“Another minute and I’m pretty sure we’d be inside the SUV, and I’d be inside you.”
She peeked over her shoulder. “I’m good with that.”
Laughing, I set her on her feet. “Don’t tempt me.”
She sighed. “How do you do this, Stefano?”
I picked up her bag, handing her the shoes. “Do what?”
“You befuddle my head. I see you, get close to you, and all my common sense disappears.”
“You do the same for me.” I pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Now go upstairs and go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I waited until she was upstairs and waved to me from the window. It took most of my walk home for my cock to soften. I could taste her on my tongue, smell her light fragrance on my hands.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I would last before I wasn’t able to stop and we ended up a mass of arms and legs, bare and naked, joined together in some inappropriate spot, unable to wait anymore.
Surprisingly, that thought didn’t bother me at all.
I grinned thinking about it and had to adjust myself as I drove to get Gabby and Theo. I pressed on the accelerator a little harder, anxious to see them.
Theo was waiting on the stairway inside for me, flinging himself off the step into my arms.
“Hey, little man.”
He was full of news. A new rock he’d found. How he’d helped his mom make cookies for today. How excited he was.
“Never been on a pic-a-nic, Stefo! Mom says we get to eat outside and I can play!”
“You sure can, buddy. There’s a little pool there you can splash in too.”
He squirmed from my arms. “I gotta get my suit! It has blue stripes,” he called back to me. I chuckled and glanced over my shoulder, walking into Mrs. Scott’s. She was busy doing one of her jigsaw puzzles. She had a table with a light set up over it, and she loved to spend hours piecing together the intricate pictures. I dropped a kiss to her white hair.
“How are you?”
She beamed up at me. “Good. This lightbulb you switched out makes all the difference.”
“LED,” I agreed. “Nothing like them.” I knew the bright light would help her enjoy her puzzle time a little more.
“Your girl is on the phone.” She indicated the kitchen.
I grinned at the words “my girl.”
“I’ll wait.”
She smirked as she studied a piece of her puzzle and slid it into place. I picked up a piece and tapped it into the top corner.
“Hmmph. I’ve been looking for that one.”
“Fresh eyes,” I teased.
“So, a picnic.”
“Yep.”
She eyed me, her gaze mischievous. “Going all out, are you?”
“I’m trying.”
She patted my hand. “Good.”
“Maybe you can come next time.”
“Oh, pssh, you don’t want an old woman there.”
“No, I don’t. I want you.”
She waved me off, but I saw her smile. “Sweet-talker.”
Gabby came from the kitchen, a frown on her face. Instantly, I was alert.
“What’s wrong?”
“There was another issue at Ziggy’s. He has to shut down until Monday, so no shifts until then. I called Vanessa at Zeke’s in case she needs anyone, but she says it’s unlikely.” She worried her lip then sighed. “Ziggy said he’d cover my wages for the night, so I guess there is that.”
I knew her tips were what she was worried about. They made up a large portion of her income. I held out my hand, pleased when she took it. I squeezed her fingers. “At least there’s that,” I agreed. “And I don’t have to have you back by four. So there’s that too, right? We can do something fun tonight.”
She smiled, although I saw the worry in her eyes. “I would love that.”
Unable to resist, I brushed my mouth to hers. “It’s okay, Tesoro. We’ll figure it out. But let’s enjoy today, okay?”
Theo bounded down the steps, holding up his blue-striped trunks. “Got them! Let’s go, Stefo! I want to pic-a-nic!”
We all laughed. “Okay, little man. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER NINE
Stefano
Gabby sighed, lifting her face to the breeze. It moved her hair around, the wild curls swinging around her ears and the nape of her neck. In the sun, her dark hair glinted with red and gold, a kaleidoscope of color. It suited her. She was wearing a loose T-shirt and a lovely skirt that floated around her as she walked. It was trimmed in lace, covered in a pink floral pattern, and showed off her shapely calves. She looked pretty and sexy. She had pushed aside her usual worries, and we had talked easily in the van, listening to Theo’s excited observations. The park was busy, which didn’t surprise me, but we managed to get a great picnic table under the shade of a tree and close to the playground and splash pool. Within ten minutes, Theo had made friends with another kid, and they were busy on the swings and slides, laughing and talking like old friends. Gabby and I sat close on the bench, watching them.