The doorbell rings and the inside of my stomach feels like a bunch of monkeys climbing around a jungle gym.

Lauren and Vanessa each smile at me from where they sit on the bed.

“Do you want me to do the whole I answer and we make him wait thing?” Lauren slides off the mattress to stand.

“No, but thanks for the offer.”

I leave Vanessa’s room, descending the stairs while staring at the outline of Mauro in the small window next to the door.

“Stop staring you two. Go do something.”

I don’t turn around, but I don’t have to in order to know that they don’t move from their positions at the top of the stairs.

When I open the door, I almost can’t believe what’s waiting there for me.

Mauro’s hair is gelled into a tousle of loose waves. He wears a pair of dark jeans, a light sweater, and a jacket over top. Delectable doesn’t even do him justice.

His gaze slowly roams up and down my body, his smile growing as his attention travels past the hem of my dress to my exposed legs. When he meets my eyes again, a calmness settles over me.

“You look breathtaking, Madison.” He steps up, wrapping his arm around my back, pressing his lips to mine. “I want you to know that you absolutely take my breath away.”

The scent of his cologne that I’ve only had the pleasure of smelling that one night at the game café, sends a zing of awareness to my lady parts and I clench my thighs.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

He smiles, not releasing me. “Thank you.” He kisses my temple and his fingers run up and down my spine before settling on the small of my back.

We take each other’s presence in for another moment until we head down my walkway to his truck. As promised, I wait for him to open up my door. When he slides in the driver’s side he leans over and kisses me, teasing me with a swipe of his tongue. “I’m not sure I’m going to make it through dinner.”

“We can skip dinner if you prefer.” I wink, teasing him because I’m more than ready to feel him between my legs.

“Nope. I’m feeding you first. You’re going to need your energy for what I have in mind.”

All the papers and empty cups that usually fill Mauro’s car are gone and the warm sensation in my chest reappears over the fact that he cleaned his truck for me.

“Where are we headed?” I ask once he’s driving downtown.

“Eddie V’s. Are you okay with seafood?”

“Definitely, but Mauro, that place is so expensive.”

We’re talking four dollar signs expensive. He doesn’t need to spend that much money to impress me.

“It’s where I want to take you.” His fingers strum on the steering wheel as we wind through the traffic of downtown.

I watch him as he drives, casual and in control.

“Have you ever not been sure of yourself?” I ask, curious.

He glances over for a second. “You mean whether I could accomplish something?”

“Yeah, I guess. You always seem so confident in everything you do.”

He shakes his head, almost to himself and stops at a red light. Turning to look right at me, I’m transfixed by him, those blue eyes are alive and bright tonight. My favorite shade.

“I wasn’t confident with you. I mean I doubted myself when it came to the house at first, but I still felt comfortable that I’d finish it well. But with you…I don’t know if it’s because I have no control over your feelings or what, but the idea of me screwing up what’s happening between us keeps me up at night.”

The light turns green and without warning wetness coats my eyes.

You will not cry on your first date with him.

“Mauro,” I sigh, my brain unable to process everything as my beating heart floats out of my chest and places itself in his lap, flopping around, begging to be his. I never knew a man like Mauro could be so sentimental and sweet, too.

“Jesus, I’m just full of cheesy shit lately. I could act arrogant and say how I don’t care what you think, but it’d be a lie. I don’t want to play games with you.”

I reach over and touch his thigh, the roughness of the denim like light sandpaper on my palm. “I don’t want to play games with you either.”

He glances to the side at me and smiles. “I’m glad.”

His hand comes down over top of mine and he webs our fingers together. We sit in the truck, letting the moment soak in. We just might be creating something worth fighting our demons for. If only those demons weren’t so big and scary.

Stop it. I will not ruin this for myself.

Moments later, he pulls onto a street that’s clearly marked permit parking only. Finding a spot, he puts a ballcap with CFD embroidered on the bill on the dashboard.

He eyes me for a second. “Remember the deal?”

I move my hand away from the handle of the door. “Yep.” I act as though I wasn’t about to push the door open and hop out.

He smirks and rounds the front of his truck until he reaches my door, opening it and offering me a hand.

As elegantly as someone can, I climb out of the large truck and he shuts the door behind me.

“So that works? The hat?” I ask.

He shrugs. “If it doesn’t, Cristian will try to work his magic. One perk of being a civil serviceman.” His hand finds mine again and we walk side by side on the sidewalk toward Rush street.

“I need one of those.”

He chuckles. “You get a parking ticket and I’ll handle it.” His tone is all macho and I only find it utterly charming.

We arrive at the restaurant and are seated along the windows. After he orders steak and scallops, and I order tilapia, we laugh and enjoy each other’s company as our legs brush along one another’s and heated glances are exchanged over the rims of our wine glasses by candlelight. Mauro’s ability to carry a conversation and also be a great listener shines through the entire meal. We opt to take a slice of cheesecake to go, both of us anxious to leave.

Once we’re outside his apartment door, he pauses before inserting his key.

“I’m not being too presumptuous, am I?” he asks.

Who is he kidding? We’ve been working our way up to this all night and we both know it.

I slide my arm through his, snuggling into the warmth of his big body. “Not at all.”

He smiles and inserts his key, pushing the door open for me.

“Is Cris…” The name dies on my lips when the line of small tea light candles that lead to his bathroom come into view.

The door shuts and his hands land on my arms, his lips coming down to my shoulder. “He’s gone for the night.”

My hand covers his and I fall back into his chest, taking in the scene of what I thought at first glance were real candles but I now see are actually those battery operated ones. Bending down I pick one up and laugh.

“I’m a firefighter.” He shrugs and a flush of embarrassment washes over his face.

I place the faux candle back down and stand on my tiptoes, reaching up to rest my hand behind his neck. “I love it. Thank you so much.” Pressing my lips to his, I let my body follow suit, needing the feel of him more than my next breath.

“You’re worth it.” He circles me around. “Follow the path.”

I kick off my shoes leaving them at the door and follow the lighted path he made for me, past a bedroom and a bathroom to the end of the hall. The flickering of faux candlelight dies and I’m overcome by the vision of a million stars glowing all over his bedroom from a tiny projector he’s set up in the corner.

“This is virgin worthy,” I say in awe.

My heart beats a mile a minute as I take in his queen size bed in the middle of the room with a dark comforter slung over. A dresser and television are placed along the wall. The space is very minimalistic, but it suits him.

I circle around and he’s staring at me, waiting for my reaction. “I absolutely love it, Mauro. You didn’t have to do this all for me.”

“Don’t you see? I want you to know how much you mean to me. I don’t want to just sleep with you, I want to make love to you.”

I close my eyes, wondering if I’ll ever not feel like this is all a dream. My hand runs along his cheek, and I meet his gaze, letting myself get lost in him. My other hand slides around my back, finding the zipper of my dress and pulling it down. The dress falls off my shoulders and cascades to the floor. I step out of it, leaving me in my black bra and panty set.

“What are you waiting for?” I ask in a soft voice.

His gaze dips and a low growl escapes his throat. “Damn, Madison. You are so fucking hot.”

I smile at the compliment knowing he probably didn’t want it to come out that way. Gorgeous and beautiful are amazing words, but the fact he couldn’t control himself is so much better.

He pushes the hair off my neck, his eyes still taking me in. “I think you need to pinch me.” He chuckles, bringing his lips to my neck as his hands slide up and down my back before resting on my hips.

I pinch him and he chuckles into my skin.

“You’re still here,” he murmurs, his teeth scraping along my collarbone.

“I am.” Tightening my arms around him, I close my eyes at the feeling of his hands and mouth worshiping me.

He steps us back until the back of my legs hit the mattress and he stops, shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it into the corner of the room. Kicking off his shoes, he pulls his sweater off, revealing abs I’d like to explore for days before coming up for air. Mesmerized by the indentations, it’s not until his jeans fall to the ground that I realize he’s now in front of me in only his boxer briefs.

No one would blame me if I passed out right now because he really is the perfect specimen of a man, right down to his heart of gold.

His eyes land on mine, keeping contact as he inches toward me, his hands taking my face in them, making sure I’m where he wants me once his lips reach mine. Our tongues tangle and he nudges my body to move onto the mattress.

I lower myself to the bed and he follows. We climb up until my head hits the pillow. The space between my thighs throbs when the weight of his body finally rests on top of mine. Our legs tangle and our hands explore, both of us surrendering to the desire ebbing and flowing between us.

His mouth is hot and sinful, and a moan escapes my throat when his steel length grinds into my core. My pelvis rises, desperate to feel the result of his desire for me again. His fingers thread into my hair, our mouths now frantic. Never in my life have I lost myself in a man so quickly.

A thrill shoots through my body when his fingers pull down the straps of my bra, his lips following the path of his hands so they don’t miss an inch of my bare flesh. My fingers scrape at his back and my hips continue to rise and fall.

At this rate, I won’t make it to the finish line. This man, the boy I dreamed of when I was a teen, is worshiping my body like I’m his favorite dessert—tasting and savoring until he’s licking the bowl for one last morsel.

“I’m never going to get enough of you, Madison.” His voice is a throaty whisper and I dig my fingernails into his back.

My other bra strap falls off my shoulder and his hands reach around my back to undo the clasp. Picking up the fabric, he tosses it aside and his hands cup my breasts, his thumbs running over my nipples while he licks his lips.

“Mauro.” My fingers tighten on his strong shoulders as they flex with his movements.

His mouth covers my nipple and he sucks and twirls his tongue around the hard bud. Need consumes me. Wrapping my legs around his torso, he looks up at me, a smile teasing his lips as he moves to my other nipple.

Just when I think I’m going to lose all control, he flips over on his back, rolling me over on top of him. His hands burrow under my panties and grab at the delicate flesh of my ass.

I grind against his thick cock, my just-out-of-reach orgasm pulsating between my legs, begging for more.

“I want you over and over again tonight.” My lips crash against his and his hands squeeze my ass cheeks, pushing me down harder into him.

“Not a problem.” He stops the kiss for a moment, his eyes finding mine. “Tonight is ours.”

I can have him over and over again.

The realization coils the need inside of me like a tight elastic band on the verge of breaking.

“Take me now, Mauro,” I beg, our lips devouring one another again.

His fingers slide my panties down my legs and I help by kicking them off. He reaches over to the side, taking a condom from the nightstand.

Flipping me back over, his palms slide over my legs, forcing them wide and his face nestles between my legs.

“Mauro,” I plead.

“There’s no way I’m not tasting you first.” That cocky smirk that once drew my attention to him spreads across his face.

Dipping down, his tongue slides along my slit, teasing my clit and then sucking the greedy flesh into his mouth. His hands slide up my bare stomach, each palm taking control of a breast, tweaking my nipple while his mouth works me into sheer bliss.

Pushing all thoughts away, my hands burrow into his hair, gripping tight as my orgasm crests then spirals out of control.

I scream out, all the tension in my body falling away as I melt into the bed, melt into him. I open my eyes to the sound of foil ripping. Mauro’s removed his boxer briefs and has positioned himself between my legs.

I don’t want to stare or anything, but this is the first chance I’ve had to look at his cock. I have to say—no complaints.

Tentatively, his body lowers to mine, inching his way into my depths as he kisses me senseless until he’s fully inside me, filling me completely.

“Mad, you feel so fucking good.” He rocks a little and I pull my knees up, my toes curling from the euphoria of his hard length rocking into me.

“So do you.”

Our bodies move as one as the pressure of our release threads through our veins, tugging at our nerve endings in a desperate attempt to erupt. His heated body on top of me, the light stubble on his face running along my jaw, the sinful moans falling from his lips the deeper and harder he claims me—all of it makes my head spin as I lose myself in pleasure with him once again.

“Ohhhh, Mauro!” The thread that Mauro wound so tight inside of me snaps and my toes curl on top of his comforter.

He stares down, watching while I lose myself. His breathing labors for a second and he props himself up on his elbows, his gaze locking with mine.

“Trust me, Mad. I know we can make it. Just stick with me.”

I reach up and grab his face between my hands, smashing our mouths together until he thrusts and then stills inside of me on a groan I catch with my lips.

Both of us spent, Mauro falls on top of me and slides off, his fingers grazing down my glistening skin, kissing me slowly and sweetly.

There’s no chance I haven’t already fallen hopelessly for this man. Not when the reality is even better than what I’d conjured up in my imagination all those years ago.