“Are you hot?”
I snap my head up to look at Thea across the room.
“Um, no, I’m fine.” I place the back of my hand to my forehead, feeling embarrassed. My mind had wandered and my blush wasn’t going to let me hide from it.
Gio and I parted ways after breakfast so that he could do some work with Salvatore and I could spend some time in the nursery with Thea. He kissed me on the lips in front of everyone like it wasn’t a big deal, and no one blinked an eye. I was surprised, but realized if he wasn’t going to be embarrassed to show affection to me, then I wouldn’t be either.
“Just checking. I thought it might be something else.” She winks at me and I try not to smile. “It’s okay, I know that look all too well.”
“So, I think you’re all set as far as furniture and car seats go. The baby bumper just needs to come out of the crib.”
“Did you sleep okay last night?” Thea asks, completely ignoring me by trying to change the subject.
Images of Gio’s cock between my legs. So long and hard it pressed through my thighs. Flashes of his cum on my fingers and the taste of him on my tongue as he slid between my legs.
“Oh, I’ll take that as a yes.” Thea folds some baby clothes and takes them over to the dresser.
“He’s…” I try to think of a way to describe him, but all I can think of is sex on a stick. “Intense.” I land on that and it seems to fit.
“Really? He’s always so laid back and funny. He’s the first to crack a joke. But I guess I could see that he might be that way with someone he loves.”
The L word makes me pause and look over at her. “Has he been in love before?” I can hear the confusion mixed with disappointed and jealousy in my own voice. Now I’m suddenly thinking that the kiss this morning seemed natural and easy because he does it with all kinds of women.
“No!” Thea is quick to answer and shake her head. “No, absolutely not. As far as I know, he’s been waiting on the one.”
“What do you mean?” I can feel my eyebrows pull together as I stand by the crib, waiting.
She shrugs and smiles. “I’ve talked to Salvatore about it a few times. Apparently, the men in Gio’s family are known to see the woman they are going to marry and know it right on the spot. It’s instant love and they live happily ever after. It’s happened in every generation as far back as they go.”
“So he’s just using women until he finds his wife?” The jealousy is building, and I don’t know why I’m suddenly so angry at the thought of being a plaything until he finds his bride.
“That’s not what I said.” Thea shakes her head and waves her hand. “What I’m saying is that I’ve never seen him with a woman, and neither has Sal. And they’ve been friends since they were babies.”
“Oh.” For some reason my heart flutters a little at that. “So…” I trail off, hoping she’ll give me more.
“So…he’s never even given a woman a long glance until you. Be careful with him, Emma. He’s a good guy, and he doesn’t do a single thing without thinking it through.”
I go over and sit down next to her to help her fold the huge pile of baby clothes and sort through the sizes.
“How do you handle this life?” I finally ask, needing to know what I’m getting myself into.
If Gio is for real and this is what Thea says it is, then I might be in this for the long haul. I’ve never been one to believe in love at first sight, but I know Gio is different. I knew the first time we kissed that our worlds collided, and now that I’m here, I’m both scared and the happiest I’ve ever been.
Thea beams at me. “This is so much more magical and perfect than anything I could have ever dreamed up in my head. Salvatore is the best husband any woman could wish for, and I never want for a thing.” She takes my hand and squeezes it in hers. “I know that some of the things he does might not seem right in the eyes of the law, but he and Gio are the good guys. They protect everyone in their family, and that means sometimes making the hard decision that people like me aren’t capable of. I know that they would fight to the death to protect me and my baby, and they will do the same for you. To me it’s not a question of how do I handle this life. It’s how do I handle not having this life.” She smiles again and I can see the pure love in her eyes. “That’s not something I’ll ever have to worry about, thanks to my Salvatore. I’m thankful for him every day.”