The Romano Affair

Chapter 10

Chapter 10That seemed to give her some motivation. After all, she had a point get through to him. She picked up the shirt and turned to him, holding it out. It was impossible to not look at his body. Despite her attempts to avert her gaze, she ended up staring at those abs as he stretched his arm to take the shirt from her.

It had only been like two minutes and Aria was having a hard time just breathing, let alone stand close to Colin to check out the shirt he had put on. If she thought that time she had been taking his measurements had been a difficult time, well, safe to say this was about to blow into proportions. She was trying her 'damnedest' to concentrate. Her hands, however, were like they had a brain of their own. They had not started wandering yet but hell, they were threatening.

Every single time, he took off one shirt to put on another, she felt like she was going to scream. No. She was going to beg him to let her rub her hands on his rib-cheese skin. It was crazy.

"So what's this like? A punishment? Or a well-deserved present for yourself?" Colin broke the silence.

She had her hands on the collar of the shirt he had on and the first couple of buttons were undone. Not to mention, he smelt heavenly.

"What?!" she managed to say without looking at him.

"For what I did yesterday," he said.

He mentioned it, Aria thought. She, actually, managed to steal a glance and looked into his eyes but only for a second. The events of the previous day weren't exactly her favorite topic of discussion though there was one thing she expected from him.

"What about it?" she said, if only to be polite and not ignore him.

"You got mad. So you're treating yourself to the pleasures of my body."

Her eyes blinked repeatedly. That statement only made her, immediately, withdraw her hands from his collar.

"Are you crazy?" she asked.

"You seem pretty bold today? Skipping out on work this morning and coming in here ordering me to try on clothes," Colin said. In a very casual tone that one would think there was no problem with whatever he was saying.

"Yeah. About that," Aria scratched her brow as she said. "We're doing this differently," she told him. "You try these on today. If they fit, I choose what you wear tomorrow. Are you catching my flow?" she said. Pretty boldly, too.

Colin's eyebrows raised at that. "Dio! Questo è quello che sto parlando," he stated as he took off the shirt he had on. [God! That's what I'm talking about!]

"What?!" Aria, immediately, responded to his string of Italian words! She stopped what she was doing and stared at him.

Colin pursed his lips. He was amused. "Right. I forgot. You don't speak Italian."

" Is it something I should know?"

"No."

Aria's eyes averted to the ground. It became so obvious she wanted him. He stood there, unmoving. Point is, he wasn't reaching for the t-shirt he had on when she had walked in. So he was half-naked. Infront of her. Looking to continue the conversation.

"So..." he said as he stepped towards her.

Aria was flustered as well as rooted to the spot.

"You haven't apologized yet," she blatantly told him.

That took him by surprise. His brows were raised, he was speechless and only stared at her. She expected an apology? Well yes, it was warranted but considering the way she'd been treating him like an egg, he didn't expect her to ask for it.

"And I'm done here," Aria said as she bent to pick up the garment bag she had had with her.

Most of the clothes she had had him try on were formal. She had already hang up the ones he would keep in his wardrobe so she really was done for the day.

She gathered up her stuff and left him still standing in the room but paused in the living room to arrange the stuff she had randomly picked up from Colin's bed.

"Hey." Colin walked towards her.

Aria, done with what she was doing, stood up and turned around to listen to what he had to say. He had his t-shirt on now. That was good.

"Okay," he said. "I was wrong." That still wasn't an apology.

He stepped into her personal space. Aria, always, had a problem with that. She could barely look at him when he stood that close. His hand found hers close to her hips and he held it in his. Suddenly, the temperature around her seemed to rise rapidly. The contact was driving her crazy.

"I'm sorry," he said to her.

He apologized! He did but really Aria wasn't taken back by that. She was still hangover by the fact that he stood that close to her and was holding her hand.

Her other hand was lifted to her lips as she contemplated what to say at the moment.

"Oh you were forgiven. I just needed you to say you were sorry," she completed to sentence with a clearing her throat. Colin Romano was definitely affecting her in ways no one had ever done.

He knew that. He knew what he was doing to her. And he liked it. He liked how flustered she looked when he stood that close. Even better was the effect he had on her when he was shirtless.

He so badly wanted to touch her. He was ready to slide his hand beneath her shirt and feel her skin when he was disrupted by the ping of the elevator and Riaz stepped into the space they were in.

"Are you guys planning a date?" the kid bluntly asked.

"What?" Aria said as she turned to look at him.

He had been making such suggestive remarks. Was there a point he was trying to push through?

"Dovrei, non?" the elder Romano turned to his son and asked. [I should, shouldn't I?]

Riaz raised his brows questioningly as his gaze averted to Aria. The brunette frowned. What had he said?

"Lei non parla italiano," father explained to son. [She doesn't speak Italian]

"Wait. Wait," Aria held up her hands as she stepped out of Colin's hold and neared Riaz. "What about Italian? I don't speak it and I want to know what you guys are talking about!"

"Questo è tra padre e figlio," Riaz faced her and said.

Colin broke into a fit of laughter at that. He held his stomach as he bent down laughing and had to support himself with the backrest of a couch. He loved his son.

Aria held her hands akimbo as she stared at him.

"What does that mean?" she asked as she turned back to look at the smiling nine year old.

"That's between father and son."