Shortly after takeoff, I rested my head on Leo’s shoulder and fell asleep.
“Wake up, Olivia.” I felt Leo’s lips on my forehead, and I didn’t want to open my eyes. I was too afraid it was a dream and he wasn’t really there.
“How much longer?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed.
“We’ve landed,” he chuckled. “You sleep like a rock.”
“I do when you’re close. I know I’m safe.”
His lips stilled on my forehead, and he squeezed my hand. “You have no idea how much I like hearing that.”
“It’s the truth. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life slept so soundly. Even when I knew someone was trying to kill me, the moment you got into bed with me and held me, I could sleep.”
“Come on. We need to get off this plane before you say anything else sweet that will make me want to lay you across these seats and finally take you.” Yes, please! I quickly tried to come up with something else to say. “Up you go, troublemaker. I can hear the wheels in your head turning.”
“How’d you know?” I laughed.
“I saw the smoke coming out of your ears.”
With a quick peck on my lips, he was standing. I wholeheartedly agreed, we had to get off the plane. That was the second time he had pressed his lips against mine and neither time had I gotten to taste him.
We got off the plane, and two SUVs were waiting on the tarmac for us.
“Your truck?” It dawned on me that we drove his truck to California, all the guys drove.
“Already being shipped back,” he answered.
“Just like that?” What in the world? We could’ve driven it back to Maryland.
“Yep. Just like that.”
He helped me in the front passenger side of one of the SUVs and buckled me in. Holy hell, this man takes seat belt safety seriously, he is constantly strapping me down. My mind wandered, and I wondered what it would be like to have him strap me down if I was naked.
“What was that thought?” he asked.
“Umm. I don’t know? Why?”
“Your cheeks are pink, and you have the sexiest blush across the top of your cleavage. What were you just thinking about?”
“About how you take seat belt safety seriously and you like to strap me down,” I admitted.
“You have no idea, tesorino. I hope to God you are ready for this. Give me five minutes with Zane, and we’ll be on our way.”
Leo shut the door and walked a few feet away from our car to where Zane was standing with Garrett and Jaxon. I still hadn’t asked where we were going or what was happening. I didn’t want to know. I wanted to continue to live in my happy bubble where he would be with me every night to hold me. I didn’t want to think about what was going to happen when he dropped me off at my apartment. He only lived forty minutes away from me, but right now that sounded like an eternity. I wished I had my cell phone, I wanted to text Caroline and tell her she had been right. I wondered if big badass navy SEALs liked cookies? I needed to send them something to thank them for helping me. I’d ask Caroline when I talked to her. I bet she’d tell me to send a fruit basket or something equally as healthy. None of the guys had an ounce of fat on them, I doubted they indulged in cookies.
Leo got into the car and started to pull away. I looked out the window, and Zane was staring at the car with what would be considered a smile for Zane. The man always looked grumpy, but one side of his mouth was tipped up. I waved goodbye, and his face broke out into a wide grin. Wow, he was hot when he actually smiled and didn’t look like he was waiting to kill something.
“I called your mom and told her we were back in town and you were safe. I also told her I’d bring you by her place tomorrow to talk to her. She argued and wanted you tonight. I figured you needed another night to get your head straight before you saw her. I explained that to her, but she still wanted you tonight. So, I told her she no longer got to make demands on you. That I was making the decisions. Babe, I don’t think your ma likes me.”
There really wasn’t anything funny about anything that Leo had just said, yet I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. I could picture my mom blowing a gasket at Leo.
“I’m sorry. I could’ve called her.”
“Yes, you could have. Two things. One I called her because selfishly I do not want you stressed out tonight. I want you all to myself without a bunch of crap swirling around in your head. Second, I don’t want you stressed – ever. If I can ease the burden, I will. I made the call, it’s done. Your ma is pissed at me. She’ll figure out soon enough what you mean to me, and where we’re headed, and I assume she’ll get over it.”
There was so much there he just said that made me want to burst into tears. I had never had anyone want to ease the burden for me. It was always me and my mom. She worked hard and long hours and had her own stress to deal with. Don’t get me wrong, she was a good mom. She provided for me, and I knew she loved me. But, she never had much time for me. Before she was Mrs. Anderson’s White House aide, she had worked for a senator and had even less time for me.
“Thank you.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Starving.”
I was happy to report I had my appetite back, and I was making up for lost time. I couldn’t stop eating. I still had to take antibiotics for the infection, but my wrist felt better. I was no longer keeping it covered. The red open sores had scabbed over, and it was healing. At first, I was worried about it leaving a scar. But now, I wouldn’t mind if it did. I would use the scar as a reminder of what I had lived through.
We left the airport lot, but instead of heading toward the Beltway into DC, Leo followed the signs to Annapolis. I really wanted to ask Leo what happened while I was in the closet, who was downstairs, and how they worked everything out. But I knew he wouldn’t tell me, and somehow, I knew he’d be disappointed in me if I asked. I trusted him. If he said it was safe to come home, then it was. I didn’t need to know the details.
Leo seemed lost in his thoughts as he maneuvered us through traffic. Sitting in silence with him now seemed different than the times before. It was comfortable instead of nerve-wracking. And it gave me a chance to study his features while he was relaxed. His strong grip on the steering wheel, his eyes constantly checking the mirrors scanning the traffic all around us. What I wouldn’t give to have that watchful stare focused on me. Those rough hands touching every inch of my body. I squeezed my thighs together to relieve some of the ache my thoughts provoked.
He was downright sexy. There were no two ways about it.
“Tesorino, you need to stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking about,” Leo broke the silence.
I watched as he expertly crossed over three lanes of traffic to merge onto the exit ramp. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the blush on your face and how you pressed your legs together. Your body cannot hide your thoughts. I am holding on by a thread. A very weak, frayed thread.”
Busted!
Perceptive bastard.
I didn’t bother making excuses, he knew exactly what I was thinking. I suppose I should’ve been embarrassed, him knowing how badly I wanted him. But I wasn’t. I liked it.
We pulled into an upscale neighborhood on the outskirts of Annapolis. The houses were older but very well kept. Leo pulled into a driveway and cut the engine.
“If at any time you get overwhelmed or you’ve had enough, squeeze my hand three times and I’ll make our excuse to leave.” Leo took the keys out of the ignition and grabbed his phone out of the cup holder and exited the car. Leaving me sitting in the car wondering where we were and why I’d be overwhelmed. He opened my door and helped me down. The moment I was situated on his left side, he put his arm around my waist and pulled me tight.
I loved it.
Absolutely loved when he touched me.
Leo didn’t bother knocking when we got to the door, nor did he unlock it. We walked right in. The first thing that hit me was the smell. Gar
lic and the sweet smell of basil. It was heavenly. The next thing that registered was the loud laughter. I looked around the room. It wasn’t huge, nor was it small. It was the perfect size to gather a family around and watch TV or play a board game on the large coffee table that sat in front of the well-worn sectional couch. This was a family home. There were photographs on every available surface. School pictures, military basic training photos, police academy graduation pictures – family pictures. This was so different than the sterile apartment in DC I had grown up in. There were no family memorabilia hanging on our walls. Hell, there was no family. Just me and my mom.
It finally hit me where I was. Leo’s ma’s house.
My frantic eyes looked up at Leo. “You’ll be fine, tesorino. Promise.”
He lowered his face to mine, and his lips found mine. This time I wasn’t letting him pull back before I could finally taste him. I licked the seam of his lips, and he opened his mouth. Finally! The first brush of his tongue against mine sent an electric shock wave through my body. He pulled back, kissing my bottom lip then stopped our kiss altogether to look at me.
“Did you feel that, tesorino?” Leo whispered.
“Yes.”
“Figlio! You’re home.” I heard from across the room, breaking our moment.
I jumped back from Leo like we’d been caught doing something we shouldn’t have been doing. Well, we had been and were caught by Leo’s mom.
Leo chuckled and pulled me closer to him, not allowing me to run and hide. “Hi, Ma.”
Leo’s mom stood across the room staring at us. For a moment, I thought she was going to tell me to leave. Then her lips tipped, and her entire face lit up.
“Bella! Two more plates at the table.” I could’ve sworn I heard her voice crack.
I looked back to Leo. “Did you tell them we were coming? I don’t want to impose.”
“There is no imposing on Sunday dinners, tesorino. Ma always makes more than enough,” Leo explained.
“She’s finally here.” Leo’s mom said softly from across the room.
“Ma,” Leo warned, his voice strong but his face gentled when he looked at his mom.
“Don’t Ma me. Now introduce me to your girl so I can take her and get to know her,” his mom instructed. Whoa, now I understood where Leo got his bossiness from.
“Olivia, this is my ma, Alessandra Gillonardo. Her friends call her Essa. Ma, Olivia Cox.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Gillonardo. Thank you for allowing me to stay for dinner. I hope it isn’t any trouble.”
Essa’s brow lifted, and she studied me. “You call me Ma. And family is never an imposition, ragazza dolce. Come, let’s go check on the kitchen. Bella has been in there too long by herself. You never know what that girl will do.”
I was stuck in place, as panic washed over me. This fear was worse than knowing someone was trying to kill me. Leo’s mom had demanded I go with her, alone. There was no invitation in her tone, she was not asking me to follow her. She was telling me I was to follow her. I had never done this before. The whole meet the parents thing. Leo loved his mom. What if she hated me and I screwed this all up?
“You’ll be fine. She’s going to love you,” Leo whispered into my hair.
Essa was standing across the room waiting for me to follow her. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
Time to pull up my big girl panties and meet the family.
I woodenly followed Essa into the kitchen. A slender girl with long wavy dark hair was bent over a cutting board chopping more garlic.
“No more garlic, Figlia. You’ll give everyone the sweats,” Essa told the girl.
I was going to have to pick up a handy-dandy English to Italian pocket dictionary. I knew more French than Italian. So far, I was able to keep up with Essa. She called the girl, figlia – daughter. This had to be Arabella.
“Ma, it needs more.” Arabella stopped chopping to look at her mom and noticed me. “Who’s this?” she asked.
“Your brother’s wife,” Essa answered.
I nearly choked on my tongue.
Wife!
“Mrs. Gillonardo, we’re not married,” I sputtered. What on earth gave her the idea we were married?
“Ma, you call me, Ma, like all of my other children,” Essa corrected. “Something you need to understand, I did not raise my boy to be a boyfriend. I raised him to be a husband. Do you understand?”
“No,” I admitted.
I had no idea what Essa was talking about, and frankly, she was freaking me out.
“I mean, my son has never brought a woman to meet me. And certainly would never think to sit a woman at my table that he didn’t indeed to keep. He is a husband. I have been waiting for you, Figlia. Waiting for my son to bring me his wife. You are one more piece that will complete this family. Gillonardo men, they are strong and stubborn, and you will have to learn to stand up to him and when to concede. My boys are their father’s sons; when they find the woman who was made for them, they will never let that woman go.”
“I don’t know if I’m that to him,” I admitted. All of what Essa said? I wanted that. I wanted to be the woman that was made for Leo. “He only met me a few days ago. I think he brought me here because he missed you.”
“Do you love my son?”
Holy shit. I was having the “Do you love my son” talk with Leo’s mom ten minutes after meeting her.
“Yes,” I whispered. Realization dawned that I wasn’t falling in love with him. I was in love with him, and the thought of not being with him would leave a gaping hole in my soul that would never go away.
“Good. I married my Marco two weeks after we met. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. I tried to fight and play hard to get. But it was no use. When a Gillonardo man wants something he…”
I cut her off and finished her sentence. “Has one speed. Full steam ahead.” I repeated what Leo had told me.
“Ah, yes, you already know.” Essa laughed. “Good, I see my boy has prepared you. Welcome to the family, my darling girl. I am pleased my son has chosen well. Though, Gillonardo men, they have impeccable taste in women. There was never doubt you wouldn’t be perfect.”
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to her. Everything was happening so fast. I still had my doubts as to what was going on between me and Leo. The fairy tale that Essa spoke of sounded like wishful thinking of a mom that loved her son and wanted him to be happy.
I noticed that Arabella was no longer looking at me but over my shoulder. I turned my head to see what had caught her attention and three men stood behind me. They could’ve been triplets. All three were tall, but Leo was an inch at most taller than the other two. They all had the same olive skin and dark hair with matching green eyes. But it was Leo I couldn’t take my eyes off of. I wasn’t sure if he was mad at me, or his mom, or both of us. I didn’t know how much of the conversation he had heard, but by the look on his face, it had been a lot.
Well damn. Now, what did I do?
“Now that Ma has scared you shitless, do I need to take you in the other room for a minute before you run? Or would you like to meet my brothers?” Leo asked.
“I’m not going to run,” I assured him.
“Good. So, you’re still ready?” he asked.
Were we really having this conversation in front of his whole family? His sister hadn’t said a word to me and both his brothers were looking at me like a zoo animal on exhibit. What if they didn’t like me? What if they thought I wasn’t good enough to be a part of their family? They were very obviously close, more than close if Leo wanted to discuss our fledgling relationship in front of them. I thought back to what Leo said about my mom not liking him. He told me that once she saw what I meant to him, she’d get over it. That had to work both ways. If his siblings didn’t welcome me the same way Essa had, they’d have to get over it. I would prove to them how much Leo meant to me.
“I have never been more ready in my life.” I blew out a breath and square
d my shoulders. “Introduce me to your brothers.” I tried to keep my voice firm to not give away my nervousness.
“I like her, Brother,” one of the men said and laughed.
“Come here, tesorino,” Leo commanded.
He didn’t have to ask me twice. I needed to feel his arms around me to settle the riot of emotions bouncing in my tummy.
“Olivia, this is my older brother, Marco Jr., we call him MJ.” Leo pointed to his brother. “And this is Luca, my younger brother. I assume Ma already introduced you to Bella.”
She had, but she hadn’t. I didn’t get to actually talk to Bella before we dove right into marriage and family.
“Hi everyone. It’s nice to meet you all.” I didn’t know what else to say. I felt like I was on display and my every word was being scrutinized. I felt the need to flee from the men’s watchful stare. The safest place for me was back in the kitchen. “What can I help with?” I asked Essa.
“Don’t let them scare you, Figlia. Boys, stop staring at your brother’s girl.
“Sorry, Ma. It’s not every day I walk into the kitchen and find a beautiful woman standing there,” Luca said.
“You better watch your mouth, Luca, Leo might kick your ass for looking at his girl.” MJ laughed.
“He could try,” Luca returned.
“I could try and not break Ma’s furniture when I put my foot up your ass. Take your eyes off my woman,” Leo growled.
Yes, he growled, like the jungle cat he so closely resembled.
“Language,” Essa chastised. “If you boys are going to fight, go outside. My carpets were cleaned last week, and I hate having to blot the blood out of the carpet. I cannot wait until you three have sons and you know what it's like to referee unruly boys.” Essa turned to me. “Only have girls. No sons. They may love their ma, but they are a pain in the ass.”
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