Then it happened. A little voice breaking in to my fogged brain.
“Mom,” Theo called out from his room, his sleep-filled voice plaintive.
Stefano pulled himself up, and our eyes locked.
“Busted,” he whispered, a grin playing on his lips.
“He does this a lot,” I explained. “Calls for me in his sleep. But I have to check him.”
He stroked my cheek. “Of course, Tesoro. He comes first. Go to him.” He pushed away, landing on his back. His jeans tented obscenely, and I had to shake my head to clear it before grabbing my old robe and pulling it on.
“I’ll be waiting,” he promised, his voice a quiet hum that followed me down the hall and made me shiver.
I hurried to Theo’s room, but as I suspected, he was still asleep, clutching his favorite dinosaur, his blankets kicked off. Bending, I tucked him in, brushing back his wild curls. He needed a haircut. We both did. But his was more important. I would bribe him this week. I had done really well with tips tonight, so a Happy Meal would do the trick. He loved those, and it was rare I could afford it. I brushed a kiss to his head and slipped to the bathroom.
I glanced in the mirror, hardly recognizing myself. My lips were swollen, my hair wilder than normal. I was flushed, and I had some red marks from Stefano’s beard on my neck and chin. It was my eyes that struck me. Wide, dark, and glowing. Filled with desire. Not worried, not anxious, not overthinking. I thought of Stefano’s reaction to Theo’s interruption. He hadn’t been annoyed, upset, or even mildly impatient. He’d instead been sweet, funny, and understanding.
And he was waiting.
I studied my reflection. Was I ready for this? Making love to Stefano was going to change everything. I had no doubt of that. He was an “all in” sort of guy. He wasn’t going to fuck me and run. And he wouldn’t accept that from me either. He would want to be part of our lives, which meant he would have to know the truth. I would have to tell him about my past. Theo’s father. What getting involved with me meant.
Then how would he feel?
I shook my head. As usual, I was getting ahead of myself. Thinking, worrying, planning a future that might not exist.
Right now, I wanted to live in the moment. There was a sexy, sweet giant of a man waiting in my bed, capable of giving me more pleasure than I ever dreamed of.
That was where I wanted to be, and for the first time in many years, I wanted to be selfish and take what I wanted.
And what I wanted was Stefano.
I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. Taking a deep breath, I returned to my room, stopping at the foot of the bed and trying desperately not to laugh.
Stretched out, one arm flung across the bed and the other resting on his chest, Stefano was asleep. He took up most of the bed, his feet hanging over the edge of the mattress. In repose, his face looked younger, peaceful. His full lips pursed and relaxed in time with his deep, even breathing. He emitted a small grumble every few seconds, low in his throat, that I found quite adorable.
His erection, that massive bulge, had softened, although I knew if I woke him, it would return and I would be under him in seconds. Then I recalled the fact that he had been asleep on the sofa with Theo. He had worked all day, starting earlier because of my SUV, then he helped Mrs. Scott, looked after Theo, and had given me one hell of an orgasm. He had to be exhausted.
Making a decision, I slipped downstairs, shut off the light, then returned. I set the alarm earlier than normal, then carefully, I crawled in the bed, trying not to wake him. He roused, muttering my name, pulling me against him. I hushed him as I settled into the cradle of his body.
“Sleep, Stefano. Just sleep.”
With a low grumble, he tucked me closer and was gone again. I inhaled his comforting scent and sighed. I felt warm, safe, and content. With him beside me, it was as if all the fears that haunted me at night vanished. Nothing would hurt me with him here.
I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabby
I woke up slowly, the usual feeling of instant panic not hitting me. Instead, I felt rested and peaceful. I looked over at the clock and sat up, startled. My alarm hadn’t gone off. Stefano was gone from the bed, but I heard voices coming from down the hall. I threw on my robe and hurried toward the sounds.
Sitting at my kitchen table were Stefano and Theo. They were eating cereal, talking about cars. Theo looked up as I entered, his grin wide.