She should know by now that I’m a weak motherfucker when it comes to her.
She stands next to me, too close, and leans over the food. “What did you bring?”
“Where are your plates?”
She points to the cupboard behind me. I grab a plate, and when I turn around, she’s pouring two glasses of wine. She slides a glass toward me.
“Thank you.” I gather a little from each container, then put the plate in the microwave.
I lean against the counter as I wait for the food to warm up and take a sip of my wine. I notice for the first time what she’s wearing, and my dick instantly gets hard. She’s in black silk shorts and a matching tank top. No bra underneath, which is evident by her hard nipples that I can see the outline of through the thin fabric.
She must notice where my attention has landed.
“I’m sorry,” she says, partly embarrassed. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“You’re fine,” I say gruffly as I try to regain control of myself. “I’m the one who showed up unannounced.”
“I’m glad you came. I tried to be healthy today and had a salad for dinner. I’m starved.”
I smile as the microwave beeps. “Well, let’s rectify that.”
The plate is hot to the touch as I place it in front of her. She grabs a fork and knife, then cuts a piece of braciole and places it into her mouth, and I realize I’m jealous of a piece of meat.
The moment the first bite hits her tongue, her eyes flutter shut. A satisfied moan escapes her lips.
“Oh my God!” she gasps as she covers her mouth. “This is amazing!”
She reaches for another piece and continues to make noises while chewing, completely oblivious to the effect her sounds are having on me. I lean forward on the counter and white-knuckle the edges. She is pure torture. Torture I couldn’t tear myself away from if I tried.
“Seriously, Roman,” she declares as she swirls some pasta around her fork, “I’d give up my life savings to eat like this every night.”
That makes me chuckle. “Careful. If I tell Ma, it’ll go to her head.”
“It should. She deserves to fill her head with all kinds of compliments and praise. Anyone who can cook like this should have a big head.”
“Trust me, she’ll use it against you when she can.”
She smiles up at me with a big drop of sauce at the corner of her mouth. I duck my face, hoping she doesn’t see the amusement written all over it. She’s so fucking adorable.
When I look back at her, she still has no idea it’s there. Without thinking, I lift my hand and drag my thumb across her bottom lip over to the corner.
“You’ve got …” I start as I pull my thumb away, then lick the sauce off my thumb.
She freezes, her eyes locking with mine. Her lips part slightly. Neither of us moves as the tension in the air thickens. I swallow hard, unable to focus on anything but wishing I could put my lips where my thumb was.
“Sauce,” I finish.
Her chest rises and falls rapidly. I’d bet anything, if I looked a couple of inches south, I’d see her nipples looking harder than before.
She looks away quickly, then continues to eat the food on her plate. “Thank you for bringing this over. You made my night.”
She takes another big bite of pasta. “Drew sent over a bunch of orders to get started with the lobby, and I approved them today. We should be set to begin construction in the next week.”
She looks up at me thoughtfully. “How are you feeling about all of it?”
My shoulders rise stiffly as I take a deep breath. “I’m excited. Maybe a little bit nervous.”
I don’t admit my feelings often to people, but I find it so easy to talk to her. I just know that she won’t judge me.