Page 24 of Bene

Bene laughed, peering over at her. “Not that great, huh?”

“All I learned about growing up was that with adulthood comes adult problems.”

“Fuck, don’t I know that?”

“And to think, I thought getting older would just mean looking older.”

“You look fine.”

He hadn’t meant for it to come out as sly and deep as it did—that huskiness colored up his tone, and he wondered where in the fuck it even came from. Not that it mattered, because it was out there now, and her dark brown eyes—pools of glimmering russet—glittered from his suggestive statement.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed. I’m sure you know how you look.”

Her smile deepened, showing off perfect white teeth, and making her almond-shaped eyes lower a bit as color tinted her cheeks. Was that … shyness? Shit, this woman was quickly working on making Bene lose any and all control he had. There was something about a beautiful woman—as sexy as her, dressed like she was, looking like she fucking did beside him—who also managed to be humble when paid a compliment that just did it for him.

“Do I?” she asked, leaning forward a bit.

Closer, he noticed.

And Bene, who didn’t hold an ounce of shame, leaned closer to her, too. He was more than willing to feed into whatever this woman wanted as long as she kept smiling like that … not to mention, at him.

Her teeth caught her fuller bottom lip when he tipped his head to the side, and asked, “Do you, what?”

“Know how I look,” she said softly.

“Don’t you? Do you need me to tell you how beautiful you are, and fill your head with whatever words fly out of my mouth just because? Or is the way I look at you good enough to tell you that you’re—by far—one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever had the pleasure of looking at in my life?”

She dragged in a quick breath, and the color came back to her cheeks in a flash. Not that it changed the way her gaze lit up with heat all over again.

Bene nodded, and leaned back to sit straight on his stool, and put a bit of space between them. “But you know,” he continued, “it’s all in what you want, too, I suppose.”

She shrugged, clearly trying to play off his words though he could see exactly how they affected her. He admired the way her olive-tone skin gleamed at her shoulders—he wondered what her flesh might taste like under his tongue while his hands worked between her thighs. Or shit, even better, with his cock filling her full and his name on her lips.

Speaking of which …

“You haven’t told me your name,” Bene murmured.

“Vanna. Vanna Falco.”

The name rang no bells.

“God’s gift.” Bene chuckled at the way her eyes widened at his knowledge of the meaning of her name. “Appropriate, then.”

“How so?”

“My name is Benedetto—but I go by Bene. Bene Guzzi. Spelled b-e-n-e. With that hard ay at the end.”

Vanna tilted her head sideways, his name falling from her lips far too seductively as she tried it out. “Bene.”

Yeah.

Hell.

That did great things for his cock.

“But how is that appropriate?” she asked.