I heard what he said, but I stared at him blankly as I waited for the second part of that sentence. Because there had to be more to it. When nothing else came from his mouth, I blurted, “Sorry?”
“You heard what I said.”
“You want me in your hotel room until I leave?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
“Why?” I asked, surprised that he wanted more of my company and not less.
He stared for several heartbeats, thriving in that signature silence that would make anyone else uncomfortable. “Because I want you.” It was a simple sentence, the same one he’d repeated several times, but each time he said it, it took on a new meeting. “So, go up there and grab your stuff, or I’ll grab it for you.”
The elation I felt was cosmic, but it was quickly swallowed by the protective shield in my mind, the reminder that this was temporary. Icouldn’t get too excited, not when our days were limited, that this was a very short-lived situationship. I’d already gotten so attached to this man, and it was hard to imagine not having him in my life, even if he was just a friend. To never see his smile, to never feel the warmth of his presence, to not have him in my corner when I felt alone.
But I was too weak to fight the warning. Too weak to protect myself. All I had left with this incredible man was a few days, and I’d rather cherish that time now and mourn it later than not have it at all. “Give me ten minutes.”
Chapter 9
Constantine
I woke up bright and early like I did every morning, and Aurelia was already on her side, the big shirt she wore scrunched around her hips, her panties gone because she’d never put them back on after last night.
I was a man in his prime, and sex was better than coffee, so I slid inside from behind, my arm hooked around her thigh to hold it up for her as I thrust. She slowly woke up, her breathing deepening, her moans raspy because she was still half asleep.
I finished within a minute, because this was just a means to an end, and then I left her there and slipped out to head to the gym. I did my workout, showered when I got back, and then headed into town to visit Rosticceria Da Cristina. We had two locations, one that was only a takeaway spot, and the other that was also a sit-down restaurant. I headed to that one, knowing the family would be there to prepare for the day.
I walked past the window and saw my mother and Aunt Chiara in the kitchen, preparing the rice that would be used for the arancini. Other members of the kitchen staff were there, preparing for the rush that would happen the second we opened.
The door was unlocked, so I let myself inside. “Need a hand?” I hadn’t spent as much time with them as I should have, but I hada distraction in my bed that very moment ... and she was quite the distraction.
Mom looked up from her work on the table, and her eyes lit up at the sight of me like they always did when she saw me. “That’s my boy.”
I washed my hands in the sink, then gloved up before I joined them at the table, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek. After working there as a kid, I knew exactly what to do to prepare the ingredients to be molded into a ball before it was fried, the rice, cheese, and vegetables warm on the inside, the surface crispy and strong enough to contain the contents.
“Haven’t seen you much, Con.” Aunt Chiara kept her eyes down on her work, and her tone was accusatory—like always. My mother and her sister were two peas in a pod, and after losing both of their husbands, they were even closer. The matriarchs of the family, the ones running the restaurants and hosting family dinners on the weekends.
I smirked as I rolled the balls of rice mixed with pistachio pesto and cheese together before piling them on the pan to be coated with the breadcrumbs. “Gotten sidetracked.”
“By?” my mother pressed.
Shit, they knew.
I ignored the question as I worked across the enormous table, other staff members working on the dough for the pizzas in the other kitchen. “You know how it goes.”
Aunt Chiara looked up from her work, giving that powerful stare that used to scare me as a boy. Like she could apply enough pressure to break a skull with just her eyes. All the while, she continued to work on the arancini ... which made it all the more impressive. “Who’s the girl, Con?”
My smile widened. “Nothing gets past you two, huh?”
“It’s a small town,” Mom said. “And according to everyone in it, you’ve taken her everywhere.”
My eyes stayed down on my work, the smile still stretched across my mouth. “Well, like you just said, it’s small.” Now I felt both women staring at me, abandoning their work to give me that third degree.
I worked until the bowl was empty, and then I carried it to the sink so the dishwasher could take care of it later. I ripped off my gloves and tossed them in the trash.
They both stood there, demanding details in their lethal silence.
I chuckled. “If the restaurant goes under, the two of you can easily make a career of getting people to pay their debts with looks like that.”
“What’s her name?”
