“I’m gonna say it anyway. Honesty and all that shit, remember? I think,Gabriella, you don’t like it because it makes you hot. Am I right or am I right?”
I should strangle him right now and kill two birds with one stone. Shut his cocky mouth up and put the goddamn bug on him.
“C’mon, Gabi. Give me something. I mean look at me. Why do you like to make me feel like a potato sack?”
My eyes rolled as I snorted, looking at the window. In my reflection, I could see that I was…smiling.
He stopped at a red light. “Caspita, is that a smile?”
It was a tiny bit of the long-forsaken gesture, but yes. That was a smile on my face. “No!” I pursed my lips on the lie. “Nope. I wasn’t smiling.”
“Yes, you were.”
“No, I was not.”
“Holy Heavens. I should’ve gotten that on camera. That was definitely a smile.”
“Let it go, will ya? What are you ten?”
“No, but if you’re into MDLB, I’ll be mamma’s lil boy all you want. Whatever floats your boat, babe.”
“Oh for God’s sake, eeeeeew.”
“So you know what MDLB is?”
“Of course, I do. I’m a romance editor. I’m familiar with all age play kinks, and they most certainly do not float any boat of mine.”
“What kinks do then?”
“Jesus, what makes you think I have any? Couldn’t I just be vanilla? I mean look at me.”
His eyes were potent, taking their time as they studied me, my face, my breasts, my legs, my breasts again, and finally, pierced my gaze. “I am looking,” he said gruffly. “I don’t think you’re vanilla at all. In any way. And before your mind flips, I’m being brutally honest.”
My breath caught, and I couldn’t hold our gaze as he was eating me with his stare like that. The heat he induced in me engulfed my whole body now. “I don’t like this. I don’t like any of this.”
“I wish you could tell me why. I don’t know you that well, but I know you think it’s wrong to feel alive after losing your husband. But life doesn’t stop even when you think it did. It’s been three years. It’s okay to feel attracted to another man, even for a brief second, and it’s okay to smile, even if it’s every once in a while.”
No, it wasn’t. Not for me. I didn’t deserve to smile. I didn’t deserve any chance at happiness. I didn’t deserve to feel anything good. Ever.
I saw his hand coming for mine. I scooted a little and pointed at the lights. “It’s green. At last.”
He smirked. “Saved by the lights. I was just about to tickle you.”
“God help me. You really are ten.”
“I’d do anything to get that smile out of you and then get it on camera so you wouldn’t lie about it.” He shifted gears. “Which was so naughty of you. I thought Lady Brighton didn’t lie, and I thought we agreed on being honest all the time.”
“I wasn’t lying, Fabio.” I just couldn’t believe it was true myself. “You probably imagined it.” So did I. It was the only explanation my mind accepted.
We stopped at another light, and his eyes danced with mischief.
“Don’t you dare,” I warned.
“So youareticklish. Hmmm…where?”
“Fabio…”
“You either tell me or I’m gonna tryeverysingle spot on your sexy body—”
