Diavolo

Chapter 8

Elyse tried to read his face, searching for signs of deceit or fuckery, but he wore an impenetrable expression.

She decided to throw him a curveball. "May I ask you one more question?"

Alessandro bowed his head in a nod. "Of course."

Elyse lowered her lashes prettily. He eyed her warily.

"Did you lure me all the way to Switzerland," she murmured, "to fuck me?"

Surprisingly, a faint blush warmed his cheeks. He shifted his weight from his right foot to his left. Elyse smiled. It was good to know that she wielded this power over him.

He chuckled, soft and low. "I believe any red-blooded male would want to fuck you, angelo. I am certainly no exception, but, sadly, the answer to your question is 'no.' I did not bring you here solely to fuck you. I have other reasons."

Other reasons?

"I do not believe you," she taunted.

Elyse intended to uncover these "other reasons."

Slowly and surely, like a playful feline, she sauntered toward Alessandro with light, fluid steps. Elyse didn't stop until her breasts came teasingly close to him, close enough to brush against the solid wall of his muscled chest. She tilted her face toward him. Like a flower toward the sun. He gazed down at her with unmasked desire. Mere inches separated their lips. His jaw clenched. Unclenched.

The air between them whispered with want and need.

Elyse knew she was playing with fire, but she was ready to employ every weapon in her arsenal until, at least, she got to the bottom of Alessandro's true intentions. At present, he held too much power over her. The playing field needed to be leveled, and it was suddenly quite clear that his lust could be used in her favor.

Elyse rested a hand on his shoulder, rose up on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, "Play your cards right, Mr. Vitale, and maybe I can be persuaded to take on... a few more responsibilities... and positions... in the future."

Without any warning, Alessandro dipped his head to nuzzle the crook of her neck. He groaned happily. "You are being very agreeable, and I am a blessed man."

Elyse gasped as she felt the warmth of his lips brush against her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. His hands claimed the small of her waist. Desire unfurled within Elyse as he pulled her closer. He lifted his head, and his hungry gaze fell upon her lips as though he intended to kiss her.

Worst of all, she wanted him to kiss her, too.

She quickly scrambled away from him. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not as agreeable as you think."

His expression darkened with displeasure, but he let her go.

"A word to the wise, angelo, do not parade yourself in front of a starving creature. Unless you are prepared to get eaten."

Elyse took his warning to heart. She decided to abandon her plans to control him with sex. Her attraction to him was too strong for this strategy to be effective. The bastard seemed to wield as much sway over her as she did over him. Elyse fell back to square one. She would need to find another way to uncover his "other reasons."

With a sheepish look, she grumbled, "I apologize for my behavior. I don't know what came over me."

"Never apologize for such behavior," he said. "Just know—next time you decide to be agreeable around me, I will not hesitate to take a bite."

His words made her feel self-conscious and foolish. They also made her somewhat hot and bothered. Awkwardness mingled with anticipation.

As Elyse tried to brainstorm a halfway decent response, Alessandro's phone began to ring.