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, andAfter 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
Paige was startled by that question, and her face revealed the surprise. She hadn't been expecting something like this. Flavia sighed. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me. I already know you love him why else will you be crying like that if you don't." She waved her hand in the air. And Paige wanted to tell her everything. This one-sided love was killing her. She wanted to bear her heart open to someone else other than Naomi. So she bit her lips and murmured, "Yes, although I don't think he loves me as I love him." She wasn't exactly lying, only that she wasn't entirely being truthful. As she watched, a frown appeared on Flavia's face. "Goodness me, did he say that? Or is it the way he acted in that made you think like that?" "I…I can't really say," Paige murmured. From across her, the older woman stared at her with patient eyes, then smiled, and leaned forward. "Then have you let him know how you feel, chanc
Perhaps because he didn't care now if anyone discovered he had a soft spot for the girl or that his emotions were tangled when it comes to her. When he got to their room, Paige was nowhere to be found. With one or two questions put in the right places, he found out she was with his mum and went to collect her only to see her crying. The scene left a mark on his heart and he was ushered into this state of helplessness where he didn't know if he should step in and console her, or disappear before she sees him for fear she would be embarrassed if he saw her crying. So he had carried himself back to their room and tried to figure out why she was crying, but for the life of him he couldn't come up with anything. In the end, he feared it had something to do with him. Maybe he had offended her in a way and she couldn't talk to him because he was her boss or maybe because the charade was getting to her, and his sister and family members are givi