“I like her bossy ways.” Drake winked at Jasmine. She nodded with satisfaction and went back into the kitchen.
Alicia let Noah clean up his son and pick him up. He went off into the living room, talking to Carlos. Alicia patted his arm. “I’m glad you’re back. I was worried.”
It touched Tony’s heart, knowing he had someone who cared about him. It had been a long time since he felt so emotional. “I was more worried about John. I knew Noah and Matt wouldn’t let me kill him, but I was hoping for a few good kicks in the ass.”
Ray laughed. “I would have distracted them so you could do that.”
It was the first time he felt like Ray was not brimming with hatred toward him. Tony ate in silence and listened to the rest of them talk. After he took his plate to the kitchen, he dragged Alicia out to the porch.
“Will you come home with me tonight?” he asked her, holding her tightly. She felt soft and warm. The cool breeze was doing nothing to curb his desire for the woman he was holding.
She nodded and kissed his chin. “I was hoping you would ask. I’ve missed you.”
“Not as much as I have,” he assured her. “I want you with me always. This might be the wrong time, but you need to know I love you, Alicia. I may not be romantic and know flowery speeches, but when I love, I put my all into it. Maybe that is why I was so reluctant to admit it aloud. I will be bossy, protective, and never politically correct when it comes to your safety. I will be insanely jealous and domineering. All the things women hate.”
Alicia giggled and tightened her hold on him. She looked up at him with such a tender, soft smile he wanted to shed a tear. “I love you, too, Tony, with everything I have inside of me to give. I will also be insanely jealous. I will tear the hair off any woman you try to kiss besides me. I will glare at Dee for years for getting to kiss you before me.”
He groaned and looked upward as if praying for patience. She giggled.
“I will worry about you and I will take care of you. I will never willingly leave you.”
He leaned down and kissed her. It felt deeper and more intimate now that their feelings were out in the open. Neither of them held back. He was surprised they had not melted into a puddle of liquid, it was so hot.
“Now comes the hard part.” Alicia smiled.
He was still in a daze and his brain had short-circuited. He sure was hard, but that was a good thing. “Yeah?”
“We have to tell Ray and my parents we are in a serious relationship. My sister knows I love you and she approves.”
“Well, shit. That is a downer.” He blinked, feeling like cold water had just been poured on his head.
Chapter Nineteen
Alicia was still laughing once they had reached his house. They had gone inside her sister’s house and Tony had told all of them he was in love with Alicia and taking her to his house. He had stood so tense and still, as if waiting for Ray, and possibly Noah, to kick his ass. Noah had shaken his hand first and Drake had slapped him on the back.
“I knew you were a goner when she was missing,” Drake admitted. “You tore through town like a crazy man looking for her.”
“I knew it, too.” Alana hugged him. “You better treat my baby sister like glass or else, mister.”
Tony had solemnly promised. Jasmine had blinked back tears and hugged him, too.
Ray looked upset, but then he sighed and gave in. “Hell. I wanted to kick your ass, but now Alicia will never forgive me if I do. Be tough with her. She is stubborn and wants her own way. Put your foot down or she will wrap you around her finger.”
“I can be more stubborn,” Tony assured Ray, and she had playfully swatted his arm but she looked overjoyed with happiness. He wanted her to always look that way. She was tough and strong. He didn’t know why she didn’t see how amazing she was. He would make sure to show her.
Ray shook his hand, looking sincere. “Treat her right, man. That is all I ask from you. She is precious to me. She gives me gray hair but she is also cherished in this family.”
Alicia had cried all over her brother until Tony pulled her away and into his truck. He had driven off as quickly as possible.
“What’s so funny?” he asked as they walked up the stairs to his house. He wanted to get rid of their clothes and make love to her. He dealt better with physical things than emotional stuff.
“You drove us away from Alana’s house like we were runaway criminals. I even saw you looking in the rearview mirror a few times,” she explained with a happy giggle. He loved that sound coming from her.
He reached his bedroom and opened the door. “You have to admit Ray can be a badass when he wants. Then with Noah and Drake acting like your brothers, I felt the tension. All I could think of was making love to you, but I was trying not to look like it.”
The moon of the night shone inside his room. His curtains were open. The house was still and quiet. He saw her expression turn soft. He helped her remove her shirt and unclipped her bra, and her generous breasts spilled out of the silky material. She kept her eyes on him and he could see her love shining through. He cupped the mounds in his hands. His thumbs swiped over the tips of her breasts and they hardened into beads. She closed her eyes.
“I like stripping you.”