Unnoticed and Untouched Read Free Page A

that she had a shape—and that shape was not a box. Quite the contrary, she was a study in curves, from the soft curve of her jaw to the curve of her bosom and down to the curve of her hips that he could just make out beneath the flowing fabric of her gown. He couldn’t quite take his eyes from her, as if she might change back into the creature he knew if he looked away.
    Color stained her cheeks as her green gaze fell from his. Satisfaction rippled through him. She was not immune after all. “Thank you. I—I was just searching for my earring backing. I dropped it and I’m not sure where it’s gone.”
    He noticed then that she was only wearing one smalldiamond earring. “Allow me to help,” he said, pushing the door wider. She stepped back somewhat reluctantly, but she let him inside.
    The apartment was small, but neat. The furnishings were worn, and there were a variety of magazines piled on a central table—including a couple of motorcycle magazines, it amused him to note. He was on the cover of the topmost one, in full leathers, looking grim as he stood beside a prototype of the Viper. And with good reason, considering the bike had fallen far short of what he’d been aiming for when he’d taken it out on the track. Not that the reporter had known, of course.
    He dragged his gaze away from the magazine, continuing his study of Faith’s home. A shelf stacked high with books ran along one short wall. The walls were industrial white, but she’d tried to punch it up with bright pictures and pillows on the furniture. It was a decidedly feminine space, though not in any overt way.
    He thought of his mother decorating their tiny apartment in Positano with garlands of flowers and pretty fabric, and his jaw hardened as his thoughts turned dark. Did Faith also bring home an endless parade of men she hoped would fall in love with her? Did she cry at the end of the night—or series of nights—when she realized the current man was gone and never coming back?
    “Over here,” Faith said, leading the way to a tiny kitchen, which had barely enough room for two adults to stand together.
    Her fragrance surrounded him as he joined her, that soft fresh scent he’d come to identify with her over the past few months. A sharp sensation rolled through him.
    “I dropped it here,” she said. “And it’s rolled somewhere. It can’t have gone far.”
    For a moment, he wasn’t sure what they were talkingabout. For a moment, for the barest of seconds, he wanted to press her soft body against the counter with his, wanted to drag the pins from her hair and see the golden mass tumble free. He shook the thought from his mind and focused on the task at hand.
    “If you will allow me,” he said, taking out his mobile phone and starting the application that turned the camera flash into a steady beam of light.
    She couldn’t leave the small space without brushing against him. A sliver of pleasure passed through him at the brief contact.
Stress
, he thought.
Simply stress
.
    “And why were you putting on your earrings in the kitchen, Miss Black?” he asked as he stooped, ignoring the pain in his leg, and swept the light back and forth across the floor.
    “I was in a hurry,” she said. “I wanted to make it down to the street by the time your car arrived.”
    He tilted his head back to glance up at her. “You were planning to stand outside? Dressed like this?”
    She shrugged. “I would have stood inside the building until I saw the car, but yes. I’m sorry you had to come up and get me.”
    The light flickered over something that glinted gold. Renzo swept the light into a corner again, found the small backing. He picked it up and pushed himself to his feet.
    He gritted his teeth against the agony of spasming muscles and aching bone. “Miss Black, I am many things, not all of them pleasant, but I would hope that you realize I am not so callous as to make a lady wait in a dark and drafty hallway for my arrival.”
    “No, of