“What’s that all about?” I asked Mike, who still held MJ. “What’re they up to?”
He snorted. “Who knows? Hopefully not another shopping trip. She’s running out of closet space.”
I laughed while still keeping my eyes on Val, who gazed up at Frisco with tears in her eyes, then hugged him tight. “He loves spoiling the people he loves.”
“Yeah? What do you think he’s getting you for Christmas?”
Frisco’s eyes met mine, and their startling, intense blue sent a shock wave of desire through me. I recognized that look, and my body responded.
“I have no idea, but it doesn’t matter.”
Mike took my arm and shook me out of my lust-filled stupor. “Stop it. You’re doing it again.”
“What?” I stared at him. “Doing what?”
“Making it like you don’t count. Being second in the relationship. It does matter.Youmatter.”
A bit surprised by his outburst, I blinked. “Uh, yeah, I know I do.”
“Well, you’re not acting like it by saying that crap.”
“Mike, dude, chill out. I never said I don’t matter. I said it doesn’t matter what he gets me for the holiday. He does so much for me during the year. I’m not obsessing over one day. Besides, he’s never had a real Christmas, so he doesn’t understand. Last year doesn’t count—our relationship was still so new, we decided to keep it low-key. I hadn’t even moved in here yet.”
“But you’re happy, right? I mean he and I talk mostly business, but I poke my nose in sometimes.”
“I can only imagine.” I leaned against the island. “And yeah, I am. More than I thought possible. Like how you knew Val was the one for you? Well, Frisco is it for me.”
Whatever Val and Frisco were cooking up between them had finished, and they approached us. Val took the baby from Mike, and Frisco slid his arm around my shoulders.
“Have a good evening. Do you need us to call you a cab or help you downstairs?” Frisco asked, his fingers playing along my nape.
Mike smirked. “Not anxious for us to leave or anything, are you?”
“What was your first clue?” Frisco’s eyes gleamed, and we all laughed.
“You’re a real charmer, Frisco. But at least you’re honest. Torre, tomorrow night, brother. See you Christmas Eve, partner.”
“Yeah, yeah, good night.” Frisco slapped him on the back.
Tina gave me a hug and a kiss and looked up at Frisco. He’d always been a bit stand-offish with his affection to her, giving a wave or a smile, but shockingly, this time he bent and kissed her cheek.
“We had fun, right,polpetto?”
“Yeah.” She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, and then they were gone.
Immediately upon my closing the door, Frisco had his arms around me. “I thought they’d never leave.”
I turned to face him and kissed him in the hollow of his cheekbone. “Yeah? Why? You have someplace you need to be?”
Blue eyes alight, his wicked grin set my pulse spiking and my heart fluttering. He cradled my chin in his hand and brushed his lips to mine.
“Inside you.My favorite place in the world. Upstairs or downstairs. I don’t care. Pick one, because I’ve been waiting all day to have you alone. Patience may be a virtue, but I’ve always found the virtuous to be highly overrated.” He ran his nose across my cheek. “Sinners have much more fun,” he murmured.
I nuzzled into the warmth of his palm and kissed him. “Sofa.”
He pulled me close first and covered my mouth with his. Like always, the mere touch of him ignited a fire inside me. His tongue licked at my lips and I sucked on it, hungry and greedy.
“Bello,” he whispered, and I melted at the passion in that simple endearment.
