I reach for the waistband of the skirt and feel for the hook closure at the back. I unfasten it, then grab the zipper, and, inch by slow inch, work my hand along the length of her ass. Once the zipper is undone, I put a hand on either side of her ass and massage her through the fabric of the unzipped skirt.

  “Your body,” I whisper, dropping to my knees. I reach for the skirt and work it slowly over her hips. I stop when the fabric is just past her butt and suck in a breath. “Do you not wear underwear to work?”

  She looks at me over her shoulder, a playful expression on her face. “Maybe?”

  “Oh God.” In one swift move, I yank the skirt down around her ankles, revealing her long, thick legs wrapped in sheer black nylons. “Not going to lie,” I say, running my hands over her ass. “I’m thinking about biting right through these.”

  Her whole body trembles lightly. “These are cheap drugstore hose.”

  “Noted.” I shove her forward onto the bed. “Get comfortable,” I tell her. “I’m going to take my time.”

  While she’s lying facedown, I unbutton my jeans and shed my flannel. When I’m barefoot and in my boxers, I open her legs as wide as they will go while she’s still facedown. Then I climb onto the bed behind her and kiss every inch of her left leg, starting at the calf.

  I massage the soft fabric of the nylons under my hands as I blow hot kisses along her skin. She wriggles and moans while I work my way up to her thigh, but then I switch and cover her right leg in as much attention as I gave the left.

  “Good?” I ask, landing a firm smack against her butt.

  “Oh yes.” She’s resting with her left cheek on the bed, so I can see her eyes are closed and her mouth slightly open. “Babe, that is intense.”

  “Good.” I knead the back of her thighs and calves through the hose until her breathing becomes so even, I’m afraid she’s going to fall asleep. That is the opposite of what I want. I move up to her waist and push the hem of her blouse up so the waistband of her hose is exposed. Then I start kissing her lower back, flicking my tongue along her bare skin. She moans and wiggles her hips in response, so I add a little teeth.

  I nip at her soft, hot skin and try to grab a bit of the fabric between my teeth, but I end up cracking up and giving in. “All right, I may need to take these off, not bite them off.”

  Eden lifts her head and says in a soft whisper, “I want them off.”

  A feral growl works its way from my chest to my lips. “Turn over.”

  She rolls onto her back and unbuttons her blouse, exposing the modest petal-pink bra underneath.

  “Shirt off,” I demand, and still lying back, she works her arms out of the sleeves. “Show me your gorgeous breasts.”

  She nudges the thin satin bra cups past her nipples, the erect peaks stiff and pink. My mouth waters to taste them, but first, I have plans for these hose.

  I climb onto the bed and sit between her legs, reaching for the nylons. I make quick work of them and toss them to the floor before I settle my face between her thighs.

  I turn my head and kiss her inner thigh, squeezing her thick legs with my hands while working her tender skin with my mouth.

  Her breathing is ragged and she’s trying to bend her knees, but I use my palms to open her legs as wide as they can go.

  I lower my mouth and suck hard, drawing her soft skin into my mouth.

  I dip two fingers in my mouth to wet them, then make a V-shape with my fingers and stroke her outer lips.

  “V,” she breathes, clutching the comforter in her hands. “I need you inside me.” And then she’s gone before I can protest.

  She hustles from the bed to the bathroom, opens and closes a drawer, and then comes back with a condom already out of the foil. She rolls it over my dick, then strokes my balls lightly with her nails.

  “Eden…” I pant.

  She smiles and straddles my legs and lowers herself onto my cock. We both moan as I enter her, the feeling as perfect and delicious as ever.

  Arousal weakens my hands and knees, and I just lie there, my back against the pillows, while Eden grips my shoulders with her hands and grinds on my cock with long, sensual movements of her belly and hips.

  I open my eyes to watch her, her chest flushed pink, her nipples still hard and exposed over the bra cups. I feel a tightening deep in my gut, and I can hardly keep my eyes open, the pleasure is so, so good. Eden’s movements are sexy and slow until she whimpers and starts working her hips so fast and rhythmically, we’re banging the bed frame against the wall.

  But then, just as she arches her back and cries out, both of our phones ping at once with the distinctive chime of the home security system.

  She clamps her lips closed and rides out her climax, then drops forward and whispers in my ear, “Hurry, babe. Fuck me hard.”

  She doesn’t need to say another word of invitation. I grip her hips to hold her in place and pound into her as fast as I can. Within seconds, I’m falling over the edge and spilling inside the condom, my breathing rapid and my hair falling forward into my eyes.

  “We need more of these afternoons,” I grunt as she climbs off me, taking the condom with her.

  “Let’s not tell anyone I got fired. At least until we have one more morning to ourselves. Deal?”

  I lean forward and grab her arm, pulling her back toward the bed so I can kiss her. “Deal, baby. Now, get rid of that, and let’s get changed before my ma comes up here looking for us.”

  She giggles and hustles off to the bathroom. I grab my phone and send my ma a text, not at all willing to trust that she won’t run up here to say hello since both our cars are outside.

  Me: Remember the other day when I walked in on you and Pops in the kitchen? Unless you’re in the mood for paybacks, keep Junie downstairs for about five more minutes.

  I immediately get a text back with a load of smiley face and mind-blown emojis. I just grin because she’s exactly right. That’s exactly how I feel. And I have never, ever been happier.

  Epilogue

  Eden

  Six months later

  I tighten Juniper’s scarf around her neck while I wait for Vito to unlock his parents’ house. We’re arriving a little later than planned, and I’m afraid we’re going to miss seeing Benito before he has to get back to the restaurant.

  Vito gives me a bright smile as he holds the door open, and I slosh through the front door in my snow boots. I take off little Junie’s boots and jacket and set her on her feet. She’s walking like crazy now, and she can’t stand to be carried except through the ankle-deep snow.

  As soon as she’s down, she takes off running and squeals when she almost crashes into Ethan, who is lying on the floor playing with Lucia’s older lab mix.

  We decided to wait until summer to get a dog, when house-training won’t mean constantly mopping up snow and slush from the floor. If the way Junie plays with her grandparents’ dogs is any indication, she’s going to absolutely adore having a puppy of her own in a few months.

  Vito kicks off his boots and hangs both his coat and mine on hooks by the door while I unlace my boots.

  “Benny?” Vito cocks his head at the full house ahead of us. “I thought we’d miss you, man. Sorry we’re late.”

  “Baby.” Lucia blows me a kiss but stops to loudly smooch Juniper’s cheeks. Junie laughs and squirms away, preferring to play with her cousins than be loved on by Gramma Lucia.

  We have been living together now for well over six months and dating for almost ten months, so we decided it’s simpler to give everyone family names.

  As Juniper learns to talk, I thought it would be a lot easier for her to learn to say Gramma than it would be to say Lucia and then later, if Vito and I get married, start calling her by another name.

  As much as I love and adore Vito, and I know we’re both in this for the long haul, we’re in no rush to move any faster than this.

  He has his own bedroom at our house with blackout curtains so he can sleep when he needs to. His parents have become like the parents I never had and always wanted.

  I’m close with Gracie and Chloe, and I’ve even become close to Ryder since I started working with him at the children’s athletics facility he’s opened.

  “Hey, hey, there she is.” Ryder swoops past Ethan and Juniper to kiss me on the cheek. “How’d it go?”

  I grin and punch him in the shoulder. “Take a wild guess.”

  Ryder shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  I clap my hands together and cross my arms over my chest, preening at what I’m about to tell him. “Prepare to be amazed. Seventy kids from the Star Falls community are now enrolled in a fully funded adapted sports league.”

  “Whoa, whoa. Hold up.” Ryder looks at me with his mouth wide open. “I looked at the numbers on Friday. What the heck happened between then and today?”

  Vito comes up alongside me and slings an arm over my shoulder. “My girl went out on some calls.”

  I nod. For the last three months, I’ve been working for Ryder’s start-up. It turns out that my interest in finance isn’t totally going to waste. I have quite the knack for fundraising. He asked me a few months ago if I’d have any interest in seeing what the Star Falls business community’s interest would be in sponsoring an adaptive sports league.

  Buying specialized equipment like swings and safety gear, not to mention hiring well-trained aides to help run the league, is expensive. Like, made my head swim expensive. But I know there’s money out there for good causes, especially for those businesses that want local PR.

  You know I went knocking on Michelle’s door, and sure enough, she opened the checkbook and donated enough to fund an entire year of sports camps and equipment for one child with special needs.

  Ryder had a goal of being able to serve fifty kids, but I wanted to blow that number out of the water.

  I spent time while Vito was off on Saturday driving to local businesses and pitching sponsors face-to-face. Turns out, small towns are special places. A bunch of the businesses that hadn’t been interested during our phone campaign welcomed me in, listened to my pitch, and opened their checkbooks.

  “Holy shit, Eden.” Ryder’s eyes are wide, and he’s yanking his phone from his pocket. “Does Austin know? I have to tell him.”

  Lucia comes in from the kitchen, a platter loaded high with homemade meatballs in her arms. “I heard that.”

  Ryder grimaces and calls out, “Sorry, Ma.” Grace slips under his arm and tucks a hand in his back pocket.

  “Look at you,” Gracie says. “Killing it out there. Keep it up, and Ryder’s going to give you an office.”

  “Marry that woman,” Ryder says, pointing at Vito. “Don’t let this one go.”

  “I think he’s got me pretty locked down,” I say, giving Ryder a grin.

  Vito leaves us and heads to the dining room table, where Benito is furiously tapping into his phone. “Yo, idiot,” he says, smacking the back of his head. “No phones at the table.”

  Benito gives his brother the stink eye and smooths his hair back. “You’re the idiot. I’m dealing with shit.”

  “Benito.” Mario scowls at Benny over his glasses. “Don’t make your mother bring out the swear jar.” Pops fills the wineglasses and sets the empty bottle on the table, then grabs a second.

  We’re a big group now, but Sunday dinner is a requirement. Chloe and Franco sit knee-to-knee talking, Benny finishes sending his text, while Gracie corrals all her kids to their seats. Vito picks up Junie and places her in his lap—her favorite place to sit during family meals.

  “Why are you here anyway?” Gracie needles, lifting a brow at Benito. “You not working today or something?”

  Benito strokes his brow with his fingers and waves a hand at his sister. “Is it a crime that I actually want to take a day off? I’ve got the kitchen covered. I’m going to spend a whole family dinner with my family for once.”

  Gracie and Vito trade looks, but they leave the issue be. The Bianchis know how to tease one another, but they also know when too much is too much.

  There was a time when a family meal like this might have been too much for me. The noise, the heat, the food, the conversation.

  But today, I take my seat at the table beside Vito and feel completely at home.

  “So,” Vito says, clinking a fork against his water glass. “We have a little announcement. It’s little, so Ma, get that look off your face. No babies, no weddings. Nothing like that.”

  Lucia puts a pout on her lips and waves her matching pink nails at her son. “Is it too much for a mother to want more grandchildren? Is that so wrong?”

  “Not wrong at all,” Mario says, shaking his head. “Go on, son. What’s the news?”

  “It’s not so much news as just an FYI.” He leans down to kiss Juniper’s cheek. “You guys know Juniper turned two a couple weeks ago.”

  Ryder pats his belly. “We’re still eating leftover cake out of the freezer.”

  “That’s for the kids,” Gracie says, shaking her head and giving him a loving squeeze.

  “Yeah, well, Juniper got me a little present for her birthday.” He moves aside the unbuttoned flannel shirt to reveal a T-shirt that reads: Best Dad in Star Falls.

  “Hey,” Mario says, followed by a, “That’s what I was going to say,” from Ryder.

  Lucia alone covers her mouth and cries out with joy. “What does this mean, hun? You’re not pregnant, you’re not getting married…?”

  Vito looks at me, and I explain. “Junie’s learning so many new words every day. I figured since she’s calling all of you by your family names—Gramma and Papa, Auntie and Uncle—we should teach her to…” I stop, my voice catching on the words. My eyes fill with tears, and my nose stings with the happiest kind of joy. “We should teach her to call Vito Dad.”

  “Oh my God.” Lucia jumps up and kisses me and Vito, then lays a loud, juicy smooch on Juniper’s cheek.

  Mario raises his glass but says, “To one of the best dads in Star Falls.”

  “The best.” Vito corrects.

  “I’ll fight you on that. I got one of the best dads in town right here,” Gracie says.

  As the family devolves into a debate over which of the dads in the room is the best, I reach under the table and lace my fingers through Vito’s and squeeze.

  He’s the best man I’ve ever known. The only father Juniper has ever had.

  He’s my family, my partner, my friend. Neither one of us really wants to go back to school.

  Vito’s stopped applying for promotions at work, figuring that any extra time he has, he’d rather spend with our daughter or on our house.

  I may not have it all figured out, but I have everything that I really need. Everything I’ve always wanted.

  No matter what the future brings, jobs will come and go. Money will come and go. But the love I have for these people and this life—that’s what’s going to stay.

  I never dreamed I could have this kind of happiness. And every once in a while, I still get worried that Vito will leave or that Nathan will come back and try to mess up the life I’ve built for Juniper and myself.

  But every time the worries work their way in, I do what I’m doing right now. I reach out and touch the daughter who gives my life meaning. The man who makes me whole.

  I have never been happier, and I know Vito and I are going to do everything we can to make this relationship last.

  This is what making a life is for me. Imperfect. Loud. Full of people with small-town hearts and open arms.

  And as long as I have them, everything else is going to fall into place.

  I lift my wineglass and clink it against Vito’s, then pass Benito the salad. We eat our meal in the soft glow of the candles on the table, the warmth of the people crammed elbow-to-elbow on more chairs than the table should fit.

  We’re so close, I can hardly move without bumping into Vito or Benny, but I love it.

  As long as I’m part of this extended Bianchi clan, we can never be too close.

  Thank you for reading Never Too Close.

  * * *

  Are you ready for the last Bianchi sibling to find his happily ever after? Preorder Never Too Much and be prepared for the final story with your favorite family from Star Falls.

  NEW CHELLE BLISS STORE

  As a special thank you for reading Never Too Close, save 15% off your entire next order.

  * * *

  Use code NTC during checkout to save 15%.

  Join the Gallo family as their lives are turned upside down by irresistible chemistry and unexpected love.

  * * *

  Get the entire Men of Inked saga or other bundles by visiting chelleblissromance.com or your favorite retailer.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I’m a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, coffee fiend, and ex-history teacher. To learn more about my books, please visit menofinked.com.

  Want to stay up-to-date on the newest

  Men of Inked release and more?

  Join my newsletter at menofinked.com/news

  Join over 10,000 readers on Facebook in Chelle Bliss Books private reader group and talk books and all things reading. Come be part of the family!

  Where to Follow Me:

  LOVE SIGNED PAPERBACKS?

  Visit chelleblissromance.com for eBooks, audiobooks, signed paperbacks, and more.

  Don’t Miss Out!

  Join my newsletter for exclusive content, special freebies, and so much more. Click here to get on the list or visit menofinked.com/news