“Your mama is gonna have a field day with this.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
She laughed, her shoulders shaking with mirth. She knew my mama well, having become friends with her and my sisters. Once Mama got wind of me dating a single mother, the phone lines were going to be burning up between Toronto and Littleburn.
Mary chuckled and patted my shoulder. “Enjoy the afternoon.”
I slammed the hatch shut and kissed her cheek again. “I will. Thanks, Mary.”
“Dinner Tuesday?”
“You know it.” It was a regular thing for us—every second Tuesday. She’d make her pot roast, and I would tinker with anything that needed to be fixed. Some nights, we’d sit on her porch and talk. I enjoyed her company, hearing her stories, and I liked spending time with her.
I waved as I drove off, anxious to get to Gabby’s. She was constantly on my mind, no matter how busy I was. The couple of texts we’d shared weren’t enough. Even the unexpected visit I’d had didn’t satisfy me.
Late Friday night, I’d taken a stroll, making sure her SUV was home safe.
The front door opened as I went by, and she headed to her car, stopping at the sight of me at the end of the driveway.
“Stefano?” she called out, her voice nervous.
“Hey, Tesoro,” I assured her, heading up the driveway.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, couldn’t sleep. Just taking a walk. I live about three blocks from here,” I explained. “I was checking out the wrap on the SUV. Looks good. What are you doing out here?”
She opened the back door and held up a bag. “I forgot my shoes. There was a drunk in the bar tonight, and he dropped his full glass of beer on my feet. I had to borrow Lara’s spare pair. I need to wash these.”
“Ah.”
“You all calmed down now?” she asked playfully. “Made up with your friends?”
“Yes.” I had apologized and bought pizza. Everything was good, although I had a feeling that I’d be teased about it again.
I stepped closer. “We’re still good for tomorrow, yes?”
“Yes. Theo is excited to see you.”
I closed the distance between us, stopping in front of her. “And what about Theo’s mama?”
Her dark eyes were wide in her face as she gazed up at me. “She’s looking forward to seeing you too.”
We stared at each other, the air around us growing warm. Bubbling with tension.
“Were you really just taking a walk?”
“I wanted to make sure you got home okay. I knew tonight was your later shift,” I admitted. “I hate thinking of you driving home alone so late and not knowing if you’re okay.”
“Ziggy had those lights fixed—and now whoever works late gets walked to their car.” She tilted her head. “Know anything about either of those things?”
Brett and I had changed the lights, using a customer’s cherry picker to do so early in the morning before anyone was around. It was a simple enough job, but Ziggy admitted the expense of renting the cherry picker had held him back. Once that was done, I had spoken with him, suggesting he might want to look after his staff’s safety a little more. I was glad he had taken my words seriously. I was sure the promise of some extra mechanic hours on his precious Camaro helped.
“Maybe,” I confessed.
“Why?”
“Because you need someone to look out for you.”
“And that someone is you?”
“Yes.”
She lunged, dropping the shoes as she gripped my neck, pulling my mouth down to hers. I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her up and kissing her back, groaning with relief once our mouths fused.
My tongue sliding into her mouth made her whimper. The taste of her made me hard. She weaved her fingers into the hair at the back of my neck, twisting the short strands. I grasped her ass, pressing her into the side of the vehicle, grinding into her. Our tongues touched and stroked as I explored her hot mouth. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples hard points on my skin. I slid my hands up and down her thighs, feeling the silky texture of her legs and the heat between them. Her breath became mine, our desire wrapping around us like a blanket, settling and forming a protective wall of heat. I kissed her as if my very life depended on it. Needing. Aching. Wanting. Mindless.
Until a car drove past and I recalled we were outside and acting like a couple of horny teenagers on a first date. Regretfully, I eased back, staring down at her. Her eyes were closed, her lips swollen and wet from mine. She was breathing heavily, her grip on my neck not easing.
“Tesoro,” I murmured, tracing her mouth. “Gabriella, we need to stop.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and the most adorable frown pursed her lips. “Oh.”