Ithink Mayor Brewer is going to give you a key to the town and name a street and his next grandchild after you the way he acted in there,” Natasha said as she and Antonio left their meeting. The mayor couldn’t stop talking about how proud he was that one of their own would be building the first major complex in two decades.
Antonio smiled. “Don’t hate. I can’t help it if the town loves me.”
“Ugh. You know what? I can’t stand you right now.” She rolled her eyes, and he laughed.
“You sure about that? Because your kisses say something entirely different,” he added for her ears only.
She did a quick scan of the area to make sure no one was in earshot. “How would you know what my kisses are saying? You haven’t indulged since Saturday, and it’s Wednesday.” They’d spent a couple of hours together after leaving Serenity and Gabe’s house.
Desire lit in his eyes. “Say the word and I’llindulgeright here. Right now.”
Her pulse skipped. Natasha bit her lip and seriously considered throwing caution to the wind and letting him find out exactly what her kiss said. The more time they spent together, the harder it became to hold on to the we-should-take-it-slow thing they’d agreed upon. And Dana, with her crazy self, had told Natasha, “Y’all are grown, and it’s nobody’s business what you do. Go on and give those nosy folks something to really talk about.”
“Are you on your way back to the office?”
She shook her head. “I have to go pick up some fabric samples and drop them off at home first. Why?”
“As you said, it’s been four days since I tasted your lips, and I need to satisfy my craving for you. Any other questions?”
“Yeah, just one. Can you meet me at the inlet in fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll be there in ten.” Without another word, he loped down the steps and strode purposefully down the street to his car.
Have mercy!Natasha almost melted with the heat of his words. Not wasting any time, she nearly sprinted to her car.
They arrived at the same time. Antonio took her hand and guided her through the dense trees to her spot. He didn’t say anything, just stared at her for what seemed like hours.
His hands came up to frame her face. “I’ve missed having you in my life, Tasha.”
The kiss that followed was soft, sweet, and infused with so much emotion, it brought tears to Natasha’s eyes. She gripped the front of his shirt, deepened the kiss, and tried to convey just how much she’d missed him, too. How much he was coming to mean to her again. His hands trailed a path down her spine, caressed her hips, and came around the front to her breasts. She moaned, his touch sending pleasure flowing through her. “Tonio.”
“Every time you call me that, I lose control,” Antonio murmured against her mouth before plunging in again, their tongues tasting, teasing.
Natasha’s body trembled as she felt the solid ridge of his erection pressed against her belly. She reached out and stroked him, wanting him to know he wasn’t the only one losing control.
He gasped sharply and grabbed her hand to halt its movement. “Don’t, baby. I’m barely hanging on.”
“That makes two of us,” she muttered, still trying to calm her breathing. Running a hand over her hair, she backed out of his hold. Antonio aroused her in ways no man ever had and made her forget her vow to proceed with caution. He braced his back against a tree and closed his eyes, his breathing as harsh and uneven as hers. When he finally opened them again, the longing radiating in their depths nearly took her breath away. “Are you going out to a job site today?”
“No. I promised my grandmother I’d take her to see Grandpa. She’s been a little worried about him, and I’m going to try to get her out there at least every week, if not more.”
“It would be nice if we had a place here, instead of folks having to drive all the way to Napa.”
“That’s the same thing Grandma said.” He pushed away from the tree and grasped her hand. “Come on.” They strolled hand in hand back the way they came. Antonio held her car door open. “I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay. Drive safe.” Natasha almost asked him to tell Mama Nora hello until she remembered their agreement. She watched him get into his car and back out of the space. Giving him a little wave, she started up her car and cranked up the air-conditioning to its highest setting, despite the mild temperatures, to cool herself off. The chemistry drawing them together was far stronger than last time, and if things didn’t work out this time, it would destroy her.
Antonio parked in his parents’ driveway and shut off the engine. He sat there for a moment recalling every sensual moment of kissing and touching Natasha. Obviously, she had no idea how much she affected him because he’d been a heartbeat away from carrying her back to his car and making love to her the way they’d done once before. Thankfully, his sanity returned. The first time they reconnected, he wanted it to be in a bed, not somewhere in the woods like two kids sneaking around.
He didn’t see his father’s car and his mother was still at the school, so he went around back and knocked on the screen door. “Grandma, it’s me.”
“Come on in, Antonio,” she called from somewhere inside.
When he entered, she came from the back with her purse and jacket.
She offered her cheek for a kiss. “What’s the weather like outside?”
“It’s a little windy but not too cold. I checked the temperatures in Napa, and they’re close to the same as here—seventy, seventy-one.”
