by Kat Mizera
“You have no faith.” She wagged a finger at him. “And frankly, I should have a pseudo-grandbaby from you by now. I’m ready but Zio and Paola are not, which leaves you.” Paola was Fab and Chiara’s daughter.
“No kids from me,” he chuckled. “Sorry. I’m not your guy for that.”
The phone rang and Chiara walked out of the room to answer it, muttering under her breath in Italian.
“I’m a big disappointment to her,” Jared said.
“Nah. She just wants what’s best for you and you seem resistant to her advice.” Fab gave a little shrug. “She’s usually right, though. We’ve been together twenty-two years and I can count how many times she’s been wrong on the fingers of one hand.”
“Yeah, well, there are no kids in my future. She might be right about me and Renee, but I’ve never wanted kids and my resolve hasn’t changed.”
“That’s fair.” Fab nodded and got to his feet. “Want to go for a run? I need to get out of the house.”
“Sure.”
That night they went to the town center for dinner. The pizza was amazing, the local wine delicious, and the company better than ever. Zio was restless after they ate, anxious to meet up with Daisy, who was supposedly not far away eating dinner with Renee. Apparently, they’d had an argument earlier and he wanted to apologize.
“You should go too,” Chiara said to Jared.
“What have you got to lose?” Fab teased him. “I mean, if she turns you down again, then that’s three strikes, you should let it go. But maybe she’s distracted with her daughter, sightseeing, a million things that have nothing to do with you and everything to do with timing.”
Jared hesitated.
“Are you coming, Uncle Jared?” Zio was on his feet.
“You go ahead, I’ll catch up.” Jared motioned for him to go. He followed more slowly, thinking about what to say to her. He wasn’t used to pursuing a woman, but Fab was right that he might be taking this more personally than he should be. Maybe she was actually busy and distracted. She’d mentioned that she and Daisy hadn’t been getting along before she left for college and how she wanted to take some time to work on rebuilding their relationship.
He stepped inside the lively restaurant, determined to be cool. He wasn’t invested in anything yet, so walking away should be easy. Normally he wouldn’t have worked this hard for a woman at all, but with so many changes in his life, he had to at least try, right? If tonight went south, he’d simply forget about her.
He walked around the corner just as Daisy came out of the restroom. Zio had been waiting in the hallway and approached her. Jared watched in confusion as she shook her head and kept moving. Zio reached for her arm and a look of distress crossed her face.
Dammit, what was he doing? Zio had never been a jerk with women before, so this made no sense at all. He approached them quickly, hoping to diffuse anything that might be blowing up.
“…sorry,” Daisy was saying, “but I can’t talk about this right now. Can I call you tomorrow? I just…” Her voice trailed off as Jared approached.
“Everything okay?” Jared asked, hands in his pockets as he looked at her.
“Yeah, well, no, but it’s not Zio—look, I have to go! I’ve been gone too long as it is.”
“Gone from what?” Jared asked in confusion.
Daisy huffed out a breath. “There’s this guy, he’s been giving my mom a hard time and I didn’t want to leave her alone with him but I had to pee so—”
“Where?” Jared asked automatically, some inner protector quickly coming to the surface.
“We’re out on the patio but—”
“Show me.” Jared motioned with his hand for her to go first and she nodded, hurrying toward the front of the restaurant.
He spotted Renee immediately, a pained look on her face as a big guy with slicked-back black hair and a cropped dark beard seemed to be leaning a little too close to her no matter how hard she tried to step back.
Daisy started to move forward but Jared caught her arm. “Let me,” was all he said. He bypassed the girl and walked up to Renee with a possessive smile. “Hey, babe, sorry I’m late.” He slid an arm around her waist, pulled her toward him and lightly pressed his lips to hers. Damn, how did she always manage to taste like honey?
“Hi.” Her voice was breathless, full of surprise and—was that pleasure? He wasn’t positive, but it sure seemed like it.
“Who’s this?” He turned to the man, who’d backed up now.
“I have no idea.” She gave the man a pointed look and his face darkened as he gave her a curt nod.
“That was smooth,” Daisy murmured, sliding into her chair as the man with the slicked-back hair retreated with a scowl, muttering something in German.
“You didn’t have to bring the cavalry,” Renee said to her daughter. “I was handling it.”
“Didn’t look like you were handling it,” Jared said, his arm still locked around her waist.
“Jared.” The look she gave him told him they were either going to fight or fuck; he was really hoping for the latter.
“Now we can talk?” Zio asked Daisy, his eyes gleaming.
Daisy glanced at her mother. “Is it okay if Zio and I go for a walk?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me.”
“We’ll be outside,” Daisy said. “Just text when you’re ready to go back to the hotel.”
Renee waved her on, a faint smile on her face.
“Things better with her now?” Jared asked.
“Yes. It’s been good for us to have a few days wandering around doing a lot of nothing. We went and saw some castles in Bellinzona, spent a day in Milan shopping, and today we went to a spa. It’s been nice having some downtime together.”
“I’m glad.” His eyes met hers. “Does that mean you have some time to yourself now that she’s busy making up with Zio?”
She smiled. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t call,” she said after a slight hesitation. “I was really focused on Daisy and then three days had gone by.”
“It’s okay. I just want to know if you’re ever going to call.”
Renee chuckled. “Do you really want me to?”
“Why do you think I’m here?”
She cocked her head. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“My hotel is literally a thousand feet from here.”
“You got a hotel room?”
“I did.” He searched her face intently.
“What, exactly, did you need a hotel room for if you’re staying with your friends?”
He narrowed his eyes, pulling her against him. “I’m thinking I need another taste of honey.”
Before she could protest, his mouth was on hers, sucking her tongue deep until that now familiar sensation of honey fueled the desire already burning inside of him. The best part was that she kissed him back with the exact same urgency, her body molding against his, arms snaking around his neck. Damn, this was going to be good. If he could talk her into following through. With her daughter in the picture, he was expecting a fight.
“We have a couple of hours,” she whispered against his mouth, surprising him.
“Let’s go.” He put some money on the table and slipped his fingers between hers.
13
If Jared’s intention was to keep her from backing out, it worked. The moment the door closed behind them he had her back pressed against it and his torso pressed to hers. She barely had a second to breathe before he’d sucked her tongue into his mouth and kissed her just like he’d kissed her last time. But it was so much sweeter this time because she knew what to expect. Desire shot down her spine and landed squarely between her legs. He hadn’t even done anything yet and she was already wet.
She moaned as he drove his tongue into her mouth over and over, with a reckless abandon that she absolutely loved. He rocked his hips against hers to hold her in place while he slid up her sundress.
“Arms up,
” he commanded.
She automatically complied and her dress was yanked up and over her head without hesitation. He dumped it on the floor beside them and took the opportunity to remove his own shirt. She nearly drooled at the sight of his bare torso and she reached out to run a finger up the middle of his abdomen. Jared had muscles on his muscles, and it was beautiful. He had the body of a much younger man and the desire that shot through her nearly stole her breath away.
“What a naughty girl,” he murmured, lowering his head. “No bra.” He clasped one nipple between his lips and rolled it around with his tongue as one hand grasped her other breast and squeezed.
“Oh god.” She moaned again, helpless to do anything but shiver with need and anticipation.
He bit down enough to send a sliver of pain rocketing through her, but then soothed it with his tongue, over and over until she dug her fingers into his hair and tugged. “Jared, please…”
“Patience, beautiful. It’ll be worth the wait.”
He moved to the other breast, repeating his ministrations until she was whimpering with frustration. It was on the tip of her tongue to beg him to fuck her already, but he didn’t appear to be in any hurry, and it felt so damn good, she was close to exploding anyway.
Licking a trail down her stomach, he paused to circle her navel, her hip bones, the crease of her thigh. His tongue was delightful and wicked, and she gasped when he nuzzled her sex right through her panties. He slid his hands up to cup the cheeks of her ass, squeezing firmly until he lifted her off the ground enough to bury his face between her legs.
“Jared…”
“Shh.” He nudged the fabric aside and found her sweet spot, angling his tongue inside her panties and lapping at the arousal that had undoubtedly soaked them. “You’re wet for me,” he whispered. “How about I get rid of this barrier between us?” Using his shoulders to hold her against the door, he ripped the white lace off with one swift motion and let them fall to the floor as he dove into her with his tongue. He flicked her clit, lightly, until she was arching her back to draw him deeper. He licked and sucked until she was groaning, arousal beginning to build up to the point of pain. She wanted—no, she needed—to come and he wasn’t allowing it. Each time she got close he pulled back, forcing her to wait.
Fingers slid between her cheeks and she jerked, clenching in surprise as he pressed a finger into a hole that had never been touched. It was just a tip, gentle, probing but not insistent, allowing her to adjust as he continued to lap at her swollen folds. She was on the brink, tossing her head back and forth as pleasure began to overtake her.
“Never had your ass played with?” he asked in a sexy whisper.
“N-no.” Her answer was more a gasp than a word, but he took her momentary distraction as a chance to press a little deeper.
“Relax,” he said. “Let me make it good for you. Trust me.”
She had no choice, her body already betraying her as her orgasm came out of nowhere. She shrieked in surprise and pleasure, riding his face as he sucked her clit once more, sliding his finger deeper into her ass.
“Ohgod-ohgod-ohgod…” Just when the orgasm began to slow, he pushed two fingers into her vagina and curved them up into her G-spot. Another one came almost as strong as the first, sending her over the edge yet again. He fucked both her holes with his fingers until she was a screaming, writhing bundle of nerves, making sounds she hadn’t known she was capable of.
When the spasms finally eased, she nearly collapsed, her legs shaking and her entire body covered with a light sheen of sweat. He caught her in his arms, lifting and carrying her to the bed.
“Be right back,” he whispered, disappearing into the bathroom.
She heard the water running and then he was back, sliding onto the bed beside her and drawing her close.
“So yay or nay on the ass play?” he asked, stroking her back as he held her against him.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “It was weird, but combined with everything else you were doing, I think I came even harder than last time.”
“I love making you come back-to-back,” he said, pressing light kisses on the side of her face.
“I love it too.” She turned her face up to his and he kissed her again.
“I need to be inside of you, beautiful,” he said softly, pulling away.
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Renee waited until Jared’s steady breathing told her he was asleep before quietly sliding out of bed. It was nearly midnight and while she was sure Daisy was okay, she had to get out of here. As sweet as he was being, and as fantastic as the sex was, she wasn’t sure what they were doing. She was cognizant of the fact that she was overthinking and sabotaging something with a lot of potential, but her racing heart and sweaty palms didn’t allow for her to be rational at the moment. Plus, she hadn’t let a guy see her without makeup since her husband had died, and she wasn’t planning to start with the hottest guy she’d ever had the pleasure of getting naked with.
Quickly gathering her clothes, she slipped into the bathroom to get dressed and freshen up. Daisy would undoubtedly know what she’d been up to, but she didn’t need to look rode hard and put away wet. Her makeup had smudged, her hair was a disaster and her linen sundress was a wrinkled mess. Well, there was no help for it now, so she pulled it over her head and combed her fingers through her hair. She wet the edge of a small hand towel and wiped away the makeup beneath her eyes before digging into her purse and reapplying the liner. She dabbed some gloss on her lips, smoothed down her dress and fussed with her hair just a little more before turning out the light and tiptoeing out of the room.
“Where ya goin’?” Jared’s husky voice startled her and she froze.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” she responded softly. “I need to catch up with Daisy.”
“You’re always sneaking out on me… You have a thing for the walk of shame?”
She bristled. “I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He sat up in the semidarkness and rested his forearms on his knees. “I want to see you again, Renee, and based on how little time it took me to convince you to come back to my room with me, I’m thinking it’s mutual. Can’t we have a little fun without overthinking everything?”
She hesitated. “Fun usually leads to feelings and neither one of us is interested in that.”
“How do you know what I’m interested in when I don’t even know?”
“The fact that you don’t know is kind of telling.” She sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to lightly press her lips to his. She started to say something else but he put a gentle finger on her lips.
“Daisy and Zio have undoubtedly already made up, so they’re going to be seeing each other, which means we’re going to see each other, and fighting this attraction is dumb.” He used his thumb to rub little circles on the back of her hand. “Let’s go to Ascona tomorrow. There’s a restaurant called Seven, and it’s phenomenal. It’s a quaint little town, we can walk around after… Come on, say yes.”
She hesitated. She really wanted to spend more time with him, but her fear of getting attached, getting hurt, getting invested, made her hesitate.
“Daisy’s smarter than you think,” he said after a moment. “She was really worried about you earlier tonight and even though she wanted to make up with Zio, she was ready to brush him off to get to you.”
Renee smiled. “She’s a good kid. It’s been just the two of us for a long time and while we’re probably a little too much in each other’s business, I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of her.”
“Embarrass yourself because you’re with…me?”
“It has nothing to do with you, specifically, just that you’re a really hot younger guy that I’m having a casual relationship with. Casual sex is fine in theory, but I’d like my daughter to see that there’s more to my relationships than just sex.”
“And you haven’t had any serious relationships since your
husband died?”
“No. Which is why I worry.”
“I see.”
“So do you understand why this whole thing is a bad idea?”
“Nothing about this is a bad idea,” he whispered, his fingers gently trailing down her bare arm. “Everything is good when we’re together. That’s what you should focus on. That and how we make each other feel.”
“That’s just sex.”
“Honey, just sex is ten minutes of foreplay and ten minutes of penetration. That’s not what this is and you know it.”
He was right, dammit, and she was going to say yes. “Okay. Ascona tomorrow.”
“I’ll text you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
“You want me to walk you down?”
“No, thank you. My hotel is just a few blocks away and the walk will do me good.”
“Text me when you get to your room.”
“I will.” She lightly touched his face before getting up, sliding her feet into her sandals and quietly shutting the door behind her. She looked up in time to see Daisy coming out of the room across the hall.
14
“Mom?” Daisy let out a squeak.
“Daisy.” Renee wasn’t sure what to say, since Daisy had obviously just been doing exactly what she’d been doing.
“Oh my god.” Daisy closed her eyes. “My mom and I are doing the walk of shame together.”
Renee scowled. “Okay, let’s get one thing straight. This isn’t—” She was cut off as the door behind Daisy swung open and Zio stumbled out in shorts, no shirt and bare feet.
“Daisy, let me walk you—Mrs. D.” He froze. “Oh, um, hi.”
“Hi, Zio.” She gave him a small wave. “Thanks for being a gentleman, but Daisy and I are going to walk together. Don’t worry, no one’s in trouble, we’re just about to have a bonding moment, but we’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“In the morning?” He looked confused.
“Ascona. You should text Jared.” She winked and linked her arm through Daisy’s, pulling her toward the elevators.