“I don’t mean your looks.”
“Then what do you mean?” Nate said, propping himself up on his elbow.
Raffaele looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “You’re… earnest,” he said, brushing his thumb over Nate’s cheek. “Genuinely friendly and nice. Warm. People are drawn to you. I don’t like the way they look at you.”
Grinning, Nate leaned down and kissed him softly. “The way they look at me? Just admit you have a jealousy problem.”
“I don’t have a jealousy problem. I have eyes.”
Chuckling, Nate rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you totally don’t have a jealousy problem. Maybe you should put a collar on me with your name on it.”
“Hm.”
“That wasn’t a serious suggestion, by the way. Don’t get ideas.” Dropping his grin, Nate became serious. “I don’t want to hide, either. I know there will be people who’ll gossip about me behind my back and say nasty stuff. I’m not saying it doesn’t bother me at all, but it’s not that important, you know?” He gave a small smile. “Frankly, I’m not good at giving a damn about anything or anyone else when it comes to you. That kind of tunnel vision is… it freaks me out, to be honest.” Nate blushed a little under Raffaele’s gaze. “I’ve never had it so bad for anyone. It’s kind of terrifying and—and you didn’t even say the words!”
“What words?”
Nate glowered at him.
Although his face remained blank, Raffaele’s eyes were glimmering with amusement. Then, his lips twitched, before a smile spread over his face.
“Ugh, I hate you,” Nate grumbled, hoping his expression wasn’t as besotted as he felt. God, he wanted to kiss that smile off his face. How could a man be so arrogant, maddeningly superior, and maddeningly sexy?
“C’mere,” Raffaele said. “Give me a kiss.”
Nate gave him a kiss.
And then another, and another, because he couldn’t help himself.
When they finally parted to get some air into their lungs, Nate’s lips felt swollen and oversensitive, his mind hazy and his body warm. He was lying on his back under Raffaele now—he wasn’t even sure when they had swapped positions.
Raffaele pressed their foreheads together, his warm breath brushing against Nate’s sensitive lips. “Pack your things.”
“Hm?” Nate said, his mind still blissfully blank.
“You’re moving in with me.”
Nate almost laughed. “That’s—don’t you think it’s a little too fast? Especially for a man who didn’t do relationships until today.”
Raffaele cradled his face with his hands and kissed him again, as if he still couldn’t get enough of him. God, Nate could relate.
“It makes sense,” Raffaele said, looking at him steadily. “You know the hours I work. If I can’t have you with me at work, I want to have you in my home. A few stolen minutes a day isn’t enough.”
Nate’s heart skipped a beat, warmth spreading through his body. The underlying need in Raffaele’s words made him feel like he might not be the only one who had it so bad. But he still needed the words.
“I think it’s a little early for that,” he said, squashing down the almost violent urge to agree. “I still haven’t heard the L word,” Nate added with a smile, threading his fingers through Raffaele’s hair. Say you love me, say you love me. The strength of that need was kind of disturbing, but he just wanted to hear it, so fucking badly. Although Raffaele had implied that he loved him, hearing him actually say the words was a completely different thing.
“I…” Raffaele looked at him for a moment, his throat working. And then he said, his voice somehow rough and soft at the same time, “Ti amo.”
Oh.
Until now, Nate honestly wouldn’t have been able to answer if someone asked him how to say “I love you” in Italian. But looking in Raffaele’s dark eyes, it felt like he’d been waiting for them. Ti amo. The words curled around his heart and warmed him up from the inside. Italian was such a beautiful language.
“You cheat,” Nate said with a smile, blinking away the sudden mistiness and kissing the dimple on Raffaele’s chin. “You still didn’t say the L word!”
Raffaele huffed, a wide smile stretching his lips and making him look ten years younger. “It’s not my fault it sounds awkward in English.”
Nate looped his arms around his neck. “I guess you’ll just have to practice, then,” he said, kissing the corner of his mouth and smiling like an idiot. Ti amo. I love you. He pushed Raffaele onto his back and arranged them to his satisfaction. “Let’s sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow. Jordan hates tardiness. He’s a pretty demanding boss, though compared to you he’s soft. You were the devil personified. I probably need to thank you for toughening me up, you dick.”
Chuckling, Raffaele slapped him lightly on the ass. “I’m still your boss.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you want me to call you Sir in bed, too?”