Racing the Sun(56)

I start picking them out, poring over them. Even with my limited Italian, it’s pretty obvious what they’re all applying for.

“What are you doing?”

I jerk my head up to see Derio standing in the doorway, shock and anger rippling across his features. But I don’t even remember that I shouldn’t be in here.

I stand up and wave the papers at him as he strides toward me. “What are these? Résumés? Are these résumés for the nanny position?”

“I told you not to come in here,” he spits out, looming over me.

“No,” I tell him, shoving the résumés into his chest. “Felisa told me to never come in here. You know, the woman you said you can’t replace for a job you said no one has applied for. Well, what the fuck is all of this? You lied to me!”

His nostrils flare and he closes his eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“Then explain it.”

He tears the résumés from my hand and flings them into the garbage. “They are no good.”

“You said no one applied. Why did you lie?”

“Because what is the point? They are not good enough for the position.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re good enough. And they aren’t as good as you.”

My mouth drops open. “What? What are you saying?”

“I’m saying . . .” he says and then growls in frustration, turning away. But I don’t want him to turn away anymore. I’m sick of him disappearing when things get rough.

I reach out and grab his arm, my fingers digging into his flesh. I’m surprised at how angry I am. I pull him toward me, not afraid.

“What are you saying?” I repeat. “You know this isn’t my job. This wasn’t what I was hired for.”

“I know,” he says through gritted teeth. “You make that perfectly clear.”

“Because it isn’t!” I yell. “I’m not cut out for this. I came here to teach the kids English, not become a substitute mother.”

“Even though they need you?” he asks, his voice lowering. He’s breathing hard, his jaw set in a stubborn line.

“They don’t need me,” I tell him. “They need someone who can really take care of them, someone who knows what they’re doing.”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. He licks his lips and a look of sincerity washes across his face. “What if I need you?”

I blink at him, afraid to think about what he means. “You can easily find someone who will fill those needs.”

“Those aren’t the needs I’m talking about,” he says, turning in to me and sliding an arm around my waist. He cups my face with the other hand and runs his rough thumb across my lips. He gazes down at me through hooded lids, simmering with lust. “Mia leonessa. Ti voglio, voglio far l’amore con te, voglio la tua dolce bocca. Baciami.”

He kisses me hard, hurriedly. I have no idea what he just said but I’m agreeing to all of it and melting in his hands. I’m still angry at being somewhat deceived but a different fire burns brighter now, hotter, stoked by his desperate tongue and greedy lips.

He pushes me back until my ass is pressed up against the edge of the desk and I can feel his urgency. His mouth is on my neck, on my shoulder, his lips wanting and searching, and I’m not sure what to do with my hands. I want to grab him, feel him, every beautiful inch. I want to do more than we did last night.

Of course, somewhere in the back of my head, amid the heat from his body and the haze of summer and the dreamy lust, I wonder if this is a good idea. I’m the nanny. More than that, it seems like he’s intent on keeping me as his nanny. I should be mad about that. I should be cautious. I should realize that having sex with Derio is a big, big step, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.

But he’s beginning to make animalistic sounds against my skin and I’m starting to crave his body, his masculine power, his raw desire for me. I want him. On this desk, if need be, in this room that has been as forbidden to me as he has.

He brings his face up to mine, his breath heavy. He teases my lips with his and runs his hands through my hair.

“I need you,” he says, his voice low and gruff.

The passion in his eyes burns and I am swept up in it, untethered. I place my hands behind his neck. I am more than ready.

“Then have me.”

He grins and reaches down beneath my thighs and lifts me up, placing me on the desk. He hikes my dress up around my waist and I wrap my legs around him. He tugs down the front of my dress, exposing my breasts, and runs his tongue over the soft swells. I can’t help throwing my head back, trying to give him greater access. His mouth and hands ravage me like I’m a cold drink on this hot, hot day.