“I would bore you to death if I were any other way.”
Was he right? Did she crave the same kind of man her mother had always been attracted to? Somewhere deep down inside she’d always known she did, which was why she’d shied away from men in general. She hadn’t trusted her own judgment.
Could she now?
“I’m going to kiss you.”
He waited, watching her with searing patience. He was giving her plenty of time to pull away, but right now that was beyond her. She wanted him, wanted his kiss. She needed to know if the feelings inside her were a figment of her imagination, or if connecting to this man would truly be as soul-altering as her senses were telling her it would be.
Then he kissed her.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Thoroughly.
He didn’t demand, didn’t push for more. However, he still managed to take gentle possession of her mouth, imprinting his taste and the very essence of himself on her consciousness.
The almost soothing press of his lips against hers was not in the least aggressive and yet she felt completely, utterly claimed.
The expression in his eyes when he lifted his head said that as far as he was concerned, she had been.
“Are you ready to go swimming?”
The kiss had been so profound that the mundane question did not at first register. When it did, it also reminded her that they were not really alone.
For a woman who hated having her personal life in the spotlight, she’d certainly given the other partygoers an eyeful.
However, on closer inspection, she realized that at the place they were standing inside the building, hardly anyone could see them even though the door that led outside was made of clear glass. Ray with his annoying camera, seemed to be the only one even looking, the expression in his eyes smug.
Obviously he’d gotten a shot of the kiss. She wondered if that picture was going to make it into Danette’s scrapbook. Considering her friend’s sense of humor, it probably would.
The pool looked more inviting than ever. “Yes. I’m definitely ready to get cooled off.”
She realized the implication of her words as soon as Angelo’s low chuckle reached her ears. Annoying heat surged into her cheeks. She’d blushed more around this man than she had since taking her first modeling contract more than ten years ago as a gangly adolescent.
“Then shall we go?” Angelo asked, tugging her toward the deep part near where it flowed to the outside, obviously intending to jump in.
She pulled back. “I’d rather enter at the shallow end.”
He turned to look at her, his expression indecipherable. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I guess I’m the cautious sort, but I like to get used to the water a bit at a time.”
“That’s torturous.”
He was right, but she’d never been able to force herself just to jump into cold water.
Something shifted in his penetrating blue gaze.
That was all the warning she got before Angelo swept her up in his arms and tossed her in the pool.
Cold water shocked her system. She sank toward the bottom, legs and arms flailing. Tucking her legs in, she executed a neat roll and shot toward the surface. It wasn’t far, the pool was only six feet deep to begin with. She came to the surface gasping for air and ready to take an inch off his hide.
Impatiently brushing the water from her eyes, she looked around, treading water and ready to yell at him, but he wasn’t poolside anymore.
A sudden shower of cold droplets from behind her had her spinning around in the water. He was there, so darn tall, he could touch bottom and still keep most of his face above the water. He moved to her right, ending up not a foot from her in more shallow water. His expression was so relaxed and mischievous she couldn’t begin to hold on to her anger.
She didn’t think Angelo Gordon looked mischievous very often. Something spasmed in her heart that she was the one to bring out this side of him.
She sent a cascade of water directed at his head with the sweep of her hand. “You fiend.” But her heart wasn’t in it and the words came out sounding a lot more teasing than accusatory.
He grinned, not bothering to wipe the water from his face. “Feels good doesn’t it?”
“It would have felt better if I’d been able to get used to it before being dunked.”
He shook his head. “You would have wasted time playing in the shallows, torturing yourself with every small foray deeper into the pool.”
“The shallows aren’t always a waste of time.”
“They are when diving into the deep end is so rewarding.”
Neither of them was talking about swimming and from the seriousness of his expression now, they both knew it.
“I dove in once before and learned to rue my impetuousness.”
“Which doesn’t mean you should never go diving again.”
“I almost drowned the last time.”
He shook his head. “Not you. You got the breath knocked out of you, but you’re fighting fit again.”
He was right. Baron had hurt her, but her nature didn’t allow for wallowing in misery. She’d picked up and moved on, in every way but her willingness to risk her heart again.
Angelo tapped her nose. “You’re enjoying the water now, admit it.”
“Yes, I am.” What had felt frigidly cold against skin heated by the sun now felt refreshing.
“Diving into deep waters can be terrifying or rewarding depending on who you do your diving with and what kind of water he leads you into.”
Oh, gosh. She didn’t know if she could handle this. He’d been challenging her to see him as a unique individual since the moment they met, but this was more. This was a direct attack on the way she’d been handling relationships for two years.
Or rather avoiding them.
“What kind would I find myself in with you?” she couldn’t help asking.
Strong fingers curled around her waist under the water and she found herself being pulled against him. “The kind that will leave you sated with pleasure.”
“I’ve been sated before, but that didn’t make up for the hurt that came later.”
“No one can guarantee the future, bella mia, but the present is here for us to enjoy.”
There was something extremely intimate about being called an endearment in his mother’s native language. It made her feel special to him. Only that was probably wishful thinking. No doubt, he slipped into Italian with every woman he wanted to bed. It was sexy.
The cynical thoughts made her angry. Was she going to spend the rest of her life thinking the worst of every man who came into it? That made her a victim of her past, not victorious over it and Angelo had been right. She was a strong woman, too strong to let her past control her.
“Yes, the present is here for us to enjoy.”
When his lips covered hers this time, there was no hesitation, no gentle persuasion. It was all raw passion and masculine claim-staking, a sensual demand that she acknowledge his ability and right to give her pleasure.
And she gave it to him through a mouth that willingly molded to his.
Lips cool from the water soon heated