Chapter 15
Sabrina
Luca had mentioned to me at dinner that he had a gift for Mikey. I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t swell in my chest. Even more so when he told me what it was. Having had the sense to ask me first, spoke volumes.
“Go brush your teeth and put your PJ’s on.”
“Aww, Mom. We just got home, can’t I stay up later tonight? Puh-leeeze?” He smashed his hands together, fingers pointing toward the ceiling in his typical way.
“You know the rules. Now, please go get ready for bed.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Thank you. When you’re done we’ll finish the book we started last night.” Without another word, he pivoted on his sock-covered feet and stomped away. When I turned, Luca had a bright smile gracing his handsome face. “What are you smiling at?”
“You’re a wonderful mother. You remind me of my own, although her voice would’ve been a tad louder.” I let out a laugh and shrugged.
Mikey came sliding into the room, Risky Business style. “My teeth are brushed.” He grinned wide.
I cupped his chin with my fingers. “Good job. Hey, guess what? Luca has a surprise for you.” His beautiful brown eyes sparkled.
Luca walked to the door, grabbed it from his pocket and wrapped his arm around his back shielding the surprise. “This is for you, but it comes with rules, okay?” Mikey nodded enthusiastically. “You can use this when your mom says so. If she tells you to put it away, you listen to her. Don’t bring it to school unless it’s show and tell and you have permission.” Another nod.
He pulled out a hacky sack ball from behind his back. Mikey’s small eyebrows lowered as he studied the small blue beanbag held in front of him. “What is it?”
A deep laugh came from Luca. “It’s a hacky sack. It will teach you eye/foot coordination, plus balance.” Mikey didn’t appear as enthusiastic as I hoped he would. Luca continued, “Soccer players use it. Watch me.”
Luca took a step back, dropped the ball and started bouncing it with his feet without it ever touching the ground. It was almost like a dance, from one foot to the other, behind him, in front of him, and even off of his knee once or twice. Mikey and I stared at him in awe. He gave the ball one more flick with this foot and it landed in his hand.
“That is so cool!” Rather than take the hacky sack that Luca held out for him, he launched himself into his arms. “This is the best thing ever.” That balloon that had inflated in my chest earlier just doubled in size.
Mikey tried to mimic what Luca had done, but of course, couldn’t. “I’ll show you how to use it the next time I see you. But, if you just keep practicing starting with one foot, not letting it drop, you’ll get it, I know you will.”
“Okay, sweetie, it’s bedtime.” Without argument, he hugged and thanked Luca for the gift. “Say goodnight, and I’ll be right in.”
“Mommy?” His little fists rubbed his eyes. “Can Luca read to me tonight?”
My eyes went from my son’s to Luca’s. “Sure, if he wants to.”
“Do you? I mean, will you? Please? It’s not a dumb fairy tale or anything. It’s a book about a dinosaur.”
“I’d love to. How about your mom joins us and reads the girl parts?”
“Okay, there is one girl dinosaur, she can read that one. Even though it’s old and ready to die.”
“Hey,” I objected.
“You’re not as old as the dinosaur.” Mikey grabbed Luca’s hand tugging him toward his room. We smiled and allowed him to run the show.
“Would you like some coffee?”
Luca took my hand in his. “No, thank you.” He guided me toward my sofa and pulled me down on his lap. “I’d prefer you.”
He released my hand, and cupped my cheek. The warmth of his palm on my skin could be felt down to my toes. With a gentle pull, he brought my face to his and firm lips met mine. At first, the kisses were soft, patient.
His eyes danced over my face. “So, pretty.” He traced my face with his index finger, from my temple to my chin, until his hand rested on the back of my neck. “I want to get to know you, Sabrina. Not just what has happened the past few years of your life, but all of you. What were you like as a little girl?”
I stared into his chocolate eyes. “I loved frilly things. I suppose you could say I was infatuated with pink and playing dress up. For my tenth birthday, my mom gave me a boutique princess birthday party.”
He tilted his head and admitted, “I have no idea what that is.”
“It was every little girl’s fantasy. A limo came to pick me and nine of my friends up. We went to a salon where we had our hair, nails and makeup done by a professional stylist. Then there was a little runway, and we modeled pretty dresses. I remember studying the way the woman did my hair. It was almost down to my waist, straight, and boring, but she styled it in a way that made me feel like a princess.”
“That sounds like fun.” He kept his voice steady, but I was sure it sounded awful to him.
“It was the best. That was the day I knew I wanted to be a hair stylist.”
“When is your birthday?”
“January ninth. When’s yours?”
“September twelfth. What about Mikey?”
“July twentieth. God only knows what type of party he’ll want this year. Last year was the first birthday since his father passed away. It was very strange and difficult.”
“That had to be tough.” Luca’s thumb caressed my neck. “Tell me about him.”
“What do you want to know?”
“How did you meet… get together?”
I couldn’t help but smile at the memory because it was a happy time. “We met at a mutual friend’s. His buddy, Hank, was having a party for some reason or another. My college roommate, Anita, liked Hank and begged me to go with her.” I closed my eyes recalling that evening. “When I saw Dillon, something clicked. He was very handsome, and suave. The man had a line for everything. According to Anita, he was very popular amongst the ladies. I suppose in hindsight that should have been a warning. Instead, I considered myself the luckiest woman since he chose me.
“It wasn’t love at first sight or anything, but we started dating and when he got his first assignment after graduation, we decided to get married so we could live on base together. Shortly after, he was deployed overseas. Being married to a man in the Armed Forces wasn’t easy. Every day I’d say a prayer that he was safe. About a year after we were married, on one of his leaves, I got pregnant.”
“How old were you?”
I narrowed my eyes, “Is that your way of finding out my age?” We both laughed and Luca shook his head. “I’m just kidding. I was twenty-one when we married. I’ll be twenty-eight in January. Anyway, we moved upstate, and you basically know the rest.”
His thumb still traced circles on my skin. “I do. Thank you for telling me all of that. I’m sorry it ended the way it did.”
“Me, too. I thought he was a good man. My heart shattered when the police came to my home and told me he passed away. For days, I mourned and tried explaining why daddy wasn’t coming home. Then his mistress carrying his child showed up and my tears no longer fell.”
“You’re a very strong woman. I know I’ve told you that before, but it’s true. Not to sound condescending, but I’m proud of you. So many women wouldn’t have handled all you’ve been through with the grace you have.”
“Thank you, that means a lot.” Maybe it was a way for me to change the topic, but without thought, I raked my hand through his dark wavy hair. The soft silky strands flowed through my fingers. That’s when I noticed how lush his eyelashes were. “You’re beautiful,” flew from my lips.
A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I need to kiss you some more, Sabrina.” When he shifted his body, my shoulders no longer rested on his arm but that of my couch.
I stretched my neck, to give him closer access to me. Our lips met once again, savoring each other’s tastes like starved lovers. We swallowed each other’s moans as if we needed them for fuel. He brought his hand from the back of my neck, around my collarbone, and down the center of my chest. His thumb ever so gently brushing the side of my breast.
My back arched into his touch, wanting and needing more of it. Memories of how he touched and tasted me made my insides coil like a jack-in-the-box. His strokes were as if he were turning that handle, just a few more and the little door would fly open. If it wasn’t for my labored breath, I could probably hear the circus music if I concentrated enough.
It wasn’t just the way his body felt against mine or how soft and gentle his lips were, it was the way my entire body felt alive when we were together. The range of emotions he provoked, that I thought I might never feel again, brewed inside of me. One of the best things I felt with him was safe. There was something about being wrapped in his arms that was reminiscent of a child’s security blanket.
Plus, he made me feel like a woman again… a desirable woman, which I hadn’t felt like in a very long time. It wasn’t that I didn’t get approached by a man on the rare occasion I went out with friends, but this was different. He wasn’t shallow or superficial. Luca cared about getting to know me below the surface, and for a widow with a child, that was a rare find. Hell, that was a rare find if I was your average single woman. Couple that with our physical chemistry, and we were both ready to combust.
“I want you so badly,” Luca said as he licked and nipped the soft spot behind my earlobe. My hands trailed up his torso landing on his strong muscles. The pulse of his heart played a melody on my palms. His growing erection could be felt on my hip. This wasn’t fair to him. Every ounce of me wanted to pull him into my bedroom, but I couldn’t. Not with my son in the next room. We were like two teenagers, horny and lusting for each other. When I flexed my hips, he ground down on me. God, he felt good.
After a few more minutes of grinding, touching, kissing, and nipping, I knew we needed to stop. “We need to slow down.” He rested his forehead on mine. “I’m so sorry, I feel like a tease.”
“You’re not a tease, but you’re right.” He didn’t move right away, and I was thankful for that. When he sat up the heat that radiated between us didn’t stop simply because our bodies were no longer touching. If anything, it felt hotter. “What are your plans for the rest of the week?”
“My parents are picking Mikey up before I go to work on Friday. I have a full day of appointments on Friday and Saturday.”
“Do you have plans either night?”
My heart flipped at his question. “No. Why, did you have something in mind?” God, please have something in mind.
“As a matter of fact, I do, but you’ll have to wait and see.”
“You’re being very mysterious, Mr. Benedetto.”
“Mystery is good.” He pulled me closer to him, circling his arms around my waist.
I narrowed my eyes studying him a bit before nodding. “Hmm… okay. I suppose I’ll have to trust you. Thanks again for dinner, Mikey’s gift, and reading a story to him. I think you made his night.”
“Well, then we’re even because he made mine. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He slid on his jacket. Damn, even that was sexy. “Good night, Sabrina.”
“Bye, Luca.”
Once the door closed behind him, I rested my back against it. My fingers went to my lips never wanting to forget what his felt like on mine.