by Linda Turner
“And you were afraid.” Swearing softly, he pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was just in the kitchen. I thought I’d surprise you with breakfast in bed. It never entered my head that you might wake up and be scared.”
“I’m just being paranoid,” she choked out, wiping at the foolish tears that welled in her eyes and spilled over her lashes. “I’m sorry. I hate to be a crybaby. It’s just that every time I think I’m doing okay, something like this happens and I turn into a basket case.”
“Sweetheart, I’m amazed you’re able to hold it together as well as you do. Of course you’re scared. Who wouldn’t be?”
“I hate it,” she sniffed, pulling back to force a grimace of a smile. “You’re probably wondering if you’re going to have to peel me off the ceiling one of these days. I’m really not that bad.”
“You were just trying to get out of here before you had to eat my cooking,” he teased. “C’mon, you might as well confess. I’m a cop, remember? I’ve got ways of making you talk.”
For the first time since he’d walked into the room, she smiled naturally. “Your cooking’s the last thing I’m worried about. You couldn’t have been around Angelo all these years and not learned something.”
“Good point,” he said with a grin. “So now that you don’t have to worry about me poisoning you, why don’t we eat? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
Her smile faded. “Would you be terribly offended if we ate downstairs in the restaurant? I know I’m being paranoid, and it was so sweet of you to go to so much trouble, but we’re just so isolated up here.”
“And you’d feel more comfortable if there were more people around,” he said, understanding perfectly. Pulling her close for a hug, he said, “Don’t worry about it. I understand. Obviously the bastard who’s after you has no trouble getting in the building in broad daylight, and you don’t want to take any chances. I don’t, either. So we’ll just take everything downstairs and have breakfast with Angelo.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Of course not. I want you to feel safe.” Giving her a quick kiss, he pushed her toward the bathroom. “Go get dressed. The food’s getting cold.”
Relieved, she turned back into his arms and raised up on tiptoe to give him a slow, hungry kiss. When she finally pulled back, ending the kiss, her eyes were shining. “Thank you.”
Grinning crookedly, he rasped, “Sweetheart, you can thank me anytime you like. I should warn you, though, that if you keep that up, we’re never going to make it downstairs for breakfast.”
Laughing, she turned and hurried into the bathroom.
That day and the previous night set the pattern of their time together. Every morning, they went downstairs for breakfast with Angelo, then, while Tony worked, Lily took candid shots with her camera and began to plan the layout of the mural Angelo had commissioned. At night, she and Tony would go to her apartment. Angelo had sent in a cleaning crew to take care of the smoke damage, and the scent of smoke was nearly gone. For several hours each night, she worked in the darkroom, developing and printing the pictures she’d taken during the day. As fascinated by the process as Quentin had been, Tony was right by her side in the darkroom, asking questions and enjoying it as much as she. He identified many of the diners in the pictures for her, helped her with the design, and even tried at taking a roll of pictures and developing them himself.
Considering the fact that the monster who wanted her dead was still out there somewhere, waiting for another chance to get close enough to her to kill her, she should have been a nervous wreck, jumping at every unexpected sound. Instead, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. The Giovanni men had a way of taking her in and making her feel as if she was a part of the family, and she loved it. She felt right at home in the restaurant, and Angelo was wonderful. He teased and joked with her, and even had her helping him in the kitchen.
And then there was Tony. He was the most incredible man—there was no other way to describe him. Somehow, he made her feel safe and protected, even though the restaurant was a public place and anyone wishing her harm could have just walked in off the street. He was in and out of the kitchen a lot, waiting on customers, watching the door. Just the touch of his eyes reassured her that he was always nearby, quietly watching over her. And if her tormentor cased the joint, looking for her, she wasn’t aware of it. There were no threats directed at her; no strangers approached her. She’d never felt so safe.
It was the nights, however, that turned her world upside down. Every night, when they retreated to his apartment, he made love to her as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him, and every morning, she woke up in his arms. And though she tried to deny it, she could no longer lie to herself—with every passing day, she was falling more and more in love with him. In the dark of the night, when she was sated from his lovemaking and so content in his arms that she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, she silently sent up a silent prayer that her time with him would never end.
Four days later, the dinner crowd had just started to thin when Tony got a call from the precinct. He wasn’t surprised. The department was shorthanded, and all week he’d been expecting to be called back early from his vacation. Assuming his boss, Frank Hodges, was on the other end of the line, he teasingly said, “You’ve got the wrong number, Frank. There’s no Tony Giovanni here. The only one I know by that name isn’t supposed to report back to work until Monday.”
“This is Charlie, Tony. I just wanted to let you know we made an arrest in the Fiztgerald case.”
Shocked, he nearly dropped the phone. “What? When?”
“A half hour ago,” he replied. “He was hanging around the alley across the street from the restaurant, acting suspicious. Ted Hawk saw him when he was making a pass in front of the restaurant, and followed him to the back of the alley. He had a gun.”
Tony swore. “Son of a bitch! Did he confess?”
“He’s singing like a bird right now,” he said with a chuckle. Quickly giving him the highlights, he added, “I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible.”
“I owe you,” Tony said gruffly. “Thanks, Charlie.”
When he hung up, he turned to find Lily standing in the office doorway, her eyes wide. “Angelo said you got a call from the precinct?”
Nodding, he grinned, and before she could even guess his intentions, he pulled her into his arms for a fierce hug. Laughing in confusion, she pulled back slightly she could see his eyes. “What was that for?”
“A suspect has been arrested.”
If he hadn’t already been holding her, Lily was sure her knees would have buckled. “What? When?”
“That was Detective Charlie Drake on the phone,” he replied. “He’s one of the officers on the case. He knew I was keeping a close eye on you this week and wanted to let me know that they made an arrest about a half hour ago. The man was spotted in the alley across the street. He had a gun.”
She blanched. “Oh, God!”
“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he assured her. “He was arrested. You’ll never have to worry about him again. He confessed.”
“Who is he? Why was he doing this?”
“He used the name Joe Smith, but he’s got a long list of aliases. He has a history of stalking. According to Charlie, he claims he saw you in the park one day and became infatuated with you. He didn’t have the guts to speak to you, and in his mind, that was your fault. Apparently, you walked by him on a number of occasions without speaking to him, and he wants you to suffer for that.”
“He sounds crazy.” Horrified by a sudden thought, she gasped, “They’re not going to let him out of jail, are they? Tell me they won’t let him out on some technicality, Tony. I think that would just push me over the edge.”
Pulling her back into his arms, he hugged her tight. “He’s behind bars and he’s not getting out, sweetheart. You can relax. The nightmare’s over.”
Held close to
his heart, the warmth of his arms around her, she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. That’s when his words finally sank in. The nightmare really was over. Overwhelmed with relief, she started to cry.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, kissing her. “It’s okay. You can cry if you want to. Hell, after what you’ve been through, you deserve a good cry. Go ahead—let it out.”
She’d dreamed of it dozens of times—the moment when she discovered that the monster who’d turned her life into hell was finally in police custody. She’d pictured herself laughing and crying and dancing in relief. The one emotion she hadn’t expected to feel was sadness. She didn’t want her time with Tony to be over. Burying her face against his neck, she drew in the clean, masculine scent of him and never wanted to move.
When the phone rang again, they both jumped. Swearing, Tony reached for it and growled, “Angelo’s. Tony speaking.”
“Tony, this is Janice. I need to talk to you if you have a minute.”
Alarm bells rang in Tony’s head. Anytime Janice cared one way or the other if he was busy, something was wrong. “What’s wrong, Janice? Quentin’s all right, isn’t he?”
“He’s fine,” she replied stiffly. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you see him all week—I was mad.”
He almost told her that sorry was a poor apology for denying their son the opportunity to be with his father just to g back at him, but he bit the words back just in time. He didn’t want to start another argument with her—he didn’t even want to talk to her. The minute Lily heard him mention Janice’s name, she started to pull out of his arms, and he hated that. Any feelings he had for Janice had died a long time ago, and suddenly it was very important that he tell Lily that, but he couldn’t, dammit, not when Janice was on the other end of the phone, listening. As much as he resented her and everything she’d done to take his son away from him, he couldn’t humiliate her that way.
“I need to go, Janice,” he growled. “Your apology’s accepted. If that’s all—”
“Wait!” she cried before he could hang up. “I wanted to know if you’d like to have Quentin tomorrow. He has a school holiday, and I thought you might like to spend the day with him since he told me you’re on vacation.”
There’d been a time when Tony would have naively fallen for such a line, but he’d learned a long time ago to read between the lines when it came to his ex-wife. Because she never did him a favor…unless it benefited her, too. “Larry’s still in Florida, isn’t he? You need someone to baby-sit Quentin, don’t you?”
Irritated that he’d seen through her ploy, she snapped, “Yes, but I would hardly call it baby-sitting. He’s your son.”
“And it’s high time you remembered that,” he retorted. “Of course I’ll keep him.”
Her ruffled feathers somewhat soothed, she said, “Good. You can pick him up at Bryan Taylor’s house in the morning. You remember Bryan—he and Quentin have been friends since kindergarten. They’re having a sleepover at his house tonight since they don’t have school tomorrow.”
“I have the address in my address book,” he replied. “I’ll pick him up in the morning at ten.”
Satisfied she’d gotten what she wanted, she hung up. Then Tony turned his attention back to Lily, who’d moved to the door of Angelo’s office to give him some measure of privacy during his call. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “Quentin doesn’t have school tomorrow, and she wanted me to take him for the day. Are you all right?”
Lily nodded, the forced smile that curved her mouth not quite reaching her eyes. “Isn’t it weird the way everything just works out right when you need it to? My case gets solved, I can go home tonight, and tomorrow, Quentin has his room back. What are the odds?”
“I don’t want you to go home tonight,” he growled. “I know it’s just across the hall, but stay one more night.”
She couldn’t refuse him. “What time do you get off?” she asked.
“In twenty minutes.”
Her heart skipping a beat in anticipation, she smiled. “So I guess I’ll see you then.” She leaned up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He reached for her, but he was too late. Sailing toward the door in the kitchen that gave access to the apartment stairwell, she glanced over her shoulder to give him a flirty wink, then disappeared into the stairwell. Ten minutes later, when she was immersed shoulders in her favorite bubble bath in his apartment, she was still smiling. Maybe she’d just lie right here until he came home.
It was a nice thought, but she knew she wouldn’t. She just wasn’t that decadent. So she soaked in the steaming water for a few minutes, then began to shampoo her hair. Too late, she realized she’d have to hurry, after all, if she was going to have time to blow it dry before Tony’s shift ended. Idiot, she chided herself, and quickly began to rinse.
“Lily? Where are you? I’m home.”
In the process of applying conditioner to her hair, she glanced up, startled. “Tony? I’m taking a bath,” she called through the partially open bathroom door. “Give me a minute and I’ll be right out.”
Her heart starting to pound, she quickly rinsed her hair with the hand sprayer on the old-fashioned claw-foot tub, then reached for her bath gel. Five minutes later, she’d just wrapped a towel around her wet hair and another one around her body when he softly knocked on the bathroom door. “Mind if I come in and shave? I feel a little rough.”
When he peeked around the door and grinned at her, his green eyes dancing with mischief, he was impossible to resist. Grinning, she stepped back, allowing him room to join her in the small bathroom. “Of course. I was just going to dry my hair.”
“I could help you with that,” he said huskily. “Or you could just let it dry naturally.” Stepping close, he pulled the towel from her head and watched as her damp hair tumbled about her bare shoulders. Just that quickly, the light in his eyes turned dark and sensuous. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
She’d never thought of herself as beautiful—her chin was too stubborn and her nose could only be described as pert, at best—but when he looked at her that way, he made her feel like Cinderella at the ball. “You make me feel beautiful,” she said softly. “Whenever I’m around you, I just feel like smiling all the time.”
“I feel the same way,” he admitted in a voice as rough as sandpaper. “I don’t know what it is about you. Just looking at you does something to me. I think it’s your skin.”
Surprised, Lily laughed. “My skin?”
He grinned. “Yeah. Like this spot right here. It’s so soft, I can’t resist it.” Leaning down, he dropped a gentle kiss to the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “Mmm. See? And then there’s your neck…and shoulder…and here…”
He kissed the top of her breasts, just above where the towel was wrapped around her, and just that easily, turned her bones to water. She moaned softly and leaned into him. “Hold me,” she whispered. “I need you to hold me.”
“My pleasure,” he rasped, and drew her into his arms.
Her pulse raced and her head swam. Kissing the side of his neck, just as he had kissed hers, she wondered how it could have taken so long for her to realize she loved him. He made her laugh and smile and ache with need in a way that stole her breath. With him, she felt as though she’d become the person she’d always wanted to be, and she loved it. She loved him. And evenhe didn’t know if they could ever have a future together—considering the way his ex was trying to take his son away from him, she wouldn’t blame him if he never trusted a woman again—she couldn’t worry about that now. Tomorrow, she’d return to her apartment and her life, but for tonight, she was going to enjoy her time with him. The future would take care of itself.
Reaching for the buttons of his shirt, she unbuttoned them and slowly kissed her way down his chest. When he groaned, she smiled. “You’ve got a few interesting spots of your own, Mr. Giovanni. I would love to explore them.”
“I’m all yours, sweetheart,” he retorted with a grin as he held his arms wide
. “Go ahead—have your way with me. I promise I won’t offer a single word of complaint.”
Just that easily, he teasingly threw down a challenge, and without a blink of an eye, she accepted it. Smiling, she parted his shirt and slid it off his shoulders with agonizing slowness. Before it hit the floor, her fingers were trailing over his bare torso, heating his skin with just a touch. Then, everywhere she touched, she kissed.
His teeth clenched on a groan, Tony had to fight the need to snatch her tight in his arms and kiss her until they were both wild with need. But he couldn’t, not yet. She was showing him a side of herself he’d never seen before, and he loved it. So he kept his hands out to the side and waited to see what she’d do next.
He didn’t have to worry—she didn’t disappoint him. Reaching for his hands, she brought them to where the towel she still wore wrapped around her had been secured by simply tucking it between her breasts. Closing his fingers around the end of the towel, she molded her fingers to his and tugged, helping him pull the towel loose. Before it could hit the ground, she pulled his head down to hers for a long, slow kiss that curled his toes.
His blood heating to flash point in the time it took to blink, he never even had a chance at control. Deepening the kiss, he kissed her until they were both hot and breathless and she was clinging to him as if she’d never let him go. And still, it wasn’t enough. On fire for her, his hands stroking, rubbing, caressing, he slowly walked her backward toward the bedroom, dropping kisses on her mouth and face and neck all the while. And for every kiss she gave him, for every touch, every teasing playing of her fingers, he did the same, until they were dancing a sensuous dance of give-and-take and driving each other out of their minds.
Later, Tony never remembered the moment when they reached the bed—or when he removed the rest of his clothes. Suddenly, they were on the bed, skin to skin, and nothing had ever felt so good. His mind blurred, and all he could do was feel…Lily under him, surrounding him, moving with him in perfect time to a rhythm only they could hear. And when she came undone in his arms, he groaned and lost himself in her. The world could have exploded, and he never would have noticed. There was only Lily, and the feelings she stirred in him.