a way to make people think you’re in control. Then you turn around and ask a million questions, proving you’re not.”
Good Lord. No wonder he was rich. He saw right through a strategy that had worked for years. She wasn’t sure if she was pleased or frightened.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. It’s a good idea to try to get a handle on what’s going on when you’re confused. But you really should ditch the sassing.”
She laughed, but kept her gaze averted.
He caught her chin and forced her to look at him. “I am sorry about this morning.”
The smoothness of his fingers against her skin nearly made her shiver. And his eyes—those striking green eyes that saw everything—held her prisoner. Her heart trembled with longing. She hadn’t even kissed a guy in years and she desperately wanted him to kiss her. A short, sweet, simple kiss...or a kiss filled with passion and honesty. She didn’t care. She just wanted a kiss.
But that was wrong. As she’d begun recovering from Cord, she’d promised herself that she’d never again put herself in the position of being with a man so far beyond her socially. And she’d meant it.
So it was best to let him off the hook about pushing her and return them to their normal relationship. “It’s okay.”
He sighed and rose from his chaise. “No. It’s not.”
“Yeah. It is.” She rose. too. “You see, when we got back to Constanzo’s and we started talking about his son, all those emotions you had dredged up were eclipsed by the feeling of pride I had over doing a good job with Antonio.”
He stopped a few feet short of the pool and faced her. “So you’re okay?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been okay for a while. But it felt different—better—that I could totally forget it once we started talking about work.”
“So demanding answers from you was a good thing?”
She laughed. “Don’t push your luck.”
Somehow they’d ended up standing face-to-face again. Under the luxurious blanket of stars, next to the twinkling blue water, the only sound the slight hum of the filter for the pool.
He reached out and cupped the side of her face. “You are a brave, funny woman, Miss Prentiss.”
Though she knew it was dangerous to get too personal with him, especially since his nearness already had her heart thrumming and her knees weak, she was only human. And even if it was a teeny tiny inconsequential thing, she didn’t want to give up the one innocent pleasure she was allowed to get from him.
She caught his gaze. “Olivia.”
“Excuse me?”
“I like it when you call me Olivia.”
He took a step closer. “Really?”
She shrugged, trying to make light of her request. “Everybody calls me Vivi. Sometimes it makes me feel six again. Being called Olivia makes me feel like an adult.”
“Or a woman.”
The way he said woman sent heat rushing through her. Once again, he’d seen right through her ploy and might even realize she was attracted to him—
Oh, who was she kidding? He knew she was attracted to him. After the episode playing pool the night before, neither one of them could be coy anymore.
Even as yearning nudged her to be bold, reality intruded. The guy she finally, finally wanted to trust was rich, sophisticated and so far out of her league she was lucky to be working for him. She knew better than to get romantically involved with someone like him.
She stepped back. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
He caught her hand and tugged her to him. “I would.” He kissed her so quickly that her knees nearly buckled and her brain reeled. She could have panicked. Could have told him to go slow because she hadn’t done this in a while, or even stop because this was wrong. But nobody, no kiss, had ever made her feel the warm, wonderful, scary sensations saturating her entire being right now. Not just her body, but her soul.
His lips moved over hers smoothly, expertly, shooting fire and ice down her spine. Her breath froze in her
Good Lord. No wonder he was rich. He saw right through a strategy that had worked for years. She wasn’t sure if she was pleased or frightened.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. It’s a good idea to try to get a handle on what’s going on when you’re confused. But you really should ditch the sassing.”
She laughed, but kept her gaze averted.
He caught her chin and forced her to look at him. “I am sorry about this morning.”
The smoothness of his fingers against her skin nearly made her shiver. And his eyes—those striking green eyes that saw everything—held her prisoner. Her heart trembled with longing. She hadn’t even kissed a guy in years and she desperately wanted him to kiss her. A short, sweet, simple kiss...or a kiss filled with passion and honesty. She didn’t care. She just wanted a kiss.
But that was wrong. As she’d begun recovering from Cord, she’d promised herself that she’d never again put herself in the position of being with a man so far beyond her socially. And she’d meant it.
So it was best to let him off the hook about pushing her and return them to their normal relationship. “It’s okay.”
He sighed and rose from his chaise. “No. It’s not.”
“Yeah. It is.” She rose. too. “You see, when we got back to Constanzo’s and we started talking about his son, all those emotions you had dredged up were eclipsed by the feeling of pride I had over doing a good job with Antonio.”
He stopped a few feet short of the pool and faced her. “So you’re okay?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been okay for a while. But it felt different—better—that I could totally forget it once we started talking about work.”
“So demanding answers from you was a good thing?”
She laughed. “Don’t push your luck.”
Somehow they’d ended up standing face-to-face again. Under the luxurious blanket of stars, next to the twinkling blue water, the only sound the slight hum of the filter for the pool.
He reached out and cupped the side of her face. “You are a brave, funny woman, Miss Prentiss.”
Though she knew it was dangerous to get too personal with him, especially since his nearness already had her heart thrumming and her knees weak, she was only human. And even if it was a teeny tiny inconsequential thing, she didn’t want to give up the one innocent pleasure she was allowed to get from him.
She caught his gaze. “Olivia.”
“Excuse me?”
“I like it when you call me Olivia.”
He took a step closer. “Really?”
She shrugged, trying to make light of her request. “Everybody calls me Vivi. Sometimes it makes me feel six again. Being called Olivia makes me feel like an adult.”
“Or a woman.”
The way he said woman sent heat rushing through her. Once again, he’d seen right through her ploy and might even realize she was attracted to him—
Oh, who was she kidding? He knew she was attracted to him. After the episode playing pool the night before, neither one of them could be coy anymore.
Even as yearning nudged her to be bold, reality intruded. The guy she finally, finally wanted to trust was rich, sophisticated and so far out of her league she was lucky to be working for him. She knew better than to get romantically involved with someone like him.
She stepped back. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
He caught her hand and tugged her to him. “I would.” He kissed her so quickly that her knees nearly buckled and her brain reeled. She could have panicked. Could have told him to go slow because she hadn’t done this in a while, or even stop because this was wrong. But nobody, no kiss, had ever made her feel the warm, wonderful, scary sensations saturating her entire being right now. Not just her body, but her soul.
His lips moved over hers smoothly, expertly, shooting fire and ice down her spine. Her breath froze in her
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