“Dominic, I’m fine with it. It’s part of the job.”

“Let me put it like this,” he replies and steps closer to me. He cups my cheek in his palm, and his bright blue eyes are intense as they stare into mine. “I would prefer you stay with me. It’s safer.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Salvatore?”

We both turn at the voice in the doorway. A petite woman, in her early forties, wearing a sharp black suit and her jet black hair in a pixie cut, smiles at Dom.

“Celeste,” Dom says, and lays a hand on the small of my back. “This is Alecia. From this moment on, anything she needs is number one priority.”

“Of course,” she replies with a smile and a nod. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a call from Italy, sir.”

“I’ll take it in my office.” Dom turns to me and grins. “Don’t leave yet.”

“I’m here for a few more hours.”

“Good.” He saunters out quickly, and Celeste smiles at me.

“Can I get you anything, Alecia?”

“No, thank you. I’m going to walk outside.”

“Just let me know if you need anything.” She winks and follows the way Dom left. I walk slowly through the house and back out through the sun room, the outdoor eating space, and past the wine store to see the grape vines that I didn’t see earlier.

When I turn around the end of the building, my breath catches in my throat. The terrain is certainly hilly, but for as far as the eye can see, it’s covered in perfectly straight lines of grape vines. The sun is bouncing off the green leaves as they sway in the light breeze. Heavy purple and green grapes hang from the vines.

The colors are spectacular. The breeze is light and refreshing. I can smell the earth and the pure clean of it all, and in this moment, I know why Dom chose this property, so far from the city.

It’s pure heaven.

Suddenly, the air shifts, and I can feel the heat from him at my back. He runs a fingertip along the nape of my neck as he steps closer, and just like that, my entire body is in tune with him, begging to give into the pull that I feel when I’m near him.

“This is the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.”

He cups my shoulder in his hand, gives it a reassuring squeeze, and then nudges me around to face him. I keep my eyes pinned to his chest until he tips my chin up with his finger. His eyes are bright and warm with affection, which throws me.

How can he know me well enough to look at me with so much damn affection?

“Stay this week, cara.”

Say no. The commute isn’t that big of a deal. But instead, I feel myself nod and his eyes drop to my lips. His hands both cradle my jaw, his fingertips graze my hair, and he inhales deeply before tipping his face to mine. His lips brush over my mouth softly, barely touching my skin. He nuzzles my nose before returning to my lips, kissing me tenderly, as if we can stand here and kiss all day long. His tongue crosses my lips and just barely touches mine before retreating again, and rather than take the kiss deeper, he pulls away, presses his damp lips to my forehead, and then smiles down at me.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

For what? I want to ask. Agreeing to stay? Returning his kiss? My body is humming with anticipation. His warmth, his strength, his scent surrounds me, and I have to pull away before I do something really embarrassing, like jump him.

Suddenly, there is a loud truck honking from the front of the villa.

“The contractor is here.” My voice sounds strained, even to my own ears.

“We’d better get to work then.” He flashes me a quick smile, that sexy dimple winking at me, as he pulls away and simply laces his fingers through mine and leads me away from the breathtaking view.

Chapter Five

“This is a great start,” I say to Scott, the foreman of my construction crew the next morning. He’s one of Isaac Montgomery’s men, and given that Isaac is Will Montgomery’s oldest brother, I know that the whole crew will be paying extra special attention to this project. “The stage is fancy.”

“It’s sturdy,” he corrects me with a grin. “Knowing the Montgomery family, there will be a lot of people coming and going off this stage, and dancing too. We can’t have it falling in on them.”

“No, we can’t.” I laugh, knowing he’s right. “Also, some of Will’s teammates weigh a good three hundred pounds. Each.”

“I’m gonna add more support,” he says as his face pales, making me laugh again.

“It’ll be great. Thanks, Scott. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Scott waves and moves over to speak with his crew, and I turn toward the house, smiling when I see Dominic.

“How was the first day?” he asks as he approaches, coming from the way I’m headed.

“Busy, but productive.” I pinch my neck in my palm and stretch my head from side to side. I’m exhausted, and I’m secretly relieved that he talked me into staying here. Driving all the way home this tired probably isn’t the safest thing to do.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.” I grin and take a deep breath. I love the way it smells here. “How was your day?”

“Busy as well.” He reaches over and brushes his finger down my neck, making me shiver.

Jesus, all he has to do is touch me with one finger and I want to jump him.

“What did you do?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Do you ever wear your hair down?” he asks, rather than answering my question.