Temporary Arrangement (5 page)

Not answering, she decided to brave passing him and leave the bedroom. She should go back to her room, shut the door and pretend this encounter never happened.

It was the easiest—and smartest—thing to do.

Taking a deep breath, she started to walk. Headed straight toward the door, prepared to pass directly by him. She kept her head high, her gaze locked on that ominously closed door.

Hence her surprise when Matteo grabbed her upper arm, halting her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She blinked up at him, startled by the roughness of his voice, the snarl curling his lip, how his touch burned into her flesh, even through the thick fabric of her robe. “I—I think it’s best I go to bed now. I’m so sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Renaldi. Good night.”

He didn’t release her. Didn’t so much as move a muscle. Just continued to stare at her, that wickedly dark gaze roving her face, dipping lower, scanning her body so blatantly a shiver moved through her, as if he had physically touched her.

“You must know Paige, that you’re never a disturbance. Not to me. You fill the house with much…warmth.”

The admission startled her. “I like being here with Matty. With you.” She couldn’t believe she said that. But if he could be truthful…

“You’ve brought happiness to my son,” he murmured. “And for that I can never thank you enough.”

“What about you?” Impulsively, she reached for him. Cupped his cheek with her hand, caressed his stubble-roughened skin with her fingers. “Do I bring you any happiness?”

Her question seemed to stun him silent. Breathless, she waited for his answer, still stroking him, thrilling at the sensation of his flesh beneath her fingers. She felt bold, curious, so blessedly alive. It was foolish, a huge risk, but she wanted more.

Did he?

“Do you have anything on underneath that robe, Paige?” His voice was deceptively quiet, edged with barely restrained lust.

And her answering lust rose to the surface. Without thought, she stepped closer, his body heat, the spicy scent of him calling to her. Her mind screamed not to go there. She should walk. Run as far away as possible. To want this, want
him
would surely ruin her.

“Answer me,
bella,
” he urged, sliding his hand down the length of her arm, his fingers sneaking under the robe’s sleeve to circle about her wrist. “Your pulse is so fast. It flutters against my fingertips like a bird’s wings.”

That he would notice—and say so in such a poetic manner—melted her.

“Do I frighten you?” His gaze met hers, those dark eyes revealing both everything yet nothing at all.

He wanted her. She knew it, could sense it. His thumb smoothed over her erratic pulse, making it beat faster, and the way he studied her mouth told her he wanted to kiss her.

“What I’m feeling right now frightens me,” she finally whispered, her body leaning toward his.

He tugged her closer. “We shouldn’t do this.”

“I work for you,” she pointed out lamely.

His other hand came up, cupped the side of her neck. Long fingers slid into her damp hair, tangling in the curly waves, and she tilted her head back, her entire body tense with need.

For him.

Matteo’s head came closer, his minty breath fanning across her face. “I should be angry at you. Invading my home, my thoughts, my blood…”

A gasp escaped her at his admission, and he took advantage, his mouth capturing her lower lip, tugging, then releasing it so he could trace it with his warm, velvety tongue.

Everything within her focused on that one sweeping motion. The sensation of his tongue on her mouth, the stutter of his breath, the low whimper that sounded deep in her throat. His hand tightened reflexively around her neck, his other hand squeezed her wrist, pulling her in until all she felt, all she knew was Matteo.

Chapter Five

She surrendered so beautifully, so perfectly. Paige’s entire body trembled when he drew her into his embrace. The soft, sexy whimpers emanating from her throat fueled his lust-filled blood, made him want to push more, take more, until she was completely his.

The need to possess her drove Matteo on. The hushed quiet that settled over the room, the steamy warmth from her recent bath still filled the air, the scent of her, the scent of him, blending in a harmonious mix. Their lips connected softly. Again and again, deeper and deeper, until he darted his tongue out, slid it against hers in blatant invitation.

Paige took it, her movement eager, greedy. Her tongue wound around his, she moved into him, her arms circling around his waist, the bulk of her robe frustrating him.

He wanted to feel her. Naked skin, full breasts, slick hot heat between her legs…

A groan escaped him, and he tugged on her hair, taking the kiss deeper. She tilted her head back, her arms tight around him despite the damn robe, her taste, her scent flooding him. His cock rock-hard, his entire body focused on their connected mouths, the feel of her beneath his palms.

He needed more.

Whirling her around, he broke the kiss and picked her up, causing her to squeal. He settled her on the edge of the dresser, their gazes meeting, their panting breaths matching in cadence. No words were said, none were needed as he reached for the belt of her robe and slowly undid the knot.

Her breath left her in a shaky gust, her arms resting at her sides, bunching the terrycloth in her fists. The belt came undone easily, the fabric parting but not enough for him to see anything.

“Paige.” He whispered her name, needing her permission, and her lids lowered over those turbulent eyes, her succulent pink mouth swollen from his kisses. She didn’t answer him, didn’t tear her gaze away from his either, and he took that as acquiescence.

Slowly, with a tenderness he didn’t realize he could display considering the lust that raged through him, he parted the fabric, his fingers brushing against her. Revealing her naked flesh inch by inch. Her chest, her delicate collarbone, those smallish breasts with the most mouthwatering pink nipples he’d ever seen. He pushed further, exposing the gentle slope of her belly, the fiery red hair that covered her sex.

A shudder moved through him, and he returned his gaze to hers. She licked her lips, shy, reclusive Paige gone in an instant. In her place sat a temptress, a siren whose song called to him, bringing to life feelings he thought long dormant and forever lost.

She spread her legs across the smooth surface of his dresser, pink, damp petals of glistening, intimate skin on flagrant display. Her scent reached him, filled him, and he inhaled sharply, let his gaze drop to drink in all of that forbidden flesh revealed for his eyes only.

“Take it off,” he growled, and she shrugged out of the robe without hesitation so it fell behind her on the dresser. She sat before him completely naked while he was still dressed. The contrast aroused him beyond measure.

Grabbing her about her slender waist, he pulled her to him, her butt perched on the edge of the furniture, her arms winding around his neck. All of that soft, fragrant skin pressed into him and with a low groan, he took her mouth. Kissed her deeply, his tongue a thrusting beast much like his cock wished to be within the welcoming depths of her body.

Paige wrapped her legs about his hips and ground her sex against his erection, a shiver moving through him from the pleasure. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d rubbed and ground against a woman with his clothes still on. Usually didn’t have to participate in such unnecessary games when he could strip and fuck the woman where she lay.

But this was different, a sort of delicious, forbidden foreplay. She rhythmically rocked into him, moving with the thrusts of their tongues and he mimicked her ministrations, pushing against her, teasing her. Driving the both of them wild.

“I want you,” he whispered close to her ear. “Will you let me take you,
bella?
Let me have that sweet little body of yours?”

She didn’t answer, merely gripped his face with her hands and kissed him. He slipped his hands in between them, cupping her breasts, testing their weight in his palms. Her nipples puckered, hard little delicious points he teased with his thumbs, and a shudder moved through her body.

Close already. He could probably get her off and have her exploding within moments.

Slipping his hands down, he mapped her curves. The dent of her waist, the flare of her hips, the sexy curve of her belly. The heat of her drew him, urged him on, and he slipped his fingers into her pubic hair, further, until the tips of his fingers were drenched in fragrant wet heat.

Paige broke the kiss, panting wildly, her little hands clutching him as he searched her folds. He teased her swollen clit, circled the bit of flesh with his thumb. All the while watching her, delighting in her reaction. How responsive she was, how beautiful.

“Do you want to come,
bella?
Like you did in my tub? Were you thinking of me while you touched yourself?” His voice was dark, rough, sounded wicked to his ears. The beast that lingered deep within him, the one he kept hidden from the world, was desperate to reveal himself. So he could plunder her, take her so hard and so deep she wouldn’t be able to walk for days.

“Wha—what did you say?” she asked with a shaky whisper, her teeth sinking into the plump flesh of her lower lip when he slipped two fingers deep inside her sheath. “Oh, God.”

“Mmm, you like that? Will you come with my fingers inside your body? Do you need my mouth on you?”

She tilted her head back, bumping into the wall as she closed her eyes, a soft wail escaping her as he thrust deep, his pace quickening. “I—I’m going to come.”

“Come for me. Let me see you fall apart from my touch.” He kissed her, drank her agonized moans as her body shook against his. His fingers still deep within her, those hot velvet walls clenched rhythmically, making his cock jealous.

How he wished he was buried deep inside her. Filling her with his come, making her his…

Warnings flashed through her mind, even while her second climax of the night swept over her body. This one was so much better, what she’d dreamed of when she was in the tub.

Matteo surrounding her, his fingers pumping inside her body, his mouth fused with hers. She was completely naked, he still clad in his trousers and shirt, that sexy tie still wound loosely around his neck. His hair mussed by her hands, his dark, sexy voice whispering the most naughty things in her ear.

Like how he knew she’d brought herself to orgasm in his tub…

Wrenching her mouth from his, she studied him, his fathomless chocolate gaze meeting hers. “You spied on me?”

His expression went blank, and he removed his hand from between her legs. Instantly, she felt empty. Lost without his touch. “You were in my bathroom,
bella.
I had to know who was in there.”

“So what? You thought to tease me, make a little fantasy of mine come true?”

His dark brows furrowed in confusion, he shook his head. “It isn’t like that.”

“Then what is it like? Were you bored on a Friday night, found your nanny playing with herself in the bathtub and decided to ease some of the tension?”

He gripped her by the shoulders, preventing her from escaping. God, she felt so exposed, so raw, so
stupid.
“I told you, it wasn’t like that. You must know this. You’ve driven me crazy for a month.”

She didn’t believe him. Couldn’t believe him. Risky behavior like this could get her fired. Again. And she couldn’t afford that, refused to go down that road one more time. Though with Matteo, she’d already done so much more…

“I should go.” She grappled for the robe behind her, pulling it up and over her shoulders. Her body still shook with the aftereffects of her orgasm, and she pushed at the solid wall of his chest so he had no choice but to back away.

Hopping off the dresser, she skittered past him, embarrassment keeping her head bowed, her lips pressed tightly together so she wouldn’t do something mortifying. Like sob.

“Paige, wait.”

“No. This was a mistake. It should’ve never happened.” She paused, glancing over her shoulder to look at him.

Matteo stood there, tension radiating off his big body in obvious waves, his expression grim and full of frustration. The unmistakable bulge of his erection flared the front of his trousers, and she wished for a moment of weakness. To go back to him and beg him to make love to her, at least once.

But that would ruin everything. Bad enough they’d engaged in this…illicit activity.

God, she was so, so stupid.

Turning, she ran away from him. Scurried down the hall and escaped into her bedroom, slamming the door and turning the lock with an audible click. She flung herself on her bed, the robe falling away, leaving her naked and exposed as she clutched the pillow to her face and sobbed her eyes out.

She was a fool. If he kept her as Matty’s nanny, it would be a miracle. She needed to prove she wasn’t a slut who gave in so easily to her desires. She could withstand this attraction she had toward her boss.

There was no other choice. She had to.

About the Author

Karen Erickson has always loved the written word. From being one of the best readers in her kindergarten class to penning romantic stories that never ended about her favorite band members (Duran Duran) in high school, she always wanted to write. It just took her a while to seriously pursue it.