by Vi Keeland
“What…what are you doing here?”
“Your mother invited me for dinner.”
I’d forgotten whose number I’d punched into his phone when I last saw him in California a month ago. “My mother?”
“Yes. You accidentally gave me Bella’s number instead of yours, remember?”
Oh. My. God. I’m going to kill my mother. I’d given Hunter the number as a joke, figuring he’d take the not-too-subtle hint. And if not, I’d been sure Mom would send him running the other direction. She couldn’t talk to a single man for three minutes without mentioning that her daughter Natalia needed a husband and babies.
I was utterly and completely bewildered to see Hunter standing at my mother’s door. “My mother invited you, and you flew across the country for her sauce?”
“I had business in New York this week, and Bella thought it would be nice for us to see each other again. I figured since I was here, it would give you an opportunity to rectify your mistake in giving me the wrong number. Again.”
“I think you might be a little insane.”
My mother startled me when she flung open the door that had swung partially closed behind me.
“Ah, you must be Hunter.” She stepped forward and kissed both his cheeks. “So nice to meet you. Why are you still standing outside? Did my rude daughter forget her manners? Come in. Come in.”
I hadn’t moved since I’d opened the door. Hunter stepped around me into the house, pausing as he passed. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, then whispered in my ear, “I’ll take a proper kiss hello later.”
***
I still couldn’t believe Hunter was in New York, much less sitting at the head of my mother’s dining room table. Everyone’s hands were joined and our heads bowed to say grace, which gave me the perfect opportunity to stare at him without being caught. God, he was so damn handsome. Dangerously so. As my mother prayed to the Holy Mother Mary, I found myself thinking what it would be like to be underneath this man. Bella would spend a week in church praying for my soul if she knew the thoughts I was thinking during her prayer.
I bet he fucked hard and was attentive in bed. Unconsciously, my tongue ran along my bottom lip as a thousand dirty thoughts flooded my mind. Of course, Hunter picked that moment to open his eyes and glance up at me. A boyish grin crossed his face as our eyes locked. God, my stomach fluttered like a teenage girl’s.
I forced my eyes back shut for the rest of grace, which wasn’t an easy task. Just like the first time we were together, I found myself amazed that a man had such a visceral effect on me—a lot like things had been at first with Garrett. That thought was better than a cold shower. At least my ex-husband was still good for something.
It took less than two minutes after prayer for the Rossi women to start the inquisition. Hunter had no idea what he was in for sitting at a table of seven Rossi women and one teenage girl with an attitude.
“So, Hunter, how did you and my sister meet?”
“At Derek and Anna’s wedding.”
My mother chimed in. “Hunter caught the garter, and Nat caught the bouquet. Isn’t that romantic?”
A room full of awwws ensued.
Mom added, “Hunter has a degree in architecture. He’s in commercial building.” It sounded like Mom and Hunter had spent a lot of time on the phone. Of course, my mother probably thought he was ready to give her grandchildren next week. She’d invite Jeffrey Dahmer to dinner if it meant I got married again and popped out a baby. Little did she know, Hunter Delucia only wanted to defile her daughter.
“It sounds very romantic.” Did my sister Alegra just bat her eyelashes and swoon?
Izzy looked at me. “You’re dating that guy?”
“No.”
“Because don’t you have a date with that dweeb Marcus this week?”
Thanks for keeping my secrets there, kid. “Ummm…. Yes. But like I said, Hunter and I aren’t dating. We’re just friends.”
Hunter smiled at Izzy and winked. “Friends who sometimes kiss.”
My eyes went wide. Izzy seemed to find the situation amusing. I put down my napkin and stood. “Hunter, can I speak to you in the kitchen for a moment?”
He looked to my mother before standing. “Please excuse me for a minute, Bella.”
I heard Izzy say, “She probably wants to kiss him again,” right before the dining room broke out in laughter.
My hands went to my hips as Hunter shut the kitchen door behind him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He feigned innocence. “Having dinner. Getting to know your family.”
“You just told them we kiss sometimes!”
He leaned against the kitchen island and folded his arms across his chest. “We do.”
“First of all, it’s inappropriate. Izzy is not even sixteen yet. And it’s none of my family’s business. And secondly, it was only twice, and the first time I was drunk, so that doesn’t count.”
“It was five times, and I’m counting the time you were drunk. By the way, that time, you kissed me.”
“Five? It wasn’t five times. And I seriously doubt I initiated the kiss. You’re just making that up because you know I don’t remember it well.”
“Five times.” He held up a finger. “One—the night of the wedding.” A second finger came up. “After the wedding—the next morning against the hotel door.” A third finger came up. “At my house—started at the window, ended on the bed.” The fourth finger rose. “In the elevator, when I said goodnight to you like the gentleman I’m not.”
Okay, so maybe I had forgotten about the house. Damn. That was a good kiss. “Fine,” I snapped. “But that’s four and not five.”
The devilish look on Hunter’s face made my knees weak. He closed the gap between us faster than I could come to my senses.
“Kiss me,” he said gruffly.
He didn’t wait for a response before crushing his lips to mine. God, can this man kiss. It was slow, confident, and had the perfect amount of aggressiveness that made me want to claw at his skin.
When the kiss broke, Hunter leaned his forehead against mine. “That’s five, sweet pea.”
He must have sucked the brain out of my head along with my tongue, because I smiled back at him like an idiot instead of telling him to shove it up his ass. His damn, sexy ass, I might add.
“I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Me either. But get used to it. I took an assignment out here for a while.”
“How long are you in town?”
He looked into my eyes. “Two months. And don’t bother to try to hide anymore. Your mother gave me your number a week ago.”
***
Seven at one blow.
I remember reading the Brothers’ Grimm Fairy Tale where the giant is impressed because he thinks the tailor slayed seven men with one blow. The tailor had nothing on Hunter Delucia, who’d charmed seven Rossi women and one disgruntled teenager over one dinner. Okay, so maybe it was eight Rossis, including me, but who’s counting anyway?
After dinner, both of my sisters and my mother peered out the front windows to watch Hunter play basketball with Izzy in the driveway. I sat in a chair across the room, attempting to pretend I had no interest in looking.
“Jesus Christ, every time he does a jump shot, his shirt rides up. I hope he kicks Izzy’s ass,” Alegra said.
“I haven’t seen a V like that in…well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that in person.” Nicola swooned.
Mom was Team Hunter all the way. “He’s a handsome man. But I invited him to dinner without even seeing him. So that should tell you something. He’s just as attractive inside as out.”
I rubbed my temples. “How long did you talk to him?”
“Long enough to know he’s had one serious girlfriend, his mother died when he was seventeen, he had one brother who died a few years ago, and his hobbies are scuba diving, surfing, and rock climbing.”
My jaw hung open. “He had a brother who died? Rock
climbing?”
“Yes, his name was Jayce. He’s also Catholic. He hasn’t been to confession in quite a few years. You should work on rectifying that. It’s good for the soul to ask the Lord for forgiveness.”
Why in the world did this man show up at my mother’s door? Any other man would have run as fast and far as he could without looking back. Instead, not only did he survive the interrogation by my mother—a woman who because of her own experiences is leery of all men—but I got the feeling my mother might have had a bit of a crush on the man herself.
I stood and walked to the window where she was still gawking. Standing behind her, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “He sounds great, Mom.”
“He does.”
“You have my blessing.”
“Good. Wait. What?”
“You have my blessing to go out with him. I know he’s a few years younger than you, but I think you two will make a great couple.”
My sisters smirked at me behind my mother’s back.
Mom actually blushed. “I’m not interested in him for me. I meant for you!”
“Uh-huh.” I hid my smile and made a face that said sure you are.
“Natalia Valentina Rossi. You need to get back out into the dating world, and this man has flown all the way across the country to get to know you better.”
“He has a job out here, Mom. He travels for work, and his job happens to be in New York this time.”
“It didn’t happen to be in New York. He requested the project so he could be closer to you.”
I was taken aback. “He told you that?”
Izzy blasted through the front door. “He’s better than my coach!”
Is that…a smile I see on her face? The man wasn’t just a charmer, he was a fucking magician.
“But he’s not as good as me, is he?”
Hunter walked in behind her and closed the front door. He was sweaty, so deliciously sweaty. “You play?”
Izzy scoffed. “When she shoots a free throw, one of her legs goes up like she’s Marilyn Monroe. And a few weeks ago, she scored a goal.”
Hunter’s brows drew down. “She plays soccer, too?”
“No, that’s what she said when she miraculously hit a basket. She started jumping up and down yelling that she’d scored a goal.”
“I was excited.”
Izzy shook her head, but the smile never left her face. “I invited Hunter to come see my game on Tuesday. He’s gonna watch and tell me what I’m doing wrong, like Dad used to do.”
I looked at Hunter. “Oh, is he?”
“Is that okay with you?” he asked, looking sincere.
Izzy was so excited, I couldn’t possibly say no. At least that’s the reason I gave myself when I didn’t object.
“Sure. That’s nice of you. I have plans after the game, but I can make them a little later to stay for the recap.”
The Hunter swoon-fest continued during dessert. After we’d finished, when I caught the time on my phone, I was surprised to find it was almost ten o’clock. Normally we were out of here by eight since Izzy had school in the morning and the train ride was over an hour.
“It’s getting really late. We better head out, Izzy.”
She frowned. But then a thought gave her momentary hope. “What train do you take, Hunter?”
“I drove here. But I’m staying in Manhattan. I can drop you ladies on the way to my sublet.”
I said, “No, thank you” at the same moment Izzy said, “That’d be great.”
Both looked at me with pouts. I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Traffic should be moving by now anyway.”
The car ride was surprisingly quiet. Izzy put her headphones on in the backseat and fell asleep ten minutes into the ride, probably wiped out from playing basketball with Hunter for so long. Hunter looked lost in thought, and I struggled with my own thoughts as I looked out the window. Namely, while the idea of getting involved with this man was very tempting, I was in no way ready for a relationship. I also needed to keep my focus on the important things—my career and stepdaughter.
As we crossed the bridge back into Manhattan, Hunter broke the comfortable silence. “Your family is great.”
Knowing his mother and brother were deceased, I felt his words in my chest, and it made me appreciate what normally annoys the crap out of me. “Yeah, they are. But don’t tell them I said that.”
Hunter smiled and spoke quietly. “I hope you don’t mind my coming to the game Tuesday night. I played ball in college. She’s really good, and I didn’t know how to say no.”
“No, not at all. It’s really sweet of you.”
After a few more minutes, he said, “Those plans you mentioned having after the game, would those be the same plans Izzy mentioned at dinner that involve a guy named Marcus?”
I nodded. “One and the same.”
“First date?”
“Second.”
Again he went quiet. Eventually, he said, “Poor bastard.”
My brows drew down. “What? Who?”
“Marcus. Probably had a nice first date. Won’t understand why you’re so distant on the second one and never accept a third. Will think he did something wrong.”
“What are you talking about?”
Hunter shrugged. “You’ll be busy thinking of me on your date Tuesday night. Poor bastard won’t even know what hit him.”
“You’re so full of yourself.”
Even though Izzy was sleeping with headphones on, he leaned in close to whisper, “Maybe. But soon you’ll be full of me, too.”
Chapter 12
Natalia
I spent a ridiculous amount of time getting ready so I looked good for my date after the game tonight. It had nothing to do with the man who was going to be at the game. I repeat, nothing to do with Hunter Delucia.
Marcus was a great guy. Good job—a web developer for a prominent local utility company. Polite—opened my car door and pulled my seat out at dinner on our first date. Nice looking—medium height, medium build, maybe twenty pounds to lose. But who didn’t have an extra twenty to lose when they hit their thirties?
I hated that the answer to that question came as a visual way too readily available in my mind. Hunter didn’t have an extra twenty to lose, that’s who.
I took one last look in the mirror. My red skirt was the brightest of reds. It wasn’t short, yet it managed to pull off sexy because of the way it hugged my curves without being slutty tight. I’d coupled it with a simple, black button-up blouse that had feminine, capped sleeves and a pair of sandals that had heels, but weren’t too inappropriate for attending a high school basketball game before my date.
When I arrived at the gym in Izzy’s school, the game hadn’t started yet, but Hunter was already seated in the stands. He stood when I went to join him and pulled me in for an innocent kiss on the cheek. Although there wasn’t anything innocent about what I felt when near this man.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Thank you.”
Hunter grumbled. “Poor bastard.”
I laughed it off, and we sat just as the girls jogged out from the locker room. Izzy was the third one in line.
“She’s the only sophomore on the varsity team, and she’s one of the tallest already.”
“Are both her parents tall?”
“Her father’s six foot two, and her mother was probably about five foot ten.”
“Was?”
“She died a few years ago.”
“Wow. Tough. Dad’s in prison and Mom died young. She’s lucky she has you.”
“Most days she doesn’t see it that way.”
“She’s fifteen. She sees what she wants to see in order to justify brooding. I’m not saying what happened to her is easy, but teenage girls will find a reason to brood even when there isn’t one.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“After my mom died, I moved in with my Uncle Joe and his wife, Elizabeth. He was much younger than my mother, so he fel
t more like an older cousin than an uncle growing up. We got along great, but him and his daughter—that was a whole different story. When Cara was about Izzy’s age, she was one big pain in the ass. Her life was perfect. Parents were happily married. Father’s a doctor. Mother stayed home to raise her. She was smart and beautiful—got the best genes from both parents. Yet she found a reason to growl at them daily. Never understood what the hell she was so angry about. I would have given anything to be in her predicament. She’s twenty-four now. Grew out of it, and now we laugh about it all the time.”
“I’m not sure we’ll ever get to the place where we look back and laugh at these years. But I get what you’re saying.”
“How long is her dad away for?”
“A few more months. He made some ridiculous deal by testifying against a federal regulator he’d bribed and got thirty months instead of the thirty years he deserved.”
“What happens when he gets out? Izzy goes to live with him?”
“I don’t know. I’m guessing so, but we haven’t started talking about it. Taking it one day at a time right now.”
The announcer came on to call the starting lineup. Hunter and I stood and cheered when they called Izzy’s name. She looked up at the stands and half smiled at us before her eyes shifted a couple of rows up, and suddenly the lame smile she graced us with turned beaming while she waved to someone else. Both Hunter and I followed her line of sight to a tall boy of Indian descent sitting alone on the top row.
“Who’s that?” Hunter thumbed toward the top bleacher when we turned back around. He’d only met her once, but there was a protective tone in his voice nonetheless.
I sighed. “It must be Yakshit.”
His brows jumped. “Pardon?”
“The boy she has a crush on. His name is Yakshit.”
Hunter shook his head and grumbled, “Another poor bastard.”
***
“You hit sixty percent of your free throws.” Hunter said to Izzy. “You have a great shot. But you can definitely do better. You’re flicking the ball with your thumb on your guide hand as you take your shot, which is making it spray left.”