AllFreeNovel
Share Us
How am I supposed to answer that?!
Because you’re the hottest man I’ve ever met? Because you exude power and intimidate the hell out of me? Because there seems to be much more lurking beneath the surface than what you let me see? Because I don’t understand why you’re interested in me?
There’s a myriad of questions in my mind.
What do I say?
I search my brain for an intelligent answer. Resting my hands in my lap, I twist my fingers anxiously. He notices and reaches over and pulls one hand on top of the table. Never letting go, he caresses it with this thumb, my eyes following the movement. My heart is beating out of my chest, and I’m sure he can see it.
God, I’m blowing this.
“Angel, look at me,” Tiero says, his voice gentle. My eyes slowly lift to his. There’s only warmth and tenderness. “Tell me,” he says, his voice low and his eyes sincere.
I twist the fabric of my skirt with the hand on my lap. My chest is tight, and my breathing shallow.
“I’ve never met anyone like you. You intimidate me. The way you make me feel is nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s unsettling, and I don’t know how to be around you,” I fire off quietly.
“How do I make you feel?”
“You fry my brain and set my body on fire.” I whisper dryly.
“How do you know it’s not the same for me?”
“Because you are always calm and collected. Nothing seems to rattle you… not even when a car tries to run you over.”
“You know, ducks appear calm on the surface, but their feet kick frantically under the water.”
That makes me laugh. “I could never think of you as a duck. You do your middle name justice… you’re definitely more lion than duck.”
He laughs with me, and it disperses the tension. He lifts my hand and kisses it tenderly, just as the door to the rooftop opens and a couple of servers step out carrying dishes. My skin tingles where he touched it, and I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered the chef’s specials for us when I made the reservation. It’s a selection of his best dishes… I have no idea what he’s got in store for us, but he never disappoints. And don’t worry, I told them you don’t like eggplants.” He kisses my hand once more before letting it go when the servers place the first course in front of us.
The food is delicious, and five courses later, my stomach is happy and full. After the little ice-breaking laugh, conversation flows easily.
Tiero is a fabulous conversationalist. As he demonstrated on our first night out, he’s a history buff, especially on Italian history, and enlightens me on the finer details of the fall of Troy and Pompeii. I’m fascinated and ask many questions, and he answers every one of them expertly. I mentally add these places to my travel list, my curiosity raised to a point where I have to see them for myself.
As the servers clear the last dish, Tiero talks to them in Italian, and they nod their heads before disappearing through the door.
The two musicians have been playing softly in the background the entire time. Tiero stands and offers me his hand.
“Dance with me, princess?” he asks, but in true Gualtiero fashion, it’s more of a command than a request. I don’t mind though. I want to feel his arms around me again.
The alcohol has loosened me up not to be so self-conscious. I put my hand in his, and he caresses it with his thumb. And the wretched goosebumps… they’re back.
He leads me a few steps away from the table and snakes his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body. Only a few inches separate us, and his heat penetrates my skin.
Fire ignites in my veins like a raging inferno, and I swallow hard as my gaze rises to meet his, my heart racing in my chest like a Ferrari engine.
Tiero begins to sway to the rhythm of the music. In my heels, the top of my head reaches below his nose, and he breathes me in before placing a kiss on my hair. Resting my head on his shoulder, I listen to his heartbeat—it’s racing just like mine.
It comforts me to know I’m not alone in this, that he’s just as affected by my presence. I slide my hand over his heart and connect with its wild beat. Like drums in the jungle, it awakens something raw and primal inside me.
I lift my head off his body and stare up at him. His eyes are devouring me, his pupils nearly black and blazing with want. A want that is growing stronger inside me with every passing second, too.
Tiero lowers his head and kisses me, his lips soft on mine.
Finally!
