At the sound of his voice, Aoife pulled away from her mother and turned her head.
“Nake, Nake!” she cried.
“Hi, baby girl,” he said, rubbing her back.
“Oh,” Aibhlinn breathed.
“Wait, your what?” Es questioned.
“It’s nice to meet the woman who tamed this wild man,” Aibhlinn said.
“I didn’t—”
“Don’t let her fool you. She ran
me through the paces, and makes me walk the line,” Snake stated with a wink.
Es sputtered behind him, sounding like a car out of gas.
Enzo laughed. “Did you tell her this before now?” Enzo asked.
Snake grinned, wrapped his arm around Es’s waist, and squeezed her hip. “I’m telling her now.”
He loved her blushing and speechless. She blinked and recovered after flashing him a look that said she’d have his ass later.
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Es said.
“Show us around, brother. I wanted to brag to her about my artistic friends,” Snake said.
“All right.”
“Here. You take her. She’s going to pitch a fit otherwise,” Aibhlinn said, handing him the squirming Aoife.
“Hey, baby girl. You miss your Godfather?” he asked, tickling her face with his beard.
Aoife laughed and pulled on his hair playfully.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Be a good girl, so I can see Mommy and Daddy’s work.”
“Kay,” she said, giggling as she hugged his neck. He cherished her small weight, rubbing her back as he turned his attention to the adults.
§
Estelle
She’d always found Snake attractive. But seeing him with his goddaughter set her ovaries on fire and made it impossible to stay upset with him. Old lady? She understood the significance of the title. In his world, it was something akin to a wife. Does he really feel that strongly about me? Do I feel that way about him? The questions swirled around in her head as the wind blew her hair out behind her. They’d left the gallery reluctantly to make their dinner reservations. She liked his friends. Enzo and his wife both had a certain charisma which made it difficult not to feel at ease. The Irish brogue didn’t hurt either. She could listen to Aibhlinn and her mother for hours. She snuggled into his back, loving the smell of old leather. Riding on a motorcycle was exhilarating and incredibly arousing. The large machine vibrated beneath her, making her wish for a different beast between thighs.
He pulled into the parking lot of The Prescient, one of the most well-known steak houses in the city. He really went all out. The gesture cooled her anger even further. She removed her helmet and they climbed off the bike.
“I can’t believe you got us a table here.”
“I can do romance, and believe me, you deserve the best. I’m lucky you gave me the time of day. I know that. I wonder why you stay.”
His honest words stunned her. “Is that why you said that back at Clover?”
“No. I said that because it is true.”
“How do you get to decide that for both of us?”