The walk back home was a silent one, which comprised Paige stealing glances at Leo who didn't pay her any attention and was looking forward with great determination. The muscle in his jaw throbbing as though he was clenching it hard. His handsome face appearing sharp yet withdrawn.

Finally, after a few more looks that didn't bear any fruits, Paige sighed and allowed herself to trail behind him, thinking about the kiss that had just happened and the way Leo had held her tenderly. His actions confused and thrilled her. Leaving her bewildered most times. Leo had kissed her and said it was because someone was watching, but she could bet her life savings no one was. 

With a tender hand, Paige touched her lips, a smile following that action as she stared at Leo's form.

Lost in her thought, Paige stared at Leo's long legs encased in black pants, tapered waist, broad shoulders which filled out a suit of the same color, and sucked in a breath when she met his brown assessing eyes. He had stopped to stare at her, but how long had he been staring at her?

Paige scratched her head and lowered her head. "Boss?"

"Come here?"

"What?"

"*Vieni qui*," he beckoned with his hand. His voice rough.

As soon as she moved to him, Leo pulled her body to his side, knocking the breath out of her with that simple move. Paige's skin tingled and burn where their bodies met and before she could open her mouth and ask what he was doing he said,

"We are nearing the house, Paige." As if that was supposed to be some kind of reminder, or was it a warning to behave?

Her protest died down and she allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of being pressed to his side, that was when she heard the soft sound of music coming from the palazzo. 

The palazzo loomed ahead of them, tall and large. The late afternoon sun appearing as though it was directly above it so that when they looked at it, it blinded their eyesight and they could only make out the brown color of the palazzo, the architecture, and some windows.

Below, some preparations were being made. There were workers everywhere. Some were carrying drinks, some were doing the decorations, and the others were standing by the grill where the barbecue was being made. There was a lot of food. 

It looked like a celebration or party was going to take place later that day.

The scene left Paige bereft of her senses never had she seen so much food in one place and she forgot who she was with or who she was pressed against until she felt a hand run up her arm to her shoulder, and turned and saw Leo looking intently at her.

His gaze was searing, and his eyes were running through her face, resting nowhere in particular but stopping briefly at her mouth and eyes. Paige felt her cheek heat up and her lips part of their own accord. 

Then he leaned down and Paige forgot how to breathe. Was he going to kiss her?

Those were the last words that filtered through her mind as her eyelids fluttered close.

Five seconds passed, six, but nothing happened, instead what she felt was a harsh breath on her skin and a hand at the corner of her eyes, and then as briefly as it came was gone.

Paige opened her eyes and stared at the pair of brown eyes, returning her stare. 

"It's all gone now."

"Wwhat?"

"The stuff in your eyes."

"The stuff in my..." Paige couldn't believe her ears. So he had breathed on her skin and touched her face because of the stuff in her eyes. Leo pulled his hands around her waist and steered her towards the house, offering no other explanation.

Embarrassed that she had been expecting a kiss when all he wanted to do was remove what was in her eyes, Paige could barely stare at him let alone talk to him. She pinned her eyes to the ground and burned with self-humiliation. Was she that deprived of a kiss she was bringing her fantasies to life? 

When they reached the backdoor of the palazzo, Paige stepped into the brightly lit hallway and turned. Leo was standing at the other end, with one hand in his pocket and a pained expression on his face.

"You are not coming?"

He shook his head. And his gentle gaze rested on her. "I need to talk to someone after that I will come find you."

Although Paige had been with Leo almost the whole day, she still didn't feel like leaving his side so soon. And she couldn't ask him to stay either, for reasons she could not say. So she bit her lips and asked, "Promise?" 

A silly smile spread across his face, and his lips stretched, transforming that pained expression he was wearing into something good. "I promise."

His gaze lingered on her, his brown eyes carefully taking in her messy blond hair, her baby blue eyes, her plump lips, her tank top which hugged her breast, and her denim shorts down to her sneakers. Then it did a slow trail from there, moving along her body until it rested at her lips which he stared at for some more as though computing it to memory, then he turned and left. 

Paige felt her heart drop to her stomach and her mood sour, but most importantly she felt tingling loneliness that spread from the apex of her heart down to every part of her body.

Ever since she came to the D' Angelo palazzo here in Montepulciano, Italy, Leo had made her happy, brave, sad, in love, annoyed—content. He incited all those emotions in her, and more.

And when he kissed her, he brought her defenses down and left her open to anything. Worst she didn't know if he was acting or if it was real. She so much wanted it to be real that the thought of it being fake had tears welling down in her eyes. Silent tears that did nothing but blur her vision.

She wiped it with the back of her hand, cursing herself for being so silly, but it kept pouring and pouring down aggressively. It was mainly tears of frustration, but why did it hurt so much.

Maybe because Leo's action confused her and stirred up her emotions the wrong way. He kissed her, touched her, and said it was because someone was looking. Most times Paige believed him. 

But there had been something tender in his eyes today when he kissed her in the vineyard that suggested something was different.

The way he held her and looked at her got Paige thinking the kiss was for his own benefit and not at all what he usually said, but when after the kiss and he told her it was because someone was watching. Paige didn't know what to believe. She had felt hurt, awful and confused, and trying to figure out why he was blowing hot and cold was driving her mad.

She shouldn't have agreed to be his fake fiancée. But at the time she had only thought she would come here and express her love for him in the disguise of a fake fiancée. She hadn't expected she would be left wondering if the reason he was always holding her chin and looking into her eyes was that he wanted to understand her well and read her emotions, and not because he wanted people to see them like that.

Nor had she expected she would crave his presence so much she was willing to latch on to him. Or that his absence would make her want to cry out in frustration.

It was stupid, yet it was real.

Paige closed her eyes and bit her lips. 

When she opened her eyes, she saw Flavia's concerned face hovering over hers. "Oh dear, what has Leonardo done now?"

Wiping tears from her eyes Paige muttered, "He has done nothing."

Flavia gave her a critical stare, then shook her head from side to side, then sighed. "That child." Then took Paige to her room.

Inside the expansive traditional room of resplendent quality, Flavia made her sit on a cushion and handed her booze. Which she didn't touch.

After Paige had cried herself out and wiped her nose Flavia asked, "Do you mind if I ask what's wrong."
Paige shook her head.

"Then in that case I hope you can forgive my son for whatever atrocities he has done. I know he can be a handful but he means no harm." As she said this, she grabbed Paige's hand and held it in her own.

"I'm not saying he is without fault. *Nō nō* i know he is if not he wouldn't have given me such a hard time while growing up. All the pranks on his poor mother." Flavia held her hand on her chest and put up a horrified look.

Paige burst into laughter and Flavia smiled, having succeeded in cheering her up. Then she asked, "Miss Paige, do you love my son?"