Casually, she took his hand and laced his fingers with hers. That infinitesimal stillness came over him, but he shook it off. She dragged him toward the noisy piazza. “Two-point-five to nothing. I want to even that score.”
“Two-point-five?”
“Our orgasm count.”
His laughter exploded onto the quiet street. The sound dug its very roots into her heart. More than one woman stopped and stared at the stunning picture he made.
Her fingers tightened around his—something dark and possessive blooming in her chest. She wanted to drag him back to the privacy of their bedroom, to cup that laughter and hide it away for herself. She wanted the other women to stop looking at him. “Alessandro?”
“Sì?”
“I know you said this is a fling, but I’m out if you…if you even look at someone else.” She sounded particularly bloodthirsty, but she didn’t care.
“Okay.” His gray eyes were warm when he looked down at her. “How did you come up with the half?”
Sam pushed the stubborn lock of hair from his forehead back. “The half comes from me trying to…” she licked her lips “…to get off to you the other night after you left. I didn’t quite manage it.”
Naked desire made his eyes pop. “Then, let’s go. I want to see how well you keep all these promises.”
“I’ve got another appointment.” Something darkened in his gaze, and she hurried to explain. “With Giuseppe, this guy I met at the club.”
“The exclusive thing works both ways, Sameera.” Pure steel in his tone.
They started walking again. Instantly, he adjusted his pace to match hers. “He’s a painter,” Sam said.
“What do you know about him?”
“Angelina’s already checked him out. She’s as overbearing as you.”
“Now I know why I always liked her.”
Sam laughed at his sarcasm. “I can’t ditch Giuseppe. It’s a series of…appointments.”
“Sounds important.”
“He’s painting me. Nude.”
Alessandro stopped walking. “Going all in on this vacation,bella?”
Sam nodded.
He rubbed his neck. “What made you decide to do this all of a sudden?”
“Well, you saw the dress I wore to the club. I met Giuseppe there, and we got to talking about different painting techniques. At first, he—”
“Asked you to go home with him,” Alessandro supplied.
“I said I wasn’t interested. He said it was bad luck for him. We chatted a bit, then he asked me about the scar. He said he’d love to paint me nude for a series he’s doing about imperfect bodies. Usually, I wouldn’t have agreed. But it took me a long time to have a healthy relationship with my body. This is a way of celebrating it.”
“You should,” Alessandro said softly.
“Is it weird that I wish you were a little jealous that another man will see me naked?”
“Oh, I am,tesoro. But—”
“We aren’t in a real relationship. I know,” Sam said before he could.
“I was going to say that’s my problem to deal with. Not yours.”
