“Nick said you turned down a waitressing position at Mama C’s.”
“I did,” I confirmed. “Joel’s working there now, and I think it’s good for him to have his own space, you know? He doesn’t need to feel like I’m looking over his shoulder all the time. Plus, it might be kind of weird.”
“Because you’re dating Vinnie?”
“Yeah. I mean, if things don’t work out ...”
“... it would make working at his family’s restaurant awkward,” she finished thoughtfully.
“Exactly.” I was glad she got it. Then again, she was in a similar boat and understood how intimidating it was to be on the fringes of such a tight, close-knit family such as the Cerasinos. That was probably one of the reasons she and I had hit it off so well from the beginning.
Having another woman to talk to again was nice. That was one of the things I had liked and missed most about Lindelman’s. Wanda was a nut, but one I enjoyed being around. She was working in a swanky, upscale place now, and trading “touching base” texts just wasn’t the same as enjoying her goofiness in person. Sadly, our friendship had been one more of circumstance than anything, and those circumstances had changed.
Kat stirred her coffee and took a sip, closing her eyes as she savored the special blonde blend I had made for her. “Ah, perfect as usual. You have a gift, Haven. So ... totally none of my business, and you can tell me to butt out if you want, but I have to ask. What makes you think things might not work out between you and Vinnie? Nick says he’s completely smitten.”
I smiled at that. Only Kat would use the word smitten.
“I don’t know. It’s nothing really. I’m probably just overthinking it.”
She chewed on that for a few minutes before saying, “Let me guess. Everything seems to be going along great, but Vinnie’s holding back and you’re wondering if he’s having second thoughts.”
Kat had nailed it in one. “Yes! How did you know?”
“Because Nick was exactly the same way. Every time things started getting a little hot and heavy, he’d back off. At first, I was thrilled that he respected me enough not to push or try to move too fast, but after a while, I got tired of going to bed alone, all hot and bothered.”
I gaped at her. She really did get it.
“I know, right?” She smirked. “I wouldn’t have believed I’d feel like that either, but Nick just does it for me, if you know what I mean. And as for the gentlemanly restraint? I think it’s the way they were brought up. They’ve been taught from an early age to treat their women right.”
“So, what did you do?” I couldn’t help asking.
“I made the first move. I pretty much just told him flat-out I wanted to spend the night with him. That broke the seal, so to speak.” She looked over at Nick. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up from his laptop at that moment and gave her a sexy half-smile, hot enough to set some of those books around him aflame. Kat then stood up and grabbed her coffee and Nick’s. “Let’s just say, neither one of us is going to bed unsatisfied these days.”
Kat’s words of wisdom rattled around in my head for the rest of the afternoon. It sounded easy enough when she said it, but when I thought about taking the initiative like she had, my courage fizzled. As gentlemanly as Vinnie was, he was still alpha all the way. That was one of the things I lo—liked about him. I was so used to having to take care of myself that it was nice to exhale and let someone else hold the reins for a while. Then again, maybe he got tired of that, too. Maybe he would appreciate it if someone else took the lead now and then.
Gah! I wished I could just crawl into that man’s mind, read his thoughts, and then know what to do.
We were getting along great, and Vinnie was darn near perfect. On those evenings Vinnie had off, we did fun and romantic things. For example, we’d tried an escape room, which was a fun and new experience for me. Vinnie had heard of one with an old-time whodunit gangster theme that was right up our respective alleys. We had also driven out to a local winery and had a picnic by a scenic lake. Other times, we just stayed in and enjoyed a simple meal and some couch cuddles, but nothing more. On the days he was working, he would often come into the bookstore and hang out for an hour or two, kind of like he had at the diner. He was much more relaxed here, though. It was nice. Really nice.
I didn’t want to screw that up.
And, of course I had to think about Joel, too. Sure, he was practically an adult, but I wanted to set a good example.
Joel is seventeen, almost eighteen, a little voice whispered in my ear. Perfectly capable of taking care of himself for a few hours. And he’s used to spending the night in the apartment alone since you used to work night shifts.
Well, there was that.
A plan began to form in my mind. The question was: would I have the courage to go through with it?
Chapter Fourteen: Vinnie
“Heads-up!” my brother Dom yelled a split-second before the racquetball connected with the back of my head.
“What’s with you today, man?” he asked, stalking over to the corner to grab a towel and toss one to me.
Our weekly court times were a way to blow off steam and engage in some brotherly competition, but my mind wasn’t into it. I kept thinking of Haven and how she had looked the night before. We’d been on her couch, television forgotten, making out like teenagers. I had slipped my hand under her shirt, her skin so soft, so silky, and all I could think about was tasting every single inch. She had been just as lost. Her quiet moans, those little movements where she pressed herself against me—those were brutal. It nearly killed me to get up and say goodnight, especially when I saw the question in her eyes. The doubt. It had cut me to the core.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but I wanted her like I had never wanted another woman before. Like, I might just wind up a pile of ash the next time she rubbed that curvy little body against me. She had to have felt the proof of what she did to me. It wasn’t like I could hide that, not when she was nestled in my lap.
Which meant that doubt came from something else.
Now that I wasn’t thinking through a red haze of Haven-induced desire, the answer seemed clear enough. Haven knew—I hoped—that I wasn’t the type of guy to engage in casual, meaningless hookups. That correct assumption might then lead her to believe that my kiss and run strategy meant I wasn’t willing or interested to take our relationship beyond casual and into meaningful.
She was so, so wrong about that. As far as I was concerned, our relationship was already meaningful. It was exactly because I did want to take things to a serious level that I had the reins pulled so tight. As much as I wanted to make her scream in ecstasy, I wanted more than that.
All indications were that she was everything I wanted in a woman. She was smart and funny, and she appreciated the important things in life. She worked hard and was fiercely protective of those special few she cared for. She embodied all the qualities of someone who could handle being a cop’s wife.
Yeah, wife. I was that far gone. And clearly, she hadn’t the slightest clue.
“Vinnie!”
I looked up just in time to see the water bottle hurtling toward me. Luckily, this time I caught it before it made contact.
“Dickhead,” I said simply.
He laughed. “Looks like Cupido struck again, eh?”
“Yeah.” There was no use denying it. Dom played the role of horndog quite well, but I knew my brother was a closet romantic. It was my opinion that Dom went through so many females precisely because he was looking for the right one. When we were young, my sisters used to laugh and say kissing a lot of frogs was necessary to find a prince. I was thinking Dom took that to heart, but with a princess in his case.
“So, when are you going to bring her to Sunday dinner? Everyone wants to meet her.”
“After.”
Bringing a woman to Sunday dinner was serious business. In our family, it was essentially declaring an engagement. I was okay with that, because in my mind,
that was where Haven and I were heading. However, I had some surprises planned first. Surprises I hoped would make everything clear to her. If all went as planned, we would be making the next family feast.
Dom dropped his hand on my shoulder. “You just better hope they don’t spill the beans. I overheard Val and Gina goading Ramona into pumping the kid for info last night.”
“What kind of info?”
“Like what hours she works at the bookstore,” he said meaningfully.
I groaned. I loved my sisters and my cousins, but they could be a meddlesome bunch, especially when they got together. Sending my seventeen-year-old cousin in to talk to—code for flirt with—Haven’s brother sounded exactly like something they would do. Poor Joel wouldn’t even know what hit him.
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
He grinned. “No problem. I’ve got your back, bro.”
I showered quickly then left the Y, intent on making it to the bookstore before my shift started in a couple hours. I tried to tell myself I was overreacting. After all, Haven had already met Dom, Sofia, Nick, and Nonno, and she seemed to be taking them all in stride. In fact, according to Nick, she and Kat had become friends. However, none of them were the type to put her under the magnifying glass and give her the third degree.
My worst fears were realized when I walked into the bookstore and heard a chorus of familiar female voices. A look toward the coffee bar confirmed that Gina, Val, and Sofia were there.
Haven’s gaze lifted to me, and then three other pairs of eyes followed in rapt interest.
“Sorry, man,” Nick said from my right. “It was a surprise attack.”
I snorted. Dom, at least, had my back, but Nick wasn’t even trying to hide his amusement.
I took a deep, fortifying breath before making my way right over to where they were all gathered. Haven watched, no doubt as interested in what I was going to do as my female relatives were.
In a bold move, I stepped behind the counter, put my arm around Haven’s waist, and kissed her soundly. It was time to let Haven, and everyone else present, know how I felt about her.
Thankfully, after a brief moment of surprise, she went with it and returned the kiss with equal fervor. Then I turned and faced the others in challenge.
Gina and Val were grinning in triumph. Sofie just looked happy.
“Resorting to spying, ladies?” I accused.
“Well, you weren’t bringing her around, so we had to take matters into our own hands,” Val said without apology.
“Or, you could have just minded your own business.”
“Like you did when you threatened to run a background check on Kyle Latoniata?” she challenged.
I shrugged, remembering the guy who’d had his eye on Gina. All the women thought he was “hot” and “edgy,” but I took one look at the guy and saw trouble waiting to happen.
“He had shifty eyes.”
Val smirked. “And a really big—”
“The point is,” Gina said with a timely interruption, “that Kat has been telling us how awesome Haven is, and we wanted to meet her and see for ourselves.”
“And now we have to get back,” Sofia said, rising. “It was a pleasure meeting you again, Haven. I’m glad it was under more pleasant circumstances this time.”
“You, too,” Haven answered.
“See you Sunday, Vin,” Val said with an answering challenge in her eye. “And bring Haven.”
She-devils.
I waited until they left to turn to Haven. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. They’re just looking out for you. Something tells me it works both ways.”
She had me there. “You’re not wrong.”
As she moved away to clear the cups and plates, I asked, “So, what do you think about Sunday dinner? Will you come?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you actually want me there or you’re just caving under pressure.”
I wasn’t sure what bothered me more: the idea that she really didn’t have an inkling of how far gone I was, or that I could be so easily swayed by my family’s demands.
I narrowed my eyes her way. “Just so we’re clear, I do want you there. And I’m one of this town’s finest; I do not cave under pressure.”
“Don’t I know it,” she muttered, confirming my suspicions.
It was time to clear that up, too.
I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. “Look at me.”
I waited until I had her complete and undivided attention.
“Do not, for one moment, make the mistake of thinking I don’t want you, Haven. That I don’t lose sleep every night because all I can think about is having you. In my bed. In my shower. On the floor. Against the door.”
She sucked in a breath. “Then, why don’t you?”
“Because I don’t want to have sex with you.”
“But you just said—”
“I want to make love to you,” I clarified before she could say any more. “Once I start, I’m not going to stop. I need you to understand the consequences of taking that next step.”
“Consequences?” she whispered. She looked so sexy, so unbelievably beautiful, and hopeful.
“Consequences,” I said quietly but firmly. “I’m falling in love with you, Haven McAlister, and you need to know what you’re getting into. I’m a cop. It’s a dangerous job. I work long hours and—”
Haven reached up suddenly, grabbed my head, and pulled me down into a soul-searing kiss. Everything I was going to say fled my mind; I could only feel her body pressing against me, taste her tongue dancing with mine, and scent the fresh fragrance of warm woman, coffee, and baked goods—everything that symbolized home to me.
When she finally eased up, I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
“I know what you are,” she said, her voice husky. “And I’m falling for you, too. In fact, I think I’m already down for the count.”
Chapter Fifteen: Haven
I held my breath and summoned my courage, having just admitted I had it bad for Officer Vinnie. But that was only half of what I wanted to say. What I had been building myself up for. Thankfully, he had given me the perfect opening.
“You need to know what you’re getting into, too,” I told him softly. “If you take me up on my offer, I expect it to mean something.”
He blinked, momentarily obscuring the desire in those dark, intense eyes. “What offer?”
Oh, I must have forgotten to mention that part. That kiss must have addled my brain.
“I want to spend the night with you.” There. I’d said it.
I held my breath again and let him search my eyes for the truth.
“You do?”
“Yes. I think we’re both beyond believing that this—whatever this is between is—is just going to fizzle out anytime soon.” Great. I sounded like an ad for soda pop. “You do it for me, Vincent Cerasino, and if you give me a chance, I’d like to do it for you, too.”
His lips quirked. “You would, huh? What exactly is it you’d like to do?”
Oh, I liked that wicked gleam in his eye.
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I wanted to do, but a timely throat-clearing had us both looking over at his brother.
“Maybe you can save that discussion for later,” Nick said, nodding toward the two customers who had just walked in with several young kids between them.
“Good idea,” I agreed and stepped back.
Vinnie squeezed my hips. “But that is a discussion I am really looking forward to. Tonight. After my shift.”
“You’re on,” I said.
The rest of the afternoon was busy, but not busy enough to keep Vinnie off my mind or keep me from fantasizing about what the night would bring. I still had a concern about Joel, however.
I was more than ready to take the next step forward, but was it better to invite Vinnie to stay at my place, or stay at Vinnie’s and leave
Joel in the apartment alone? Neither was ideal. Granted, Joel was almost eighteen and had dealt with a lot more questionable behavior from his crack-addict mother. Still, I wanted to set a good example. He’d had more than enough of the bad kind.
Thankfully, fate, or more likely Vinnie, lit the path for me when Joel came into the bookstore that afternoon super excited. It had become a habit for him to pop in after school and get some homework done until I finished. That gave us some time together before he left for the dinner-to-closing shift at Mama C’s.
“Haven!”
“Hey. You look happy. Good day at school?”
“Guess what? Dom scored tickets to the all-day rock festival tomorrow. He said he’d take me and Ramona up tonight after the restaurant closes. He’s already booked a room near the venue and everything. Can I?”
Joel had been talking about the stellar line-up of bands for the past month, so I knew he wanted to go ... badly. But the concert had sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale. It seemed pretty convenient that Dom just happened to “score tickets” to a sold-out show and had managed to get accommodations.
I looked over at Nick, who was trying very hard to appear as if he wasn’t listening, but his smile gave him away. I suspected collusion. Usually that sort of thing bothered me, but in this case, I was totally okay with it.
“All right. As long as you pay him back for the tickets and your share of the room.”
He nodded solemnly. “I will. Thanks, Haven!” He kissed me on the cheek then pulled out his phone. “I’m just going to let him know ...”
When Joel walked away, I looked at Nick. “Really? How did Dom pull that off?”
His grin grew. “What can I say? Our uncle Vito is one of the tour promoters. Wait until they find out they’re staying in the same hotel as some of the bands.”
I could only imagine. Joel was going to be in seventh heaven.
“Thank you,” I said to Nick. “That’s not something I could ever have given him.”
“Hey, you’re famiglia now.”
Just For Him (The Cerasino Family, #2) Page 7