I knew it was Enzo—of course it was—but the scream escaped before I could pull it back. I whirled around with one hand against my chest. “Holy fuck, you scared me.”
“Sorry,” he answered in a quiet voice that was completely free of apology. The closer I looked, the more I realized he wasn’t just not sorry—he was tired and tense. “Couldn’t sleep?”
I shook my head. “I guess it’s going around. Tea?”
He nodded.
I felt his gaze on me as I pulled down the assortment of tea bags, ignoring the heat that pumped through my body. His gaze was heavy—too heavy—and the harder I tried not to look at him, the more I wanted to.
When I turned, Enzo was right there, moving closer until his hands bracketed my hips, effectively trapping me between him and the countertop. “How are you holding up?”
“Fine,” I answered automatically and then sighed, shaking my head lightly. “No, I’m not. But I will be.”
“If you’re not, let me know. I’ve got broad shoulders, strong arms, and a very bendable ear.”
I laughed and gasped at the same time. Those words were so fucking familiar, something he used to say all the time when I kept my problems to myself. “I will be fine,” I said, repeating the words more for my sake than for his.
His gaze sharpened, taking in all the details I had easily been able to hide from Mattie all day. “Have you thought about what you’ll do when the thirty days are up? It’s almost here.”
The question landed heavily against my wobbly resolve. I’d thought about it a lot. Honestly, I’d thought about little else for the past week. “I have,” I answered carefully. His scent, so masculine and familiar, made it difficult to breathe. “I’m scared; I won’t pretend I’m not. But,” I sighed, shaking my head, “it wouldn’t feel right leaving Mattie on his own and forcing him to start over with someone else. Not now, and not just to make things easier on myself.” That was the truth I’d come to realize earlier today. Yesterday. And the day before.
“Is that the only reason?” he asked, each syllable weighed down with meaning. His eyes were dark and intent, searching my face for something I wasn’t sure I was ready to give. There was something else there too—heat and restraint, maybe even the desire he was no longer trying to hide. “Ren?”
I smiled faintly, and when I spoke, my tone was teasing. “Isn’t Mattie reason enough?”
Enzo’s mouth curved slowly. “He’s the best damn reason for anything.”
God, when he spoke like that, so lovingly toward his son, it only made him more attractive.Oh please, I am too old to believe in the bad boy with the heart of gold.
Thankfully, the kettle whistled at that moment, ripping through the quiet kitchen. I turned, pressing against his arm until he released me, grateful for the distraction. “Milk? Sugar? Honey?”
I poured water over the bags and turned back to Enzo, who was close. Too close.
His hand settled on my hip, firm and commanding. The other slid into my hair and tilted my head back ever so slightly. His green eyes held mine for a breathless second, half asking for consent and half demanding submission. Before I could respond, his lips were on mine. This kiss was nothing at all like the last one.
This was urgent and hungry. Achingly familiar in a way that made my legs wobble. I kissed him back without an ounce of hesitation. I kissed him back with every sensation I’d been holding back, all the desire I shoved down deep each morning bubbling up to the surface. His grip tightened possessively, and heat flared between us.
My world narrowed to the feel of his lips on my flesh as they dragged from my mouth down the column of my neck. His lips brushed against my collarbone before his tongue dipped into the hollow, pulling a gasp from me. He kept moving down, stopping to give my hard nipples the attention they craved.
I moaned and arched into his touch. My head fell back as his lips moved from my breasts down to my belly. My hips. The crook of my thigh.
He inhaled deeply, a low, guttural sound vibrating against my belly. “You smell just as I remember, Ren.” I heard the smile in his voice, and when I forced my eyes open, I saw the smile in his eyes. “Now I need to know if you taste the way you do in my dreams.”
Oh, fuck. “Yes, please.” My heart raced when he lifted one leg and tossed it over his shoulder.
The moment his mouth was on me, I knew I was in deep trouble. It wasn’t just that he knew I liked it a little too much when his scruff scraped along my inner thighs or how I loved it when he teased my clit with the tip of his tongue. It was the way his finger dipped in shallow strokes, teasing me until I begged for more. “You still get so fucking wet for me,” he moaned before diving back in to lick me until my whole body shook fiercely.
His lips wrapped around my clit and sucked so hard the orgasm exploded out of me. One hand was wrapped in his hair as my hips pumped in greedy, shallow strokes. “Enzo,” I breathed out. “Fuck.” That was even better than I remembered. He was even better than I remembered.
He pulled back with a too-satisfied smile and slowly rose to his feet, kissing a trail of heat up my body until he was at my mouth once again. “Even better than my wildest, filthiest dreams,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine.
I leaned forward, brushing my lips against his. “I always loved the way I tasted on your lips.”
He growled, scooped me into his arms, and carried me upstairs as if this was something we did all the time.
I buried my face in his shoulder, inhaling the scent of him mixed with my own. I let him hold me and I let myself savor it, enjoying this moment for what it was. I had no cluewhatit was, but I was determined to enjoy it.
When the door closed behind us, my heart galloped in my chest. Anticipation and fear mixed with desire and a longing so intense my eyes started to sting with unshed tears. How many times had I dreamed about being here like this with Enzo again? Too many to count over the years.
