Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“Well, he’s your friend, isn’t he?” I attempted to answer with a question of my own. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Because he’s way too private about his personal life,” he explained, his gaze still on mine. “He’s not going to tell me in a million years.”
“Then, I won’t tell you, either,” I said, taking my eyes off his face to look down at his bicep. Its bulge was stretching the sleeve of his red t-shirt. A thick vein was spanning the entire length of his arm, disappearing under that sleeve.
He gave a brief chuckle. “Guess what. You just did.”
Damn.
I shouldn’t have allowed this. I should have come up with a lie. I wasn’t a fan of those, but a lie would have prevented him from pressing the issue.
I was just about to burst out in anger. I wasn’t expecting this from a grown man. Gossiping? For real? And who was he gossiping about? A man he was tight with. A man who considered him more than just a cousin.
I didn’t.
He smiled, the waitress setting down two mugs of steamy-hot coffee. His long fingers surrounding his mug, he looked up at me, still wearing that wicked smile. It was a little like Cesare’s. Only he wouldn’t part his lips. Matteo’s mouth was a bit bigger, and he offered me a glimpse of his pearly white teeth. The tip of his tongue peeping through the seam of his mouth, I tried to phrase a proper comeback.
“I don’t understand the purpose of this question,” I confessed, feeling red heat rise up my cheeks. “Why was it so important to you to find out if Cesare and I were a thing?”
“It wasn’t,” he said, stirring the coffee in his mug. “We were just making casual conversation. It’s funny, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Why you’re having this conversation with me, instead of him,” he explained, putting some force in his voice. “I mean, clearly, you two had a moment. You should feel more comfortable around him. At least, comfortable enough to not hesitate to ask him those questions. We’ve only seen each other twice, and, let’s face it, the second time didn’t end so well. Unless…”
He ceased talking altogether, his gaze dropping down to my cleavage and rising back up to my eyes. His gaze dipped back down to my mouth, and then shot up to my left eye first, before settling on the right. My lips drawing his attention once more, he repeated the same thing. Sparks flew between us, our eyes locking in the soft illumination. A wave of heat roared through me. I stared down at his big bicep for a second time that night, before my eyes rose back up to his face. I studied the hairs of his well-trimmed stubble just below his bottom lip. I could see some moisture across the length of that lip. As I did that, I sensed some moisture spreading through my core.
“Unless you wanted to have a moment with me, too,” he finished his little speech in a strong, masculine tone, leaning over towards me.
More waves of heat splashed around my existence. A naughty thought entered my mind, bringing a devilish smile to my face.
Rub my heel into his crotch under the table.
It would be hot.
It would turn him on for sure.
Also, no one would notice. The tablecloths were long enough to hide everything.
But I wasn’t going to move a muscle. I wasn’t going to do anything inappropriate. Not in there. Not in a public place like that.
“A lady never tells,” I said, the rasp in my voice unmistakable.
“Well, I’ll be in the men’s room if you change your mind.”
Oh, my god.
He was tempting me. Big time.
He had to have noticed my body language.
I breathed out, watching him leave his seat. He disappeared from my line of sight, leaving the ball in my court. What the hell was he doing to me? Trying to make me decide between leaving and joining him in the men’s room?
I tapped my heel on the floor, resting my chin in my palm.
Just one kiss…
The same voice echoed through my head. It didn’t help me do the right thing, which was to run out of there. On the contrary, it planted that idea into my brain.
Was a single kiss going to hurt anyone?
No.
It would just make me feel good.
Feminine.
Wanted by a smoking-hot man like him.
I put my hands on the table and arose to my stature, my heart starting to pound in my chest. I walked down the hall, promising to myself that I wouldn’t let this spiral out of control. I wasn’t the kind of woman who surrendered to men in public restrooms. That wasn’t my idea of sexy or fun.
An aging guy strolling out of the men’s room, I looked back over my shoulder. Matteo had cleared the hall and was just feet away behind me. I stepped in and pushed the nearest stall door open and turned around to face him. His sheer size and my figure took up all the available room. I felt the back of my knees hitting the toilet as he cupped my hips. In a decisive move, he spun me to the right and my back hit the wall with force. I lifted my legs up to the toilet seat lid, my heels scratching its surface.