he looking for a pajama top to put on and deny her that gorgeous view?
“Is it okay if I take the right side?” she said, lounging on the bed like this was her casual Friday night.
Lorenzo nodded, rubbing his eyes. Great, so Mr. Selfish was so mad he couldn’t even look at her? And she was drooling over this jerk? Yes.
She reached for the carafe and poured some water in a glass, which she swallowed faster than she had the whisky. Not even the minty toothpaste had yanked that smoky aftertaste from her throat.
He turned off the lamp and plopped beside her. The heat from his skin was like an electric force, sending currents to her in waves, each time harder. When she dreamed about going to bed with her boss, this wasn’t it.
Hell, was Lorenzo Baldi one more thing she couldn’t have? One more college? One more career? One more regular, semi-decent boyfriend? One more healthy sister?
She flipped to her side, facing away from him. Her cute pajama top burned on her skin, and she undid one button, anxious for a breeze to sweep in and save her from overheating. His leathery scent teased her nostrils, and she scooted to the very edge of the bed, her foot pushing out the sheet. One more inch and she’d face-plant on the floor.
The mattress shifted beneath her, and she could tell he was also fidgeting. Great. Sharing a bed with Lorenzo, the nearness of his body, triggered a tingle of excitement that rushed through her.
“Alice.” His voice cut through the room. “There’s still a lot we need to talk about. I apologize for being abrasive at the beach. I’m not good at this stuff.”
She cleared her throat. “Really? I thought being abrasive came naturally to you.”
“I mean apologizing. You are very important to me. I lost my cool,” he said, and she could kick herself for sucking in her breath. Apologizing wasn’t his forte, sure, but what kind of idiot was she? Her bones were almost melting under his statement that she mattered to him.
“Why did you lose your cool?” she asked, deciding not to let him off the hook so easily. “I understand this situation is stressful, but you acted like a real prick back there. Why?”
A hissing sound cut the silence, like he was sucking air through his teeth.
“You can’t stand me, right? You can’t stand the fact you kissed me at the grotto,” she said, and slapped her forehead with her palm. What the fuck, Alice? Why did you just say that?
“Oh, I can stand you. What’s killing me is just how much I can stand you…and how inappropriate that is. You have been nothing but incredible since we got here. You’re loyal, you’re kind, you’re…”
Oh. My. God. Keeping still was a problem. Her thighs trembled, and her sex throbbed. She was in bed with him, and unless she shook off that sensual sensation flooding her body, there was no way in hell she would fall asleep. “Go on.”
“That’s it. I was a prick. I’m not good at voicing my emotions nor do I want to be. I’m lucky you came along with me on this trip, Alice, even though I may act like the opposite.” She heard him popping his knuckles.
“Okay. You’re forgiven. Care to elaborate on the inappropriate part?” she asked, rushing to say the words before she changed her mind. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, desperate to find something to do. Her stomach sank. Was there a possibility he, too, wanted her? Or did she misread the whole situation?
He turned to his side. She could make out the outline of his body in the pale moonlight seeping through the curtains. The man was staring at her, for crying out loud. What was he thinking? That she didn’t have a pulse between her legs? “You work for me, Alice. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in any way. You don’t have to kiss me or do anything else to keep your job or to get that money. That’s not how I operate.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I kissed you because I wanted to,” she said in a throaty voice. God. God, God, God. She clamped her eyes shut, like she hung at the edge of a precipice and had to choose between jumping to the other side or falling. Unable to stay still, she crossed and uncrossed her legs, her blood on a low simmer. “Sorry. Don’t mind me.