by Lila Rose
A shout of laughter fell from my lips. I covered my mouth. “No?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “And I hadn’t even had a drink.”
“I like you, Kenzie.”
Her smile was warm. “I like you, too, Adalyn. And I’ve been meaning to ask where you get your amazing jewelry from?”
My hand reached up to my necklace, and I looked down to my rings and bracelet. She called them amazing. I grinned. “I made them.”
“No way, really?”
“Yes. I could make you some if you like.”
“I would so love that, but I’ll pay for them.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Friends rates, meaning they’re free. But you can take a look at my online store, to see if anything interests you on there. However, if I find a purchase from you, I’ll cancel it.”
She laughed and grabbed a pen and paper from the drawer. “Write down your store, and I’ll take a look.”
Once I wrote it, I passed it back. “One thing you can do, if you know anyone who’d be interested in my product you could share.”
“Oh, I will.”
“What are you two conniving about?” Vice asked as he entered with Grayson and Trent.
“How to take over the world.” Kenzie winked.
“Sounds interesting.” Grayson deadpanned.
“Glad you all came in. Dinner is ready. Let’s eat,” Kenzie announced. I helped her take the cooked chicken, roast vegetables, and warmed rolls to the table.
“This looks amazing, sweetheart,” Vice said, and kissed Kenzie on the forehead before taking a seat next to me. Trent sat at the end of the table and on my other side, while Grayson and Kenzie sat opposite Vice and me.
The room fell silent while we dished up our own meals, and then Vice took the time to share, “Did you tell Kenzie about the time you saw me naked?”
“Shut up!” I screamed. The roll I had just picked up went flying through the air and knocked Trent in the face.
“Puddin’, do not dish out rolls. I seemed to always get one in the face.”
Grayson chuckled. Kenzie’s eyes widened, and then she giggled. “This I have to hear.”
Vice retold the time in the bathroom. All three had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. I took my drink and skulled the rest, shocked he’d told them. Then again, they were his friends and not just business associates. Which reminded me, why had I been invited to come in the first place? It didn’t make sense.
“Adalyn, would you like another drink?” Vice asked. He moved, ready to stand. When I didn’t answer, he faced me. “Adalyn?”
“Kenzie, can you please tell Vice I’m no longer speaking to him?”
She looked from me to Vice and back to me. “Um, sure.” She glanced to Vice. “Vice—”
“I heard.” He sighed, but his lips twitched, and I caught his look to Grayson, one I didn’t understand.
“Adalyn girl, don’t stress over it too much. We share in this family. It’s how it is. Why, I’m sure Grayson has some stories to tell you about Vice back in college days.”
Family.
Trent was including me in their family. Why? Even though it spread good fuzzy feelings inside of me, it still confused me.
“This is true. I have many.” Grayson nodded and smirked at Vice.
“Don’t you dare,” Vice warned low.
“Payback is a bitch as they say.”
“Yes, please tell me.” I grinned. It would be good to have some dirt on the man who drove me crazy, and it was a welcome distraction from overthinking about the invite there.
“Right, where to begin.” Grayson rubbed his hands together. Vice groaned, but he didn’t stop Grayson any further.
Chapter
Thirteen
Dinner was amazing and the company even better. The stories Grayson had on Vice were thrilling. He hadn’t always been the serious, gruff man he was since I’d met him. He’d been shy, cute, and skinny. It wasn’t until after dinner that Grayson pulled out some old photos, ones that caused my stomach to ache from laughing so much. Never would I have guessed Vice had a mullet back in the day, but I had the proof in front of me. Even when Vice tried to take Grayson to the ground, so I didn’t see, I still did. Vice Salvatore had had a mullet. He also wore short shorts, though those looked good on him as he leaned against his old car at the ripe age of eighteen.
“I’ll be sure to ask your mother for some old photos,” Vice grumbled beside me. Even his arm at the back of my chair couldn’t put me off the good time I was having and turn me into a bundle of nerves. I was enjoying myself and was glad I’d come out.
“Oh, no. She would never show you or I’d disown her.” I took another sip of my new glass of champagne. “Actually,” I started turning to a smiling Trent, “I think you and my mom would get—”
His smile died. “Do not even go there, sweetheart.”
“But—”
“No.”
I glanced to Kenzie to catch her eye roll. “I’ve tried to get Dad dating for a long time. He just won’t be in it.”
Nodding, I said, “Same with my mom.”
We stared at each other for a moment and then started giggling. Yes, I was sure we were on the same page, and somehow, we would get Trent and my mom in the same room to see what happened.
“I’m not liking the look you two are giving each other. Stop it. Now! Jesus, no laughing. Forget it, pains in the ass, the both of you.” He stood from the table. “I’m heading out. You two get your women under control.”
Your women?
All laughter subsided.
I wasn’t anyone’s woman.
Even though I found myself wishing I was. But it couldn’t and wouldn’t happen. Vice was… well, amazing, and all types of wrong for me. I wasn’t in his league.
Then why am I here?
God, I didn’t know and that kind of freaked me out.
“Night, Dad,” Kenzie called. He replied with the middle finger.
“Adalyn, would you like a refill?” Grayson asked, standing.
“No, thank you. I, um, really should be going.” It wasn’t lost on me when Grayson slid his gaze to Vice with another look I couldn’t decipher, and Vice answered with a chin lift. Meeting Kenzie’s eyes, she shrugged and then smiled softly at me.
Vice stood. “I’ll get you home then.”
“No, I, ah. I’m going to help Kenzie with the dishes.”
“Don’t worry about it, Adalyn. We’ve got it,” Kenzie offered.
“But—”
“Come on,” Vice interrupted.
Great, I felt bad for abruptly wanting to leave, but Trent’s comment confused me because why would I be classed as someone’s woman when we weren’t even dating? We hardly knew each other. He didn’t know how I liked my coffee or that I loved eating Cheerio’s without milk for breakfast while I got myself and Drew ready for the day. He didn’t know I loved watching horror films, even though they scared the heck out of me. I loved the thrill. And also, I didn’t know those such things about him. Well, except for his preference for his coffee, white with one. But what did he do in his downtime? Except work on that magnificent body, because no man could look like him without working out. So then where did he work out?
All those things ran through my mind as we walked to the elevator, after I grabbed my bag. When Vice pressed the button, I turned and leaned into Kenzie for a hug. I also kissed her cheek.
“Thank you for an amazing dinner,” I whispered.
“Thanks for coming. We’ll have to do it again.”
Stepping back, I glanced at Vice and then back to Kenzie. “Um, sure. Maybe we could have a girls’ day with Molly and Lori also?”
“That sounds wonderful.”
My nerves started to play on me, but I still walked up to Grayson and got to my tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Pleasure.” He smiled.
Vice said a quick goodbye, and we stepped into the elevator. It was then I remembered and gasped a
s I spun to Vice, “You didn’t get any work done.”
The doors closed, and I was sure I heard Grayson laughing.
“Vice?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t ignore me. We went there for a business meeting, but you didn’t talk about work at all. Did I ruin the plans? Was I supposed to do something?”
“No.” He shook his head and leaned back into the wall.
“Then…?”
“We’ll talk on the way home.”
“Oh, God. I was supposed to do something, and I failed, didn’t I?”
“No.”
Facing him fully, I placed my hands on my hips and glared. “You’re starting to annoy me, Vice.”
His lips twitched. “Do you know this is the first night you’ve called me Vice. It’s always been Mr. Salvatore.”
My arms dropped before my body stiffened. He was right. I had been using his name all night.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s fine.”
“But—”
“Adalyn,” he growled deeply. “If you go back to Mr. Salvatore, I swear I will make you pay.”
My head jerked back.
Pay?
How would he do that?
Spanking? My mind whispered the naughty thought, and fire spread over my face.
“Adalyn, Adalyn, Adalyn… what would I give to know what just popped into your mind.”
“Nothing!” I shouted just as the doors opened, and I made a bolt for the car. Great, just bloody great, I still had the drive home to put up with, and the fact Vice would be closer. Also, since the thought of spanking popped into my mind, I couldn’t stop playing that one word over and over.
I was screwed. One hundred percent.
With my hands clasped in front of me, holding my bag, I stared down at the car and waited. The beeping of locks caused me to jolt. Just as I reached down to take hold of the handle, a body hit my back.
“Let me get that for you,” Vice said right into my ear. My pulse spazzed out, and I stopped breathing as he leaned into me, grabbed the handle, and opened the door slowly. So very slowly. “Breathe, Adalyn,” he ordered, and my lungs complied.
His warmth left me. I heard his footsteps as he walked casually around the car, as if he didn’t just turn me into… heck, I didn’t even know. I was still frozen on the spot.
Blink. Breathe. Blink. Breathe.
“Adalyn,” Vice called from over the car. My big eyes flicked to his amused ones. “Climb in.”
Looking to the seat, I wasn’t sure if I should.
God, I could still smell him behind me, and he wasn’t even there. I peeked to see he was still standing on the other side of the car watching me and smirking.
“Do I need to come around and help you in?”
“No,” I cried, and quickly slipped into my seat. I closed the door and did up my seat belt while listening to him chuckle as he also got in the car.
With my eyes ahead, I heard the car start and felt Vice reach his hand to the back of my seat so he could back out, even though there was a perfectly good reverse camera he could have used.
When his hand gently brushed my arm, I was gone. My nerves overtook, and I couldn’t sit still. I shifted one way and then another. I nibbled on my bottom lip and then took to biting my fingernail, only to switch it up and play with my blonde locks.
What was Vice doing by acting that way?
Was he just being a gentleman and opening a door for me? Did he have to get so close to me though? Had he done it when he’d picked me up? No, he hadn’t, so why then? Heck, what was he thinking? I wanted to know. I needed to know. Out the corner of my eyes, I kept looking at him while he watched the road with a small smile upon his luscious lips.
It wasn’t fair he had lips like those. Ones that were just kissable.
Stop! I had to stop thinking about him.
I hadn’t realized I’d been lost in my thoughts until we pulled up out the front of Mom’s house. I fumbled with the seat belt a little before flinging it off. I nearly had the door all the way open and ready to make a run for it when Vice called my name.
Pausing, I closed my eyes and then opened them slowly. I shifted enough to see him. “Y-yes?”
“We were going to talk.”
“Um, that was supposed to be on the way home.” I shrugged. “It didn’t happen, so….” I got out of the car, peeved with how rude I was being when he hadn’t really done anything to gain that type of treatment. All he did was brush up against me, and I was acting stupid.
“Adalyn,” Vice called, but I kept on going. I heard his laugh and then his car door being slammed. My dang hands shook so much I couldn’t get my keys out of my bag. A hand gripped just above my elbow. Before I could shake it off, I was spun around fast and found Vice looming over me with his hands on the door on each side of my head.
“I’d like to talk now,” he demanded in his rough tone.
I faked a yawn. “Tired.”
He smirked. “What is it you’re afraid of?”
Snorting, I shook my head. “I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m—”
“Addy,” he interrupted again.
Having Vice use my nickname had my belly dipping in pleasure for some strange reason, so I blamed that for why I breathed “Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
My eyes near popped out of my head. I went into panic mode. “Why on earth would you do something like that?”
“Because I wish to,” he bit out and then started descending.
If he kissed me, I would lose it.
If he kissed me, that would be the end, and my mild crush would switch to a full-blown one.
“Debra!” I yelled.
His lips, inches from mine, stopped. His breath from his sigh ran over my lips, and I licked them just for a taste since I wouldn’t be getting one because I’d thrown a cold bucket over the moment.
“What about her?” he asked, but what he didn’t do was move back.
“Um, she was your date.”
He blinked slowly and stared down at me. “And?”
“We can’t, you know, because of her.”
“She was never anyone to me. An actress wanting to look good on my arm for the night and that was all.”
“What?”
“Adalyn,” he clipped. “I haven’t seen Debra since that night,” he stated in a final tone and began again to lean further in.
“And Monica?”
He groaned. Touching his forehead to mine, which was sweet, he said, “An old friend who was in town and had lost her husband recently.”
“Oh, that’s terrible.”
“Yes. And what’s worse is how my lips aren’t on yours.”
“But—”
“Enough,” he bit out low and grumbly. Then he slammed his lips down onto mine. My eyes widened for a fraction of a second and then closed when his head tilted, and he molded us together more. His hand slid from the door to my neck, then into my hair where he gripped. A moan trembled from my lips. I hadn’t been touched this way in so very long.
Gently, still unsure, I placed my hands on his waist. He hummed under his breath when I tilted my own head.
“Open,” he demanded against my lips. I smiled, only it was wiped away when his tongue ran over my bottom lip, and then he bit down. Whimpering, my hands tightened against his waist before I ran them up to his chest. He pulled back, looked down at me with hooded eyes, and growled, “Fuck.”
“What?” I breathed.
He shook his head and kissed me again. It was a new one, a bold one, and a very heated one. He opened my mouth under his and coaxed my tongue out to play. They tangled, swirled, and danced with each other. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I held strong, unsure if my legs could keep me standing much longer.
His lips trailed from mine to my cheek, and, holy ship, to my neck. I arched to make it easier for him. His hand went from my hair and skimmed down over my shoulder
to around my waist where he tugged me forward.
Was that?
Yes, yes it was.
My dream penis.
He was hard, and our kissing had done that to him. It had also soaked my panties, but I was more occupied thinking about his long, thick length against my lower belly.
Would it be too forward to snake my hand down the front of his pants for a feel?
His head rose, his forehead touching mine again. Both of us panted with need. “We should stop,” he said.
“Huh?”
His chuckle was rough. “I haven’t made out on the front porch of someone’s mother’s home in a fucking long time, Addy.”
“Right. Mom.”
Oh, shit.
She was probably looking out through the curtain.
“Yes, your mother.”
“I’ll be moving out soon,” I blurted, and then cursed under my breath for saying it in the first place.
He laughed. “Good to know. Where will you be moving to?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Go to dinner with me tomorrow night.” He wasn’t asking, he was telling me, and I wanted to. Though, I was still confused on what exactly was happening. Vice was interested in me… right? That kiss meant he liked me… right?
Flicking my eyes to the left and then back again, I said, “I can’t. I was away from Drew tonight, so…”
“I understand. Shit, it means I’ll definitely have to go out of town tomorrow until late Friday.” He was going to put off going out of town to have dinner with me?
Wow.
“Oh.”
“Saturday. I’ll come to Drew’s game—”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Adalyn, I want to for Drew. I’ll come to the game, and then after, we’ll take Drew somewhere for lunch or dinner, depending on the time of the game.”
My heart swelled. “It’s an afternoon one.”
“Dinner then.”
“Um, okay?”
He touched his lips to my nose and then backed away. “Go inside, Addy, before I take your mouth again.”
I didn’t move and was rewarded with a huge smile. “There will be more of that soon. We also need to talk about what just happened.”
“What did happen?” I asked, worrying my bottom lip with my top teeth.