Just when she thought she was done with a big bad wolf a tiger comes strolling in can this day get any worse.
The first thing that came to Paige's mind was to deny.
So she looked up at him and twisted her face. “Er... I don't know what you are talking about.” It wouldn't look good to offend the man she still didn't know where his position was in the family tree.
Two pairs of amused brown eyes stared back at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly which caused Paige's heartbeat to escalate as the suspense was killing her.
He waved his big hand in the air “There is no need to pretend I already know the relationship is fake.”
He knew? That can't be possible.
“In fact, I was the one to give Leonardo that idea.”
Fine lines appeared on his forehead and disbelief set in his voice when he saw he was not getting anywhere
In three long strides, Leo covered their distance and grabbed her hand. “Stay away from Alberto if you know what's good for you, he is something of a playboy, and trust me you don't want to get yourself tangled with him.” “And you are not?” The words spoken so softly caused Leo to stop in his tracks and turn a look at Paige. Paige cowered back in fear. Remembering that though she was here as his fake fiancée the man in front of her was still her boss and she shouldn't have spoken to him like that, so she hurried and said, “I'm sorry if I was too direct I didn't think you would mind.” “No need to apologize,” Leo murmured and put his hand under her chin raising her face. “It is as I already told you, whatever you do here as my fake fiancée will not affect your work.” Such promises Leo wondered if
Sprawled out on the chaise, Leo was still holding her and was yet to move. Then slowly he pulled Paige to her feet, only to drag her to his body once he had assumed an upright position. Everything happened so fast it was as if Paige's brain had been invaded by a virus throwing the coding into a wild disarray. When she finally came back to her senses, Paige was face to face with the fine contours of his chest, her hands on his sleeves. She pulled at his sleeves and when he looked down at her with those dark eyes she breathed out in a slightly breathless voice, “What do you think you are doing?” Her apprehension was obvious. “You don’t know?” That question was accompanied by a lift of his brow. “Paige, you said a man cannot woo a woman for three whole days and I said it all depends on the woman,” he paused and narrowed his eyes. “Allow me to demonstrate.” He had been holdi
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, and
After 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 cool air was gentle and caressed Leo's skin as he stood on the porch watching the beach from their house. He could still hear the merry and laughter coming from inside the house where Paige had taken it upon herself to turn into the family jester. Most of the jokes were told at his expense, Leo hadn't minded as long as it made Paige happy. He had sat through it quietly and would have continued to do so had his mother not recounted one embarrassing moment in his early childhood, Leo wished to God no one will hear about. Embarrassed, he had to come outside to save face. That was where he was, casually sipping his champagne, his cheeks slightly flushed when he felt a presence. Quickly, Leo turned his head only to come face to face with hissiste
There was a strange glint in his eyes. "I'm expected in Italy soon." It took Paige a moment to realize what that meant. "You are leaving?" Paige murmured, unaware of the sadness that had crept into her voice. It must have called to him because his face scrunched up. And his adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Don't say it like am casting you away after one night of sex." "Then how is it?" "You know that's not what it is." Paige squeezed their linked hands, covering it with one of her own and stealing Leo's attention with the trembling of her lips. "We just entered into a relationship and you are already leaving?" What will happen to our relationship when you are gone. You will be in Italy, busy with work while I will be here, what will happen to us. And don't tell me we could go into a long-distance relationship. We've hardly
He pulled away from her then, breathing heavily. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were filled with love, unspent. “Not fair,” he growled. “You are still clothed while I'm naked. It gives you more advantage—"“Then take it off," Paige commanded.His eyes darkened, and he reached out with the intention to pry her off one of two clothes, and with a twist of her body, Paige escaped his arms and ran towards the king-sized bed, laughing when she saw the surprise in his eyes.She felt powerful, naughty, and so in love. Well aware she was teasing him, and that even though it might seem like he was annoyed, he wasn't bothered by it.It felt so good being this way with him. Being able to play with him like this. It made Paige smile. Then she saw the bulge in his pants and her
“Do you know how difficult it was for me to remain there acting likeIwasn’t affected by the things you said to me? LikeIwasn’t falling more and more in love with you. The gentle way you talked to me, your understanding.” He swallowed nervously. “Don’t you understand it, Leo? You confused me like no one has ever done before. You did kiss me at times whenIwas sure none of your family members waswatchingand then say nothing later. No explanation. And of course,Icouldn’t tell you that it was bothering me, thatIwas in love with you lest it turns out you reciprocated no such feelings for me too and was only pretending to, as the charade required.When that happens,Ifeared you might feel uncomfortable with me, and eventuallymightwant to lay me off after the charade was done andI&
Few minutes later, Paige was inside the ostentatious house. After navigating for a while, and pulling open several empty rooms, she finally found Leonardo upstairs in one of the rooms.Contrary to what Wesley believed, Leo was standing by the window. Which gave a natural view of the outside. One hand in his pocket. He had discarded his jacket and was left only in a white shirt and his pants. He was backing her so Paige couldn't see his face, but he must have sensed her presence because he said without turning, “I thought i told you to gohome, Paige.”Paige stepped inside quietly, closing the door. Waiting for him to face her, but he never did. "I don't want to. I don’t want to go home.”He turned then, his eyes resting on her arms, the tear in the hem of her gown. Her knee, and then finally her belly, and his
Leo studied her intently. She was serious. He frowned. "Very well. Do what you want. Stay in the car if you want. That won’t guarantee i will give you a listening ear."After saying that, Leo signaled his driver to head straight to his house.She relaxed then and Leo realized she had been holding her breath. Which Leo did not understand.Another thing he didn't understand was why was she here? Why was she hellbent on explaining herself? What reason did she think she would give that will change his mind? He wanted to believe there was a good reason for this, but he couldn't think of anything."I'm sorry." Leo hadn't realized he had been staring at her until she said that.He turned his face towards the window. Not wanting her to see how that wo
Downstairs, in the half-deserted hotel hallway, Leonardo ran an agitated hand over his hair, puffing out air from his mouth. He felt like smashing his fist into something. Worst, he didn’t feel like that would relieve the pain in his chest. It felt like a large hand was closing in around his heart. And squeezing it tight. How could Paige do this to him? And to think that he asked her before if she was pregnant and she lied through her teeth. She looked him straight in the eyes and lied. Made Leo want to curse out in frustration. What has he done to deserve this? Was he thatdespicable? Shewould rather tell Finn she was pregnant than tellinghim?The father of the child.
Finn stood up from theground,looking so lost. “Does he know? Your boss?" He gestured with his hand. "Does he know you are pregnant?"His green eyes rested on her stomach, and then back to her face. Paige shook her head. “He doesn’t know.” "He doesn’t know?" Finn repeated, his face serious. Paige could feel the wheels turning in his head. He seemed to be thinking hard. Then he ran a hand over his face and planted it on his waist as if coming to a sudden conclusion. "Don't tell him." “What?” “I said don’t tell him.” "You can't be serious!" Paige cried. “Hear me out before you say anything," Finn said, stepping closer to her. Paige knew she hadn’t told Leonardo anything about her pregnancy, she knew she was delaying, but she was going to tell him, eventually. However, what Finn was suggesting was the opposite. He was insinuating she shouldn’t tell Leo at all. He grabbed her hand, and Paige trie
Finn, who was talking with his friends, tried to call her, but she ignored him and dashed out of the door. "Paige!" Finn called and hurried after her. Immediately she stepped out of the reception which was held in the halls of a fancy hotel. Paige hurried to the nearest hallway. On getting there, she rested her back on the wall, and closed her eyes, clenching her purse tight. Paige was trying to gather herself before Finn reached her. However, she was not successful. Because in the next second Finn's hands were on her shoulders and he was turning her around. "Hey, what's wrong? Look at me," Finn said when Paige wouldn't look at him. Tipping her chin, he looked into her eyes. "Are you crying? Don't cry." Finn cooed. There was something about trying to hold back tears and then someone offering sympathy that suddenly made the tears come faster. That was the case with Paige because immediately Finn cooed that word 'Don't cry.' Not minding sh