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he’dappeared so self-contained, so remote. Never in a million years would she have imagined herself in this position. Who knew if the opportunity would ever present itself again? When they regained their sanity she wouldn’t be the least surprised if he instituted a “no touching” rule, especially when touching was so incredibly, gloriously dangerous.
    Unable to resist, she wove her fingers into his hair to anchor his head and then rose to seal his mouth with hers. He tasted beyond delicious and she couldn’t get enough of him. Not his touch. Not his kisses. Not the press and drag of his body over hers.
    Her hands darted to his shirt and she tugged at his tie, managing after a small struggle to rip it free from its anchor. Next she tackled the buttons that blocked her access to the rich expanse of flesh and muscle she yearned to caress. He groaned against her mouth, levering himself upward to give her better access. Her hands hovered over his belt buckle and the bulge that lay beneath.
    And that’s when they heard it.
    â€œRafaelo?” A deep, gruff voice came from the far side of the office door, accompanied by a brisk knock. “Where are you, boy?”
    Rafe swore beneath his breath. Vaulting off Larkin, he helped her to her feet. “Just a minute,” he called.
    She stood, swaying in place, dizzy from the swift transition from passion to normalcy. Or the attempt at normalcy. “Who’s there?” she whispered.
    â€œMy grandfather Primo.”
    Her eyes widened in alarm and her hands shot to the buttons of her blouse at the same time his did. Fingers clashed and fumbled. She could hear the murmur ofvoices coming from the far side of the door. Not just his grandfather, she realized. A woman’s voice, too.
    â€œNonna,” Rafe confirmed grimly. He let her finish working on straightening her clothing while he tackled the mess she’d made of his. “My grandmother.”
    â€œDo not be ridiculous” came Primo’s rumbling bass. “This is an office. It is not as though he is in a meeting, not this late. Why should I stand on the doorstep like a beggar?”
    â€œBecause he has not invited you in.”
    â€œThen I will invite myself in” was the indignant retort.
    With that, he turned the knob and stepped into the room. Rafe must have anticipated his grandfather’s intent because he stepped in front of her, shielding her from his grandparents’ eyes while she finished buttoning her blouse and vest. Not that it really helped, considering that his shirt was open and hanging out of his trousers.
    â€œI have been looking for you, Rafaelo,” Primo announced. “I have someone I wish you to meet.”
    Rafe sighed as he finished making repairs to his clothes. “I don’t doubt it. But it’s no longer necessary.”
    Primo planted his fists on his waist. “Of course it is necessary. You must meet as many women as possible. How else will you find your Inferno soul mate?”
    Larkin peeked out from behind Rafe’s broad shoulders and saw Nonna’s eyes widen with a combination of surprise and dawning comprehension. “And who is this?” she asked.
    Snatching a deep breath, Larkin skirted Rafe and stepped into the light, wincing at their stunned expressions. She didn’t doubt for a single moment thatshe looked as if she’d been doing precisely what she had been doing. Guaranteed her mouth was bare of lipstick and swollen a telltale rosy-red from Rafe’s impassioned kisses. And Rafe didn’t look much better, not when she compared his businesslike appearance earlier to his current rough and rumpled manifestation. And guaranteed one or both of his grandparents had caught that…and more.
    Primo’s gaze swept to a point midway down the line of buttons holding her vest closed and his fierce golden eyes narrowed. Either she hadn’t buttoned them correctly or she’d skipped one.