Chapter 12

 

Ever since that moment when Enrico beckoned him closer, everything had seemed unreal—the way he stalked toward Enrico in slow motion, the taste of his kiss, and the unbearable heat of him. Mitch was in a trance.

Out of his control, every part of Mitch acted on its own. His hands roamed where they wanted, obsessed with the curve of Enrico's ass. Mitch's mouth trailed kisses over his cheek to his jaw.

Mitch was lost to Enrico's body rubbing and grinding against him. His head tilted back to expose his neck to Mitch's mouth, Enrico was mumbling his name. It sounded so sexy on his lips.

Pushing his fingers through his hair, cradling the back of his head, Mitch devoured his mouth. His tongue pushed in, parted his lips and Enrico moaned around it.

Mitch was so hard. When he let Enrico go to let them get some air into their lungs, he felt such a painful need. Enrico's hazel eyes were sinking into his. He could see how worked up Mitch was.

"I know what to do," Enrico said, his voice low and suggestive, his fingertips teasing through Mitch's beard.

Enrico's hand slid down over his chest, over his abs to his belt buckle. He was undoing it and then unzipping Mitch's fly. While Mitch was still in a daze, Enrico was sliding down his body and dropping down to his knees.

Mitch felt Enrico's grip on his hips, his warm breath ghosting over him, and he groaned. Just that was enough to remind him this was happening. This was real.

No. Mitch couldn't let him.

With a quick movement, Mitch pulled him up then spun him around. There was a long pause—just breathing and Enrico looking hurt. Then Mitch pushed him up against the wall.

What was he doing? Mitch hardly knew. His head was swimming. He was reeling, unbalanced from how Enrico made him feel. He was an irresistible force pulling Mitch down.

The tipping point reached then passed, Mitch was falling to his knees, tearing Enrico's fly open. Enrico's boxers came down, yanked down by his rough grip. His cock standing up, exposed and ready, Enrico cursed and moaned.

The sight of him like that was irresistible. Mitch had to have him.

A sharp intake of breath then a shudder passed through Enrico's lithe body, as Mitch took him in his mouth. Sliding hard and hot over his tongue, Enrico was incredible. He tasted like heat, like need, like sex.

Mitch was losing it. His arousal was now unbearable. His blood screamed through his veins each time he took Enrico deeper each time. Mitch never imagined sucking off a guy could turn him on so much.

He needed to come so bad it was killing him. But he was more driven to make Enrico come. Nothing mattered to Mitch until he had his come spilling down his throat. That was what he longed for and that's what Enrico gave him.

Mitch moaned, swallowing, cleaning up every last drop while his head was filled with the sound of Enrico's gasps and moans.

Sitting back on his heels, Mitch was in a haze of unbearable arousal, licking his lips, still tasting Enrico. With no conscious thought guiding it, Mitch's hand was reaching down for his own cock.

Enrico wasn't having it. "No way. You cut in line already. That's rightfully mine." He spoke in a rough voice while his chest heaved, and the look in his eyes said that he would not be denied.

While Mitch looked up at him with naked desire, Enrico pulled him to his feet then pushed him toward the stairs. He made Mitch sit on the second step. Settling between his knees, he took Mitch's cock in a firm grip and leaned down over it.

"I won't last," Mitch warned him with a growl. He was embarrassed to say it, but he knew he would lose it fast. When he felt Enrico's mouth tight and wet around his cock, he was even more sure of it.

The feeling of heat and suction was incredible and a moan rumbled through him. Responding to the sound, Enrico gripped his muscular thighs for support then sucked harder and faster.

Raking his fingers over Enrico's back, Mitch grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in his hands and cursed. What was Enrico doing to him? A blowjob never felt like this. He was losing his mind, but he held on. Mitch didn't want this feeling to ever end.

Then Enrico was moaning around his cock and taking it deep, and Mitch was coming. He shuddered through his orgasm, Enrico's name loud on his lips. Eyes locked on him, Mitch watched him swallow and the sight of it could have made him come all over again.

Next thing he knew Enrico was launching himself at him for a moaning kiss. The kiss slowed, turned lazy and sweet, and Mitch had such a satisfied feeling. He smoothed his hands down Enrico's back and sighed against the side of his neck.

 

Coming back to himself, Mitch realized he still had tools to gather up in the basement, but he could barely pull himself together. He felt disoriented, and he didn't dare look at Enrico, or he wasn't sure that he wouldn't do something crazy again. Then he got a text and fumbled with his phone while Enrico looked at him questioningly.

"It's Lara. Baking time is over," Mitch let him know as he pulled his clothes into place. "I'm going to go get Sammy."

Enrico looked around the basement. "I could clean up in here, knock down some cobwebs then maybe Sammy won't be so scared of this place."

"I guess it should be cleaned up," Mitch said, still ill at ease around him but also touched that Enrico was always thinking of Sammy.

 

The short drive to Lara's gave Mitch a chance to settle down. Then Sammy was in her car seat and chattering excitedly about the baking they did. She had with her a precious Tupperware box with three beautiful cupcakes and proudly announced that she helped make them. "Gloria's mom showed us how to make chocolate curls, but only grown-ups are allowed to do them."

Once they arrived at the house, she was freed from her car seat and off like a shot. "I love cupcakes more than everything!" she announced breathlessly as she ran in ahead of Mitch.

"What about your dad?" Enrico asked her while bringing up a trash bag of debris from the basement.

"I like him too," Sammy said while looking up at Mitch with a smile, but then she was off again. "I have to tell Natalie and Veronica about the cupcakes."

"OK, honey." Mitch looked after her with a grin. But once she was gone, he frowned. "I'm not even a close second. Maybe third after the kittens. Or is that fourth?"

"You're number one in her heart and always will be," Enrico assured him.

"I'm still going to learn to make cupcakes even if it kills me," Mitch vowed while looking at the box Sammy had let him carry in if he promised to be careful with it.

"I don't think you need to sacrifice your life. Just follow a recipe," Enrico told him. "What's next work-wise?"

Mitch forced his mind back to business and went down the long list of things that needed to be done. "Removing wallpaper from the hall upstairs," Mitch decided. "I think that's something we can finish before you have to go."

 

They had already done all the bedrooms so Enrico knew the procedure. He had also said many times that he now hated wallpaper with a burning passion.

"Do we have to get it wet?" Enrico asked as he eyed the wallpaper with loathing.

As he admired even that expression on his handsome face, Mitch was glad he had something to keep him busy. "This kind has a layer that we should be able to peel off just like this." Mitch showed him by pulling off a decent sized piece of the vinyl paper. "The layer underneath gets the usual soaking and scraping, and then the glue gets scrubbed off."

"Ugh," Enrico said then he got to work.

They started peeling and Sammy came to sit on the top step and watch them. With her up there, the kittens were determined to come up too, so Enrico went and helped them out.

"Keep the kittens away from the stairs, OK," he told Sammy so she moved further in while the kittens got busy exploring all the pieces of wallpaper that had been peeled off and now littered the hall.

"I want to peel too," Sammy said.

"Sure, go crazy," Enrico told her. She peeled tiny pieces and showed them to him proudly.

"Wow, you're a good worker. Do you think you can get the kittens to peels some?" Enrico asked her.

She tried to persuade them, but it was a no go. "They don't want to," she reported to Enrico.

Mitch found himself smiling at both of them. He couldn't believe what a good rapport they had. It filled his heart with warmth.

 

In the end they only managed to peel off that one layer before it was time for Mitch to start on dinner. "You're staying for dinner, right?" he asked Enrico, but he shook his head.

"I better go. I was supposed to get a text if they needed me at the café. They didn't send one, but sometimes it gets busy unexpectedly," he said, and it seemed to Mitch he was looking for an excuse to leave.

In fact he had been kind of subdued with Mitch since the basement. That wasn't like Enrico, so he wondered what was on his mind. Whatever it was, it seemed wrong to let him go after what they did. But Mitch wasn't sure how to make him stay. Then Sammy chimed in.

"But I have a cupcake for you, Rico. I made it," she gave him a pout and Mitch could tell he was wavering.

"Don't leave me alone with cupcakes," Mitch told him. "If it helps you make up your mind, I'm making a frittata for dinner."

"With the smiley peppers?" Sammy asked.

"Yes. So what do you say," Mitch asked Enrico.

"I guess I can't pass that up," Enrico said, and Sammy celebrated by spinning around.

"Good. I'll go and start on dinner," Mitch said and picked up the kittens to carry them downstairs.

"I'll sweep up this wallpaper," Enrico said. "Then if you need me, I'm all yours." He shot Mitch a significant look when he said it and made his heart beat faster. That was more like Enrico, but then he looked hesitant and he bit his lower lip.

Seeing Enrico bite his lower lip made Mitch want to bite it as well, feel it between his teeth then lick it. Enrico did that to him, and still Mitch was desperate to make him stay. Why the hell couldn't he resist him?

 

A little later, Mitch heard him coming downstairs then he called Sammy to come over.

"I got you more pretty junk from the basement," he said to Sammy.

Mitch poked his head out of the kitchen to confirm that he was giving her the silver nest egg. He was, and he showed her what was written on it then read it for her.

"Nest egg?" she said. Thanking him with a hug, Sammy took the egg and ran over to show it to Mitch. "Look, Daddy."

"It's nice. Be careful with it, OK?"

"I will," she promised then ran off to show her treasure to the kittens.

Mitch eyed Enrico. "What if it's valuable and she dents it or looses it?"

"Sammy? No way." He waved his hand dismissively then picked up a garbage bag. "I just have to take out this trash then I'll be back," Enrico said and went off.

 

By the time he came into the kitchen, Mitch already had the peppers cut up. He threw them in the pan as Enrico came over to look over his shoulder. His closeness was unnerving, and Mitch found himself wanting to lean back, make contact. He shook himself out of it and told Enrico, "Want to get the eggs for me?"

"Do I get to crack them too? I used to love doing that as a kid. That and licking the beaters were two of my favorite things." Enrico then hesitated at the fridge door and added, "Maybe I shouldn't talk about licking."

Mitch groaned, but Enrico was right. "You can crack them into that bowl," he said and sidestepped the whole licking issue.

Once the eggs were whisked, Mitch poured them into the pan and arranged the sautéed peppers to look like smiley faces.

"So that's why she calls them smiley peppers," Enrico realized. He was leaning over the stove right next to Mitch, their shoulders touching.

"Peas, carrots and peppers are the three vegetables Sammy is willing to eat, so I make them a lot," Mitch said and gulped at having Enrico so close by his side.

Enrico must have noticed his reaction because he asked, "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"No. You're helping me make dinner," Mitch said as matter of factly as he could.

Mitch didn't want to admit how rattled he was by his nearness, by how Enrico made him feel, but he didn't want to deny himself his company either. Mitch wanted him there, but he didn't dare get any closer to him than this. If he did, there would be no going back.