Scoring Mr. Romeo

by A. m Madden

  As soon as the car slowed, Mikey started to squirm in his booster seat to get a glimpse of where we were. When the sign for Splash Wave Water Park came into view, a shriek that could almost shatter crystal came from the back seat.

  “Michael Dillon, use your inside voice, please.” Sabrina’s voice was calm, meanwhile my ears were still ringing.

  “Sorry, Mommy.” He paused for a second. “And Luca.”

  “That’s okay, but you need to follow rules today. I know you’re excited,” Sabrina said, “but it’s a very busy place, and you can’t horse around in there. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  I grabbed my duffle along with Sabrina’s and we all headed in. Mikey’s eyes widened to the size of inner tubes when he caught sight of the slides, wave pool, and lazy river. I bought our tickets, and once we had our wristbands fastened we were off to have some fun.

  The scent of chlorine filled the humid air. Kids and adults raced down slides laughing and having a great time. Yeah, this was a fantastic idea. If I could have reached around and patted my own back, I would have.

  Sabrina took her bag from me, “We’ll go change in the locker room and meet you back here, is that okay?”

  Even she seemed excited to take a trip down one of the slides. Whereas I was excited to see her in a bathing suit. I motioned toward a seating area with tables. “I’ll be over there.”

  She nodded. “Sounds great.”

  “Mom, can’t I go to the men’s locker room with Luca? I don’t want to be with the girls.” He let go of his mom’s hands and crossed his little arms in front of his chest. Sabrina let out an exasperated breath. I had a feeling she’d dealt with this more times than not, so I kept my mouth closed.

  “Honey, it’s a family locker room. There will be boys in there too.”

  “Then can’t Luca come with us?”

  Our eyes met, and as much as I wanted to go with them, I took the burden off of Sabrina. “Buddy…” I squatted to get to his eye level. “It’ll go faster if I go to the men’s locker room. We don’t want to waste time, do we?” He shook his head. “I didn’t think so.” I kissed the top of his head and smiled at his mother who was staring at me with the same look she had earlier.

  “Okay, then it’s settled.” Sabrina took Mikey’s hand. “See you soon, Luca.”

  I changed into my swim trunks, tossed on a tank top and my sport slides, stuffed my bag into a locker, and headed out to the deck area to find us a table.

  When they started walking toward me, my breath hitched in my throat. The one-piece black suit she wore was not sexy or revealing in any way, but holy hell you could still tell her body was spectacular—and I knew for a fact it was. However, some of the other men there couldn’t keep their eyes off of her either.

  It was going to be a long day.

  Mikey caught sight of me and ran right to where I was waiting. “I’ve never been to a water park before. This is gonna be so awesome!”

  “That’s the plan, buddy.”

  Sabrina approached with a wide smile. “Mikey, stay here with Luca. I’m going to grab a few more towels.” Like a magnet for my eyes, I pinned my line of sight to the seductive sway of her butt as she walked away.

  “Luca.”

  I looked back at her son, and he waited for me to pay attention. Based on his mannerism, he must have had called my name more than once. “Yeah?”

  “Can we do that?” He pointed to the giant spiral slide at the far end of the park.

  Not wanting to promise him in case he wasn’t allowed, I said, “That might be for grown-ups only. We’ll see.” For some reason, the words reminded me of my mother. I had to swallow a chuckle at how “parenty” I sounded.

  Two weeks ago, family outings weren’t on my radar. How quickly things could change. Being with Mikey and Sabrina felt natural. It didn’t hurt that he was a great kid and that his mom was quickly becoming someone special to me.

  Speaking of, the way Sabrina’s hips swayed as she made her way back to us made me thankful I decided to wear board shorts rather than my usual European cut suit. She set the towels down and smiled at her son who was ready to pop out of his water shoes.

  “What do you say, Mikey? Are you ready?” He nodded enthusiastically. “Then what are we waiting for?” Sabrina said as she smiled brightly at her son. “Do I need to remind you of the rules?”

  “No, Mom. I know. No running and stay where you can see me. If we get separated, I need to go to a lifeguard. You told me all of this in the locker room. I’m not a baby.” He pouted. “Right, Luca?”

  “Oh no way, buddy, you’re not involving me in this. Your mom has good rules. You should listen to her no matter how old you are.”

  Mikey shrugged. “Okay, if you say so. Can we go now?”

  The three of us started out on the more tame water slides where Mikey could ride alone. After climbing up and down the stairs and ladders numerous times, we decided to float in the lazy river.

  We climbed into the inner tube, and Sabrina and I sat side by side.. Mikey took the flat surface between us. I was close enough to stretch my arm out behind her. The tip of Sabrina’s ponytail tickled my skin. Her face was makeup free, the freckles across the bridge of her nose making her appear younger than her age.

  The way the wet nylon clung to every curve, dip and crevice of her body, made me wish we were done floating and somewhere alone.

  “This was a wonderful idea.”

  I shot my eyes down to Mikey beside me. He was busy kicking his legs trying to get his toes to touch the water. While he was occupied, I lifted my hand and started playing with her ponytail. A small smile tugged on the corners of her full lips. “I’m glad you’re both having fun.”

  When my fingers drifted to trace lazy patterns on the back of her neck, her smile changed to something else. I’d been dying to touch her all day, and as long as we were in this tube floating aimlessly, I would continue to.

  But Mikey had other plans. As we approached the debarking area, he twisted toward his mother. “Can we see if I’m big enough for the big slide now?”

  Sabrina’s gaze cut to the monstrosity he referred to. “Um…that one is way too big for your mom.”

  “Please? Luca can take me.” He turned toward me. “Right, Luca? You’re not afraid of it.”

  “Hey, I’m not afraid either. It’s just…” Sabrina stopped and turned to me with a pleading look on her face.

  “If you’re big enough, I’ll go with you.”

  She mouthed a silent thank you before telling her son that would be his last slide for the day. And based on his not arguing, must have meant he was exhausted.

  A romp down the jumbo slide turned into two. The sheer joy spread on her son’s face once we emerged from the pool had Sabrina agreeing to “one more time.” It was close enough to the dinner hour that we decided to have something to eat at the park. Sabrina felt once Mikey hit his booster seat he would be out for the count.

  I ordered us a pizza to share, and ice cream for dessert. By the time we changed out of our swimsuits, walked out to the car, and hit the parkway, Mikey was out cold. Sabrina turned in her seat to stare back at her son. “You wiped him out,” she said with humor in her voice.

  “I could say the same. He sure has stamina.” I looked over at her with a smile. “I know he had fun. Did you?”

  A nod began before I finished asking my question. “I did. Thank you, Luca. For the soccer lesson, the water park… for everything.”

  “It was my pleasure.” I took her hand in mine and rested them on the center console. Her fingers clenched in an affectionate squeeze. But the way she stared out the window in a distracted silence meant she had something on her mind. I didn’t want to press her, so I waited to see if she’d open up.

  She never did.

  Conversation between us revolved around things we saw at the park that struck us as funny. The subject of Mikey’s dad came up briefly when Sabrina mentioned how much he had missed of her son’s childhood be
cause of his deployments.

  About an hour later, we were back on her street in the city. Throughout, Mikey never stirred. I found a parking space one block over. “If I carry him in will he wake up?”

  “He may, but that’s fine. If he goes to sleep now, I’m facing a six a.m. wake-up call,” she said on a laugh.

  As I removed him from his booster seat, he lifted his head, mumbled, “Don’t forget my hermit crab.”

  “What?” I whispered once he had settled on my shoulder.

  She shook her head with a grin spread over her face. “No clue.”

  The way his arms tightened around my neck as I carried him toward their apartment had my heart squeezing in my chest. This kid managed to get to me in a way no one ever had. Not having nieces or nephews of my own, I never really connected to a child before. Yet with Mikey, I already knew I was hooked.

  Of course, being insanely attracted to his mother hooked me even more.

  Once we were in their apartment, Sabrina removed his shoes, jacket, and hat and I laid him down on his bed. Again, he mumbled, turned over, and fell back to sleep.

  She shut the door to his room with a small smile. “Would you like coffee?”

  “No, I’m good.” I walked closer to her and caressed her face. Wanting her to open up and talk to me on her own took a backseat to wanting to be sure she was okay. “You’re quiet.”

  “I’m overwhelmed.”

  I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Because of me?”

  “Yes.” She turned away for a moment, and when her eyes drifted back up to mine, they shimmered with emotion. “I’ve never met a man as considerate, giving, kind-hearted, and…” A huff of air escaped while she searched for the right word. “Perfect as you,” she ended her thoughts in a whisper. “It overwhelms me.”

  Her admission caused a surge of confusion. Part of me wanted to strip her down and replace the emotions that consumed her by taking her body and infiltrating her thoughts. But the bigger part of me knew she needed time to process this. Fuck, I needed time to process this.

  Whatever this was.

  I knew I battled my own mass of confusion over how quickly Sabrina and Mikey captured my heart. How the hell that happened had been all I’d been thinking about since meeting them. So, I got it, her confusion I could relate to. Add in losing her husband, finding out what he had done before he died, and having a son to care for, combined must have wreaked havoc on her thoughts.

  Cupping her face, I tilted her head back to stare into her eyes. “It overwhelms me, too. I think, if we take things slow, maybe we can both figure this out together.” My eyes cut to the way her lips parted. Before she could speak, I lowered my head and kissed her softly. I broke away, leaning my forehead against hers. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Definitely.”

  Chapter 13

  Sabrina

  “Can we go play now?” Jared asked Becky. She pointed at their half eaten bagels and then looked at me for confirmation. My slight nod had her saying, “Fine.” The two of them scrambled off their chairs and took off for Jared’s room. “No wrestling!” she called out in warning.

  Becky took a sip of her coffee before saying, “I want details.” When I started circling the rim of my mug with my index finger she asked, “How’s Luca?”

  I couldn’t control the natural smile that played on my lips thinking about our wonderful day yesterday. “He’s good. We went to an indoor soccer field to teach Mikey a few things, the man is a great soccer player. The things he can do with a ball are astounding.” Becky’s chin was propped up on her hand, and her eyes were in a dreamlike state. Ignoring her, I continued. “Then we went to an indoor waterpark.”

  She let out a sigh. “I bet his body is spectacular in a swimsuit. He could probably be a swimwear model.”

  When I thought about his rippled torso, strong arms and broad chest, I nodded. “He’s definitely a good-looking man.”

  “Good-looking?” Becky quipped. “That is not what you call good-looking. That’s what you call sex on legs. The man has it going on, and even you can’t be that blind. Face it my friend, you landed a hottie.”

  “I haven’t landed anyone. We’re just getting to know each other. Plus, I need to think of Mikey. I’m not ready to jump into a relationship quite yet.”

  Becky’s eyebrows drew in leaving a tiny vertical crease above her nose. “Nope, I’m not buying it. I know you, and you’re overthinking this. From what I can tell, he’s great with Mikey. So, what is going on in that head of yours?”

  “I’m not overthinking anything. It’s just…” I shrugged my right shoulder. “I don’t want Mikey to be disappointed. You’re right, Luca is great with him. He even rented an SUV because his car is only a two-seater.” Becky sighed. “Yes, I know… he’s perfect.”

  We heard a crash from the other room followed by a, “We’re okay! Nothing’s broken!”

  Becky and I both let out a long breath. “Boys.” She laughed. “What’s next on the agenda with you two? If you need me to watch Mikey while you and Luca… you know.” She winked. “I’m available. Hell, it’s easier with two of them. At least they occupy each other. We heard a loud thud and I arched a brow. Becky smiled. “I’ll go check on them.”

  She left me at her table with a very vivid, very real visual of Luca in that damn bathing suit. When Mikey and I left the locker room, and found Luca waiting for us, I almost swallowed my own tongue. Needing to retreat quickly to catch my breath, I went off to get us towels as a pathetic attempt to pull myself together. I was a mother, for God’s sake.

  As if my thoughts channeled him, my phone lit up with an incoming text.

  Luca: Good morning. I hope you guys are well today and Mikey wasn’t up at the crack of dawn.

  Me: Hi. lol. No, he was so tired, he never woke once until 8 this morning. Thanks again, he can’t stop chattering, and his friend Jared is sick of hearing about it.

  Luca: Maybe next time Jared would like to come as well.

  Me: Oh please do NOT mention that to Mikey yet. He WILL drive you crazy.

  Luca: No worries. What are you up to today?

  Me: Not much. Having breakfast with my friend Becky now. You?

  Luca: My dumbass friend Kyle is forcing us to help him move his girlfriend into his apartment.

  Me: Vanessa? That’s great they’re moving in together.

  Luca: We’ll see. He’s a compulsive neat freak and she’s a slob.

  I chuckled at his text, imagining it perfectly. Vanessa didn’t strike me as the type to be OCD about anything.

  “What’s so funny?” Becky asked as she walked back into the kitchen. “They’re fine, by the way. My genius son tried to get something down from the top shelf in his closet and quickly discovered shoeboxes don’t make a sturdy ladder.”

  “Oh, those boys. I swear every day I sprout another gray hair.”

  She topped my coffee cup without asking. “So, what had you grinning?” Noticing the phone still in my hand she then asked, “Is that Mr. Sex On Legs?” Her singsong voice and the waggle of her eyebrows forced my eyes upward in exasperation. “What?”

  “Yes, that was Luca.”

  “He’s so smitten.”

  “You don’t even know what the text said.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can tell by the dreamy look on your face that he either said something romantic or he wants to…” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Fuck you hard. Unless you’ve already done that and in that case he wants to fuck you hard, again.”

  “Oh my God.” Another text chimed and we both eyeballed my phone at the same time.

  Luca: Um… based on Mikey’s comment about your car being messy, I apologize if you are also a slob.

  Me: Yeah, it’s me who’s sloppy. (I’m rolling my eyes).

  Luca: LOL. Well enjoy your day. I have no idea when I’ll be done. I’ll touch base with you later?

  Out of nowhere, Becky snatched my phone right out of my hand. Her fin
gers started moving over the screen and panic set in. “Give me that!”

  “Relax. You clearly need help in seducing him.” She handed me my phone, and I instantly flushed.

  Me: You can touch me anytime… anywhere… anyplace.

  The response was immediate.

  Luca: Good to know ;)

  “Becky!” I tucked my phone into my back pocket mortified at what he must be thinking right now. Then again, his cheeky response instigated salacious thoughts to take hold in my mind.

  While distracted over the things he had done to me on my couch last week, Becky cackled at my discomfort. “I’m guessing from your red cheeks you are imagining him doing just that. So, you’re welcome.”

  Luca

  I thought of Sabrina’s silky skin beneath my fingertips the entire way to Vanessa’s apartment. Her text felt a bit out of character, but I appreciated it just the same. The only problem was, I was stuck moving and unpacking because Kyle was ridiculous.

  When I pulled up to Vanessa’s apartment, I spotted the small moving truck, Jude’s BMW, and Cassie standing behind it in an empty spot with her arms crossed. I couldn’t suppress a smile when I flipped on my turn signal.

  Cassie scowled when I got out of my car. “Good morning, sunshine. Pleased to see me?” I clicked the fob to lock the doors.

  “You’re late. So far, I’ve been yelled at, called a few choice names, had to flirt with a traffic cop, and got flipped off by someone on a motorcycle, all because I had to save this spot for you. Where have you been?”

  I kissed her on the cheek. “Who told you to stand in the street to save a spot? That’s crazy.”