“Yeah, Rocky?” she says, holding a Barbie in each hand.

  “Want to spend the night at Izzy’s house?”

  Her eyes widen, and she gasps before jumping up from the floor, filled with excitement. “Mommy, can I? Please. Please. Please. Please say yes,” she begs.

  “You play dirty,” I whisper in Rocco’s ear.

  He gives me his eyes again, smile still on his lips. “You haven’t seen anything yet, sugar.”

  I’m stunned speechless. The look in his eyes tells me he’s not playing games.

  “Mommy, can I?” Adaline asks again when I don’t answer.

  “Yeah, baby,” I whisper, not looking at her but keeping my gaze firmly planted on the predator in front of me. “You can go to Izzy’s.”

  I hear Adaline exclaim, “Yes!” but I’m too busy staring down the man who’s threatening me with orgasms, and my body’s wiring is going haywire at the veiled threat of pleasure.

  “I gotta go, sugar. I’ll have Ma pick up Addy at six, and I’ll be home shortly afterward. We’ll grab her at Grandma’s tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  “Good girl,” he says back, leaning in and kissing me, taking my words with him as he stalks into the kitchen, sets his mug in the sink, grabs his phone, and strides out the door.

  “What did I just do?” I whisper to myself, holding on to the table with one hand, trying to catch my breath.

  “I gotta go pack,” Adaline says.

  “It’s only nine, baby.”

  “I want to be ready,” she tells me, sounding way older than she is. “I’m so excited. Which Barbie should I bring?” She’s still holding one in each hand, pushing them in my face.

  “Bring all of them. A girl can’t have too many.”

  She turns around, dolls in hand, and skips down the hallway.

  Then it hits me, or, I should say, she hits me.

  Jade.

  He didn’t mention her or fess up, but whoever she is, he isn’t meeting her tonight. At seven, he’s going to be giving me his brand of torture, and I am going to be there for every freaking fuckable second.

  Nine hours later, I have a new cell phone, a little girl who can’t sit still, and so much excitement coursing through my system I think I am liable to have a stroke.

  “You look like you’re about to jump out of your own skin, dear,” Rocco’s mom says before she even steps inside.

  “Just nervous for a night alone.”

  She gives me the same shit-eating smirk Rocco’s so good at. “I remember what it was like when my mother would take the kids for the night. Just enjoy yourself.”

  “Izzy!” Adaline runs toward the door, almost knocking me over to get to her.

  Izzy’s on the ground, one knee resting on the cement, arms open and waiting for Adaline. “Are you ready for tonight, sweet pea?”

  “Yes!” Adaline says, wrapping her arms tightly around Izzy’s neck. “What are we doing?”

  “All the girl things you can imagine. We’re going to do mani-pedis and then makeup and hair.”

  “Pani medis?” Adaline’s face scrunches.

  “Mani-pedis.” Izzy laughs softly and pulls Adaline’s arm from around her body. “Mani is for your fingernails. We’re going to paint them.”

  “Can I do yours?”

  “Of course.” Izzy smiles, and I wonder if she knows what she’s in for because the kid can’t paint a nail to save her life.

  “The best night ever.”

  “And pedi is for your toes. I bought every shade of pink I could find for your cute little pigs.”

  Adaline wiggles her pudgy little toes. “A different color for every nail.”

  “Whatever you want,” Izzy tells her before standing and coming face-to-face with me again. “She’ll be in safe hands.”

  “I have no doubt,” I tell her honestly. “She’s just never stayed at anyone’s house. This is the first night she’ll ever be away from me.”

  Izzy touches my arm. “We’re only a phone call away, and if she wants to come home, I’ll bring her back right away.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Izzy.”

  “I’ll call first, of course. We wouldn’t want to interrupt your night alone.”

  I bite my lip, feeling awkward. “I appreciate that, but if she wants to come home, we can come get her. You’re already doing so much to help.”

  “Just enjoy the silence,” she tells me, still touching my arm. “You almost ready, Adaline? Go get your stuff and go potty before we leave. We’re going to the store first to grab a few things before we bake cupcakes tonight.”

  Adaline’s mouth drops open, and she’s so happy, she only lets out a squeak. A second later, she’s gone, and only Izzy and I are left in the room.

  “I know you know about Rocco and his tastes,” she says, squeezing my arm. “Don’t be scared. I was in your shoes a long time ago, but I let go. And let me tell you, girl…best decision of my life.”

  “I’m super nervous.”

  She gives me a gentle smile. “Do you have feelings for my son?”

  I nod. “If I’m being honest, I always have, and they never went away.”

  “Just be gentle with him. I know he seems tough, but he’s just like his father. They’re fiercely protective, love deeply, and they would rather hurt themselves before they ever hurt you. He’s gone through a lot, just like you have, Rebel, but he needs you in his life.”

  “This is crazy,” I whisper.

  “There’s no way to stop fate. When you’re meant to be with someone, the world has a way of pushing you back together again. Just open your arms and enjoy the ride, sweetie.”

  “I’m ready,” Adaline says from my side. She’s carrying a pink backpack that can’t even be zipped up. It looks like she’s packed for a longer trip than just an overnight.

  “Let’s go, beautiful. We have cupcakes to bake and nails to paint. If we beg, James might let us do his nails too.”

  “Oh boy,” I whisper, finding that hard to imagine.

  “He’s a sucker for kids. The best dad I’ve ever seen besides my own, and I’m sure my boys will be the same.”

  Rocco has been great to Adaline, taking to her like she is his own. I haven’t put her to bed a single night since we got here, but that’s been her choice and not mine. I had always been her number one, but I knew the kid craved the attention of a man, and she’s made it very clear where her heart is going…just like her mother.

  I bend down, lifting Adaline’s backpack higher up on her shoulder. “Be good for Izzy and James, okay?”

  Adaline nods before throwing her arms around me. “I love you, Mommy. I’ll be a good girl.”

  “Love you too, baby.” I hug her tightly, fighting back the tears of the first time being away from her.

  “Come on, kid. Mommy has to get ready for Rocco to come home. She’s going to have a busy night.”

  I suck in a breath, feeling winded and anxious.

  “Relax, Rebel. He’ll never hurt you,” she tells me. “Never.”

  “Thanks, Izzy.”

  She nods. “Just remember to let go and trust that he’ll always do right by you.”

  “I don’t trust easy anymore. Too much baggage.”

  She leans in and hugs me, whispering in my ear, “I know my son, and if there’s one person you can trust, it’s him.”

  I give her a quick nod before she takes Adaline’s hand and walks out the front door. I stand in the doorway, leaning against the frame, unable to take my eyes off them.

  Adaline looks back a few times, waving at me with the biggest smile on her face. My girl is happy. She is happy to be with someone else, and somehow that doesn’t hurt my heart. She’s found a woman who wants to do all the girl things and who will shower her with attention.

  There isn’t anything not to love about Rocco’s family. Besides him being a dick sometimes, I can’t find much wrong with him either.

  But the night is young, and I still don’t know how I feel about so many orgasms I’d beg for him to stop.

  17

  Rocco

  Rebel’s on the couch when I walk in, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater and looking pale. “Hey,” she says as soon as she sees me.

  “Hey, sugar. My mom pick up Addy?”

  “Yeah. We’re alone now.”

  I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

  “You ready to go?” I ask.

  “Go?” Her eyes widen, and her leg starts to shake. “Go where?”

  “Dinner. I’m starving.”

  She stares at me, blinking like she doesn’t quite understand what I’m saying. “Dinner?”

  “Food. I’m taking my girl on a real date.”

  “But…” She pauses, her gaze moving toward the bedroom. “I thought you said something about all the orgasms.”

  “That’s dessert.” I smirk, dipping my head toward the door. “But first, I’m taking you out for a real meal and a few drinks.”

  She stands, smoothing out her jeans. “I could eat.”

  “We haven’t had time to talk over a good meal without the kid around. I want to take you out somewhere nice.”

  She peers down at her outfit. “I’m not really dressed for somewhere nice.”

  “You look beautiful, Rebel, and it’s not that swanky of a joint. Come on, baby. I’m sure you haven’t eaten much all day, sitting here wondering about the pleasure I am going to deliver.”

  She walks toward me, wrapping her arms around my middle as soon as she’s close enough. “I thought a lot today,” she says, tipping her head back to give me her stunning blue eyes. “About my life, our past, and us.”

  I put my hands on her ass, staring down at her. “And what did you decide?”

  “I thought about slowing things down.”

  I tighten my fingers around the swell of her ass. “Oh.”

  Fuck. I was afraid of that. Too much time alone to think isn’t always a good thing. She’s been through a lot in her life. More than I’ll ever know or fully understand. But I’m not them. I’m not her husband from a loveless marriage who got himself killed or a man who’d ever lay his hands on her for any reason.

  “Whatever you want, sugar,” is all I can say because I’m playing by her rules and timeline. “If you want to slow shit down, we’ll slow shit down.”

  Her eyes soften as my stomach tightens. “Don’t you think we’re moving too fast?” she asks, placing her hands on my chest.

  I take one hand, gripping her wrist, feeling the strong beat of her pulse, remembering the day of the accident and how happy I was to know she was alive. “I don’t know about too fast, Reb. I’ve known you for ten years. Ten years is a long fucking time.”

  “We haven’t seen each other in ten years.”

  Our bottom halves are pressed together, no space between, both of our hearts racing. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t think about you every day. Figured I’d never see you again, but I still didn’t stop seeing you in my dreams every night.”

  She bends her neck, resting it on my pec beside her hand. “But what if this doesn’t work out?”

  Kissing the top of her head, I mumble, “Then at least we know we tried. I’m not willing to just let you go without at least seeing what this could be. But if you want to walk away, please wait until I know you’re going to be safe, and Addy too.”

  “I love that you call her that,” she whispers into my shirt, curling her fingers around the material. “I’ve never felt as safe as I do in your arms, Rocco. Never knew the peace I feel when I’m with you. I don’t know how to process or accept the happiness.”

  I raise my hand to her chin and tip her head back using my fingertips. “You deserve happiness, and I want to be the one to give it to you, sugar. Let’s go to dinner, hang out, have a proper date, and we’ll slow things down. Once the storm passes, if you want to go, I won’t stop you. It’ll hurt, baby, but I can deal with my own pain better than I can deal with others’.”

  She stares up at me with water rimming her eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”

  “I’m the lucky one,” I say. “Didn’t think I’d ever find this feeling again, but you’re here and I’m feeling everything deep. So damn deep, I’ll go at your speed as long as you feel safe, baby.”

  She lifts up on her toes, pressing her lips to mine, kissing me so gently my heart flutters. “Dinner would be perfect.”

  I smile down at her, holding her face in my hand. “Whatever you want.”

  “Rocco,” she whispers, staring at me with her blue eyes. “We can still have sex, though, right?”

  I can’t stop myself from turning my face toward the ceiling and bursting into laughter. “God, you’re so fucking cute, Rebel. My cock is yours. Whatever you want, whenever you want it.”

  “I like that,” she tells me as she wipes her eyes, the tears subsiding as quickly as they came. “I like that a lot.”

  A half hour later, we slide into a booth at Salvatore’s, the best damn Italian food in the county besides my grandmother’s. It’s tucked away, hidden, and a treasure only the locals know about.

  “Rocco,” the owner, a man named Martin, greets as we walk through the door. His arms instantly open, welcoming us.

  My hand is at the small of Rebel’s back, moving her with me into the small entryway near the hostess stand. “You’re looking well,” I tell him, exchanging the customary half-ass kiss on each cheek.

  “So do you, my boy,” he says before his eyes drift to Rebel and brighten. “Who do we have here?”

  “Martin, this is Rebel, my…”

  What do I call her? I want to say she’s my girlfriend, but she wants to take it slow. Friend sounds too casual, and I rarely, if ever, touch my friends in the way I’m touching her.

  “His girlfriend,” Rebel says at my side, finishing the sentence for me to end the awkward pause I created.

  “Bella,” Martin whispers before taking Rebel’s hand in his and kissing the top. “Rocco has the finest taste in food and women.”

  Rebel blushes but doesn’t pull her hand away when Martin lingers a little longer than I like. “Thank you,” she says softly.

  I clear my throat, staring at Martin a little bit more harshly when he doesn’t let her go. “You done?”

  Martin glances up, winking at me. “It’s not often we have such beautiful creatures in here.”

  I roll my eyes. “Martin, you’re a shit liar.”

  “New ones, then.” He smiles and touches his chest after he finally releases her hand. “Let an old man enjoy himself for a minute. One day, you’ll be old too, and you’ll realize you have very few charms left.”

  I shake my head, trying to hold back my laughter. “I know what your wife looks like, Martin, and she’s stunning.”

  “Jade,” he calls out over his shoulder, and Rebel’s body stiffens. “Rocco’s here.”

  A dark-haired beauty with the most captivating green eyes glides out from the dining room. “Ah, Rocco. I’m so happy you were able to make it.” Jade’s eyes flicker to Rebel with a small smile. “We are beyond delighted to have you here tonight.” Jade presses her body against Martin’s, touching his chest. “Martin had the chef prepare a special menu for you and your special guest.”

  I dip my chin, giving Jade a smile. “Jade, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Rebel.”

  Jade smiles at Rebel, appraising her. “It’s lovely to meet you. Rocco is one of our favorite customers, but he’s usually alone or with his brother. This is a special occasion, and we’re going to make your night perfect. I hope you enjoy the food.”

  “Thank you, Jade,” Rebel says, returning the smile, but it barely reaches her eyes.

  I’m not sure what the fake smile is about, but the tension coming off Rebel is palpable.

  “I appreciate you making tonight happen. I know you’re usually closed tonight, Jade. It means a lot.”

  “You’re like family, kid,” she tells me, which earns her a laugh. “Let me show you to your table.”

  “I’ll grab a bottle of our best wine,” Martin tells us, holding up a finger. “Only the best for you two lovebirds.”

  “I don’t remember the last time I saw that man in such a romantic mood,” Jade says, motioning for us to follow.

  Once at the table, I pull out Rebel’s chair, waiting for her to sit before tucking her underneath.

  This night isn’t going to go exactly as I planned. I didn’t think she was going to tell me we needed to slow things down, but I completely understand. Hopefully I can use my charm and sexual persuasion to get her to change her heart and mind.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Rebel says, glancing around the restaurant, soaking in the ambiance.

  “It’s very exclusive and very few people know about it, but I wanted to treat you to something special tonight.”

  She looks so beautiful in the soft glow of the lighting above us and the single candle on the table.

  “So, Jade…” Rebel whispers, leaning forward when she says her name. “You know her well?”

  I tilt my head, staring at Rebel, wondering what she’s getting at. “Jade’s been a friend for many years.”

  “Have you slept with her?”

  “She’s Martin’s wife, Rebel.”

  “Not an answer.”

  This is a tricky situation. Technically, I have slept with Jade, but it was years ago, before she met Martin and was swept away by his good looks and his amazing cooking skills. Jade and I played at a club in downtown Tampa for a month. She always wanted more, but I wasn’t able to give it. Once Martin laid eyes on her, our casual relationship ended.

  “Have you slept with her?” Rebel asks again.

  “A long time ago, Rebel. A long, long time ago,” I admit, shifting my weight forward, hating to tell her this. But in the name of truth and transparency, I can’t hide what had happened between us, no matter how short or insignificant.

  Rebel’s gaze moves to where Jade’s standing across the way, grabbing two wineglasses. “Does her husband know?” Rebel whispers.

  “I introduced them,” I tell her, which gets me two raised eyebrows.