Forbidden Desires

by Jenna Hartley

  I glance at Carm. A knock sounds on the door again.

  “Who else is here? You better answer it.” Annie sits on the couch, pulling a blanket over her lap.

  I love that she’s comfortable with my brother, but damn, I don’t know how she’s going to feel around everyone else. I can’t very well kick her out to avoid having her meet the rest of my family.

  “Annie…” I approach her, but the knock sounds once more.

  “Enzo, get the door.” She turns her attention to Carm. “Why were you knocking like there was a fire?”

  Carm laughs. Like bent over in a fit of laughter laughs. I can’t blame him. If roles were reversed, I’d be doing the exact same thing.

  “I need you to go into my bedroom.”

  “Why?” she asks.

  I should have known she wouldn’t just take my direction without arguing. “Because my ma is on the other side of that door.”

  Her face pales and she flings the blanket off her lap. “What? Tell me you have a fire escape.”

  Carm sits on the couch, putting his feet up on my coffee table and resting his hands behind his head. “This is so fun to watch.”

  “No, you’re coming to Sunday dinner, and I’m fairly sure you don’t want to meet Ma in my old sweatshirt and a pair of pajama shorts.”

  “Ugh. You couldn’t have called?” she says to Carm.

  He holds up his hands. “I tried. You two were obviously too busy fucking. Next time, answer your phone.”

  She narrows her eyes and runs down the hall.

  Another knock.

  I blow out a breath and head to the door.

  “That was ridiculously long. Were you sleeping?” Ma asks. I take the tray of food from her, and she touches my forehead. “No fever.”

  “No.”

  I put the tray in my kitchen, and Ma spots Carm on the couch. “Carmelo Mancini, I know you are not sitting there while your poor father is trying to bring up five trays of food.” She thumbs toward the door, and he jumps from his seat.

  “I might as well just give up my gym membership,” he mumbles as he passes by.

  “Now you, go put a shirt on. You’ll catch a cold.”

  I look down. Shit. I’m a mess, and I can’t believe Ma can’t tell what I’ve been up to all morning. “Yeah, well…”

  I debate in my head if I should come clean now or just surprise her with Annie. I could ask Annie to stay in my bedroom, but Ma tends to clean my condo when she comes, which means she’ll end up in that room at some point. I have no choice but to tell her about Annie.

  “Now, don’t go getting your hopes up, okay? I don’t want to hear anything about marriage or babies or love coming out of your mouth.”

  She takes the silver top off the tray of bread. “What are you rambling on about?”

  “I have a woman here.”

  Her eyes light up and she flings her arms around my body. “Who? What’s her name? Do I know her?”

  So much for not overreacting. “No. You don’t know her, but did you hear me, Ma? No marriage and baby talk.”

  She smacks my chest. “I won’t embarrass you. Is it serious?” She leans closer to me. “Is she Italian?”

  I don’t even know, but I’m going to go with no, Annie is not Italian. “Please stop. I’m not even sure she’s going to want to come out of my bedroom.”

  She ties her apron around her middle and smiles at me. “I’ll go make her welcome.”

  She turns, but I guide her back to the kitchen. “No. You’re not going in there.”

  “Are you ashamed of me? Is that why you won’t bring her to Sunday dinner?”

  I run my fingers through my hair. “I didn’t bring her because we’re not there yet.”

  “Have you met her family?”

  I hadn’t anticipated that question. Shit. “Yeah, but it was under different circumstances.”

  Her face falls, and she turns her back to me, opening cabinets, searching for something.

  “Ma…”

  “You’re embarrassed of us. I get that we have accents and sometimes we might not know a word here or there, but we are your parents. Have your brothers met her?”

  Damn it.

  “Only because they came to the office,” I say, without thinking. Now she’ll realize I work with her.

  “So it’s not serious, but you’ve met her family and she’s met your brothers. What about Blanca?”

  Thank God Annie hasn’t met my sister in person. “No, not Blanca.”

  “I don’t understand. Why are you hiding her?”

  I blow out a breath, really wishing Carm and my dad would hurry the hell up here. I need a distraction. “I’m not hiding her. It’s just you want us all to get married and you know I don’t bring women home.”

  “I know. And just so you know, I would never force you to marry someone before you were ready.”

  I nod, although her recent depression is like a guilt trip for all her kids. Does she not realize that? “You’re going to meet her today, but just don’t get any hopes. She’s just a woman I’m dating.”

  “Fine.” Her voice is curt, and my shoulders sag.

  How did today go from a blissful orgasm-filled Sunday to ‘strap me to the train tracks because I’m about to be railroaded’?

  Chapter 32

  Annie

  * * *

  I’m in Enzo’s shower, scrubbing the sex smell off me when he steps in behind me, wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses my shoulder. I scream and jump, but he holds me firm.

  “Unless the condo is empty, you better get out of this shower right now.”

  He laughs. “I have to get clean too.”

  I circle in his arms, but he kisses me so hard, my back presses to the tiled wall. His tongue slides into my mouth, and for a moment, everything outside of the steam-filled shower disappears. But the fear of his family being out in the living room soon surfaces as his hand lands between my legs, opening my thighs.

  I push him back. “You’re crazy. You stay there. I’m going to finish rinsing my body, then you can have the shower to yourself.”

  He laughs.

  How can he laugh? I’m sure he doesn’t want me to meet his family. It seems like a big step for him. One he’s not ready for.

  “What’s the plan? Am I staying holed up in the bedroom or are you sneaking me out?”

  He sits on the ledge of the shower, staring at me with those flirtatious eyes. “You’re meeting the family.”

  My stomach drops. “No, I’m not.”

  “Well, it’s only Ma and Pa and Blanca. You know Dom and Carm already. Since it’s here, you don’t have to worry about meeting any aunts and uncles.”

  “Yippee?”

  “I get that neither of us planned for this, but here we are. Let’s just roll with it.”

  I rinse off and step out, purposely keeping my back to him. Mostly because I might throw up at any minute. Meet his parents? When it wasn’t like he wanted me to meet them, it’s a forced meeting and Enzo had no choice?

  I pull my hair back into a bun then open my cosmetic bag to apply my makeup. “So they’re, like, outside the door?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you’re showering, why? Shouldn’t you be out there entertaining them?”

  Through his clear glass shower door, I see suds falling out of his hair, down his sculpted body, and to the floor of the shower.

  “My mom knows my kitchen, and my brothers and dad will watch the game. Dom and Blanca probably won’t be here for a bit anyway.”

  My hand falls to my stomach with the thought of being here all day. I hoist myself onto the countertop and apply my foundation. “I feel like I should go.”

  The water turns off, and he stands in the shower, water dripping down his body. I follow one droplet as it falls through the ripples of his abs. Damn, sometimes I still can’t believe I get to have sex with this man whenever I want.

  “Too late for you to go.”

  “I could say a quick h
ello, stay for a half hour, and say I have somewhere to be.” I continue distracting myself with my makeup routine.

  “Ma isn’t going to let you go. We have no choice but to face this.”

  I stare at him through the mirror. He’s busy drying himself off and tying the towel around his waist.

  “Are you okay with this?” I ask the question I really want an answer to.

  He shrugs, unhooking the towel that’s wrapped around my chest. “There you go. I like you better naked.”

  I grab the towel, feeling modest due to the fact that his parents are only twenty feet away. “Answer my question.”

  He grabs his toothbrush and brushes his teeth, staring at me until he speaks around his toothbrush. “It’s fine. Not something I thought either of us was ready for, but whatever, it’s fine.”

  Fine. The word people use when they really mean it’s not, but they have no choice. That’s what fine means.

  He spits and I finish doing my makeup before jumping down from the counter to get dressed. It’s going to be a ponytail day. Hopefully Mama Mancini doesn’t judge me too much.

  Enzo follows me into his bedroom. The television from the living room is blaring so loudly, I can almost hear the commentators of the baseball game.

  “My dad’s preferred volume,” Enzo says, putting on a fresh pair of boxer briefs before stepping into athletic pants.

  I shrug on my own panties and jeans. “Great. What about the condom ad?”

  He’s been taking the lead on it, but I offered a few suggestions he said we’d talk over today. I can’t help but think he believes he knows more about condoms than I do. Just because he’s used them on hundreds of women doesn’t mean he knows how to sell them better than me.

  Okay, I don’t want to think about how many women he’s used them on.

  “Tonight.” He throws on a shirt and walks over to kiss me. “The pitch is in two weeks. We have time.”

  “Not if we don’t want to act out a skit again.”

  He laughs. “That was fun, but we’ll meet with Billy tomorrow to discuss.”

  He sits on the edge of his messed-up bed. The sheets are wrinkled, the comforter a mess in the middle.

  After throwing on a V-neck T-shirt that’s plain and boring, I stare at myself in his dresser mirror. This sucks. Here I am looking like an over-age college student, and I have to meet his parents for the first time.

  “Come sit on Daddy,” he says.

  “Ew… I’m not joking, stop with that.”

  He laughs again, patting his leg.

  I sit on his leg and wrap my arms around his neck. “What’s up, shy guy?”

  He narrows his eyes, his fingers finding the bare patch of skin between the waist of my jeans and my shirt. His finger trails a path across my skin, igniting a rupture of goose bumps. “We talked about that.”

  “And we talked about daddy.”

  “Touché.”

  “We need to get out there. Carm’s probably telling my mom we’re having sex.”

  “Probably.”

  “Before we do, I want you to know something… this might not have been what I was expecting today, but you’re important to me, Annie, and in a way, I’m happy to introduce you to my family. So don’t try to leave or run away.” He waits for me to say something.

  “Okay,” I say softly.

  “Plus, this is just like a long intermission for our Sunday fun day.” He gets me on my back, and his body covers mine. “You look gorgeous.”

  His mouth descends on mine, and for a few moments, I’m lost in Hurricane Enzo.

  He gets up, holds out his hand for me, and pulls me up off the bed. I follow him as he opens the door.

  Carm is sitting on the couch, no shoes on, legs crossed on the coffee table. A smirk lands on his face as soon as we enter from the hallway. His dad is concentrating on the television, so I’m not sure he sees us. If I wanted to know where the boys got their height, it’s their dad. He’s an older version of them with a more weathered look. I figure it’s from working with his hands more than his sons ever will.

  Enzo’s hand wraps around mine. “Ma. Pa. This is Annie Stewart. This is my ma Anna and my dad Giuseppe.”

  He fails to say girlfriend, and I wonder what that means, if anything.

  His mom turns around in the kitchen, places down a ladle, and wipes her hands on her apron while walking over to us. I have about three inches on her, so when she hugs me, her face smashes in between my breasts.

  Oh joy.

  It’s easy to see the dynamic in this household. Enzo joined Carm and his dad on the couch minutes after my introduction. I guess I should’ve assumed Enzo is a sports nut since every time I turn on his television, it’s on ESPN.

  His mom works in the kitchen, shifting her attention between boiling pots and chopping and mixing. This is ridiculous. Please tell me they aren’t all going to sit in there until she says dinner is ready?

  “Would you like some help?” I ask, peeking over the breakfast bar since I don’t want to intrude on her obvious routine.

  She looks up, smiles, and waves me in. “You can be in charge of salad.”

  She places the knife in my hand and my other hand on the lettuce, showing me how to cut it. Oh man, this is her entire gig. Those men are going to sit on those couches the entire day.

  She stirs a few sauces then watches me. Maybe I shouldn’t have offered. “So, Annie, how old are you?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Did you graduate college?”

  “I did.”

  She pats me on the back in a ‘good job’ gesture. “You like my Enzo?”

  I look over toward the couch. He’s laughing with Carm, his smile infectious. With his long legs stretched out in front of him, he’s relaxed with a pop in his hand. He’s sexy, that’s for sure. But there’s so much more to him, and although I’m kind of pissed he lets his mom make a family dinner all by herself, that doesn’t change the rush I get when he enters a room. I’ve known for a few weeks that I’m falling. Even after convincing myself that this relationship is going to go nowhere, I’ve lost control. I’ve even suspended the one-night-a-week rule.

  “I do,” I say with a smile.

  She runs her hand down my upper arm a few times, clearly happy with my answer. “He’s a good man. An honest man. I know all my boys love their bachelor life, but once they get a taste of a woman who can take care of them, they’ll change.”

  I smile again, not wanting to upset her.

  A knock lands on the door, and she leaves to answer it. God forbid Enzo gets up. He doesn’t even look to see who it is.

  In barrels Dom and a cute brunette, razzing him about something. Blanca. I recognize her from her date with Jake. Dom stops in his tracks when he sees me in the kitchen, then glances at Enzo. Blanca hugs her mom hello, smirking when she sees me over her mom’s shoulder.

  “Well, I haven’t met you, but I’m pretty sure I know who you are.” Blanca sits across from me on the breakfast bar stool, putting her elbow on the counter and leaning her chin on her palm. “Annie?”

  “Blanca?”

  “Nice to meet you,” we say in unison then laugh.

  “I’ll be right back,” she says, sliding off the stool. She moves over to her dad and kisses the top of his head. Then she stands in front of the television and points at Carm, Enzo, and Dom. “Idiot, idiot, idiot. Trying to marry me off.” She rounds the back of the couch, her hand slapping the back of each of their heads.

  I love her already.

  She puts on an apron from a box Anna, Enzo’s mom, brought in, secures it around her waist, and gets to work. As I finish the salad, Mama Mancini layers a lasagna and Blanca boils the pasta.

  “Is this the way it is all the time?” I ask. “Them on the couch and you two working in the kitchen?”

  Blanca glances at her mom and nods. I’m not sure if it’s a sensitive subject or not and I don’t want to overstep on my first dinner, but I think Blanca and I are on the same page.<
br />
  Having some time while the lasagna cooks, Blanca and I find ourselves at the kitchen table with a glass of wine.

  “Tell me about Jake? What did you think?”

  “Shh.” She places her finger to her lips, eyeing her mom.

  “Oh, sorry,” I say.

  “He’s nice,” she says in a low voice.

  I know what that means. I decide to drop it since I don’t want to put her in a bad position.

  It’s like the boys have a radar that we’re all done preparing the food—either that or the game is over—because all three of her brothers come over and sit down with us. Enzo’s hand lands on my thigh and I slide it away only to have him laugh and try again.

  The man is incorrigible.

  Chapter 33

  Enzo

  * * *

  When I introduced Annie to my parents, it went pretty much how I thought it would. Ma hugged her and my dad shook her hand. Dad went back to watching the game and my ma went to work in the kitchen. I expected more of an inquisition from my ma to be honest.

  “So you’re at the family dinner?” Dom says, leaning back in his chair, sipping his beer. His shit-eating grin annoys the crap out of me. “Carm, this deserved a phone call. Please tell me you took a picture when you told him Ma was coming.”

  “You’re out of luck,” I say.

  “I, for one, think it’s great. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t follow you two on your first date.” Dom laughs.

  I glance at Annie and she looks back at me. Well… shit.

  “What are those looks for?” Blanca asks.

  “Nothing,” I respond.

  But Carm’s a smart guy and clues in immediately. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say they just realized they’ve never been on a date.”

  “We go out.” I’m hoping I’m not the only one between the two of us who just figured it out.

  “Work keeps us busy,” Annie says, but her eyes are cast down.

  Dom chuckles then clears his throat when I shoot him the death glare.

  “Work can be crazy. Let’s talk about the redheaded she-devil. She’s insane. Did I tell you what she did?” Carm, being an expert on changing topics in the middle of a conversation, directs the conversation toward him.