Restored

“I’m sorry.” I look over at him.

I have to make myself focus so I don’t think about his hand on my thigh or him with other women. I’m in sweats and I wish I’d taken the time to change, but I was focused on getting as far away from Bronx as fast as I could. It didn’t take me long to realize the distance wasn’t helping. In fact, Bronx makes a habit of never allowing me any distance from him. He’s become a permanent fixture in my life since my dad passed and although we might not be as close as we used to be, there isn’t a day I don’t see him. He’s so ingrained in my life but so far away at the same time and the space is eating me alive.

His finger drifts back and forth on my leg and I rethink his words. I’ve been giving you time. Giving me time for what? To move past my dad? To grow up? To sow his wild oats? I don’t like any of those options, so I do what I do best. I look out the window and avoid his statement, but Bronx isn’t one to be ignored.

Chapter Eight

Bronx

“I don’t know why you have this need to keep apologizing to me but it’s going to stop.” I say.

She won’t look at me as she shrugs and I pull up to her place. She makes a grab for the handle and I snatch her arm.

“Goddamn it, Gemma, quit running from me.”

“I’m not running.” She tries to pull her arm free but I nod my head towards her grip on the door.

“You did the same thing last night and every chance before this. I’ve been trying to go slow and give you time.”

“Time for what, Bronx? I don’t even know what that means. Besides, don’t you need to get back to the woman in your office?”

“Are you kidding me right now?” I say, shocked as I see hurt flash in her eyes.

“Oh, don’t pretend. I heard the noises coming from your door and Mitch wasn’t letting me in. You think I’m stupid?”

“I think you’re stubborn, dramatic, and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.” She blinks up at me a few times as her mouth falls open. “I didn’t have a woman in my office, no matter what you say you heard.” I lean in close so that my lips are almost touching hers. “I haven’t touched a woman since the day I met you.”

“B-but that was—”

“When you were too damn young to have.” I touch my lips gently to hers as I slide my arm around her waist. “I’ve been waiting on you to grow up and then for your heart to heal.”

My hold on her tightens and her lips part. The gentle kiss deepens and I touch my tongue to hers. The warm, sweet flavor invades my mouth and I moan as her body molds to mine.

Her seatbelt tugs and I pause as I lean back and look into her eyes. “Come with me.”

She bites her bottom lip as she looks up at me and nods. Once I get her out of the truck I take her hand and walk her across the street. By now my shop has cleared out and the parking lot is empty.

I lead her through the door and to the back where I stay. I’ve got an apartment similar to hers set up here so that I could stay close to her. When we walk inside I lock the door and pull her close to me.

“You want to see what I was doing in my office when you ran?”

She nods quietly and runs her hands down my chest.

I grab the neck of my shirt and pull it over my head, tossing it on the floor. When I turn around I hear her gasp and look over my shoulder to see her fingers covering her mouth.

“Bronx,” she whispers, stepping closer. “Is that—”

“Yeah, it’s you, babe.”

Every part of my back is dedicated to her. There’s a portrait of her in the middle sitting in an old beauty chair and posing like a pinup. It’s surrounded by lilies, which are her favorite flowers, and then there are little reminders of her as the years went on.

“I can’t believe you did this. You’ve had this all along?”

“For the most part, yeah,” I answer as I slowly turn back around to face her. “And this one I got for your old man.”

Across my chest on the left side is a tattoo of the Mustang he and Gemma used to take to car shows.

“Oh God,” she whispers, and I see tears form in her eyes as she reaches out and touches it.

Her fingers feel like a warm caress to my soul as I put my hands on her waist. “Your dad meant the world to me, and my heart broke the day we lost him.” She nods and looks up at me. “I know if he were here he would have told me to stop wasting time with waiting.”