“Okay, we could have gone back to your place.” She crossed her arms, pushing her rack up and he caught himself right before he licked his lips like a dog with a bone dangling in front of him.
“You deserved more.”
“More than what?” Her voice was filled with all the confusion he felt. He’d never been one of those guys who put rules on sex, except it had to be between two consenting adults. It didn’t matter first date, fifth date, meet up in bar. His world was filled with danger and the ugliest side of humanity a person could imagine. He firmly believed life was short: eat dessert first.
So why was he drawing up new rules? Why did he walk away? Because, she deserved more than a meaningless, but amazing, night of sex. She deserved more than he could give her. And yet, he couldn’t tell her because if she believed him, she would walk away and leave him standing there alone.
Fiona reached out and laid a gentle hand on his arm. “Dante, I’m not looking for hearts and roses.”
“You should. You deserve no less.”
“What if I just want meaningless sex?”
“Then I’m not your man.”
Christ. Did he really just turn her down? Would he offer to braid her hair and paint her nails next? Being honorable was one thing, being a fucking moron was another.
A slow smile lit up her face. “What are you suggesting? That we keep it platonic?”
Dante reached out and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her in close until he could breathe in the sweet scent of oranges and Fiona. He rested his forehead against hers. “No, as I’m pretty sure my nuts can’t take any more torture.”
“You know I can take care of that problem for you.” She smiled against his kiss.
“I’m beginning to think you only want me for one thing, Fiona Sinclair.”
“I can think of at least two things.”
Now he laughed. It was something he found he did a lot in her company and he liked that about himself. He liked the person he was when he was with her.
Someone called his name from down the hall and Fiona wiggled out of his hold and stepped back. “Ignore them.”
“How about we just take us one day at a time? No worrying about tomorrow, just focusing on today?”
The person—Skip, he realized—called his name again. He yelled back and stepped closer to Fiona, stopping a breath away from her lips. “Deal.”
He cupped her face in his hands, eyes locked with hers.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Breaking the rules and memorizing everything about your mouth until I see you tomorrow.” He moved in closer and kissed her. He took his time, teasing, tasting, tempting her until she parted her lips and he took the kiss deeper.
He pulled back, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll pick this up from here tomorrow.”
Chapter 10
Fiona sat on her couch meditating, or rather trying to. Dylan was in his room, totally jazzed about his next swim lesson. Once he’d gotten over his fear of the water, he’d taken to swimming as if he’d been a dolphin in a previous life. Fiona, on the other hand, was as nervous as a cat surrounded by hungry predators.
She had no idea what to expect when Dante showed up.
Tuesday Dante had been true to his word, arriving early at the gym and surprising her. She had been knee deep in paper work when her office door shut. She’d looked up into smoldering black eyes. Without a word, he strolled over to her, bent down, trapped her in the chair, and kissed her.
Picking up where he’d left off the day before.
One kiss led to another, and another and she found herself with her arms tangled around his neck and thinking about clearing the top of her desk with one quick swipe for a little pre-workout workout. Sadly, or maybe thankfully, a knock on the door put that fantasy on hold. Dante whispered good morning and strolled out the door, leaving her breathless and so much more.
Malia, who had been on the other side of the door, looked from Dante’s retreating backside to her and back again. There might have been some comment made about work, or possibly a natural disaster or something. She did recall laughter as Malia walked away and Fiona sat, lost in a hormone-induced haze. It was the best Fiona could do at the time with her brain melting and temporarily out of service.
She’d joined the class, matching them push-up for push-up. After all, she didn’t just talk the talk; she could walk the walk when it suited. Due to a scheduling conflict they’d had to pass on his yoga session, but he’d shown up for Dylan’s lesson.
And not once did her son leave them alone together.
The doorbell rang, ending her half-hearted meditation, and Dylan came tearing out of his room. “I’ll get it.” He was already in his swim trunks, ready to go.
“Hey there, Ace. What have you got for me today?” Dante asked as he walked in, wearing shorts and a navy t-shirt that did more than promote the military. The man was a warrior, with a hero’s heart.
Yesterday’s topic had been dolphins, with Dylan spouting off facts and questions at the speed of light. Dante kept up, never missing a beat as he instructed her son on proper swim strokes and answering questions.
“Did you know if there really was a zombie apocalypse, that Australia is the safest country to be in?” Dylan led him into the apartment, grabbed his towel and headed toward the sliding door.
Dante smiled, and stroked his chin, as if he were considering the validity of the statement. “I could see that. Where does the US stand?”
“We’re number three, after Canada. Probably because it’s really cold up there and zombies move slow and would freeze.”
“Good to know and good point. Thankfully, we’re only a day’s drive from Canada. Hang on.” Dante stopped in the middle of the room and looked at her. “You got your suit on under those clothes?”
“No. I thought I’d clean house why you two are in the pool.”
He sighed. “Fiona, let the dust enjoy the holiday and come play with us. Hey, Dylan. Don’t you think your mom should join us in the pool, so she can work on her swimming too?”
A thrill ran through her at the look in his eyes. He wanted to spend time with her and her son, together. Oh boy, all sorts of thoughts ran through her mind. Some sexy, some scandalous, and some scary, especially for her heart.
But she had more important things to think about than her wants. She had Dylan. For too many years it had been just the two of them. None of her previous dates had ever made it home to meet her son, and while he accepted Jax being a part of his Aunt Risa’s life and Mia being his stepmom, this was different. He loved Risa and his dad, but they weren’t part of his everyday world.
Ugh! As fun as hanging out in the pool sounded, she really should say no, and get the chores done.
“Come on, Mom. Daylight’s burning.”
“Yeah, daylight’s burning, Fee. Go change.” Dante’s gaze dropped to her chest region and she had no doubts what was going through his mind.
“Okay, you two win. Go on ahead, and I’ll be there in a few.”
She quickly changed out of her favorite yoga pants and slouchy t-shirt into her swimsuit, bypassing the bikini for the more modest one-piece. Her “mom” suit as Risa called it. She tugged at the sides, pulling the material down. Moms didn’t wear French-cut swimsuits, showing off more than just their thighs. She looked in the mirror and gasped. Not only did it show way too much in the thigh/hip/pelvis area, but tugging it down had deepened the neckline.
“Crud.” She tugged it back up into place. She only owned two suits and the bikini was dirty. She’d just have to go to the pool as the sexy mom and hope there were no other kids around. On her way out, she grabbed her wrap and secured it around her waist.
By the time she made it to the pool, the guys were already in the water and Dylan was practicing his freestyle stroke. “Looking good, ba
by.”
Dylan made it to the side and looked up at her. His big, dark eyes filled with pride. “Thanks, Mom. Dante says when I nail this stroke he’s going to teach me the backstroke and how to swim underwater.”
She raised her brow at Dante. It seemed like an ambitious plan for one summer, but she loved seeing her son smile. “Looks like you’ve just about got it.”
“He’s a natural in the water.” Dante smiled as his eyes took a slow, leisurely stroll down her body, sending the temperature skyrocketing. “Okay, Ace. You ready to swim from one side to the other?”
Her son laughed. “Do zombies eat brains? Yeah, that’s what we’re here for.”
Fiona’s head reared back at her son’s fresh response, but before she could say anything Dante laughed and exchanged a fist bump with Dylan. Instead of heading to her side of the pool as she expected. Dante stayed in the middle, really no more than a lunge and arm reach from him to Dylan. Her son pushed off from the far side and headed in her direction. Dante stayed within a few feet, making his way across the pool in Dylan’s wake.
She bent down so she’d be at the “finish line.” A few feet away, it looked like Dylan might tire out—it wasn’t a huge pool, but he was only ten. “You can do it, baby. Almost there,” she cheered him on. Considering it was only his third lesson, she was surprised he’d advanced this far already.
His hand hit the wall and he bounced up, a huge smile on his face. “I did it.”
“Great job, Dylan.” He and Dante exchanged some complicated handshake-fist bump combo. “Take a couple of minutes, get a drink of water, and if you’re up to it, you can do it again.”
Her son “whooped” and climbed out of the pool, shaking like a dog, droplets flying everywhere, but mostly in her direction.
Dante rested his arms on the apron of the pool next to her as she sat down and submerged her feet. “He’s a cool kid. Smart. I now know how to say zombie in a couple of languages and that vampires would totally kick zombie ass in a fight. My words not his.”
“Thanks,” she said softly. “I wish his father thought so.”
“I don’t understand him. How can you ignore your kid?”
“I don’t know, but lots of people do. I can’t imagine my life without him. It hasn’t been a cakewalk, but I wouldn’t trade my life for anything.”
Dante drew little circles on her thigh as they talked. “Do you ever regret leaving his father?”
Fee snorted. “Never. Although, to be truthful, he left me first, but I’m the one who filed and officially ended the marriage. And, I wish I could say I regret the mistake known as Salvador Rossi, but I can’t because he gave me Dylan.”
“Mom, I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”
“Dry your feet off before you run inside.” She sighed. “He won’t remember, so it’s a good thing I didn’t clean yet.”
“Do you ever think about having more kids?”
She looked at Dante. “Are you offering? Because it takes two to create.”
“I’ve heard that rumor.” He grinned. “He’s a great kid. He should have siblings.”
Yeah, she’d thought so too, but hearing it from Dante sent her heart pounding and her insides quivering. She side-eyed him, as it wasn’t the conversation she had expected.
She decided to play it light, because she wasn’t comfortable with the thoughts or the images playing out in her head. Images of her and Dante snuggled in bed, sleepy Sunday mornings waking up in his arms, more picnics, more days spent in the pool, and dark-eyed babies that looked like the man next to her.
“I’ll put a sign-up list in the gym tomorrow. See if anyone wants to help me out.” And because he brought it up and she had all those lovely images filling her head, she had to ask. “What about you?”
At the panicked look on his face, she busted out laughing. “Relax, Dante. I wasn’t asking if you wanted to be a sperm donor.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes and she wondered if he was disappointed she wasn’t asking.
“Someday, it’d be cool to be a dad, especially if you could guarantee the kid would be like Dylan.”
“Ah, sunshine, I hate to break it to you: There are no guarantees in parenthood. You’re handed this sweet, innocent baby and you think his whole future rests in your hands. You do your best and you stress. Constantly weighing the odds of every decision you make. Will letting him watch TV rot his brain? If I tell him no, will he resent me for the rest of my life? Is nine o’clock too late/too early for a ten-year-old’s bed time?”
“Sounds tough.”
“Oh you’ve no idea. Not only do you worry about all of that, but you worry about teaching them right from wrong, how to be compassionate, but not be a doormat and so much more. You just hope you’re making the right choices and that he’ll turn out to be a good person. But despite your best efforts, he doesn’t always listen.”
“Dylan?” He looked at her skeptically.
She nodded and leaned in close. “Seriously. Some days I just pray he doesn’t turn into a serial killer, especially lately.”
“Maybe having a cat isn’t so bad after all. I just feed it, fill up the water and dump the litter box.”
“And with a cat, you don’t have to worry about the Mother’s Curse.” She kicked her feet back and forth creating ripples across the surface of the pool.
“What’s that?”
“When your mom says, ‘I hope you have a kid just like you.’ And she doesn’t mean, ‘Aw, you’re the best child in the world.’”
“Did your mom curse you?” Dante stepped back and held a hand out for her to join him in the pool.
She looked up into his smiling eyes and grinned. “You’ve met Dylan.”
“Guess, I’ll have to ask her.”
“What makes you think I’m going to let you meet my family?”
“I’d let you meet mine.”
“Really?”
“Why not?” He shrugged. “You can meet them today. I’m headed over to my parents’ house next. You and Dylan should come with me.”
Her mouth dropped open and she froze on the edge of the pool, as unsure of the water as she was of his offer. Both represented dangerous ground. “I don’t—”
“Is that apprehension I’m hearing from the Mistress of Pain?” Dante lifted her off the edge of the pool, carrying her to middle. “You have nothing to fear, Fiona. I’ll have your six. Come on, say yes. Dylan will love it.”
“What will I love?”
The sound of her baby’s voice had her pushing off of Dante’s well-defined chest and spinning around. Thankfully, while Dante had been holding her close—exceptionally close—nothing happened that she’d have to explain to her ten-year-old son.
“Party at my family’s house. Lots of food, cake, other kids to hang out with. What do you say, Ace, you in?”
Dylan jumped in the pool, shooting water up and over her head to rain down on her and everything within a five-foot radius of his entry point. “Yeah. That beats hanging out here cleaning.”
“Hey, there was going to be food. And I thought you wanted to go out and get ice cream and watch the fireworks?”
“I guess we could do that instead.” His little head hung down as he made his way to the stairs.
She sighed, knowing she was being played like a fine violin and that she just might regret her answer. But she hated seeing Dylan frown and really who could blame him—cleaning on a holiday. “A party sounds like fun.”
Two hours later Fiona found herself standing in front of an expanded Cape Cod with a packed driveway and more cars parked halfway on the front lawn. Flowers of every color overflowed from tubs and gardens perfuming the air. Music and laughter filled the air and floated out of the house. It all sounded and looked inviting. Just an afternoon spent with her son and her… her what? Friend? Colleague? Client? Boyfriend?<
br />
How did she define her relationship with Dante?
How did Dante define their relationship?
She had no freaking clue and was pretty sure someone at the party would ask.
Multiple someones, if his family was anything like hers.
She slipped her arm around Dylan’s shoulder while she looked down into his excited eyes and smiled. Dante slid his hand to gently touch the middle of her back. To an outsider they probably looked like one big, happy family.
“Come on. My mom hates to bring out the food before everyone arrives and this group can get a little testy when they’re made to wait.”
Great, my first impression on his family and they were going to hate me. She smiled and followed him around to the back of the house. A chorus of “Dante” went up, followed immediately by low murmuring, necks whipping around and confused expressions.
A gorgeous brunette with flawless skin crossed the yard toward them. She had deep chocolate brown eyes and a smile Fiona knew well. The woman could be no other than Tawny Torres, former TV bachelorette and Dante’s baby sister.
She wrapped Dante in a warm hug and kissed him on the cheek. “You made it and I see you’ve brought company. You’re braver than I ever gave you credit for, big brother.” She turned to Fiona, her smile widening. “Hi, I’m Tawny. Welcome to the madhouse.”
Dante kept his hand on her back as he introduced her and Dylan to everyone, which included: his father, brothers, sister-in-law, brother’s fiancé, various nephews and niece and—Cherry Ryan! Fiona was on the verge of making an idiot of herself and going all starstruck when Cherry smiled and hugged her.
“Welcome and thank you for coming. See we had a bet on whether Dante would show up alone or not. I picked not, and now I’m forty bucks richer thanks to you.”
Fiona laughed, not sure what to say. Truth was, she was a little overwhelmed with all eyes on her. Normally that only happened during one of her classes and she had to refrain from telling everyone to drop and prepare to sweat.
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