‘You only listen to me. I’m the boss; I make the rules.’ He realised his words had done nothing to soothe her. ‘We’ll just be discreet. Obviously we can’t make it public—you are my PA, and it would make things awkward on so many levels if people knew that we were…’
He didn’t finish. She wished that he would. Were what? Caitlyn wanted to ask, only she didn’t have the courage.
‘Just be discreet.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Now, go to sleep…’
He was holding her, still holding her, and she waited, turned her face away from him, waited for him to pull back the rumpled sheets and get dressed and go.
She couldn’t bear it for a second longer. ‘Are you staying?’
‘Why—do you have other plans?’
‘It’s just that…’ She blinked up at the ceiling, her thoughts tumbling out as he smiled and watched. ‘Well, actually I’m starving. And I’ve promised myself that I’ll fall asleep every night with my headphones on…I’m doing this crash course in Italian…’
He halted her by leaning over and picking up the phone. And though he cursed at the state of the after-hours menu, never had a club sandwich and icy champagne in bed tasted so good…
Later, Caitlyn reflected. Who needed headphones when she had her very own personal tutor? Her very own Latin lover, whispering in her ear throughout the night and teaching her words that she was sure wouldn’t go down too well at any meeting….
CHAPTER SIX
HE WAS very nice to wake up to.
Not that they’d done much sleeping…Caitlyn’s inexperience was a distant memory by morning, as Lazzaro had delightedly given her a crash course in lovemaking. A very intensive course in lovemaking, in fact—and she was a very willing pupil, utterly devouring her new-found knowledge and incredibly keen to utilise it!
But lying there, watching him sleeping—watching that normally severe face, that tense body, for once relaxed beside her—she thought that never had he looked more beautiful. His scar just added mystery, though it confused her in some ways. He was hardly vain—Lazzaro took about two minutes to shower and get ready—but for a man who had the best of everything, surely he could have had it seen to…? Caitlyn stared closely at the jagged edges. She could see where the sutures had been placed, and she was so tempted to reach out and touch it, to touch his pain and somehow kiss it better.
As his phone rang, black eyes opened on blue smiling ones.
‘Morning…’ She reached over to kiss him, unabashed after last night’s intimacies—although if her lack of experience in lovemaking had been taken care of, she was a complete novice in other areas. She had trusted him last night and assumed she could trust him this morning—she had given him her heart and, having fallen asleep in his arms, had never considered it would be handed back in the light of morning.
‘Let me see who it is…’
Caitlyn could already see—Bonita was flashing up on his caller ID. Her only solace was that he chose not to answer.
‘We should get going.’ He didn’t kiss her back—didn’t even try to pretend for a second. Just peeled back the sheets and climbed out of the warm bed. ‘I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast.’
‘Lazzaro?’ She watched his shoulders stiffen at the question in her voice—and knew, because it was indisputable now, that the intimacies they had shared last night didn’t extend into the day. Learning fast, and hating the game she found herself playing, Caitlyn checked the slightly needy note in her voice. ‘I’ll be down in twenty minutes.’
He was far bolder than she could ever be. He didn’t even attempt to pull on yesterday’s grubby clothes, just wrapped a towel round his waist and picked up his things before heading off to his own room to get showered and dressed, leaving Caitlyn blowing her fringe skywards as she lay on the bed, trying not to cry—determined not to give him the satisfaction of her tears.
Sciocco! Sciocco!
The word pounded in Lazzaro’s head as he showered and dressed, beating in his temples like a pulse as he headed down to breakfast.