The Italian's Fake Fiancée

54

In the elevator, Leo looked down at Paige, feeling tense. He felt like hugging her, kissing her, and doing so much more. It was choking him up inside. Because they were at the office and he could do none of that.

Regardless of his behaviors in the past, Leo had never entertained such ideas in the office.

Leaning into the elevator, Leo gripped his leather bag tightly and stole a glance at Paige. Paige was hugging one of her arms and smiling sheepishly oblivious to her environment, nor the torment within him. Leo wondered what she was thinking that was making her smile like that. He wanted to be a part of it.

If he couldn't kiss her here, he could at least hold her hand, Leo thought as he reached out a hand to touch her when suddenly the elevator doors slid open, Leo retracted his hands.

The noise startled Paige, and she turned and caught his stare. Leo swallowed as she turned those happy smiles towards him. Her eyes bright, and her plump lips stretched. He liked seeing her like this, so full of life.

She must have noticed that because her smile spread further, if such a thing was even possible, and then to Leo's disbelief her eyes lowered briefly to his lips, and lingered so short he's convinced it might not have happened. But the resulting reaction to that was that Leo's face took on a look of yearning and desire so compressed, it shook his body.

Her lips parted, and she sucked in a breath and with that, the atmosphere turned sexual.

Everything happened in a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity because of how prolonged it felt, and had Leonardo not heard the distinct voices of his staff and the sound of the elevator doors closing he would have lost his head right there and then.

Jesus Christ.

He pulled himself away from their locked gaze and hurriedly tried to stop the doors from closing. After he succeeded, he turned to Paige to discover her biting her lips. An unbecoming color on her cheeks.

"You better get out before the elevator closes its door again."

She nodded her head.

Leo stepped out first, fighting the urge to claw at his hair. What had just happened in there? Seeing his staff, he schooled his feature until it resembled a blank mask. They greeted him, but he was not interested in their greetings.

He turned his head to look at Paige and noticed she was swarmed by her colleagues, who greeted her. He understood they had not seen her in weeks, but what he did not understand was why she wasn't looking at where she was going. He worried she was going to run into something and wound herself.

Stepping into his outer office, Leo planted his hands on his waist, then remembering he hadn't closed the door, used his leg to kick it shut.

"Ahhhh." He heard.

Abruptly, Leo turned to see his assistant cradling her forehead, wincing. His eyes softened, and he stepped closer to her, and pulled her into the office, removing her hand from her forehead.

"Did it hit you?"

"Not really."

"I'm sorry. Here, let me rub it for you."
Leo muttered, his face etched with concern.

Replacing her hand with his own, he massaged her forehead. His touch, tender and firm. She glanced up at him. Her lips parting. Leo stared back; he didn't pretend not to. He wanted to keep her attention like this. Her baby blue eyes fixated on him. Leo didn't try to hide his feelings as he stared at her, and wondered if she could read anything from his eyes.

"Leo," she murmured, her voice was shaky. And she was calling him his name, which made Leo happy. But she didn't say anything else.

With great effort, Leo removed his hand from her forehead. His emotions clinging to his voice. "There you go," he mumbled. Letting the back of his fingers trail down her cheek, and then fall to his side. "Now it wouldn't hurt anymore."