Page 79 of Better Left Unsaid

“For you,” he said, passing a glass to me and coming to sit beside me in the water.

He was wearing red trunks that were short enough that I could revel in the way his thighs were sculpted, but not too short that I could catch a sneaky peek of his manhood. He definitely worked out, and something told me he knew how sexy he was.

His eyes caught hold of my phone, and he shook his head. “The phones ruin everything. Put that away so we can focus on what really matters.”

I rested it on the ground and nodded. “You’re right. It was my sisters. They’re always texting me. I love it, but I do get caught up in my phone sometimes.”

He angled his head. “Anything important?”

I shook my head, swallowing as I remembered their daddy talk. I hated them, by the way, because now that was all I could think about. “No, nothing important,” I confirmed, licking my lips.

“It’s just as well because I want to spend this night in one of the most beautiful cities with one of the most beautiful women. Do you think we can do that? Just spend the night together?”

I searched his dark eyes, trying to understand if there was an underlying message there. Was he asking me to stay the night? Did I want to? “Paolo,” I started, not sure where I was heading with this. “I didn’t pack anything to stay over.”

He chuckled, brushing his fingers around my ear in a move that I thought was just his attempt to touch me because I didn’t sense any stray hairs. “We can go as slow as you’d like. I was merely suggesting we enjoy the here and now. In this hot tub. With each other.” The way he spoke with such conviction, such certainty, had my hairs standing on end.

I had no doubt that at one point in my life being with him would have made me very happy, that I wouldn’t have imagined life getting much better than this, but then everything with Dom had happened. Things had changed with us recently. Things weren’t the same with our arrangement as they had been three years ago. I was different. He was different. And he made me yearn for more. Made me think I could have more.

Ugh, what was I thinking? There was no Dom. He was my friend, damn it.

I took a sip of my drink and let the bubbles from the champagne tickle my upper lip. “Are we celebrating again?” I asked, holding the glass up.

He cocked his head to the side. “Any day we wake up is a day worth celebrating.” Then he took my glass and set both his and mine aside. “Come on. Let’s go in the pool.”

I patted my hair and shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. My hair—”

“Will look even more captivating wet,” he finished my thought in a way I wasn’t going to.

“Okay,” I gave in, following him into the pool and sinking down in the water.

Paolo’s hand grazed mine under the water, so I entangled our fingers together and smiled. “How is it that you’re still single?”

“I hadn’t dated you yet,” he replied, his eyes sparkling in the night. He was the very definition of a charmer. There was no other way to put it.

I blushed, my cheeks burning even with the cold water up to my chin. “I’m serious. Why is it that you’re not off the market?”

He raised a brow. “I haven’t found the right woman, and I don’t believe in settling. I only want to marry once and have children with her, start a family.”

What did he think about dating a woman who’d already started their family? Who had a daughter? I knew he knew I had Isabella, but had he really thought about it? I knew some men said they were okay with it, but then when they had more time to sit on it, they changed their tune.

Before getting into the heavy, I closed my nose and tipped my head back in the water. As I came back up, I went for it, asking, “And you’re okay with it that I already have a child?”

He gave me an inquiring look, his eyes reading me closely. “Of course. Isabella is your flesh and blood. If we make this work, then she’s my family, too. I only meant I want to grow our family, not that we had to start one together anew. You misunderstood me.”

With a smile on my face, I shook my head, loving the way Paolo spoke. I placed my hands on his shoulders, letting them roam over his muscles. “No, I understand. I know what you mean. I just had to check.”

“Va bene,” he assured, placing his hands in my hair, almost entangling them in the knotty mess it had become from being under the water. “What draws me to you is that you don’t know how special you are, but you are. So special.”

Our eyes were connected, staring into each other’s. His hands never left my hair, only creeping to my chin, itching to cup it as his mouth drew closer to mine and he began closing the gap between us. Slowly. Slowly. Until—

I coughed. That was right, I coughed. Squarely in the man’s face.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice full of apology. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

It completely ruined the moment, and we broke apart. “Are you ill?”

Oh, you should probably know—it was a fake cough. I knew he was going in for a kiss, and I wanted him to. Or at least I thought I did, but then I coughed as though deep inside I really didn’t want to kiss him. Did that make sense? “No, I don’t think so,” I finally responded, getting out of the water and heading over to the chair to retrieve a towel.

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