“Joey, don’t be rude,” scolded Joanna.
“I won’t get in your way.” I walked over to him. With a glance over my shoulder to make sure his sister wasn’t watching, I took one of Joey’s hands and pressed the tiny white square into it. “And if it’s not the right time for a lesson, that’s OK.”
Joey looked at me with a confused expression. “What’s this?”
“Read it.” I pleaded with my eyes before backing away.
“So, Tiny, how’s your sister Bridget? I haven’t seen her in a while,” said Joanna.
“She’s well,” I answered with a shaky voice. From the corner of my eye, I saw Joey unfold the handkerchief and my heart threatened to bounce out of my chest right onto the olives. Oh God, oh God, oh God. He’s reading it.
And then he looked at me, his lips parted. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and hope rose in me like a hot air balloon.
But he turned away and faced the stove again, and all I could do was blink back tears in disbelief. He doesn’t want me. I’m too late. My eyes dropped to the floor before closing.
“Bridget was such a good card player,” Joanna went on. “I remember how she and Vince used to beat Tony and me at—”
“Tiny.” Joey’s voice had a new energy to it. I looked up to see him yanking the apron over his head. “I forgot, I need something from the restaurant pantry downstairs. Will you help me bring it up?”
“I can get it,” Joanna offered. “What do you need?”
“No, we’ll get it. You watch the sauce,” Joey said quickly, rushing over and grabbing me by the wrist. “Come on.”
He pulled me out the kitchen door and we flew down the back steps, our feet thumping on the wood as quickly as my heart was beating.
When we got to the bottom of the stairs, Joey pushed open the door to the restaurant kitchen and yanked me through it. I had to run to keep up with his strides and we rushed by several cooks and servers who stared after us in confusion, but Joey didn’t stop. “Just grabbing something in the pantry,” he called out, pushing open a thick wooden door at the back of the kitchen and pulling me into the pitch-black space. He slammed the door shut.
As soon we were alone, what he grabbed was me.
First he pulled me into him, his glorious mouth on mine, his tongue driving between our lips. Then he boosted me up with his hands beneath my bottom and pushed my back against the door. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded, his breath hot against my mouth.
Heat rushed my lower body as I moved my dress out of the way and locked my ankles behind his hips. He put his hands on the door at either side of my head and pushed against me, and I could barely breathe it felt so good. If it was this incredible with our clothes on, I was going to lose my mind once we were naked and pressed skin to skin. How long would I have to wait? Could we get naked in the pantry?
I was honestly considering it.
“Did you mean it?” Joey asked between frantic kisses. “What you wrote?”
“Yes,” I breathed, reluctant to take my lips from his even for a moment. “Yes, I meant it. I mean it. I love you. And I’m sorry.”
“Shhh.” He trailed kisses down my neck. “We don’t have time for apologies. God,
I love your neck. You smell good enough to eat.” He licked and sucked a spot below my ear that made my nipples tingle.
I moaned with impatience. “That feels so good. You feel so good.” The pantry it is. With one hand I reached down between us and rubbed my hand on the erection straining at his trousers. “I want you inside me. Now.”
He made a strangled sound, the vibrations tickling my throat. “We can’t, Tiny.”
I ignored him, undoing buttons, slipping my hand inside his underwear and wrapping it around a cock so big and hard my mouth fell open in shock. “Jesus,” I whispered. “Maybe you’re right. I’m not sure you’ll fit inside me.”
Groaning, he kissed me again. “You are a little bit of a thing.” He brought his lips back to mine. “But I’ve spent too many hours thinking about you for it not to happen.”
“Hours, really?”
“Probably more like months, if not years.”
“Mmmm, you should have told me sooner.” I slid my hand up and down his impressive length. Maybe it was because Joey wasn’t very tall, but I had never imagined he’d be so big. “Oh my God, Joey. How do you keep this hidden?”
“Around you, it’s an effort,” he managed, clearly struggling for control. He dropped his forehead onto my shoulder and gasped. “Fuck, that feels good. God, I shouldn’t say fuck in front of you. Sorry.”