Page 23 of Bellini Born

Between her and the security guard both being standoffish, I wasn’t overly optimistic about how my audience with the mafia boss would play out.

We came to a stop outside a closed door. With a no-nonsense rap of her knuckles on the wood, the housekeeper waited long enough for a male voice on the other side to reply with a curt, “Enter.”

Already, sweat began to gather beneath my armpits as nervousness crept in. Had his voice sounded that harsh the last time we spoke? To be honest, most of that day was fuzzy in my memory now, lost after the adrenaline rush of the rescue had worn off.

With a twist of the doorknob, my presence was announced. “Miss Summer Reynolds to see you, sir.”

“Thank you, Teresa. You may leave us.”

Effectively dismissed, the housekeeper stepped out of the way and disappeared down the hall. My attention was drawn awayfrom her retreating form by a cleared throat from within what appeared to be a home office.

My head whipped around, and my attention focused on the man leaning against the large desk.

Oh wow.

Mouth going dry, I swallowed involuntarily.

Matteo Bellini was scorching hot in a suit, but dressed down in a pair of dark jeans and a charcoal Henley? It was a miracle I didn’t dissolve into a puddle where I stood. My panties were certainly wet as my greedy gaze scanned him from head to toe.

Speaking of toes, I nearly moaned when I caught sight of his bare feet peeking out from beneath denim. What was it about a man not wearing shoes or socks with jeans that was so damn sexy?

When my visual scan returned to his face, I noted the tips of his messy dark hair were damp, almost as if he’d just taken a shower.

Hmm, a shower sounded nice. Hot and steamy, his hard body pinning me to the cool tile wall as he railed me from behind. I wondered if he fucked hard or if he took his time, drawing out not only his partner’s pleasure but his own.

The sound of ragged breathing reached my ears, and that’s when I realized I was panting.

Get it together, Summer!

A corner of his lips twitched like he was amused that I’d been caught checking him out.

And still, I couldn’t look away, noting that his clean-shaven jawline was sharp enough to cut glass.

“Miss Reynolds, to what do I owe the honor?” The rich baritone of his voice settled directly between my thighs.

I found it impossible to ignore the strong magnetic pull I felt toward him. And I knew if I didn’t get out of here soon, I mightdo something I would regret. Like beg him to bend me over his desk.

“It’s Summer, please.”

He stroked a thumb over his full lower lip. “Summer. How may I help you this afternoon?”

Stepping further into the room, I pulled the letter from the bank out of my purse. “While it was an extremely generous gesture for you to pay off my loans, I’m sorry, but I can’t accept it.”

Dark brows drew down, causing a wrinkle to form between them. Brown eyes going stormy, he gritted out, “I pay my debts.”

“That’s great, but this”—I waved the paper—“ismydebt.”

“I’m aware. But what you don’t seem to understand is that by saving my daughter’s life, I’m honor-bound to give you a life in return. While it’s not a life in the literal sense, I felt that erasing your student debt would offer you the chance to live without the burden of that weighing you down.”

I offered him a tight smile. “While I can agree that your heart was in the right place, I maintain that I cannot accept this. I was already paid at the party for performing my lifeguarding duties, and in my mind, we’re even. Okay?”

He gave a single shake of his head. “No, not okay. There isn’t a price I wouldn’t pay for my daughter’s safety and well-being.”

How did you argue with that?

“Look,” I tried again to reason with the stubborn man. “I can pay them off myself.”

Folding both arms over his chest, he let out an amused huff. “Yeah, I’m sure between your wages as a waitress and the odd lifeguarding job, you’ll have those paid off in no time.”