The Italian's Fake Fiancée

18.

"With no other living relative, my grandma took me in. Things were hard, life was hard. My grandma tried, but it wasn't enough. I had to work several jobs even though I was still in school. And when it was time to go to college I worked my ass off to get a scholarship, there I took a student loan to cover the rest of the expenses."

She skipped the part she met her ex and said, "Finished school and worked four years in an advertising firm and here I am." Paige explained, spreading her arms and acting like she wasn't bothered by any of what she had just said.

When she turned she expected to find Leo repulsed, but the expression she saw on Leo's face toppled her defenses as she did not know what to think about it. She had expected to see disgust at the type of life she had lived, but what she didn't expect was to see understanding in his eyes. And pain on her behalf.

"I think you turned out well. Your parents would be so proud of you." As an afterthought, he added, "As I am."

He leaned away from the table and before Paige could say a word, he gave her a passing pat on her shoulder and murmured: "Go to bed Paige we have a long day ahead of us." And then he was gone, disappearing into the bathroom and the next thing Paige heard was the shower turned on.

Paige did not know how to feel after bearing her heart out like that. And what he said now had given her concern. Go to bed? But there was only one bed. In her worry about revealing her emotions, she hadn't thought about how they would be sleeping, but now that she did, it was all she could think about.

In fact, her brain was making her aware of some strange little things like the fact she had been wearing her nightgown throughout the time they had been conversing, and she hadn't even noticed! Probably because he was not giving her any lascivious lewd looks. His gaze has been respectful.

Wiping her hand on the front of her purple nightgown, Paige told herself breath in, out, in out. In an effort to calm herself, she was a nervous wreck.

Realizing it was not working, she gave up. But at that moment she heard the shower turn off. And the door sing on its edges indicating Leo would soon be stepping out, and she dived into the bed. Covering herself from her waist down with the cream comforter. And pretending she was pressing her phone. God! She couldn't believe she was acting like a child! And not at all the twenty-six old woman which she was.

The door opened and Leo stepped out, dressed in loose pants and cotton polo rubbing his hair with a white towel.

Seeing her awake on the bed, he paused and asked, "You haven't slept?"

Paige shook her head from side to side. Dropping her phone on the bed and giving a little stretch. "I'm not sure I feel sleepy yet."

His dark eyes rested on her, and he scanned her in one look before making a face that said suit yourself and went to the mirror wiping his hair.

Although he was perfectly covered up from head to toe. Paige couldn't stop the longing that filled her as she followed him with her eyes. Staring at his masculine sexiness. Watching as the muscles of his back flexed as he wiped his hair vigorously. Leaning closer to the mirror as though to see if it was getting dryer. Paige lowered her eyes, afraid he would see her through the mirror.

Clearing her throat, she murmured, "About the bed, how do we sleep?"

He turned to her, a towel still on his hair, "Why, the way normal people sleep of course."

"That's not what I mean."

He turned properly to her and Paige found she could not continue. The water from his hair had trailed down his throat and glued his thin polo to his collar bone and upper chest and Paige got a glimpse of lines and hard muscles beneath the polo.

Wrenching her eyes away, Paige closed it for a second or two and then opened it. "I... mean, are we sleeping on the bed?"

At the slight twitch of his lips marking what was the onset of his amusement Paige hurriedly said, "I mean it's not like I want us to sleep together on the same bed or anything like that, but you know there is only one bed available here."

A full fledged grin had descend on his face by the time she finished, and he fixed her with a piercing stare chuckling softly "Good lord Is that why you have been carrying that worried look on your face ever since I came in," Another chuckle which was accompanied by a rub on his hair. "Don't worry Paige am not going to pounce you."

That statement should have settled her fears instead it did the opposite. She became worried he didn't feel attracted. Wasn't the least bit attracted. That thought made her want to do something outrageous. Like throw off the comforter from her body and part her nightwear from the slit there and see if he won't still feel anything. But she quelled the idea just before it developed full-fledged wings. As nothing good ever came out from rushed thoughts like that.

"In that case, goodnight," Paige muttered, covering herself with the comforter and turning off the room lights as she did so.

The room blanked into darkness aside from the faint light coming from the bedside lamp and the streak of moonlight coming from the open balcony whose French doors were left open, the night breeze fluffing the thin white curtain in the air several times only to rest it gently down and then start all over again.

With the lights down and her eyes closed. The normal sounds in the day time which meant nothing became two times amplified as her ear became in tuned with everything.

She heard when he went back to the bathroom and dropped the towel, came back and dragged a comforter from the bed and spread on the ground and then several pillows joined, landing on the fluffy comforter before he laid down and groaned.

Paige's heart escalated at the masculine groan, which would have meant nothing to another person, but to her was a sensual caress.