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Her limbs went weak and loose, her head spinning from the effects of the near accident and his hard embrace. She wasn’t sure how long he held her, only that she could feel every twitch and play of his muscles. Feel the intense awareness of his manliness. Reminding her that she hadn’t been held like this for a very long time.
Not since her last, brief relationship fizzled and died under the stress of long-distance apathy.
An engine backfired in the distance. Above them, a weak bulb flickered.
Giada shook her head, willing back a modicum of the perspective she seemed to lose around this man.
‘I... You can let me go now. Thanks,’ she tagged on hurriedly, then cringed when her voice emerged low and husky. Almost...turned on.
He didn’t respond or heed her request. Seconds ticked away as he held her.
Giada pressed her lips together, a little reticent to speak again in case her breathlessness betrayed her.
Alessio walked forward, still holding her captive, until they reached the double doors that led to the dingy little hotel lobby. His breath washed over her cheek, her only sign that he was leaning in closer still. ‘Five minutes,’ he said, low and fierce in her ear.
The second he set her down, Giada pushed away, eager to be free from his intoxicating presence. Because for several seconds, all she’d wanted was to remain plastered against the pillar of masculine heat, to receive every ounce of warmth from him and not the coat she still held onto.
She didn’t need to look back to know he was watching her like a hawk, probably even following her into the building. Deciding to shun the elevator and take the stairs since she was only on the first floor, she rushed away, the giddy pounding of her pulse making her question whether the course she was taking was a wise one.
Batting away the warning—because, really, what choice did she have?—she went down another dimly lit hallway and pressed her key card to the lock.
Since she’d been on tenterhooks and out of her depth to do more than grab what she needed when she needed it, she hadn’t fully unpacked.
In under a minute, she was done.
She considered texting Gigi to let her know what was happening but decided against it. It was too risky—
Thoughts and body froze when she opened the door to see Alessio leaning against the wall opposite, his hands once again shoved into his pockets.
‘You didn’t need to follow me up.’
‘Didn’t I?’ he rasped with a lifted eyebrow that mocked her question.
‘What do you think I was going to do? Run away? After getting you to agree to what I want?’ she scoffed.
For an instant, a vicious harshness flared in his eyes. Giada wasn’t sure which part of her response had caused it but she was relieved when it disappeared just as quickly. ‘As long as you’re in possession of what belongs to me, you can be assured that I won’t take my eyes off you.’
Why that sent a sizzling trail of fire down every inch of her spine was too unsettling to contemplate. Then he was robbing her of breath all over again by stepping forward abruptly and relieving her of the small suitcase.
Giada told herself he’d done it out of suspicion, not chivalry. The tension riding him as he headed for the stairs without looking back said so.
His clipped, ‘It’s been taken care of,’ when she approached the reception desk to pay her bill and check out sent yet another spark of alarm through her.
The strange sensations continued to course through her as he stowed her case in the car and pointedly held the door open for her.
She found her voice a minute later, frowning at his stiff profile. ‘I was perfectly capable of checking out for myself. You didn’t need to do it.’
His mouth twisted, dragging her attention to its sensual curve. ‘I didn’t do it for you,duci. There’s only so much of the stench I could breathe in from that filthy lobby before I caught something incurable.’ He slanted her a glance, his voice dripping more of his seemingly customary disdain. ‘I’m beginning to understand the gravity of your need for employment.’
Since Giada couldn’t state the truth or confess that she hadn’t given the hotel much more than a cursory glance after ensuring it had a bed she could sleep in and was priced within her budget, she had to let his comment slide despite its harsh sting. Keeping her gaze on the road, she shrugged. ‘How far are we going?’
She felt his sharp look on her face.
‘Eager to get back to your friends?’ His tone held a distinct note of displeasure, making her hesitate before issuing a resoundingyes.
She was supposed to be eager for a job, after all.
‘Not at all. You’ll recall I mentioned I wasn’t going to follow you blindly. As for my friends, they’ll be here when you and I are done.’
