Zoe smiled at Sophia. “I bet you can’t wait to have his babies.”
“He has his moments,” Sophia replied with a smile.
His stepmom looked right at Nico, love in her eyes. “We’ll certainly miss you around here, but I hope this trip is just what you need.”
“Thanks, Ma.” He hadn’t missed a Sunday family dinner in years. He had a routine: work, weekend hookups, and Sunday dinner. So what if he felt a little lonely sometimes, kicking around his cheap studio apartment. He’d taken it to save money. Everything he did was toward one goal—becoming full owner of his shop. His stepmom was right. This road trip was just what he needed, both a vacation with a beautiful woman and a chance at the barn find that could bring the big bucks.
“Hey, Nic, I’ll be in Chicago next Sunday,” Luke said. “If you think you’ll be there by then, we could meet up for dinner.”
Nico considered. He’d already confirmed with Lily by text that they’d be leaving early Saturday morning. They could probably reach Cleveland by Saturday night, Chicago by Sunday dinner.
“Sure,” Nico said. “But if you hit on Lily, you’re dead.”
“Ooh, Lily, she has a name!” Jared pronounced.
His stepmom gave his dad a significant look. Nico felt his ears burn. He never mentioned any of his casual hookups by name.
“Maybe when you come back, you could bring Lily by for dinner,” his stepmom said. Nico hadn’t brought a woman home since his ex-wife. He had no intention of starting now.
“Yeah,” Vince chimed in with a wide smile. His brother was just loving the fact that his stepmom was focused on him now for her matchmaking. She’d already pulled that on Vince, offering Sophia Italian wedding soup and Italian wedding cookies the first time he’d brought her home. “Make the cookies, Ma,” Vince added.
“Don’t make the cookies,” Nico said. “I’m not bringing her for dinner.”
“Nico’s in love,” Luke teased. If he’d been within reach, Nico would’ve socked him.
“Shut up,” Nico snapped instead.
His stepmom took pity on him and steered the conversation to the much safer topic of Vince and Sophia’s wedding and rehearsal dinner. Vince settled at the table with Miles, who was already drifting off, leaning against Vince’s chest.
“I think all the best men should give a toast to Vince and Sophia,” his dad said. Ever since his cancer scare—he’d been given a clean bill of health after surgery and follow-up chemo for colon cancer—his dad had been a lot more sentimental.
“I think that’s nice,” his stepmom said.
“Me too,” Sophia said.
Vince sat there, quiet for once, the tips of his ears red.
“My speech will be all about how you tamed him, Soph,” Nico said to the laughter of his brothers. Except Vince, who gazed at Sophia with total adoration. “And saved us all!”
“Hear, hear,” Luke said.
They all toasted to that.
Vince just shook his head. “I’m damn lucky.”
“Aww!” Zoe exclaimed. “Look how happy he is, Nico. You’re next, I swear!”
He held up his palms. “I’m doing just fine.”
Luke grinned. “I’ll report back to you all after I meet her.”
Nico groaned.
“Please do,” his stepmom said. Everyone agreed just to tease him.
He shook his head and continued eating. He and Lily had worked it out already. Two weeks, no strings. And while he could hold his own in the wealthy circles of the elite that made up his clients and the big spenders he met at the parties Luke invited him to in the city, he didn’t kid himself for one moment that he had anything to offer someone like that other than a good time. He was a grease monkey, no more, no less, and that was just fine with him. His stepmom would just have to be disappointed.
But he’d enjoy every minute with Lily. He already knew from that kiss they’d be good together. It was exactly the kind of easy, fun time he lived for. A brief stab of worry about her dad and the wrath he could rain down on him clouded his good-time vision, but he pushed that away. She swore she wouldn’t tell him, and he certainly wasn’t going to mention it. What could go wrong?
~ ~ ~
Nico drove into work the next morning beyond excited about the car Lily had described. He’d done his research last night on 1969 Ford Mustangs. The value could go from the low five figures up to half a million, depending on the type of car. The low end was hardly worth his time, but the chance of being the first to get his hands on the high end, on the ultimate untouched barn find, the Boss 429, was enough to make him want to dance. And he wasn’t a dancing kind of guy. It wasn’t just the money, though he desperately wanted to buy out Kevin, it was the ultimate for a car lover like him to get his hands on a treasure like that. He’d have to sell it, but he’d enjoy it a bit first, show it off in a few car shows.
It was all within reach. He’d finally be a success.
And then there was Lily, the sweet cherry on top. Two weeks of open road by day, two weeks of tearing up the sheets at night. Hell yeah. And it was all so clear cut and neat. She’d go on to her place in the city, no hard feelings. But he would enjoy those two weeks immensely. Nico had kissed plenty of women, but it had been a helluva long time since he’d actually lost himself in the moment. He was all smooth technique, a well-choreographed routine to get from point A to point B efficiently. Lily had made him greedy, hungry, and want with a fierceness that shook him up.
He eyed the flatbed truck at the far end of the parking lot as he pulled in. He planned on taking the truck to retrieve the Mustang. It suddenly occurred to him that Lily might not know how to drive a truck, let alone a stick shift, and while he could do all the driving, he always thought it was safer to take driving in shifts so no one got too tired at the wheel.
He smiled to himself. Who was he kidding? He just wanted to see her again. He parked his Porsche and called her.
“Yes?” she answered, still sounding half asleep. It was eight a.m.
“Hey, it’s Nico.”
“Oh!”
“What’re you doing today?”
“Sleeping. What time is it?”
“Eight.”
“Oh.”
Silence. Had she gone back to sleep? He imagined that red hair tousled, her electric blue eyes slowly shutting, that mouth with the cute bow and plump lower lip. He adjusted himself. He was getting turned on just thinking about her mouth. “Lily?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you awake?”
“Barely.”
“Stop by the shop once you wake up. I want to teach you to drive the truck. It’s a stick shift. Noon okay?”
“What truck?”
“I need to take the flatbed truck to haul the Mustang back.”
“M’kay. Bye.”
She didn’t hang up. He could hear her breathing. He shook his head with a smile and disconnected. He should probably call back later in case she had no memory of their conversation.
~ ~ ~
Lily showed up at Nico’s shop at noon all dolled up. She had to distract him from her complete lack of coordination. She just knew driving a stick shift was going to be impossible. Her dad had tried to teach her once on his Mercedes. He ended up yelling at her, she ended up in tears, and that was the end of driving a stick shift. It was just so hard to remember which pedal to press when—there were three pedals and she only had two feet—at the same time as she was supposed to be moving the shifter thing. She wore shorts that showed plenty of leg and a loose V-neck white T-shirt that didn’t cling to her middle. Contacts, of course. She hoped to avoid her glasses entirely on their trip, though he might see her in them in the early morning before she had a chance to put the contacts in. Not that there was anything wrong with glasses, but when she wore them at law school, she’d been mistaken for a professor more than once. They made her look smart, older, and way too dignified to have a casual fling with.
She stopped at the garage first, suddenly very eager to see him.
He’d called her a second time an hour ago, which made her think he really, really wanted to see her. She peeked in at the men working on cars in there. No Nico. She headed into the showroom. Still no sign of him.
She eyed the door of his office, went hot all over thinking of the last time she’d been in there, took a deep breath and headed on over. She knocked and waited.
“Hello,” a deep voice said from very close behind her.
She whirled. “Hi!”
Nico smiled, and she melted. That smile was killer—part wicked, part charming, and oh so sexy. “Did you eat?”
“Eat what?” she breathed.
He took her by the elbow and walked with her through the showroom. Her elbow tingled. “Did you eat lunch?”
She’d been too nervous to eat. “Yes.”
“I didn’t. Do you mind if we just grab something real quick?”
“No. Yes.”
He stopped and looked at her, his brows coming together. “Which is it?”
“I don’t mind.”
“There’s a good pizza place a short drive from here.”
She nodded. He led her to a gorgeous shiny red Porsche. He probably washed and waxed it daily. He opened the door for her and guided her in. She sank into the leather seat.
Nico got in, and she discreetly breathed him in, the sharp lingering scent of oil, some kind of musky cologne, and warm Italian stud. She couldn’t believe she’d get to be with him for two whole weeks. He grabbed the stick shift, put it into gear, and peeled out of the lot.
“So you ever drive a stick shift?” he asked.
“Once, but it was so long ago I completely forget how. I hope you’re a patient teacher.”
“Sure, I’ve taught lots of people. It’s nothing.”
“I’m in your hands.”
He glanced over at her and gave her a sexy smile that made her stomach do a delicious flip. “The truck has a different feel for it than a stick-shift car, a few more gears, so it’s good you’re starting practically new on it.”
“Truck virgin here!” she exclaimed way too loudly.
He chuckled. He really was good-looking, almost too good-looking. Her stomach went from warm melt to a slow churn. Nerves settled in. “I mean, not literally.”
He tilted his head toward her. “Not literally what?”
“Not literally a virgin,” she choked out. Why had she said that?
“Oh-kay.”
“I mean, I am a truck virgin, but not, you know, the other kind.” Shut up. Just shut up.
He laughed, so she laughed too. Only hers came out high-pitched like a nervous, maniacal, twenty-five-year-old virgin. Which she wasn’t. She’d done it bunches of times with lots of lovers.
In her imagination.
She should probably tell him she’d only been with one man who had to close his eyes and think of someone else to sleep with her. No, don’t tell him that! He’ll never sleep with you.
“I’m not totally the other way either,” she blurted.
“What other way?”
She should really try not to talk when she was nervous. She’d been about to say she wasn’t totally slutty, but that wasn’t going to help her case either. “Never mind.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll take you any way I can get.”
He gave her a panty-melting smile that really, really worked. Maybe there was hope for her yet.
Chapter Five
There was seriously no hope for her. She spilled pizza sauce on the front of her shirt after she’d tried so hard to eat her slice with delicate care. Then she’d tried to clean it off at the sink in the ladies’ room, which was thankfully a small private bathroom, and somehow managed to soak the front and spread the stain mostly over one breast. She felt like crying. Now she had to get through a stick-shift lesson, which she knew she’d screw up, wearing a very unsexy stained T-shirt. She turned on the hand dryer and lifted her shirt under it. The sauce was more orange than red now.
She was so far out of her league.
Maybe she could sneak out the back. It was such a small restaurant, though, he might see her in the hallway. There was a small window above the bathroom stall. If she stood on the toilet and she could somehow hoist herself up. But could she fit? What if she got stuck?
Someone knocked on the ladies’ room door. She’d been in here for a really long time.
“Lily?” Nico called. “You okay?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes.”
“Okay.”
She eyed the window again. She couldn’t chance getting stuck. She’d look like Pooh bear stuck in his hole from eating too much honey. She took the shirt off and looked at it. Backwards? Inside out? Which was better? She tore the tag off and put it on inside out. There. She fussed with her hair and reapplied her favorite cherry, tinted lip balm before taking a deep breath and unlocking the bathroom door.
She turned to go back to their table and nearly ran into Nico standing in the hallway. His gaze dropped to her chest. “What happened to your shirt?”
“A little spill. But I fixed it.”
He leaned down to her ear. “I can see right through it.”
She glanced down to see that the shirt, once inside out, had soaked right through her bra and her nipples were like headlights pointing right at him. She crossed her arms over herself. “I’m such a klutz,” she whispered.
And then he was unbuttoning his work shirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked, slightly alarmed at the idea of a bare-chested Nico. She might spontaneously combust.
He kept unbuttoning, and she realized, thankfully, that he wore a white undershirt.
“Hold this,” he said, handing her the navy blue shirt embroidered with his name. He pulled his undershirt over his head in one quick two-handed move and handed it to her. Her jaw dropped. He had muscles, like, everywhere—shoulders, biceps, pecs, tight six-pack abs. Her hand came up of its own accord to touch all that beautiful olive skin, but he snagged his work shirt out of her other hand and was already covering up. He jerked his chin at her. “Go change and meet me out front.”
She nodded like a bobble-head and returned to the ladies’ room. She took off the stained T-shirt and tossed it in the garbage. A quick boob dry under the dryer, and she slipped his undershirt over her head. It was still warm from his body. His scent of oil, deodorant, and Nico surrounded her; she felt almost woozy from it. It was too long, of course, the shoulders drooped down too low. The end hit the top of her legs. She debated tucking it in or leaving it loose.
She looked in the mirror and tucked it in. Nope. Too much fabric giving her a tire-around-the-middle look. Nightgown it was. She sighed. So much for distracting him with her sexy outfit during what she was sure would be a disastrous driving lesson.
~ ~ ~
Nico rubbed the back of his neck, working on getting the image of Lily’s hard nipples pointing at him out of his head. He couldn’t teach her to drive stick if he was spending all his time figuring the fastest way to get her flat on her back. She finally stepped out of the restaurant, wearing those large, round shades and a pout that made her lips look even more sinfully delicious. His undershirt fit her like a sexy nightie, and he broke out in a sweat, thinking of the nights ahead where he’d get to see her in one and then out of one.
“Thanks for the shirt,” she said softly.
“Don’t worry about it.” His voice came out harsh on account of all his wayward thoughts fighting to get out. He wanted to proposition her. He wanted to start their casual affair right now. His office would work.
She trailed behind him, still pouty. It occurred to him that maybe she was upset she’d ruined her shirt. He crossed back to her, grabbed her hand, and walked with her to his car. “Hey, don’t worry about that shirt. Mine looks great on you. Even better than that other one.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “Are you teasing?”
“Yeah.”
She frowned.
“I mean, no, I’m not tea
sing. Yeah, it does look good.”
They got to his car, and he opened the door for her. She pushed her shades up to the top of her head and met his eyes, those electric blues jolting him again. “It’s much too big. It looks like a nightgown.”
He couldn’t help himself. He traced the bow in her upper lip with his finger, and then slowly traced to her lower lip. Her lips parted as he pressed on the plump softness of her lower lip. He was obsessed with her mouth. He dropped his hand and stole a quick kiss that sent a rush of heat through his system. He pulled back before he got in too deep. “I keep imagining that T-shirt is all you have on.”
“O-oh,” she said, her face flushing pink. She put her hands to her cheeks.
Her response puzzled him. He studied her for a moment. She seemed almost virginal.
He turned and headed for the other side of the car, sliding into the driver’s seat. She got in and put on her seatbelt. She looked ridiculously sexy wearing his oversized shirt, the hem sliding along her upper thigh haphazardly. It really did look like she had nothing on underneath.
He pulled out of the lot. “If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”
“Twenty-five. Why?”
He shook his head. No way she was a virgin at twenty-five. And not the way she’d kissed him the other day. “Just curious.”
She slid her shades back on. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
“Then we’re all legal.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. He’d almost forgotten she was a lawyer. His stepbrother Gabe was a lawyer too, helluva good guy. He had no problem with the lawyer part. The waiting part was the difficult thing. Geez, he really was a horndog. He could wait until the weekend. Six days wouldn’t kill him.
~ ~ ~
Lily was killing him. It wasn’t that she kept hitting the gas instead of the brake, or that she kept grinding the gears, or even that she’d nearly gotten them killed full speed in reverse. It was the way she kept biting her bottom lip. The way she squeaked and squealed as she drove terribly, excitable and noisy. The way she turned to him with a laughing apology, her smile lighting up her face as she begged him for one more try. She was entirely too appealing for someone he had to wait six days to see naked.
Rev Me Up Page 4