaked jason in, and opened to him. with something between a sigh and a groan, he took her mouth, plunging deep, his grip tightening on her. he took her breath as he stole her heart all over again.

she grabbed his shoulders, wriggling closer and fusing herself against him. how could she want him again so desperately? but like always, the moment their lips met, the passion sparked to a blaze that quickly became a conflagration.

because she loved him. but according to him, he would never love her in return.

damn it, what was she supposed to do about that?

as he let go of her hand and gripped her wrist to bring her closer, someone jostled them and cleared her throat. gia looked up to find an elderly woman silently scolding them as she passed.

jason smothered a laugh. "guess she doesn't believe in pda."

"public displays of affection weren't big in her day. my parents don't mind indulging, but i remember my grandparents. omg, the moment my mom and dad would kiss, my granddad would bluster and rail."

"that sounds nice, actually. i never knew my grandparents." with a sad smile, he plucked the box from her palm and opened it. "give me your hand."

with her heart thumping, she did. when he removed the ring, he snapped the little case shut and pocketed it before sliding the gorgeous jewel on her finger. the moment hovered, breathless and profound as he settled the ring in place. it still fit perfectly, and the diamonds glittered in the light. just like the first time she'd seen it, gia fell speechless.

"i really will get you something else if you don't like it."

"is that what you think?" she looked up at him, blinking in shock. "i love it. if i never told you that, i'm sorry. wearing it terrifies me. losing it would be crushing because it's the most beautiful thing i've ever seen."

jason breathed what looked like a sigh of relief. if he didn't have deep feelings for her, if it-like her-was just a status symbol, would her opinion even matter?

"tell me about your parents." she squeezed his hand.

his smile looked tight and cynical as he squeezed back and let go, strolling deeper into the mall. "well, my father married my mother, his assistant, after he got her pregnant. he was fifty-five. she was twenty-three. he divorced his first wife, leaving her and their three college-aged children. my mother wanted wealth, and he wanted an upgrade on his piece of ass." he cocked his head and sent her a challenging glance. "are you thinking, 'poor little rich boy with the scarred psyche?'"