by Layla Frost
“How’d the drive go?” he asked, kissing my cheek.
“Good. Tons of traffic, but that’s nothing new. There are a few streets blocked off for some reason. Based on all the construction, I’m wondering if they hit a problem. Again.” I glanced down at his dark slacks and white tee. “Did you just get home?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you, which meant someone had to fuck something up and set me behind.” His fingers played with the tie of my bathing suit top at the back of my neck. “Had I known what you’d be wearing, I’d have just left them to put out the fires.”
I barely suppressed a shiver at the way his rough fingertips grazed my sensitive skin, but I couldn’t stop the goosebumps from spreading.
“The kids are already in the pool,” he said, his tone lightening as he guided me around the house. “Tina and Julie brought the stuff to make some fruit drink, including the little paper umbrellas. That being said, Mar and Kat have taken twenty of them for their Barbies. Also, they’re already plotting something, so keep alert.”
Remembering the heart covered note incident, I felt more dread than should’ve been caused by a seven- and five-year-old.
Theo opened the door on the tall wooden privacy fence, moving aside for me to go first. Instead of leading into the yard itself, the doorway opened onto a long and wide deck that went beyond the house. The deck ended with two steps along the entire length, leading down to the dark patio stones of different sizes and the inground pool.
Lights and plants surrounded the lagoon shaped pool, giving it a tropical feel. At one end, there was a slide and a diving board, plus a tall pile of water toys.
Initially, I’d been a little surprised by his house. It wasn’t as massive or intimidating as I’d been anticipating, nor was it an overly modern or ‘cookie cutter’ show house.
Since the backyard was something out of an architecture magazine, though, I was seeing my original impression was off.
“Uncle Theo, Uncle Theo, Uncle Theo!” Mar yelled when she saw us, drawing out the last ‘Theo’ into at least eight syllables.
“Call me crazy,” I said quietly, “but I think she may want you for something.”
“What would give you that idea?” he returned, his dimples deep as he grinned down at me. “Be back.”
“Uncle Theo!” Mar tried again. “Watch this!”
Theo looked around as he jogged over to where the girls stood near the pool. “Watch what? Who’s talking?”
“Down here,” Kat said, bouncing around.
“Where? There’s no one here.” He moved closer.
“Seriously, Uncle Theo,” Mar said with a dramatic sigh that was at odds with her grin. “You’ve gotta watch this.”
When he was right next to her, Theo finally looked down. “You mean this?” Too quick for her to make a move, Theo snatched her up and tossed her into the pool, her shrieks and giggles echoing.
“Me! Me! My turn!” Kat chanted, glee lighting up her face.
“Your turn for what?” Theo asked, lifting her and taking a couple steps toward the house. “Your turn to clean the gutters? Okay, I’ll hold you up, and you reach in and get all the slimy, soaking wet leaves. Don’t mind the bugs.”
“Ew, no, Uncle Theo, I want to swim. Throw me!”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” Gentler than with Mar, Theo tossed Kat in, her squeals even louder than her cousin’s.
“Hi Dahlia, how are you?” Julie asked, pulling me close for a hug. Only a couple inches taller than me, she was one of the shorter members of Theo’s family that I’d met. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a neat braid, her capris and flowy tee covering her swimsuit.
“Good, you?”
“Based on how much energy she’s burning off, Kat may sleep until seven tomorrow morning. So I’m awesome.”
“He really shouldn’t have started that,” Tina said from next to me, watching Theo and the girls playing.
Much taller than me, Tina definitely resembled a lot of Theo’s family. Her curly black hair was pushed back with her oversized sunglasses. A brightly patterned dress covered her suit.
“Shh,” Julie chided her, “don’t say anything. Think of how long they’ll sleep in.”
“Good point.” Tina turned to me, handing me a drink before hugging me. “Hi, glad you made it. Theo was nervous about you getting lost or having trouble with the Benz. It’s got a lot of get up and go.”
Just as Theo said, a blue umbrella was stuck in the drink. What he hadn’t mentioned was the insanely cute bright blue and hot pink swirled cup it was in.
They obviously take their drinks seriously.
I probably shouldn’t admit I tried to drink cheap wine out of a takeout cup I washed.
Or that none of my everyday cups match, even though there’s only five of them.
And three of them have lids.
“No, thankfully the GPS was easy to follow, and I didn’t mess it up. I’m not super tech savvy.” I took a polite sip of the drink.
Then a much bigger one.
“Have Luc teach you,” Tina said, Julie nodding her agreement. “He’s a tech master.”
My phone is a basic prepaid and my laptop is closer to a doorstop than to anything high tech.
Somehow I’m not thinking Luc will be able to teach me too much on either of them.
“Help me do ‘Lympics!” Kat said, soaking Theo as she launched herself at him.
“One last time.” He tossed her into the pool again, her Olympic form resembling a flailing belly flop.
“How was it, Mama?” she yelled as soon as she surfaced.
“Ten points, definitely,” Julie shouted back. “Now, I believe you and Kat have something to do.”
Her face dropped as she nodded.
Both girls got out of the pool, trudging over to the deck. Mar played with the ends of her black hair, Kat fidgeting with a towel.
“Sorry,” they both said to me, taking me by surprise.
“For?” Tina prompted.
“Spelling your name wrong,” Mar muttered.
Tina’s tone turned into a warning. “Mariangela.”
“And for writing the note.”
“We should’ve minded-ed our own business and kept our cute noses out of it,” Kat added, something they’d clearly heard multiple times before.
“But did he answer the question?” Mar rushed out, looking between Theo and me.
Julie’s hand slapped over her mouth in an ineffective attempt to hide her laughter. Tina looked torn between embarrassment and amusement. And Theo just looked amused.
“Mariangela Moretti!” Tina shouted, shaking her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you.”
“Curiosity!” Mar shot back. “Curiosity got into me. Plus, Beth got to be a flower girl at a wedding a couple months ago. And she said I’m getting a little old to be a flower girl. I’m just trying to see what my chances are.”
Julie lost the fight, her laughter mixing with mine and Theo’s.
“That’s it,” Tina firmly declared, “no more Beth. She’s a bad influence.”
“But Mom—”
“Go get washed up for dinner.”
“But—”
“Now, Mariangela Jules Moretti.”
“Uh oh. Middle name,” Kat whispered loudly, grabbing her cousin’s hand and pulling her inside.
There was a knock on the fence.
“Perfect timing,” Tina said. “I’ll go grab the salad.”
Theo opened the gate to a pizza delivery boy. “Hi Mr. Amato,” the kid greeted.
“Pete. How’s your old man?” Theo asked, handing him some cash as he accepted four pizza boxes.
“Good. His knee surgery went well, so he’s back in the restaurant, terrorizing us all. He says hi.” He handed Theo a smaller pizza box. “Based on how many pizzas you got, he guessed either the girls were here swimming or Mr. Ricci was over, so he sent a double order of garlic
knots.”
“Garlic knots!” Kat screamed, practically flying out the door to the table.
“Hey girls!” the kid yelled out, folding up his pizza warming bag.
“Hi Petey!” Kat called back, waving enthusiastically, her drink spilling.
Mar, surprisingly staying away, mumbled her greeting as she rushed to the table, keeping her back to everyone.
Uh oh.
“And it begins. You’re so screwed,” Julie whispered to Tina, earning her an elbow to the gut.
“Give it a couple years, and you’ll be right here,” Tina returned. “And if you keep this up, I won’t share any of my experienced wisdom in dealing with it.”
“Wine?”
“Damn, you guessed my secret weapon.”
“Tell your dad I said hi,” Theo said, closing the gate behind Pete.
Pizza boxes were flipped open, everyone digging in. Conversation was mostly controlled by the kids, which meant it was hilarious for Theo and I, and occasionally embarrassing, or worse, for Tina and Julie.
When no more cheesy goodness could be consumed, Theo stood and started combining it into fewer boxes.
“We’ve got it,” Julie said, shooing him away.
“Can you come swim with us, Uncle Theo?” Kat asked, already bouncing.
“Depends. Will you throw me in?”
Kat paused, her lips pursing before she nodded. “I’ll try!”
“Good, I expect to make it halfway. At least.” Dropping a quick kiss to my forehead, I watched as he headed to a small shed like building.
“It’s a little pool house,” Julie said, reading my mind. “Towels, suits, supplies, all that stuff.”
“Cool.” Grabbing the empty cups and some garbage, I followed Tina and Julie inside before pausing.
An island that was almost as big as my entire kitchen took up the middle of the room, a smooth cooktop on one side. Four extra padded, dark metal stools were situated on the other.
The counters wrapped around the room in a large u-shape. Two ovens, a dishwasher, and a wine fridge were all built right in, plus who knew what else. Even the fridge fit so perfectly, it made me wonder if it was picked with the size in mind, or if the spot was built around the fridge.
Like the outside, it looked as though it belonged in a magazine. Almost. The backyard had toys strewn about. The pool slide and diving board didn’t match with the rest of the design and were there to be used, not just to keep a certain look. In the kitchen, a few dirty dishes sat in the sink. Smudges were on the stainless-steel appliances, and some spots weren’t wiped down thoroughly on the stove.
Little things like that added together and made the place feel more lived in and homey, rather than a show house I needed to take my shoes off before stepping in.
“I know,” Tina said, grabbing the empty cups. “Take a minute to really take it all in. If I lived closer, I’d come over to cook meals here and then leave. The counter space.” She gave a dreamy sigh.
“You know my favorite feature,” Julie added, gesturing with jazz hands to the wine fridge. She looked at me and grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t pop open a bottle. Theo already told us you weren’t a fan.”
“Hence the umbrella drinks.” Tina lifted the pitcher, adding the jazz hand before refilling our cups. “There’s barely any rum in it since Theo said you guys were watching a movie and Julie is driving. We’ll get together with just the adults soon, and I’ll make a regular batch.”
“By regular, she means a little coconut, a little pineapple, and then a big bottle of rum.”
Tina nodded. “Exactly. And I might skip the pineapple if it’s too tart.” She picked up my drink and handed it to me before grabbing hers. “Now, I’ll show you my real favorite feature.”
Heading back outside, my steps faltered and I nearly dropped the cup.
I knew Theo was in good shape. What I hadn’t known, however, was he was in ridiculously good shape.
Shirtless and stretched out on an inflatable raft, Theo’s eyes were closed as he floated. His shorts were low on his hips, showing the pronounced ‘vee’ muscle. Dark hair lightly covered his chest, thinning as it trailed down. His tanned skin gleamed in the sunlight, and I was tempted to dive in, clothes and all, so I could count each individual water droplet that seemed to cling to him.
“Well,” I vaguely heard Tina say, “I think it’s safe to say what her favorite feature is.”
“Yeah, she hasn’t even noticed he’s floating on an ice cream sandwich.”
Even more delicious…
Wait, what?
Reluctantly tearing my eyes away from Theo’s muscles, I looked down to see he was floating on an ice cream sandwich. Seconds later, Mar jumped in on an inflatable slice of pizza, and Kat carefully used the ladder to position herself in a tube decorated like a sprinkled donut.
Laughing, I looked back to see Theo watching me.
His smile widened as he winked before leaning back and closing his eyes again. “You showing her the reason I’m your favorite cousin in the world?” he called out.
“Yup!” Tina called back, already on the move.
When we reached the opposite end of the pool, I noticed a dark stone circle connected to the pool.
Tina lifted a small metal rectangle to reveal some buttons and knobs. Adjusting a few, the water in the circle started bubbling, steam raising. Her and Julie stripped down to their swimsuits, happily sinking into the hot tub.
Setting my drink down, I gripped the bottom of my tee and started to pull it over my head before looking out and catching Theo’s eyes.
No longer on the floatie, he leaned against the edge of the pool, a beer in his hand. I flicked my eyes away to see the girls playing up on the grass with their toys.
I wasn’t sure what got into me. Actually, I wasn’t even sure who I was being, because it certainly wasn’t me.
Returning my gaze to his, I slowly pulled my top off. Undoing my shorts, I hooked my thumb into the waistband and slid them down. Inhaling deeply, I stood straight as I stepped out of them and met his eyes again.
Like fire.
Burning.
Dark.
Wickedness and depravity, heat and want.
Unable to hold the contact any longer, I tucked my hair behind my ear and stepped carefully into the hot tub. Tina and Julie shifted so they could watch the girls, and I sat with my back to the pool. The initial temperature shift was unpleasant.
Oh man, don’t tell me I’ve waited all these years thinking a hot tub would be so amazing, and it’s overrated.
Forcing myself to sit, I sipped at my drink and wondered how much longer I should stay in so I didn’t seem rude. Once my body adjusted, however, muscles that’d been tense for years began to loosen.
“Whoa, mama,” I muttered, my eyes closing for a second.
“Exactly,” Tina said, only her head and hand sticking out of the water as she finished her drink.
Julie handed her mostly full one over. “It’s starting to get warm, and I can’t chug it if I’m driving.”
“I guess I could do you this favor,” Tina said, taking a gulp as she turned to me. “Where do you live?”
“In the city, a few blocks from Beacon Hill.”
“Do you like it?”
I did a weird shrug and nod. “It’s exciting, which isn’t always a good thing. But there’s tons to do within walking distance, which is the tradeoff to the closet sized apartments.”
“Is the café you work at near there?” Julie asked.
Although I wasn’t sure why, I was surprised they knew where I worked. Thinking on it, I realized there were a lot of things they’d said that showed Theo must have talked about me more than I’d initially assumed.
“Yeah, it’s a bit of a walk, but not too bad.”
“We’ll have to come grab coffee there sometime. Luc is always raving about the pastries.”
“The man does like his food.”
“That’s an understatement.” Tina finish
ed the drink and started eating the pineapple slice. Less than a minute later, she looked above my head and smiled. “You’ve always been my favorite cousin.”
“I know,” Theo said right near my ear, making me jump.
I turned to see him in the water as he held the pitcher to refill Tina’s cup. “I didn’t realize you really could get right up to the hot tub.”
“Yeah, it’s shallow over here on purpose. Want more?”
Nodding, I held out my cup. “Just half.”
After pouring, he brushed his lips against mine. “Let me know if you want more.”
I want more. So much more. Like, a whole lot more.
Once again, I broke eye contact first, pushing the wet hair out of my face as I drank.
“What’re you doing, Kit-Kat?” he asked.
“Going to the bathroom. Mama said only one ‘p’ should be in a pool, and that’s the letter.”
Laughing, he nodded. “Your mama is right. Climb on, and hang on tight.”
Kat’s little body clung to his back as he climbed out of the water and carried her and the drink pitcher inside.
“He’s going to be such a good dad. I hope you want a lot of kids,” Tina said nonchalantly. “You guys would make the most gorgeous babies ever.”
I choked.
Full-on hacking cough, wheezing, this-is-the-end, choked.
“Tina Moretti!” Julie slapped my back a few times to help as she yelled, “And you wonder where your daughter gets it! What’s your excuse?”
“I’m drunk!”
Julie raised her brows in disbelief. “Off a couple super weak drinks?”
“Okay, I’ve got a slight buzz, whatever. I’m just stating the truth. And you’ve heard how he talks about her. He’s obviously crazy about her. Why wait?”
“Tina. Ann. Moretti. Shut it before you scare her off.”
Tina just rolled her eyes. “She’s not going anywhere. You saw the way she was eyeing him. Like he was the ice cream sandwich.”
“Who’s an ice cream sandwich?” Kat yelled loudly.
“Your Uncle Theo, sweetie,” Tina called back even louder.
My eyes snapped to Theo’s as he walked outside. He was trying to hide it, but his lips were tipped up in a small smile, taking away any hope I had that he hadn’t heard Tina.