Page 28

"You know you don't have to prove anything to me," he says.

"I know. That's what makes it fun." I tug him closer and kiss him again.

The bedroom is filled with afternoon sunlight, and I can hear the waves through the open balcony doors. When I sit on the edge of the bed to brush the sand from my feet, Enzo kneels in front of me and catches my ankle gently in his hand.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Taking care of my girl."

I give him an affectionate look. "You know, you're making it awfully difficult for me to maintain my reputation as an independent woman."

"You're the most independent woman I've ever met."

"Good answer."

He smiles, brushes a kiss against my knee, and rises to join me.

I reach for him, drawing him into another kiss, and he laughs softly when I tell him I’ve waited all morning to get him alone.

“Have you?” His hand settles at my waist.

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“Since approximately seven thirty.”

Enzo glances toward the clock on the nightstand. “It’s almost three.”

“Exactly. I’ve shown remarkable restraint.”

His mouth twitches. “You’ve complained about my shirt four times.”

“It has buttons. Buttons are an obvious design flaw.”

“And here I thought librarians appreciated things that took time.”

“We appreciate books. You’re not a book.”

“No?”

“No. Books don’t look at me like that.”

His amusement disappears. I probably should have kept my mouth shut. Enzo’s gaze drifts slowly over me, from my face to the thin sundress I threw over my bathing suit this morning and back again.

“Like what, Tesoro?”

There is something about his voice when he uses that word that makes every intelligent part of me take a coffee break.

“Like you’re considering doing something that would get us kicked out of a respectable establishment.”

“This is my house.”

“See? That only makes you more dangerous.”

He catches the back of my neck and kisses me. Not gently. I gasp against his mouth, and Enzo takes advantage of it immediately, deepening the kiss while his other hand slides around my waist. He pulls me against him until there is no space left between us. There. That. That is exactly what I’ve been thinking about all morning. His hard cock. I grab the front of his shirt and work another button loose. He catches my hand.

I make an offended sound. “Again?”