“Of course.”
My hand fell on her shoulders as I stood right behind her, the heat from her trembling body reaching mine, driving me crazy. I pushed my hands down her arms as my nose nuzzled in her neck. “I feel the same way with our kiss.”
“Fabio…that kiss was—”
“Right,” I interrupted. I had a feeling she was going to say it was a mistake. I wouldn’t allow it.
Shaking her head, she stepped away. “Can we please not talk about this?”
I held on to her wrist before she’d completely slip away and twirled her back to me. She gasped when her lush curves hit my growing erection. I swirled her in one swift move so she could see my face while she knew for sure how much I desired her. Then I let her arm wrap around my shoulder, and I folded my arm around her waist in a tight embrace. “Stop running.”
Her breasts rose and fell against my chest as her enchanting gaze captured mine. I bit my lip, the memory of hers stealing my breath came to play.
Do you need someone?
Are you scared of what’s to come?
Lyrics streamed in as if in sync, as if they were made for our little dance. But she looked away, releasing me. I couldn’t do the same. I loved the way she felt in my arms, and the need to kiss her had never been stronger. I lowered my head so our mouths would level. So I’d reread her book over and over again.
“Why did you stop moving? Keep moving. Please,” she panted.
She still wanted to dance? Fine. We’d dance. Until she broke.
I moved us in twists. Right and left. Right and left. Gracefully, she kept up as if she could read my moves before I initiated them. As if we’d done this dance before.Va bene. Keep up with this, Lady Brighton.I placed my hand on her hip and pulled her into me.
Almost reflexively, she lifted a leg and wrapped it around my back. But then her lips parted with a loud gasp, as if she’d just realized what she’d done, how close our hips were, how hot we were grinding against each other.
She blinked around, the color of her cheeks dark under the dim lights, and awkwardly dropped her leg. “You can’t do this.”
“Why not? You told me to lead, and you promised, Gabi, remember?”
“I promised to let you act like my boyfriend, not to let you seduce me,” she looked at the people dancing around us again, “shamelessly in public.”
“I can do it in the privacy of your apartment if that’s what you prefer.”
She reprimanded me with her eyes. “Just dance.”
My palms cradled her face, bringing it closer to mine. “Why are you running? Why can’t you just go with it and see where it takes us?”
“There’s nowhere to go from here, Fabio. I thought we agreed on honesty. I’m not that naïve to let you mess with my head, saying some bullshit and working your body so you can win your challenge. What, did you and your friends at Poles have a bet on me or something? Will the great Fab score with the uptight widow tonight and win a hundred bucks? I can pay you for your loss or you can lie about it and tell them you did. I don’t care.”
“Che cazzo? There’s no fucking bet. Nobody even knows about you except Jared. Where the hell do you come up with these things?” A surge of irritation pulsed through me. “I am honest, Gabriella. There isn’t a single word I said to you that I didn’t mean. And I might beworking my bodyto seduce you, but not to win a challenge, not anymore.”
“Then why?”
I swallowed. “It’s the only way I know how to win a woman I want over.”
“Youwantme?”
“You know I do. So much.” I pulled her into me, making her feel the evidence of my throbbing desire for her. “What other proof do you need?”
Her heels faltered back away from me. “You can’t do this. It’s unprofessional.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she wouldn’t let me. She just held my hand and draped an arm around my shoulder in a pose, maintaining a safe distance, a deep frown on her face. “I’ll lead now.”
CHAPTER 15
Gabrielle
