CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Bocca
I hadn’t planned this. When I came here, yes, sex was on my mind, but that wasn’t what I was going for. I mean, I was a guy, sex was always on my mind, and not always just lingering there in the background. That said, I wanted to do this right. I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to show her that I really cared.
Because I did—really fucking care, that was.
This woman drove me insane. I couldn’t even deny that.
Perhaps having her sit on my lap wasn’t the smartest move. I just wanted to have her as close as possible. I wanted to touch her as much as I could. Especially because I wasn’t completely sure that she wasn’t going to tell me to fuck off. I was really hoping she wouldn’t.
And now she was kissing me and clinging to me like no one had before. Oh, no, I wasn’t complaining. In fact, I wanted more.
Talk. I had come here to talk. Only, my mind was currently telling me to shut up at the moment. I had this beautiful woman in my lap, her soft lips sliding against my own. No, I was definitely not trying to complain about that for even a fraction of a second.
With a moan that I swallowed down, she writhed against me. There was no way she couldn’t feel how hard she made me. Fuck! I was ready to explode right there. How embarrassing would that be? Like for real. That would not be a good first impression.
Forcing the blood to shoot back up to my brain, I pulled back. I couldn’t lie, the whine that slipped from her throat as our lips broke apart was sexy as hell.
“You just got off work,” I said and my voice was raw and gravelly with lust. I cleared my throat and went on. “Why don’t you go get comfy, maybe take a bath and relax? I’ll take care of dinner. Okay?”
She blinked at me. Then her head fell to the side and confusion pinched her brow.
“I’m just saying, if you want to go at it, I’m all for that. But I figured you might want to eat and recharge a bit before we get to it. It’s going to take a lot of energy because once I get you in that bed, baby, I’m not letting you out for days.”
Hold on. Before you go thinking that I was being a dick, I wasn’t. Sure, I had the smooth tongue and charm dial set to one hundred. But come on, she wasn’t going to fall for it even a little. She hadn’t before and I doubted that had changed. This was my best attempt to break the tension and get her to relax. And as her head fell back and a beautiful laugh broke free of her throat, I knew I nailed it.
“Days, huh?” she countered jokingly.
“Maybe even weeks,” I said with a sexy smile.
“Wait!” she said with a jerk like something had just occurred to her. “How the hell did you get in here?”
Ahhh, yes, that. Well, I could have easily hacked the backdoor, now that I had access to my shit and all. I said I could have but I didn’t. Instead, I came here and took a chance. I tried to play it right and go through proper channels. Hey, I was prepared to wait out back for her to come home. I didn’t care how long I had to sit there.
But luck had been on my side—and this time, in a good way. I’d caught Sara Ann on her way out. She vouched for me and Hank, the very same lobby guy that had been there the night Rosemarie found me, let me wait up by her door. That was after he eyed me skeptically for a good long minute and nonverbally told me not to make him regret it.
“Sara Ann,” she said in a knowing whisper before I could answer her. “Oh, my, God! That’s why she was being so weird! You’ve been waiting that long for me to get here?”
“I would have waited longer,” I said and though it was a bit cheesy, I didn’t say exactly what I was really thinking. You know, that I’d wait forever. Yep, that would have made it over the top cheesy, even if it was the truth.
“Wow,” she said as she shook her head, laughed, and slapped my chest all at the same time. “That line was so bad that I’m going to choose to ignore it.”
See, my shit didn’t work on her at all. Even when I was speaking true words from the heart. However, there was this twinkle in her eye that told me that she’d heard me and that she quite possibly had seen through the mushy shit. I felt like there were times that she just got me and you wouldn’t find me complaining about that.
“Yeah, I could use a shower. I do have that work nastiness and all going on.” She reluctantly slid off my lap with a long sigh.
“Food preference?”
“Hmmm…I’m kind of in the mood for pizza. I like mushrooms and pepperoni.”
“I don’t suppose you have the stuff to make that here?” I asked, knowing damn well that I wouldn’t be able to make it even if she did.
“Oh, of course not,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way to her bedroom.
Thank God for smartphones. In just three minutes, I had found a place nearby and ordered two extra large pies, knowing that it would be more than enough for both of us. I may have been thinking ahead because I had no plans to leave here for as long as possible. I didn’t have a problem with leftovers, and I hoped she didn’t either. I wasn’t sure when her next shift was, but I was going to take advantage of every free minute until then.
It took everything in me not to make my way back to her bedroom and into the attached bathroom that I knew was there. Just the thought of her naked and soaped up…well, you know.
Damn. I really needed to keep that shit under control right now. I didn’t need to be answering the door with a giant hard-on.
Fuck!
I pulled my hair free and ran my fingers through it. Nothing was helping.
Baseball.
Math equations.
Elephants pooping.
Ethel naked on a scooter.
Okay, that last one did it. I blinked as my body did a hard shudder. I loved the hell out of that old bat, but there was no way I wanted to think about her naked.
“You alright there?” Rosemarie asked and I jerked to my feet.
I hadn’t heard her and I guessed she witnessed my body’s reaction to my thoughts.
“Yeah, great. Perfect.”
I took her in, from her cute light pink painted toes to the sexy half-smile she held on her face. Who knew that dusty pink and gray plaid flannel pants could be so sexy on a woman? Paired with an off the shoulder sweatshirt, and damn…made a man want to just curl up on the couch with that. And by man, I meant me. I could just see it, and I couldn’t deny that it made me smile.
Her hair was still damp and she had it pulled back into a low ponytail.
“Okay,” she said with a slight sigh when the room stayed too quiet for too long.
I mean, I had to be honest, I was frozen in my spot. Not only was I thoroughly thrown by this woman, I was also starved for her. I was so afraid to make the wrong move. Hell, I didn’t even know what move I had to make. I got that she wanted me. That was good, but maybe it wasn’t good enough. I needed to know that she wanted more than just my body, than just what I could give her physically.
“What now?” she asked looking deep into my eyes as she waited for my answer.
“I…” Feeling the need to stall, I cleared my throat. I let out a strange, nervous laugh. “I honestly have no fucking clue.”
“You’re here. I mean…” She pressed her lips together and shook her head like she was still in shock. “I don’t know what I mean.”
I crossed the room and took her in my arms. I should have kept my distance. Being close to her was just too much—for both of us, it seemed. I loved how when I wrapped my arms around her, she melted into me. And that little sigh that escaped her as I pulled her closer, yeah, that got my heart racing.
“Yes, I’m here. I’m going to just say all of this and hope that I’m not going to sound crazy or scare you off. I can’t stop thinking about you. Yes, I am grateful for everything you did for me that night. I will never be able to thank you enough. But that’s not it. And I don’t want to beat around the bush or play coy. I have seen how fucked up things can go when people try to hide their feelings. So, I don’t want to. I want you to know that whatever this is between us, I want to dive right into it. I want to see it grow and I want to be the best—and only—man in your life. Oh, and in your bed.”
There, I tossed my heart out at her feet. I put it all out there and I hoped to fuck that she was going to pick it up.
“Oh, you’ve been the only man in my bed in a really long time.” With a cock of her brow, her words hit my ears with a playful, sassy tone.
I couldn’t help it, my head fell back and I laughed.
“Baby,” I said after I regained myself. My lips right next to her ear as I whispered deeply. “Just wait until you really get me in your bed, you won’t even remember that you ever had anyone else in there.”
Her body did a hard shiver. I smiled and placed a light kiss just behind her ear.
Then there was a knock at the door.
Fucking saved by the…pizza delivery guy?
I was trying my fucking hardest to resist the urge to rip her clothes off and see how many times I could make her come in one night. And not that I didn’t want to do that, because come on, I sure as fuck did, but I wanted her to know that it was more than me just wanting to get in her pants. And until I made that point and saw that she really got that this was happening, I was going to keep my dick tucked away.
“I’ll get it,” I said as I popped her ass and stepped back. “Go get comfortable.”
I reached down and adjusted my crying dick as I made my way to the door. I paid the kid, took the pizza, and then went in search of plates in the kitchen.
“Mushroom and pepperoni for the sexy nurse lady,” I said as I handed her a plate with two huge slices.
Then I pulled out one of the bottles of water that I had tucked under my arm.
I watched as she unfolded her legs and sat up straighter as the excitement about the food danced in her eyes. Then I took the other end of the couch. We were silent for a few bites, both of us locked in some sort of trance with each other.
“What kind did you get?” she asked as she tried to lean over to get a look. To be fair, the couch was really long. I hated that we were so far apart, but the distance was needed right now.
“Olives and pineapple,” I responded taking a huge bite as I waited for the ‘eww’ or scrunched up face of disgust. I got that a lot. The brothers never wanted to share when it came to my choice of pizza. Eh, whatever. I liked it and that was all that mattered.
“That sounds…interesting.”
“Would you like to try it?” I asked holding it out to her a little shocked that she didn’t write it off instantly. Also, it fucking made me smile.
“What the hell,” she said with a shrug as she leaned over and took a good-sized bite. “Not bad. Yeah, okay, I’d eat that.”
Could this really be the woman of my dreams?!
“Are you saying you’d share an olive and pineapple pie with me?” This was a big deal. I was sure she didn’t see it like I did, but it truly was.
“Yeah,” she said like it wouldn’t even be a question.
“I knew you were perfect for me,” I blurted out like a nervous teenager on his first date. Wow, when the hell did I lose my cool?
“Well,” she said with a laugh. “If that’s all it takes then I might not be so special.”
“Oh, you are,” I assured her. “I have yet to find anyone that would eat this on their pizza. You are quite the woman.” Ha! There, got a bit of that charm back, and it maybe worked on her just a little.
“Okay, so I know people call you Bocca. And that you have amazing hair. And that you are Mr. Smooth. You belong to a motorcycle club. Oh, and you like odd toppings on your pizza. What else is there?”
“I’m good with computers,” I said and watched her. Her eyes narrowed and for some reason, I felt like she could read me like an open book. Like she was able to see what I wasn’t saying. “I belong to the Steel Paragons MC down in Moon Hill. I live in a small room on the compound because I haven’t really had a reason to buy a place of my own yet. I do an apple cider vinegar rinse on my hair twice a week to keep it looking like this. It really helps make it shine.” I added a wink after that because I could tell that she really liked my hair. “I have never had a relationship. Uhhh…I don’t know what else.”
“Well, that’s a start, Mr. We Should Talk.”
“Ask me something. Anything.” I said and I knew I’d be honest with her no matter what. “But just be prepared to answer the same question.” I smirked then took a huge bite of my pizza.
“Oh, no. This sounds like it could get dangerous.”
Man, this woman was awesome. Playful. Sweet. Sexy—oh, so fucking sexy. Smart. Just, fucking perfect.
“Where are you from?”
“Chicago,” I answered without hesitation. To this, she raised a brow.
“You don’t sound like you’re from Chicago…”
Yeah, I knew that. And at times, I really laid into the southern accent. I had immersed myself in the culture the moment I got down here. Maybe it was an act. But mostly, I liked to think that it was me finding my place and trying my best to fit in…and well, now it had just kind of rubbed off after all these years.
That was the one thing I couldn’t hide, when I got serious the southern twang fell away. No somethin’ or goin’. There was suddenly Gs on the end of everything.
“I’ve been here a long time. Plus, I was a little sheltered growing up. What about you?”
“A small town called Polk City, Iowa. It’s just north of Des Moines. I actually moved to Des Moines right after I graduated high school.”
“Not a small town girl?” I asked. We seemed to be the opposite. I ran from a huge city that you could get lost in and found one where everyone not only knew you, but knew your business as well. She had left the quaint town setting to get lost in the big city. Or, that was what I was assuming.
“Um…no, it wasn’t that…”
Her words trailed off and I could tell there was something she wasn’t all that ready to talk about. But I wanted to know. I wanted her to understand that I would be there no matter what she had to tell me. That it wouldn’t change how I felt about her.
I set my empty plate down on the coffee table, then grabbed hers and did the same.
She softened and after a deep breath in, she began to tell me her story. It seemed that she had her life planned out perfectly. She knew what she wanted to do with her life and set out to achieve that goal right after she graduated. She was close to her family and that was her reason for choosing the nearest big city to move to. She knew she wouldn’t get anywhere in the small town. She’d always wanted to be a nurse and she loved her job. But that last part I knew already. It was written all over her which was also something that I loved about her.
Her grandmother had been the one to teach her Italian. Apparently, her grandmother was all Italian, coming over from Italy when she was barely twenty after she fell in love with an American man.
I found myself smiling as I listened to her talk about her grandparents. I loved how wistful she got telling me about how they were total opposites but loved each other deeply.
When she told me that her dad was Japanese, I immediately saw it in her features. The mix of Italian and Asian was there, perfectly blended. Her eyes almond in shape and set flat against her face. The bridge of her nose wide but the nostrils small and close together. Her lips full but small and came together at sharp points. Perfectly stunning.
Then she told the story of how she met a man. This was hard to hear but I listened intently because I wanted to know everything about her.
“I thought I was in love with him,” she said. “But now that I look back at it, I think that I was just hoping for something that wasn’t there. After a year of dating, I moved in with him. Another two years went by and I realized that he was never going to propose. The more I hoped he would, the further that dream faded away.”
She paused and I gave her time. I wasn’t going to push her because I knew she’d get it out when she was ready. Obviously, they weren’t still together. I wasn’t sure of that, but by the tone and the fact that there wasn’t a man around—or hints to one—I assumed he was no longer in the picture.
“Then one day I woke up and just felt nothing. I had been with him for nearly five years and just like that, I was ready to let it go.”
I reached over and pulled her body into mine. I was half sprawled out on the couch, one leg bent with my foot still on the floor, the other stretched out along the crease of the cushions. And she fit between them with her head resting on my chest. Fucking heaven.
“I needed a change,” she went on. “So I applied for jobs all over. This was the first good one that came along and I didn’t hesitate to pack up and move. He…well, he didn’t seem to care at all. The day I left, he told me that he knew it was never going to work between us. And that would have maybe been okay if he’d said it out of anger, but I knew him, and it was just like whatever.”
I wrapped my arms around her and gave her body a firm, comforting squeeze.
“Now it’s your turn,” she whispered, her fingers lazily making circles on my chest. “Tell me all about you.”