He didn’t deserve the respite, the relief, but he’d take it, nonetheless. Take whatever else she might offer him. Herself included. But for now, he was going to share the reason for their marriage. It wasn’t merely that Tessitore was a heritage brand he wanted for himself. It was so much more.
‘I’m going to buy Tessitore. The Silvestris want it, badly, and they will never get it. I’m going to take the company right from underneath them.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
Simone sat onthe stone terrace at the rear of the home, shaded by grape vines, overlooking the garden. She’d wandered through the space a few times since she’d been here, through the olive and fig trees. Hidden away from the bustle of Milan. A little oasis. This morning, she sipped a coffee. The silence only punctuated by the twitter of birds. It had been two days since the charity ball and they’d barely left the bedroom since arriving home. Simone rolled her shoulders, stretched her neck, enjoying the subtle aches from their lovemaking.
Simone had known Leo was a perfectionist when she’d begun working for him. He was driven, a workaholic. Everything she’d expected from a man who’d come from nothing to own an empire. She’d just never really thought what it would be like to have all that drive and perfectionism turned onto her. A wicked slide of heat journeyed through her veins. Yes, the man was a perfectionist in the bedroom too and she’d reaped all those delicious rewards. Making love through the night, into the early morning. They’d been insatiable and perfectly attuned to each other’s needs, their desires. It consumed her. And Leo too, his well-earned ego seemed to be overfed by making her scream.
It’s better than music, he’d murmured into her ear the night before.
It was better than just aboutanything.
‘Why are you not still in bed?’
Simone shut her eyes at the deep lilt of his voice. Right now she wanted to ditch her coffee and do just that, run to the bedroom and make love all morning, but she’d come out here for a reason and Leo had a business to run. He’d left her dozing to go and work and she’d felt guilty lying there whilst there were things plaguing him, like the so-far failed attempts to purchase the Tessitore family’s textile company.
She realised now what it meant to him to acquire it, as a way of avenging his mother. And whilst she didn’t really think revenge was the healthiest coping strategy, she understood him better than she ever had before. For that reason, she wanted to help.
‘You were working and so was I.’
He leaned over and kissed the side of her neck. She angled her head sideways allowing him more access as he drifted her lips over her sensitive skin. Goosebumps fizzed over her, making her shiver, even in the warmth of this perfect morning. Leo stroked his hand over her arm. ‘Are you cold,tesoro? Should I take you back to bed and warm you up?’
‘Yes, I mean, no! You make it impossible for me to think.’
‘I don’t want you thinking. I want youfeeling.’
‘Leave feeling till later.’ She waved at the table. ‘Sit down, I have some ideas.’
Leo grinned, the look one of pure wickedness. ‘So do I. Since you’re not cold, did you know that ice applied in the right way can be extremely pleasurable?’
The whole of her flushed hot. She was sure she’d gone as red as if she’d suffered a bad case of sunburn.
‘Leo! Take a seat. I’mserious.’
‘So am I,’ he murmured into her ear, his breath warm as it feathered against her overheated flesh.
She sighed. ‘Later then.’
He gave her neck a final kiss then drew out a seat next to her and sat. Whilst he said he’d been working, he wasn’t dressed for it. All he wore were a pair of black, silk pyjama bottoms, slung low on his hips. His skin a rich gold in the morning light. The man wasn’t shy in showing off his body, for good reason. She knew exactly why the talent scout had taken one look at him and contracted him almost immediately.
‘You said you were working and yet here you are, feasting on me with your eyes. Maybe you could feast on me for real instead?’
She only noticed then that he had his own cup of coffee in front of him. The man was a menace to her concentration and clearly an excellent multi-tasker.
‘You’re still not gaining any headway with the Tessitore family?’ Simone asked.
Leo raked his hand through his thick, dark hair, leaving him looking gorgeously dishevelled. ‘No. They blow hot, they blow cold. Right now, they’re cold.’
‘Are you sure they want to sell?’ Simone asked.
Leo frowned. ‘That’s what they claim.’
‘And you’ve tried phone calls and meetings?’
‘Every approach. Direct and indirect.’
Then there was the dinner they’d meant to go to before her fall, but neither of them would mention that. She didn’t want to think about it, even though she still couldn’t remember the fall itself. Yet she could see it in Leo’s eyes, a distant expression. He seemed to remember it all too well. What must it have been like, to see her lying there? Especially after his mother had died after an accident like hers?
