“Ride me. Take what you need,” I encouraged.

She circled her hips, lifting and lowering. I gripped her waist, guiding her, my passion building.

She bent back, her breasts lifting to my mouth. I sucked and licked, listening to her soft cries of pleasure, groaning out my own. When she began to tighten around me, I sped up, thrusting hard, and she dropped her head to my shoulder, shuddering with her orgasm. I thrust wildly, letting the pleasure overtake me, until I was spent.

I gathered her close, tugging an old blanket around us as she lay on my chest. I nuzzled her head, smiling.

“Okay, Gabriella?”

She peeked up with a smile. “Okay.”

“That what you wanted?” I teased, tracing her mouth with my finger.

“For starters.”

I lifted one eyebrow. “Starters.”

She nodded. “Like an appetizer.”

I chuckled.

“What?” she retorted. “You use baseball analogies—I like food.”

“So, what you’re saying is now you want the main course?”

Her eyes glowed. “And dessert.”

“Well then, Tesoro. Brace yourself. Consider the bases loaded, and I plan on bringing them all home—safe.”

She grinned. “Batter up!”

I stood, still lodged inside her. I planned to take her in the bedroom and not stop until she was passed out from pleasure.

“Up is right,” I growled. “And it’s all for you, Gabriella. All for you.”

Her smile said it all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Stefano

I walked into the house I shared with Brett and headed to the kitchen. He was sitting at the kitchen table, a beer at his elbow as he studied a manual open on the table. He looked up, surprised, then frowned and peered behind me.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

I chuckled as I slid the pizza box onto the table. “Ha-ha.”

“Seriously, you look like a guy who used to live here, but I haven’t seen him in ages.”

I grabbed a beer from the fridge, flipped up the lid on the pizza, and handed Brett a plate. “You saw me at the garage.”

He laughed as he reached for a slice. “Someone who looked like you, except he was grinning all damn day like a Cheshire cat.”

I chewed and swallowed, grunting as the rush of hot peppers and spicy sausage hit my taste buds. I chased down the heat with a long pull of cold beer.

“Whatever.”

He folded a large slice in half and took a bite. “Damn,” he muttered. “They were generous with the peppers.”

I felt the flicker of heat under my skin. “Yep.”

We ate in silence for a moment, then I met his eyes. “I haven’t been around much,” I admitted.

He shook his head. “I’m yanking your chain. I get it.” He took another bite. “How’s Gabby?”

“Complex. Frustrating.” I huffed a long breath. “Amazing.”

He snorted. “So, basically perfect.”

“Pretty much.” I wiped my mouth, then rose and grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. I handed Brett one. “She has a lot of baggage.” I sipped the cold water. “Most of which she won’t share.”

He nodded. “Theo?”

“Yeah. There’s history, and she’s keeping it to herself.”

“You haven’t known her that long. Give her some time.”

“I’m trying.” I picked up another slice. “I’m taking her to meet Mama.”

Brett whistled low in his throat. “Holy shit, that’s a major step. She must be important.”

“She is.”

I’d met Brett when we worked together at a garage in Toronto. Despite our differences, we had become good friends. He came from a small town, raised by a widowed father who, to this day, treated him as if he was sixteen instead of thirty-five. Mr. Conner still ran the small general store in Littleburn. Brett had worked in the store his whole life and had been anxious to leave it behind. He’d discovered Toronto wasn’t the place for him and returned to his hometown when the garage we worked at had a fire and shut down. Luckily, he got on with Maxx and had contacted me to come and check out the garage when a position opened up. I had never returned to Toronto except to visit my family. I’d lived with Mary, while Brett used the small place in the back of the garage until we found this house to rent in Lomand. My mother loved Brett, as did my siblings. He fit in well.

Growing up with just his father, he enjoyed the chaos that my large family brought with them. He was a regular at Sunday brunch. My mama treated him the way she treated me, and he liked her fussing. Once Rosa Borelli decided to take you under her wing, her love knew no bounds.

We ate in silence for a few moments, the pizza disappearing fast.

“Rosa is gonna have a field day with this,” he observed, sounding just like Mary.

“I told her about Gabby. As soon as she heard about Theo, she was in. You know she can’t resist kids. Add in a single mother I like?” I ran a hand through my hair. “Gabby doesn’t stand a chance.”

Tags: Melanie Moreland Reynold's Restorations Suspense
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