In three long strides, Leo covered their distance and grabbed her hand.
“Stay away from Alberto if you know what's good for you, he is something of a playboy, and trust me you don't want to get yourself tangled with him.”
“And you are not?”
The words spoken so softly caused Leo to stop in his tracks and turn a look at Paige. Paige cowered back in fear. Remembering that though she was here as his fake fiancée the man in front of her was still her boss and she shouldn't have spoken to him like that, so she hurried and said, “I'm sorry if I was too direct I didn't think you would mind.”
“No need to apologize,” Leo murmured and put his hand under her chin raising her face. “It is as I already told you, whatever you do here as my fake fiancée will not affect your work.” Such promises Leo wondered if
Sprawled out on the chaise, Leo was still holding her and was yet to move. Then slowly he pulled Paige to her feet, only to drag her to his body once he had assumed an upright position. Everything happened so fast it was as if Paige's brain had been invaded by a virus throwing the coding into a wild disarray. When she finally came back to her senses, Paige was face to face with the fine contours of his chest, her hands on his sleeves. She pulled at his sleeves and when he looked down at her with those dark eyes she breathed out in a slightly breathless voice, “What do you think you are doing?” Her apprehension was obvious. “You don’t know?” That question was accompanied by a lift of his brow. “Paige, you said a man cannot woo a woman for three whole days and I said it all depends on the woman,” he paused and narrowed his eyes. “Allow me to demonstrate.” He had been holdi
Warm and sweet, his lips were as they brushed hers, probing, sucking. That single kiss had unholy pulling power because within seconds it had Paige moaning out as she could not believe Leo was kissing her. And his answering response to that was to hold her tighter and gently pry her lips open. Because Paige hadn't kissed any man in a long time, she barely contributed to the kiss, which was not a problem because Leo was more than capable of dominating the kiss. He twinned their tongue together, encouraging hers to come and play. And for the first time, Paige made a move. Rising on her tiptoe she pulled her arms behind his neck, bringing her body flush with his until not a broomstick could pass through them. Bringing the aching tips of her breast brushing on his chest through the layers of cloth. The kiss turned hungry at that instant, and
After Leo left Paige in the garden he strolled to the veranda downstairs and held the railings tight. Looking unseeing into the night. Light from the dining behind illuminating his tall, sleek form. From there he could still see the trail that led to the garden and should he follow it he knew what he would find there. A bedraggled Paige with swollen lips and wide eyes that bespoke of innocence. The fingers on the gold railings tightened and Leo cursed himself. He shouldn't have kissed his assistant tonight. Even though he had told her there were chances, kissing might be involved with their charade. He had promised himself he would do everything in his power to make her comfortable and only kiss her when it was absolutely necessary. But hadn't he gone and ruined that? Paige was one woman he pref
Goosebumps appeared in the places his finger had touched, the little white hairs on her back stood up. His hand spanned the left side of her waist pulling her a little closer. When Leo looked up into the mirror, he saw she was looking at him with curious eyes and a little frown on her face. That alone moved Leo into action, and he pulled out the material that had stuck it and zipped her dress. When he finished, he turned her around and held her shoulders looking into her clear blue eyes. “Paige i…” A horrified expression came over her face and she extricated his hand from her shoulder. “I need to get down fast. Your mother said I must come down on time and I have already delayed.” She rambled. Slipping away from his arm. The words tumbling out in a rushed format. She would have easily deceived him had he not seen the alarm on her face. In the past few days, Leo had come to learn more about Paige, like h
The clear eyes, the warm smile and the strong hand that patiently held food to her mouth confused Paige. Leo had kissed her passionately in the garden making her crave things she didn't dare mention only to apologize later. If she had known his sole purpose for coming upstairs to their room was to apologize to her she would have kept him out and closed her ears to anything he had to say. His apology only confirmed what she already suspected but wouldn't dare believe. That he didn't enjoy the kiss like she did. The pain that resulted from that knowledge should have been over by now. Instead, it had developed into a mass of confusion swirling around her head until it ached. Why kiss her if he was going to apologize later. And why was he looking at her so tenderly and feeding her as if he hadn't just shattered her hopes, weakened her defense, and then ruined the perfect image of
The next day, after talking business with his father all morning and even going to the cellar to oversee things, Leo was tired and in dire need of a change. He needed a change of environment away from white papers and black inks. As he walked down the corridor on the ground floor of the palazzo, he pulled free his tie from his neck and stuffed it in his pockets. Unbuttoning the first three buttons of his shirt, he sighed as fresh air hit him. The house was strangely quiet he could hear his own shoes as he walked on the tiles. He presumed most of his family members had gone out, and that was why the house was the way it is. He wondered what Paige was doing. If she had gone out with his family or if she was couped up somewhere alone. He had left early this morning he had not had the chance to see her. Last night he returned to his makeshift
Leo stared at the girl and wondered how he should ask the question. It would be tactless to ask her why she had been hugging Albertobecause then it would reveal he had been watching them for long before he came down. With a gloomy face, Leo asked, "So what did you and Alberto do today?" She stared up at him. "Hmm?" "The tour? What sights did Alberto show you?" After saying that, an unexplainable joy entered her eyes, and she spun around with eyes full of excitement. Facing Leo, her back to their path. "You don't know?" Leo stared at her and she grinned. "Alberto took me on a tour around the estate. Oh, it was wonderful, I was fully able to see the structure of the palazzo, the pool too." She snapped her fingers together. "I went down to the cellar. I didn't know you guys had the winery nearby," she said giddy with excitement "And the skill with which Alberto drove the car, the speed, and the cold wind on my skin wer
The walk back home was a silent one, which comprised Paige stealing glances at Leo who didn't pay her any attention and was looking forward with great determination. The muscle in his jaw throbbing as though he was clenching it hard. His handsome face appearing sharp yet withdrawn. Finally, after a few more looks that didn't bear any fruits, Paige sighed and allowed herself to trail behind him, thinking about the kiss that had just happened and the way Leo had held her tenderly. His actions confused and thrilled her. Leaving her bewildered most times. Leo had kissed her and said it was because someone was watching, but she could bet her life savings no one was. With a tender hand, Paige touched her lips, a smile following that action as she stared at Leo's form. Lost in her thought, Paige stared at Leo's long legs encased in black pants, tapered waist, broad shoulders which filled out a suit of the same color, and sucked in a breath when she met his bro