“Seriously? I would have thought something more happened.”
“Neither of us wanted to start something that we knew we’d never be able to finish.” I continued on and told her why I’d been in Bora Bora alone in the first place, and how Leo and I had met. I left out the part where he’d slept in my bed the night I was sick, especially since nothing romantic had happened and telling that bit would have caused more suspicion. “We never even exchanged last names or phone numbers, knowing it was pointless. Two strangers meeting in a faraway place…what were the chances that we’d ever see one another again? So when I came here for this job, we were both shocked to see each other.”
“But you liked him when you were in Bora Bora?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And he liked you.”
“I believe so.”
“But you never kissed or anything?”
“No. Not there.”
“But you kissed here,” she stated, and I nodded to confirm.
“But only once. Kate, Leo and I can’t be together. It just won’t work. I need this job more than anything. I can’t…I won’t allow a relationship with Leo to ruin it. I don’t want the employees or you thinking I got this job because of him. There is no Leo and me. Do you understand?”
She shook her head. “When I met you, I knew instantly that you were right for this job. The way you conduct yourself, the great ideas you have. When I look at you, I see a very competent manager who cares about the place she works and its employees, someone who cares about how well the establishment is doing and only wants to make it better. And, also, you’re someone who has the brains to do it. So why? Why in the world would you think I or any of the others who work here would think you aren’t qualified for this job or that you didn’t get it on your own merits?”
Chapter Sixteen
Leo
I’d stomped out of the lobby and headed down to the beach. A jog along the water might be just what I needed to settle my urges for Grace. I never wanted to pressure her into something she didn’t want, but that’s not what the vibes I got from her told me. Not when I’d held her in that closet. Not initially when she’d kissed me on that cliff. Every time I saw her over the past couple of months, she would avoid looking at me. I couldn’t stay in the same room with her thinking she didn’t want me. I had to find out for sure. Holding her so close, I’d felt it, and it was as I’d thought all along. The way she shivered every time our skin made contact, the way she trembled when we’d touched just a few minutes ago in that closet when I’d held her. Unless I was mistaken, which I didn’t think I was, her body language spoke volumes. I was fairly certain that she wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
I ran about five miles and then turned around and ran about four more heading back, slowing down the last mile just to take time to enjoy the ocean, the waves, and the salty smell mixed with a bit of seaweed that had washed up on the shore. I needed to feel the freedom, the tranquility of the water. Fuck it. I jogged into the water, diving under a curl of wave, and swam out to the swell where the caps began to form. I’d needed the cool down.
I loved my life now, though part of me knew I didn’t deserve it. But I thought just maybe it might be time to give myself a break and open up to someone, for someone. For Grace. But would she accept me after she knew the truth about me?
Hell, she wasn’t even ready to accept me now, and she had no clue about my past.
I rode a wave back in and shook off the water as I stood. The run and brief swim had felt good, but they didn’t help get Grace off my mind as much as I’d hoped. As I made my way back along the water’s edge, I looked up and stopped walking when I saw Grace standing less than twenty feet in front of me. She was facing the ocean, staring out. Her dark hair flowed backwards from the ocean breeze. As I approached her, she didn’t turn to look at me. I stopped and stood next to her, watching the waves with her.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the water.
“Just breathing in the air.”
“Are you on a break?”
“Done for the day, actually.”
Was it that late already? I hadn’t noticed. She still had on the same clothes she’d worn while working. The fitted, black pencil skirt hugged her rear end and had me staring at her ass more than once today as she’d walked. She wore a thin, blue, sleeveless blouse that had tiny, white pearl buttons down the front, and I ached to slide my hand between a few and pop them loose.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” she said.
I glanced at her. She sucked in her bottom lip and bit down on it. I worried that she was about to tell me she was quitting.
“Grace, I never—”
“Wait. Let me speak first.”
“Okay. Go ahead.” I stroked my hand through my wet hair as the excess water dripped down my back and waited for her to speak.
It was a few seconds later when she began. “When I kissed you that first night I got here, I did it because I’d wondered for weeks what if. What if we’d been intimate in Bora Bora. I wanted to know what your lips felt like against mine. All that time on that island we…well, you never…” She trailed off.
“I never made any sexual advances toward you,” I finished the thought for her.
She nodded.
“But I made plenty of statements about wanting to. Grace, you’d just been through a horrible experience. Besides, I didn’t think it was right to use you that way, not after the hurt you’d just endured.”
“I really wish you had. Because then maybe I wouldn’t have wanted it so badly, and maybe I wouldn’t have kissed you here. That night, while I was kissing you, I suddenly realized who you were.”
“And who is that?” My gut started to ache, and I didn’t want to hear any more.
“You’re my boss. Indirectly, but still, you own—or stand to inherit—this inn, which makes you my boss. I freaked, Leo. I’d been without a job for too long, and the idea of losing this perfect opportunity for some fling with the boss’s son, which would inevitably send me packing, back to living with my mother, was unacceptable. I’d do almost anything to avoid that.”
“Grace, you won’t lose your job. I promise. And this isn’t just some fling. You have to know, I go to sleep thinking about you, I wake up wanting to see your face. I care about you more than I’ve ever cared about anything. I want to be with you in every way possible.”
She kept silent for a minute, and I thought I’d confessed too much and probably scared her even more.
But then she surprised me with, “I want that, too.” Her whisper was mixed with a sob as she turned to me, and I slipped my arm around her waist, pulling her in against my still wet body. At least it wasn’t sweat from the run, and I was glad once again that I had taken the time to cool down and take a swim.
“Thank God,” I whispered against her hair close to her ear. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be all right.” I lifted my hands so they cupped her cheeks, my fingers tangling in the hair that was hanging loosely over her shoulders. I loved the silky feel, and I edged her face up so she was looking at me. I wanted her lips against mine. I wanted to taste her again. Then, without thinking about it anymore, I kissed her, and all my preconceived thoughts about how wonderful it would be again, all those nights spent dreaming about Grace became inconsequential compared to this. The reality. Her hands swept up my back and pulled me tighter against her. When her fingers danced against the nape of my neck and tangled in the back of my hair, all I could hear was my heart throbbing against my chest as happiness burst through my veins. Not in my wildest dreams could I have known I’d feel this way. Her mouth became my salvation, and I knew then that I wanted her to be my everything.
When the kiss ended, I grazed my lips over her neck with ragged breaths and breathed against her trembling body—a sensation that I loved knowing I had caused. My hand slipped around the nape of her neck, and I fisted my palm in her hair, tugging her head gently back
so she could see my eyes. I needed her to see the truth in them as I whispered, “I won’t hurt you, Grace. Ever.”
“I believe you.” She smiled, and I gently rubbed my thumb over the slight hint of a tiny dimple just above the corner of her mouth that I’d never noticed before. Why had I never seen that adorable little hollow spot? Was this Grace being happy?
“Come on.” I grabbed her hand and tugged her along with me up the other side of the hill toward my house. If I could have found a faster way to get there, I would have.
Chapter Seventeen
Grace
Leo’s house was much larger than I would have expected, but I didn’t have much time to look around and explore as Leo tugged me to him and kissed me again. When his hands began roaming up my sides, I didn’t stop him. I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted a man before. My body ached for his touch, and my core throbbed with anticipation. I think I’d wanted his hands on me ever since he slept next to me the night I’d been so sick with sunstroke. Though, at the time, sex had been the furthest thing from my mind. But the next day, I’d had trouble getting him out of my head.
Leo was wet and smelled like the ocean. His neck was salty as I nuzzled my face against him. When his hand slipped between the buttons of my blouse and several popped off, I gasped.
“Sorry, I’ll buy you a new top,” he said while he kissed the skin above my bra. Then his hand slipped inside, cupping my breast. His other hand undid the clasp at the front, and my bra fell away. I moaned with pleasure as his teeth and tongue skated over my nipple before it disappeared into his mouth.
His other hand pushed against my mound, and he rubbed, stroking through the material of my skirt. Then I heard a click as he undid the snap at the waistband, followed by the sound of the zipper going down. My skirt quickly fell to the floor, and I stepped out of it. All that was left was my underpants, but Leo left those there as he bent down and kissed my stomach. Nipped his way down between my thighs and sucked through the thin, black silk. His expert fingers slipped inside the band of my undies and found their way to my clit. “You’re so wet,” he growled and tugged my panties down. My head fell back, and my eyes closed as the sensation of his tongue flicking against me made me dizzy. I almost fell over, but Leo held me securely in his hands as he pleasured me. I ran my hands through his dark, wet hair, wondering why I’d denied myself this for so long as the pressure inside of me rose. The climax slammed into me as I moaned out his name.
Leo stood, ran his hand over his mouth, and then his lips found mine again. He grabbed me up into his arms, cradling me against his damp shirt as he walked down a dark hallway. He placed me on his bed and shimmied out of his wet clothes. His chest glistened, and I wanted to run my hands down the taut muscles that I’d only dreamt about touching. His erection was thick and it pulsed as I watched him rip a condom from its package. His hands shook as he slid the rubber down his length.
When Leo slipped inside of me, I thought for sure I’d come again right then. But he entered slowly, only partway, then pulled almost all the way out before entering again, pushing farther and farther each time, deeper. Then he slammed in hard, and I couldn’t, didn’t want to contain the climax. He continued on that way for what seemed like hours, though I knew that was impossible. The pleasure that burst through me exploded like fireworks in my head several times. Then Leo huffed out on ragged breath, “Grace, you are so much more than I ever imagined.” And then, he growled into my neck as his release took hold.
We sat in his kitchen as Leo poured us both a cup of coffee. It had been a wonderful night of never-ending sex. I think we must have been making up for lost time, and Leo appeared insatiable, as his desire for me seemed to grow each time we made love.
I noticed a small pile of mail stacked at the end of the table, and curiosity got the better of me. I glanced at the name on the top envelope. It was addressed to Leonardo D’Amoré, Sr. I remembered how Leo had mentioned that he was the fourth of the Leonardos, and since he didn’t have any children, not that I knew of anyway, I didn’t think the letter belonged to him. When generations got third and fourth, I had to think it would be easier to use senior rather than third or fourth when there were only two left with the same name. Then I had a horrible thought. This letter belonged to his father.
As Leo placed a steamy cup of coffee in front of me, he saw where I’d been looking.
“Does your father live here, too?” I had to ask as a clump of panic built inside of me at the thought of Len walking in and finding me here, having coffee in the kitchen, wearing nothing but Leo’s oversized T-shirt.
“No. He has a small cottage by the inn. Similar to the room you have. He used to live here. This was our house—well, second house. When I was small, we had a different place, closer to the inn. It was torn down years ago to make room for more cottages. My father bought this house when I was just a kid, shortly after my mother left, but when I left for college, he moved out. He said he wanted to be closer to the inn and that this house was too big for just him.”
“Why didn’t he sell it?”
Leo shook his head. “I never wanted him to.”
I sipped my coffee, and my stomach rumbled. We’d snacked on some cheese and crackers last night, as that was all Leo had in the house to eat, but neither of us had wanted to get dressed and go out to get something either. “You’re hungry,” he said. “We should throw on some clothes and go get some food.”
“Um, I don’t have a top to wear,” I said, remembering how all the buttons had exploded and scattered all over the floor when Leo’s hand had forced its way through them. I shivered at the exhilarating memory.
“Right. I’m sorry about that. I guess I was a bit of an animal.”
“It was exciting,” I admitted and smiled at him.
“I will buy you a new blouse. In the meantime, I’m sure I can come up with something other than that T-shirt. Though, I like seeing you in it. Vieni con me, signorina.”
I giggled at his almost perfect attempt at Italian for me to come with him and followed him through the large living room that I’d barely had my eyes open long enough to see last night. A soft, brown leather sectional sat in front of a large, flat-screen that hung on the wall above a marble stone fireplace. The room conveyed a certain kind of rustic elegance that I loved, and the theme channeled throughout the entire house.
Once we reached the bedroom, I had closet envy as we stood inside the large space. He pulled a light blue, button-down shirt from the rack and handed it to me. “Try this.”
I took it from him, but no sooner had I pulled off the T-shirt than Leo had me pinned against the wall between a row of shirts and pants. I laughed as his lips grazed my neck and then his mouth crashed against mine. Then he looked at me, his eyes intense with heat. “I’m going to take you right here, right now. Is that okay, Grace?” he asked but didn’t wait for an answer as he turned me around and bent me over the large ottoman that took up the middle of the closet. I was already wet the moment he’d started kissing me. Spreading my legs, his hand stroked my core, and his finger circled my clit, making me even wetter. I heard him fumble around on a shelf and then I heard the tear of foil. It must have been another hour before I put on the shirt he’d given me.
I’d had to roll the sleeves of Leo’s shirt up since they hung down way past my hands and I ended up tucking the bottom front inside my skirt, leaving the back out and draped over my skirt. By the time we left Leo’s house, it was near noon. It was Wednesday, and he’d be spending time at the restaurant, helping out.
“I think I’m going to hire some part-time people to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays,” I said as we walked hand-in-hand to a small taco stand that sat across the street from the public beach. “It doesn’t make sense not to have backup.”
“You’re right. See? You’re perfect for that job.”
The taco stand was about two miles from the inn, but only about a half-mile from his house. By the time we got there, and with Leo’s input,
we’d figured out a great schedule that was sure to satisfy all the employees. We sat outside, watching a variety of people walk by as we ate tacos and split a hot fudge sundae from the Dairy Queen next door and reminisced about our time in Bora Bora.
We took the beach route home, walking close to the water. My hand was in his, and all I could do was smile at the wonderful closeness we shared. As we strolled by the waves floating up onto the beach, we watched crabs scurry in the sand as the water flowed back into the ocean.
“You know, everything has a purpose,” Leo began. “Even the tiny sand crabs. See how they bury themselves in the sand as the water recedes?” He dipped his fingers into the sand and dug one up, letting it crawl over the palm of his hand, and then he took my hand, placing it in my palm.”
“It tickles.” I said with a giggle as it crawled to the edge of my fingers.
He smiled then let the crab crawl back onto his knuckles before lowering his hand to the ground allowing the tiny creature to burrow back into hiding. “They’re not only food for seabirds and bait used by fishermen, but they also ingest the toxins produced by microscopic algae most often found in the swash-zone—this area where the waves break.” He pointed toward the area of the beach where the water receded. “That toxin can cause serious amnesic poisoning to humans and other animals. So, even the smallest of creatures play an important role in the beach ecosystem. Sorry, I’m probably boring you. I tend to let my work edge its way into too many conversations. Especially when I’m nervous.”
“You’re not boring me. I find it fascinating. But what are you nervous about? We’ve already had sex.” I laughed.
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