Vito holds a hand out to me, takes the small bag with the diaper from me, and throws it in the bin, then firmly secures the lid in place. When he turns back around, he holds his other hand out to Robert, and they shake, exchanging a few quiet words.
I wave to the homeowner as I follow Vito to my SUV.
I don’t say anything while I buckle Juniper into her seat. I’m quiet as Vito comes around, holds open my door, and waits while I get settled in the passenger seat. But Vito is all smiles and chatter as he twists in his seat and confirms that everybody’s ready to go.
“Hey, is that bunny buckled?” He’s leaning over the middle console pointing at Juniper’s stuffed animal, when I reach for his arm.
He turns in the seat and faces me. “You all good?” he asks. His chin is covered in dusky stubble, like he skipped shaving today. I know I have made terrible decisions when it comes to men, but when I see the curve at the corner of his mouth, the way his cheek dimples ever so slightly…it all just hits me.
The warmth of the SUV, the smell of the new leather, and the richness of his cologne.
“You,” I murmur, shaking my head. “What you…”
Whether it’s my body talking or my heart or the brain that I can never trust to make the right decisions at times like these, I have to get closer to him. Before I can deny the impulse and talk myself into behaving rationally, I lean forward and cup his chin. His sunglasses are on the top of his perfectly waved hair, his deep brown eyes wide as he scans my face.
His expression changes. He stares without blinking and lowers his chin, almost nuzzling against my palm.
“Eden?” he says, his voice thick and low.
“Vito.” And before I can stop myself, I lean in to kiss him.
7
VITO
I don’t havetime to react before Eden’s lips brush across mine. Her mouth is soft as it opens against mine. Her fingers tighten, and a breathy little sigh rumbles in her throat, the sound so fucking hot, it’s like someone hit the on switch in my balls. My cock literally jerks in my jeans, but before I even realize it’s happening, it’s over.
Eden pulls back like she’s been shocked and covers her mouth with a hand. “Oh shit. Shit, shit,” she mutters. “I am so sorry. I should not have done that.”
I reach across the console and tug one of her hands from her face. I lace my fingers through hers and give her a squeeze. “I’m going to stop you right there,” I say. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“No, no, I do,” she says, her words coming out in a rush. “I don’t even know why I did that. I mean…I do know. I just…” She seems to notice that I’m holding her hand, and she lets her other hand drop down to trace my knuckles. “You’re not mad?”
I laugh and squeeze her hand. “Babe, I don’t know what the guys in LA are like, but if what you’re looking for is an invitation or permission or some shit…” I flick a look back at Junie and realize we’ve both been cussing up a storm. “Or some stuff,” I correct, “you got it. You need me to say yes, you got your yes.”
“Yeah?” she asks, seeming to calm down a little. She laughs softly as her shoulders relax. “I was more concerned that maybe you weren’t…”
I turn in my seat to look at her. “Maybe I wasn’t what?”
My eyes travel from her flushed cheeks along the deep vee in the long-sleeved top she’s wearing under a light, loose cardigan. Her thighs are painted into the dark jeans she’s wearing, and all I can think about is peeling away that fabric and the smooth skin of those thighs clamped around my ears while she rides my face.
“Interested?” I growl. “Attracted?” I shift around in my seat to relieve some of the pressure that’s building up from the partial boner that kiss gave me. Fuck, not just the kiss. It’s Eden. Her body. Her personality. “If you hadn’t ended that kiss so fast, we’d be halfway to making Juniper a sibling right now.”
Her laugh is nervous as I turn on the ignition and set the GPS to the next address. I meet Eden’s gaze, and we trade grins. Any asshole with eyes can tell Eden is stunning, so I’m guessing she’s hesitating because she’s been treated like shit in the past. Most women I know have asshole men stories that could fill a library.
Now seems about as good a time as any to ask.
“So,” I start. We’re just a few minutes from the next house. Not a ton of time to bring up serious shit, but we can at least put a pin in it and continue the conversation later. If it’s something she’s even up to sharing. “Eden, you know you’re smokin’ hot, stacked, beautiful. I ain’t got the vocabulary to come up with more words, but you’re it,” I say on a grin. “So, I take it the donor did you dirty?”
“The donor?” she asks, but then she seems to get it. “You mean Juniper’s dad?” She flicks a look over her shoulder and smiles at the little girl playing happily with her bunny. “Yeah, that’s a story, and thanks, by the way. For the compliments. I don’t think I’ve been called stacked before. At least, not that I ever remember.”
“I meant that in the best possible way,” I tell her. “And I love stories.” We’ll be at the next house in like six minutes. “But if it’s not a short one, it might have to wait.” I nod at the display on her truck that shows the map and that we’re almost to the destination.
I see her shift in the passenger seat. “It’s kind of a long story, and there are parts of it I…” She sighs. “It’s effed up, Vito. Really effed up. I want to share it, but be warned, you might not like what you hear. You might not even like me once you hear it.”
“Please,” I scoff. “There’s nothing you can say that would make me feel any differently about you.”
“I haven’t made the best decisions in life,” she says as she slides out of the car when I park, trying to avoid the conversation. I hope this conversation isn’t over because I want to know everything she seems so scared to share.
