“Tell me to stop, Catarina.”
She didn’t. She kissed me back harder and ground her body against mine. I tucked one hand into her thin pajama bottoms and grasped her hip to steady her.
“Be still,” I groaned, bringing my mouth back to hers, if only to stop myself from clamping down hard on the nipples I co
uldn’t wait to taste.
“Ben,” she whimpered a second time. I longed to hear my name on her lips. The name I’d gone by all my life. Knox. I wanted to kiss her neck, mark it, claim her body under my real name, not the one I was using to keep her from knowing who I was, and not by a nickname I’d gotten in high school, even if it was my code name now.
When I came inside her, which I knew I would, I wanted to call out her real name. Tara.
I swept her into my arms and carried her inside. I stopped in the kitchen and set her on the large island. Without my asking, she lay back, her legs hanging off the edge with mine between them.
“Let me see you, baby.”
Tara grabbed the hem of her thin shirt and pulled it up, exposing breasts I couldn’t wait to get my hands and mouth on.
12
Tara
When I heard the knock on the door, I grabbed Ben’s arm and pulled myself up with one hand while I pulled my shirt down with the other.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, but my guess is it’s Pia.”
“Go,” I whispered. When he did, I jumped off the counter and rushed toward the door and out to the terrazza, if only to cool off.
I pulled out a chair and sat at the same time I heard Pia’s voice. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” she asked Ben in a tone of voice that made me giggle.
“We were enjoying the nice night.”
“Catarina?” Pia called out, standing in the doorway.
“I’m here.” I waved as though she could see me and then pushed back my chair and walked toward her instead. I folded my arms in an effort to hide the fact I was dressed for bed.
“Mi dispiace,” she said, taking a step back when I came inside. “I was worried when you weren’t at the villa. Lucia told me she thought you might be here.”
My eyes met Ben’s. Might be here? Interesting. My resolve to leave tomorrow intensified. I couldn’t risk working with someone who had it out for me. As much as I liked Pia and wanted to work here at Valentini, to do so would be foolish.
“It looks like you are ready to go to bed. We can talk in the morning,” said Pia.
Here was my chance, and I had to take it. “Wait,” I said when she turned to walk out of the kitchen. “About tomorrow…”
“Sì?”
“I appreciate your generous offer to work in the tasting room so much, but I think it would be best if I declined.”
Pia looked from me to Ben and put her hands on her hips. “Non capisco. What happened?”
“Nothing happened. I just didn’t plan on staying in Val d’Orcia.”
Her eyes scrunched. “You are lying. Something happened that made you change your mind.” Her gaze rested on Ben, who held up both hands.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t want her to leave any more than you do.”
I sighed. “I don’t want to take a job meant for someone else—”
“Who else? Did Georgio say something to you?” She sighed like I had. “Il suo è un cane,” she added under her breath.