The Italian's Fake Fiancée

31

Goosebumps appeared in the places his finger had touched, the little white hairs on her back stood up. His hand spanned the left side of her waist pulling her a little closer.

When Leo looked up into the mirror, he saw she was looking at him with curious eyes and a little frown on her face. That alone moved Leo into action, and he pulled out the material that had stuck it and zipped her dress. When he finished, he turned her around and held her shoulders looking into her clear blue eyes. "Paige i..."

A horrified expression came over her face and she extricated his hand from her shoulder. "I need to get down fast. Your mother said I must come down on time and I have already delayed." She rambled.

Slipping away from his arm. The words tumbling out in a rushed format. She would have easily deceived him had he not seen the alarm on her face.

In the past few days, Leo had come to learn more about Paige, like how she would part her behind her ear whenever she was nervous about something or how she would ramble on if she was trying to avoid a conversation as she was doing now.

She was trying to avoid whatever it was he was going to say. She had done it three or four times now he was able to pick it up easily. Leo caught her hand and drew her back into his body.

She landed on his body with a gasp, breathing heavily, and then snapped her eyes shut.

Putting one finger behind her chin, Leo raised her face. "Open your eyes and look at me, Paige." He demanded in a low, rough voice. Her heavy lashes fluttered, and she stared at him with those blue eyes of hers and Leo forgot what he was about to say.

Seeing that he couldn't just stand there staring at her without saying a word, he decided to use the opportunity and apologize to her. After all, that was what he had been about to do in the garden before she got a call.

His hand fell from under her chin, and he hung his head. "I'm sorry for kissing you today without permission."

"You're sorry?" She said in a small voice and something flashed across her face and disappeared all at once. When next she spoke, her words were delivered in a very practiced manner. "It is okay, it wasn't as if you could get out of it someone was watching." She rambled.

Someone was watching? Leo couldn't believe his ears. Was that what she told herself. Had she thought he was pretending?

Before he could ask her what she meant, she said, "Look I have already forgotten about the kiss?"

"You have?" His expression veiled.

"Haven't you?" She tossed back in a small voice.

Leo thought for a long time about how to answer that question as her eyes remained fixed on him. Something told him the way he would answer that question will determine something, but what it was he did not know.

"In the end, he said, "I have."

Only because it would seem foolish to be pinning on a kiss, she had already forgotten. But however small that episode was. It had already ruined his mood. His heart burned and his teeth ached from clenching it so tightly.

Grabbing her hand, Leo stirred her downstairs. He didn't know why he was annoyed she said the kiss meant nothing. Maybe internally he yearned for the kiss to mean something to her.

On their way downstairs, Leo kept looking at her. Because of their height difference, he could easily do so without being detected. It appeared she was heavy in thought judging by the way she was biting that lip. Leo pulled his eyes away from her and clenched his jaw, wrapping his arm around her waist as they neared the entrance. She looked up at him, but his face was set like stone, and she quickly withdrew her gaze.

As soon as they took their seat at the far end of the table, Paige's worried face broke into a nervous smile when she spotted Alberto, who was sitting opposite her. Alberto returned the smile, and she smiled back at him.

Leo followed that action with his eyes, returning his face to normal before anyone noticed.

If Leo's face was scary before now it was worst. His face has closed up and his lips had tightened into a flat line, and his usual warm eyes flashed as he listened to Paige make light conversation with Alberto.

Taking an empty plate Leo piled food for her; spaghetti bolognese, chicken scarpariello, and Osso buco with citrus gremolata by the side and dropped it in front of her. But she wouldn't look at him. She gave him only a fleeting nervous stare and returned to her conversation.

The long, slim masculine fingers holding Leo's fork and knife tightened, and he turned to his cousin. It was easy to tell he was in a bad mood.

"Didn't you say you weren't that hungry tonight?"

"When did I say...."

His eyes narrowed and Alberto retracted. "Aio I remember the food the chef cooked this evening is not to my liking?"

"Well?" He added with a loured stare.

"I will go ask the kitchen for a little snack." He pulled out his chair and left.

After Alberto left, Leo turned to Paige and saw she was already looking at him with a confused expression. And without thinking, Leo leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers.

A loud gasp could be heard around the table and his mother's high-pitched voice pierced the air. "Leonardo, you brat. This is not a thing for you to be indulging in from across the table while we are eating. You will interfer with the food!"

Leo smiled against the girl's lips. Closing his ears to his mother's cries. When he released Paige, her eyes were firmly on him. Just the way he wanted.

Now, now wasn't that much better? Leo grinned and once again he was in a good mood. He patted the girl's head "Don't look so shocked." Using his fork, he scooped up spaghetti and cut a piece of chicken scarpariello and raised it to her lips. "Mangiare—Eat."

She stared at him. His eyes hardened. "You don't want to leave this food hanging on the fork with my family watching."

Only then did she lean forward and take the food into her mouth. A rosy color appearing on her cheek instantly as she noticed his unwavering gaze on her.

Leo smiled and patted her head. He was treating her like a child. But if you should look at it from another angle, his actions showed a far greater intimacy and his parents looked at the scene happily and smiled to themselves.