Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family 3)

“I’d love some cake but I think I better eat something a bit more substantial as I missed dinner. So, the chicken pasta bake, please.”

“Okay.” Barbara grabbed the menus and disappeared.

Erin sighed in relief.

“You okay?”

“I guess so.” Erin wondered if she’d ever be okay. Despite it all being an act, the past eighteen months had really taken a toll on her.

Even as she sat at the table for two in the bistro, she could almost convince herself that it was a date. He was a handsome man and adored his family. She’d seen his love for them often and it had hurt her every time they’d been together at his family home.

“Are you thinking about my family?” Mateo asked and took her hand into his much larger one.

He played with her fingers as she admitted, “I hate how I treated you and your family, Mateo.”

His fingers on hers stilled at her confession before he raised her hand to his mouth, kissing each of her knuckles. “You have beautiful hands—small and dainty. I love the feel of them on my skin. You really helped with the pain in my knee.”

She blushed and the image of Mateo locked behind the bathroom door jumped back into her mind. Before she could think, she blurted out, “Is that what made you…um…Oh, God. Never mind. Forget what I was about to say.” She couldn’t meet his gaze as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

But her imagination ran wild and she could picture Mateo with his own hand wrapped around his long hard cock as he stroked himself to completion, which she’d heard.

She squirmed in her chair as the ache between her thighs intensified.

“Look at me, Erin.”

“I’m so embarrassed. I can’t.”

Mateo chuckled, and then whispered, “I’m the one who jerked off because having your hands on me gave me an erection. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She met his gaze, unable to hide the hurt behind his parting shot afterward. “You told me any woman would have done that.”

“I lied okay. I was an idiot. It was you.” He gripped her hand. “It doesn’t sit well with me that there are ten years between us.” He looked away from her as though he was gathering his thoughts before he said, “But what is annoying is that I can’t work out how I feel. I can’t stop touching you after being with you for the past eighteen months and not wanting to be around you.”

“You surprise me. I didn’t expect you to admit anything.” Erin pulled her hand free when Barbara stood over them with their food.

She felt the loss of that connection and wondered about it. It shouldn’t affect her the way that it did. She liked him holding her hand because it made her feel like there was someone who cared.

Barbara looked between the two of them, shook her head, and then left them alone.

“Eat while it’s warm, Erin.” Mateo indicated her food with his hands. “I can hear your stomach from here.”

She chuckled. “I didn’t think it was that loud.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Mateo picked up his fork and started in on the carrot cake. As he placed a piece into his mouth, his eyes closed on a sigh of pleasure.

Ignoring what he did to her, she asked, “That good, huh?”

His eyes snapped open and focused on her. “It’s unreal. I’ll save you a piece.”

As she dug into her pasta, she wasn’t sure he’d remember to save her a taste with the way he savored his favorite dessert. It was sweet and he ate it with relish. It was as though he hadn’t been treated in a while.

With a silent sigh, she ate the pasta in front of her and only then did she realize how hungry she was.

The silence between them whilst they ate was pleasant and with the occasional glance at Mateo, like he did her, it was almost like a date.

It didn’t take long for Erin to finish the delicious meal and to be faced with Mateo holding his fork to her mouth. “Open up.” He grinned, his eyes full of amusement.

She hadn’t missed the innuendo, which he knew, and as he chuckled, she opened her mouth and took the cake he offered.