“Hey,” she greeted softly as she turned to look at him. His shirt was off, his feet were bare, and the only thing he wore were the light chinos he’d had on when he arrived. She smiled automatically. He was such a huge guy, tall, strong and built like a rugby player, and she remembered thinking the first time she laid eyes on him that he looked as if he could easily lift her up with one hand.

She loved that, loved how he always made her feel so protected and cherished. All man yet so tender with it. The combination was irresistible.

She really was a lucky woman. And it had been some time since they’d last had a romantic moment together. Gabriel’s body was distractingly irresistible, but right now Kim just wanted to lose herself in his strong embrace.

“C’mere,” he called, both arms outstretched, as if instinctively knowing it was what she needed. She moved to him, resting her head upon his firm chest, the downy hair soft beneath her cheek.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said as she tried to suppress a sob.

“What is it, babe?” he questioned. “Don’t tell me ‘nothing,’ I know you better. Something’s wrong and you aren’t taking it well,” he said gently. “Usually when something goes wrong, you’re all action and solutions. I don’t worry then because I know you’ll figure it out on your own. Not this time, though. Tell me what’s happening.”

She looked at him. “You know me too well,” she admitted.

“Hey, it’s part of my job.”

She raised her hand to his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. “I think someone’s out to sabotage me. And Villa Dolce Vita.”

His brow furrowed, Gabriel led her back inside to their bed and settled on it, gently pulling her down beside him. “Why do you think that?”

Kim took a deep breath and then explained about the increased social media negativity and backlash, as well as the recent accusations.

“If this gets out publicly, it’ll ruin everything.”

“Aw, come on, nobody takes notice of online trolls. It’s just keyboard warriors hiding in their bedrooms with nothing better to do. The bigger you get, the bolder they become. You know that.”

“It’s not just that anymore. The plagiarism thing... If the media gets wind of that, they’ll have a field day. Especially when there’s so much attention on us just now. Bad press for Villa Dolce Vita before it even opens for business will ruin it. And with pretty much everything riding on this being a success, it could also end up ruining everything I’ve worked for.”