Dangerous to her self-control.
‘Does that mean you’re going to write me a poem?’
His eyes gleamed. ‘I might. What rhymes with Immacolata?’
She smiled. ‘Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme. Free verse doesn’t follow any rules.’
‘That sounds more like it.’
His dark eyes rested on her face, the corners of his mouth curving up into a smile that was so unapologetically flirtatious that she burst out laughing.
‘You’re impossible.’
‘So I’m told.’ He frowned. ‘You’re not getting too hot in the sun, are you?’
She felt her pulse accelerate, and a shivery pleasure danced down her spine as he leaned forward and ran his fingers lightly over her stomach, stopping at the triangle of her bright yellow bikini bottom.
‘Maybe I should rub in some oil,’ he said softly. ‘Just to be on the safe side...’
That might work for her skin, she thought, but no amount of oil was going to appease the heat inside her.
She lifted her chin. ‘Or I could just go for a swim.’
He grinned. ‘Chicken.’
Ignoring his teasing gaze, she stood up and walked down the steps into the pool. He watched her as she did a slow length, and then, downing his drink, he stripped off his shirt and dived in, slicing through the water without a ripple and surfacing beside her.
His hands circled her waist.
‘You don’t need to hold me.’ She held his gaze. ‘I can swim.’
‘That’s not why I’m holding you.’
He pulled her closer and her eyes widened with shock as she felt the thickness of his erection through his shorts.
‘If I pass out, I’m relying on you to get me to safety.’
His voice had a huskiness to it that made her heart thump out of time.
‘So you see me as some kind of lifebelt?’
His eyes dropped to her mouth, then
lower to where the water was lapping at her breasts. ‘If that means you’re going to wrap yourself around my waist, then yes.’
‘I think it’s you that needs cooling off, Vicenzu,’ she teased. And, grabbing hold of his head, she pushed him under the water, then turned and swam away.
He came up, spluttering, and swam after her, snatching for her ankles and making her scream with laughter and terror until finally he caught her in the shallow end.
Laughing down at her, he scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the pool, his dark eyes glittering. ‘You are going to pay for that, Signora Trapani. With interest.’
Her hands gripped his bicep as he lowered his mouth to hers...
‘What the—’ He swore softly, his face creasing with irritation. On the other side of the terrace his phone was ringing. ‘I won’t answer it.’
‘It’s fine. Honestly.’ Her body twitched in protest but she managed to smile. ‘It might be important.’
Grimacing, he put her down and strode over to his phone. Picking it up, he glanced briefly at the screen, and her throat tightened as he immediately turned away to answer it.