by J. M. Dabney
“I don’t know, but when we met in college, you never saw her without a half gallon.”
He didn’t think Lauren was telling the entire truth, but he wasn’t going to push. He’d like to discover some of Violet’s secrets on his own. From her actions, he didn’t think Violet looked at him like a man. She’d lifted her dress without a problem and asked was her ass fat. She removed her bra and threw it across the room, then massaged her tits right in front of him. It kind of stung his pride that she didn’t seem attracted to him.
“Let’s get started on the veggies. Those are going to take a bit on the grill.”
The back door opened just as he was pulling stuff out of the fridge, and she came in with two half-gallon cartons of chocolate milk. The side of her breast stroked his cheek as she shoved the cartons onto the top shelf. Why the fuck was the woman’s every move and action an instant hard-on, and she was immune to him? It wasn’t fair.
Lauren and him kept up a steady stream of conversation, but Violet remained quiet as she slowly sliced the potatoes thin as they filled three foil packets to go on the grill. He had everything ready, veggies on the grill and steaks ready to go.
Lauren was sweet and funny, but Violet seemed more withdrawn as the night went on and he wanted to ask what was wrong. Lauren tried to draw her into the conversation, but her answers were short. She seemed to be leaving him and Lauren alone, and then it hit him. She was leaving the conversation open for him and her friend.
“Better day today, Violet?”
“I thought about snatching the bakery girl bald, and I didn’t do it. Improvement.”
He smiled as she tensed at what she said. The woman didn’t know how to behave or what not to say, and it was kind of nice in a strange way. He also realized something else; Violet really didn’t see herself as a desirable woman. He didn’t even know if she saw herself as a woman.
“The stuff you brought by the house today didn’t last long. The guys cleared everything out as quick as they could.”
“You got some, right?”
“Yeah, that’s only after I tackled my brothers Renz and Niccolo to get to the boxes.”
“Survival of the fittest.”
He had a feeling that was the motto for her life.
“Do you have a girlfriend, Gio?”
He turned to Lauren to find her smiling sweetly, and her wink almost made him snort. Violet may be blind, but Lauren wasn’t. Maybe he could have a secret weapon.
“No, not for a long time. Ma is a bit meddlesome when it comes to getting her boys paired off. She wants to make sure we’re all partnered up and as happy as she is with our dad. For now, my oldest brother is the only one to get lucky and find his partner.”
“Are you all firefighters?”
“Family tradition. I don’t think any of us really considered being anything else. Most of us went to college, but afterward, we all came home to apply. Job ain’t the safest, hours suck most of the time, but for me, it’s what I always wanted to do. What do you do?”
“Personal assistant to the asshole CEO of an investment firm. Pays the bills, but not what I always wanted to do.”
“What about you? I assume you’re a wedding coordinator.”
“It’s an event planning company. We do everything from weddings to charity events. I needed a job after college, they were hiring, and I seemed to be good at it.”
“She’s the best. Everyone wants Violet Canne to plan their events. There isn’t anything she can’t make happen.”
He could see the pride Lauren had in her friend. It was nice that Violet wasn’t alone. “Time to throw the steaks on.” He stood as he asked the ladies how they liked their steaks done.
The evening was a little more relaxed as they enjoyed dinner and when it was time for Lauren to go home, he wanted to ask them to stay longer. He knew as soon as Lauren was gone, Violet would rush back to her house. He wanted to spend some time alone with Violet. See if he could win her over a bit, but he didn’t see interest in her eyes when she looked at him. She didn’t flirt or try to touch him.
Even though the skirts of her dresses were short, she tended to dress a bit on the demure side. Nothing low cut or tight. But after seeing the red silk and lace bra, Gio wondered what she hid under her dresses. Most of the women he dated had matching bras and panties, but he remembered the white cotton boy shorts paired with a sexy bra. He really had to stop thinking about her bras and panties because they made him think of dimpled cheeks he wanted to get his hands on and breasts he wanted to bury his face between.
He said bye to Lauren and accepted a thank you hug for dinner, and Violet just said thank you as she led her friend back to her place. He walked back inside and frowned at the knock on the door. Most people who knew him called before they stopped by to make sure he wasn’t sleeping.
As he opened the door, he found Lauren standing there.
“You have to be patient.”
“She doesn’t even see me as a man, Lauren.”
“You’re going to have to give my innocent friend some extra time and hints.”
That’s all she said before she walked away.
Innocent, what the fuck did she—his cock went instantly hard as a wave of possessiveness heated his body. No one had ever had—he felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth. All mine. He closed the door and started making plans. The woman would see him as a man no matter what the hell he had to do.
How the Fuck Did She Acquire a New Friend?
Violet clenched and relaxed her hands as she tried to get through the wedding reception without losing her shit completely. The ceremony turned out perfect, but now she had a drunken best man who was determined to give the speech from hell. Bridezilla was fuming, and her new husband was doing everything in his power to keep her calm. If she’d learned anything from this event planning gig, nothing short of a quickie in the bathroom could diffuse the hell storm coming. She had another idea though.
The man was drunk, so it would be easy enough to arrange an accident. She felt the evil smile pull at her mouth and she strolled across the room, her target in sight. She slowly passed him as he stumbled about and she bent her right leg at the knee and tripped him. He went down with a groan.
“Oh, are you okay, sir?” She sounded concerned. She didn’t learn the art of the con in her teens for nothing.
Blood was flowing from his nose. He’d landed face first on the floor.
“I’ll take him out front and check him out, maybe call the paramedics if I think it’s broken. Just enjoy the rest of the reception. I have it all handled.”
She helped the man up and steered him toward the front of the banquet room. He was bleeding profusely from his nose, and she dialed 911 just to be on the safe side. She waited with him in the lobby with his head leaned back on one of the uncomfortable couches. She held a towel to his nose.
“Violet, are you okay?”
She turned to find Gio jogging toward her and was surprised to see him.
“Best man had a little too much to drink, and he had an accident. I wanted to make sure his nose wasn’t broken. How did you know to come here?”
“Raven and I were having our dinner break when I heard your name over her radio.” He motioned to a beautiful olive-skinned woman in a paramedic uniform.
She was tall and thick, curvy without the obvious lumps and bumps. Maybe that was his type. She’d tried to give an in for Lauren to get a date the other night, but Lauren said she just wanted to be friends. Lauren didn’t have time for relationships right now.
“You didn’t have to ruin your dinner break.”
“I didn’t. It’s almost time for me to get off shift. We had a few call outs, and I missed dinner. Raven shared a table with me. You sure you’re okay?”
His concern made her stomach feel odd. Except for Lauren, no one cared about her and briefly wondered if that should bother her more than it did.
“I’m good.” She lowered her voice and turned, her face in line with hi
s stomach. The man was too damn tall. “I just hope no one saw me trip him.”
She bit her bottom lip as he busted out laughing.
“His speech was horrendous. I heard him practicing it. The bride was with me. She scared even me. She’s been a nightmare, and I wouldn’t put it past her to make her new husband’s best friend disappear. Just a few more hours and this hell is over.”
“You want to come over and watch a movie when you get home?”
“No, I don’t want to be a bother. This fucking bra is killing me. I just want to go home and get in a bath.”
“A movie night doesn’t require a bra. If you change your mind, just come over and knock.”
“I’ll see. It’ll be late before I get home.”
“I have graveyard shifts the next few days. You can keep me awake.”
“Okay, do I need to bring anything?”
“Just yourself. I’ll pick up chocolate milk on my way home.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she turned away from him. He pushed in behind her, and her body started to do weird things. Thank fuck for industrial strength bras.
“Ma’am, his nose isn’t broken, but he really should have someone drive him home.” The woman, Raven, spoke as she removed her gloves.
“I’ll talk to one of my assistants and make sure he gets home. If they can’t do it I—”
“No, you won’t, I’ll take him home. I’ll just call in to sign off duty. See you in a little bit, Violet.”
She nodded and felt she should argue about him taking over but guessed she could say they were tentative friends. How the fuck did she acquire a new friend? She’d had one in her life, and Lauren had known her since college. Knew how hateful and weird she was.
What could it hurt? The guy was hot, and the eye candy wouldn’t hurt. If she couldn’t have a man of her own, at least she could have one she could look at and hang out with.
Gio easily got the man to his feet and was headed toward the front exit. She watched the paramedic follow close behind, and before she could think on all the odd shit in her head too much, she returned to the reception. Two more hours, she just had to make it a bit longer.
Two hours turned into four, and she dragged her feet into her house, quickly showered and changed into comfortable clothes. Ignoring a bra since it wasn’t like the man was going to attack her in a fit of lust. It was two friends watching a movie. She slipped her feet into her ducky slippers that quacked as she walked. She made her way next door and knocked. Then she had a thought that maybe he’d gone to bed. The click of the lock told her Gio hadn’t already fallen asleep.
He opened the door with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d get home.”
Was she supposed to talk? Because all she could focus on was furry eight-pack abs and pajama bottoms that were dangerously close to coming off his trim hips.
He chuckled, and she jerked her gaze up to his face. Gio was so fucking tall she had to tip her head all the way back. He lifted his big hand and wrapped it around her nape to tug her inside.
“I just put popcorn on the table and poured you a big glass of milk. You like horror movies?”
“Is it gory?”
“Yes, and I think all the perky chicks die at the beginning.”
“Now you’re just talking dirty.”
Violet loved the sound of his laugh. It was deep and rich, with just the right amount of rumble in the man’s barrel chest. She never remembered analyzing a man’s laugh before.
“I’m curious about something?”
“What’s that?”
“Why the chocolate milk? You do seem a bit obsessed with it.”
“Growing up we had to earn things. Not too many treats, so when I went to college I tried everything I wanted to, and some were okay, but chocolate milk was the best. Chocolate flavored drinks paled in comparison.”
It wasn’t the complete story, but she didn’t want to tell him that she’d never been good enough to earn the things her brothers had. She’d stolen things in her teens, candy bars, beer, snacks. More often than not, her brothers had beaten her, then took them. When she’d gone away to college, no one could take anything away from her. A bottle of chocolate milk and a pack of stale donuts were the first things she’d bought herself, and it had been heaven. There her addiction to the creamy chocolatey goodness had been born.
She walked into the living room, and her slippers quacked, but she suddenly felt a little self-conscious about her lack of bra and her choice of slippers. Maybe she should’ve worn—no, Gio didn’t see her like that. No one could because she was too broken.
“Get comfortable.”
When he released the back of her neck, his hand stroked down her back and stopped at the big swells of her ass. She rushed around the sofa and took a seat on one end, while he took the other side.
“Relax, this is for you to decompress after a shit evening. Come here,” Gio said as he stretched his arm out along the back of the couch and patted his side with his opposite hand.
She inched closer, and her arm met his warm skin. The coarse, tight curls on his chest and stomach, teased her. What the fuck was she doing?
“Better,” he said as he pushed play and the movie started.
Was she supposed to focus? Because that shit wasn’t going to happen. All the men she’d been close to were soft and average. They didn’t have deeply tanned skin or muscle on top of muscle.
She fisted her hand as she thought about stroking over those hair-roughened muscles to see if they were real. Her gaze skimmed lower from his stomach to the front of his pajama bottoms. The outline of the man’s package was clear, and it was gag toy size. Real men didn’t have—she brought her attention to the movie and tried to pretend she wasn’t just checking out what he was rocking in his pants.
That would never fit, now she was thinking about the fit. She mentally screamed, and with the first killing, she was drawn into the movie. Nothing like a horror movie to clear her head.
Did The Woman Even Know?
Gio’s dick was on high alert, and his balls were aching like a fucker. He was rethinking his bright idea of having Violet curl up against his side as they watched the movie. The invite earlier was an act of desperation just to get some alone time with Violet. Let her get used to him and learn about him, same as he would with her. He hadn’t expected what her heavy breasts would feel like against his side. They were soft, and one of her hard nipples pushed against his skin.
A few more minutes and his cock was going to peek up from the waistband of his loose sleep pants. He was a commando kind of guy so even if he had thought about underwear the most he had were boxers he occasionally slept in. Those wouldn’t be any protection or cover for his hard-on.
She was acting like it was nothing. For all she cared, she could be curled up to one of her girlfriends watching the movie. He claimed not to be vain, but he discovered he really was. He’d almost thought she was interested because when he’d answered the door, she’d stared at his stomach with a bit of awe or what he thought was awe. She was short, so when he opened the door, the first thing she’d see were his upper abs which were at her eye level, and he had taken off his shirt to tease her—to see if her hazel eyes turned dark with lust. Again nothing.
He sighed as he raised his hand and rested his cheek on his palm. Women liked him. When he flirted they returned the interest, what about him was so unattractive to Violet that she looked at him like a girlfriend with fucking chest hair?
Maybe he should’ve made himself clearer that he wanted movie night to be somewhat of a first date.
“You okay, you tensed up, am I too heavy?”
“No, you’re perfect, keep watching the movie I need to use the bathroom.”
She instantly sat up and moved out of his way, allowing to him push to his feet. He made his way to the downstairs bathroom. He closed the door and rested his hands on the cool sink. He studied himself in the mirror, turning his head left to right. Because of his job and needing hi
s mask to have a seal, he never let his facial hair get to be more than a little scruff. He knew some of the guys wore beards, even some of his brothers did, but he’d always avoided a beard. Better safe than sorry.
His body was powerfully built, and he worked hard to keep in shape because again his job required it. Everything he had done was for his job, but he was tired of coming home to an empty house, and going to bed alone every night. He was in his late thirties, the second to oldest of his brothers, and he hadn’t had a girlfriend last more than a handful of months. His job was important, and it took a lot of his time, but he took pride in it.
He just didn’t understand Violet. Didn’t she even know he liked her?
He washed his hands and splashed water on his face, then exited the bathroom. He returned to the living room and froze behind the couch. Violet was curled up in a ball fast asleep. He smiled as he softly walked around the sofa, and he gently moved her until he could sit back down. He rested her head on his thigh and then pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to place it over her. He combed his fingers through her soft hair; it was thick and heavy in his hand.
She looked so cute in sleep. Her usual irritation was nowhere to be seen, plus that adorable little twitch under her eye—shit, he had it bad if he thought her eye twitch was adorable. Against his better judgment, he liked her, weird quirks, rage and all.
He knew part of her story from when he’d eavesdropped on her and Lauren. It wasn’t a home life that fostered a sense of self-worth. He had a feeling that growing up with a father and brothers who used violence as a means of establishing a hierarchy that she didn’t see herself as a woman. Even with her pretty dresses and cute shoes, she was just one of the guys.
He thought back to the way she looked when he’d walked into the lobby of the hotel. She’d worn a beautiful, long sheath of silk that flowed over her curves and sexy little stiletto heels. Her cleavage on display for all to see and he had hated that anyone else saw her like that.
Never one to be possessive of a woman, it had taken him by surprise, and he’d wanted her to spend the evening with him. He loved her in that sexy dress from earlier, but to be honest, her in a baggy t-shirt and sleep pants, with yellow ducky slippers was just as much of a turn on. The fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra and her breasts bounced with every breath or step she took made it better. He was a big man, and he knew her curves would overflow his hands, but she was tiny too. He felt protective of her.