“Since you’re not very good at taking cues from my moods, I have to tell you that if you cut me with a nail and I bleed, I’ll have you at the altar within five minutes.”
Playfully, I slap his chest. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“Being married to me would be anything but a good time, I assure you.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
He snorts. “I’m not, and I’m not seeking sympathy either, though thank you for giving it to me. I was stating a fact. I’m a difficult man.”
“Is that why you’re single?”
He nods. “That, and I’m picky.”
Damn. I shouldn’t have asked, because he picked me. “Everyone is flawed, Alessio. So you’re a demanding boss. Big deal. Most millionaires demand the best out of themselves and others. Nothing wrong with that.”
He comes closer…closer still, so I can either move back or remain standing. I chicken out and step away, but my bottom hits his desk, and Alessio presses against me. He thrusts once, a small, fast, but deliberate move that puts his erection on my lower belly.
With a refined, respectful, if edgy, approach, he’s letting me know I turn him on.
I respond by unbuttoning the second button of his shirt. I really like seeing the hollow space where his neck meets his chest.
I look up and swallow at the heat in his gaze.
“When you look up at me,” he says, “with your lips slightly parted and your pulse racing, what is it that you want?”
“I want to kiss you.” I rise on my toes, but Alessio is too tall for me to close the distance on my own.
“I want to kiss you too. Just not on the mouth.” He lifts me and sits me down on his desk, his hands lingering on my hips.
“Uncle, Uncle!” Leo shouts as he rushes into the office.
I slide off the desk, and Alessio and I separate. Flushed, I’m grateful this boy saved me from embarrassing myself. I tried to kiss Alessio, who’s interested in eating me out. I mean, I’m his pet, not a girlfriend he’d kiss on the mouth. Duh. I need to catch up with Alessio over here and stop making a fool of myself.
Thank you, Leo.
“What is it?” Alessio asks, an edge of annoyance in his tone.
“My airplane got stuck in a tree.”
“Unstuck it,” Alessio says, then winces, probably from realizing how annoyed he sounded. Correcting his tone, he says, “Give me the remote.”
Leo hands him the remote to the model airplane he’s been playing with and points to the window at the same time that Alessio’s phone rings. Again. My God, this man wasn’t joking when he described how hard he works on Sundays. He’s on call all the time.
It makes me wonder about the night we met, when I found him relaxing in a bar. If I remember correctly, the phone wasn’t ringing at all. Or it may have been ringing, but Alessio chose to ignore the calls. That night, I had his undivided attention.
It occurs to me that this is what I want. I don’t want to just kiss him. I want his undivided attention, because I remember how it made me feel, and that shit is addictive.
If he makes me feel that way again, I’ll crave it, which is why I must tell himnomore often. Also, he has to stop flirting with me. Saying no to a well-dressed, gorgeous millionaire in his late thirties is a full-time job. And a laborious one, I might add. He should pay me for it.
That’s a bad idea. That would solidify the in-house hooker job I’m trying to avoid.
Leo makes a face when Alessio grabs his phone. There’s a moment when they lock eyes, and I can tell that an understanding of Leo’s need for time with his uncle passes through Alessio’s head, because he lets the phone ring, choosing the boy over the job.
Something inside me melts. Oh no. This melting is bad.
At the window, Alessio helps his nephew with the airplane, which is stuck in a tree in the front yard. I can’t look away because I think I’m falling for him. Actually, I’m skydiving for him without the gear.
Let me explain the difference between falling for someone and skydiving with no gear for them. It’s terrible to fall for your one-night stand because it’s just a single night, and you’re over it. It’s significantly worse now that my one-night stand is also my boss. That’s the skydiving part. It’s way,wayworse when he’s the man I must betray. It’s the moment when you reach for the chute and realize you left your gear behind.
