“More of a reason to hang out with him, then.” One of his hands cups my face. I’m worried he’ll feel the hair from the wig I’m currently wearing. I hold his hand in mine. My soft and small hands are fully encompassed in his, which are probably double the size. It works in my favor when he holds it up to his chest.
“Maybe one day, you’ll come over?” he questions. Shit, that’s something I seriously need to think about. If it were just Massimo and myself, I’d have no problem doing that, but with a little boy in the mix, I think the slower, the better in this case. “I see that far-away glance. Too soon, hmm? Though, to be fair, Dante already knows I’m talking to you. It’s kind of hard to keep it from him when he snatches my phone to play a game or download some new song.”
“Soon then, but not yet, okay?” I lean towards him, going to the tips of my toes. Massimo gets the message because this time, he dips down, and instead of kissing his cheek, I get his lips.
“Henley.” At the deep baritone of his voice as he kisses my lips once, then twice, I’m praying it doesn’t end, wanting to feel so much more when it comes to Massimo. He says I’m addictive to a man like him. Little does he know the feeling is entirely mutual. I crave his voice, the simple texts he sends, and the days leading up to this date, keeping it my little secret. No one needed to know. Having something that’s mine and solely mine, it’s made me feel so many things again, but honestly, the most thing it’s giving me is hope.
“Massimo.” I return his name, unsure if I should take this a step further but doing it anyways. My lip traces the edge of his. A growl escapes him, and I know by the way my back meets the door that it was the right chance to take. He swallows my groan, his tongue gaining entrance in doing so. The flavor of him is reminiscent of the dark chocolate cake we shared with a hint of mint from the candy we both were offered as we left the quiet restaurant. My hand is still captured between our bodies, his knee wedging between my legs, making me arch towards him even more. A thrill crawls up from the base of my spine, knowing I could come like this, while Massimo is barely touching me. His tongue chases mine, pulling back and then sliding back in, teasing me with his mouth while his knee makes my body weep with pleasure.
“I could taste you for hours.” He pulls back. My eyes that were fluttered closed snap open when I no longer feel his mouth pressed against mine. The heat blazing in his own eyes has my hips rocking.
“Then put your lips back on mine.” The plea comes easily. I want to savor this moment, forever.
“You come, then I will.” His hand leaves mine; I place them against his chest, beneath the suit jacket he’s wearing, feeling the tips of my fingers digging into his muscles.
“Please,” I beg, not even knowing what I’m asking for, only that there’s something missing, and for the first time in months, I’m going to reach that height I never thought I would again.
“Bellissima,” Massimo says as he cups my breasts. The sensation tips me overboard. The dress I’m wearing making it unable for me to put a bra on with the open back works in my favor, and as he pinches my nipples, his knee hitting me at just the right moment, I explode. Massimo’s mouth captures mine, swallowing down my moan to keep everyone in the apartment complex from hearing me.
“The next time that happens, you’ll be naked, and it’ll be my mouth on your pussy, tasting you while I hear my name being moaning out loud.” I nod, knowing I’d do anything to have that happen right now, even if it meant opening up about my past.
“I’d like that.” His hands slide down to my hips, holding them until my feet are back on solid ground. Somehow, he managed to take all my weight.
“Good, get some rest. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sleep well, Henley.” He kisses my lips soft and sweet, squeezing my hips one last time before he steps back, watching as I fumble with my keys. Once I open the door, Massimo leaves, and I’m more of a mess than I was only moments ago.
CHAPTER 12
MASSIMO
I can still taste the flavor of Henley’s mouth as I walk towards my car with my head in the clouds, something that shouldn’t ever happen, not when so many people wouldn’t mind my head on the chopping block. No, I need to keep my shit together, especially when it comes to Henley. There’s only so fast I can take this, even though if I had it my way, she’d be coming home with me tonight, or I’d be inside her apartment that very second. That’s not going to happen. Dante needs me, and I don’t begrudge him for a moment. I wasn’t lying to Henley when I said that Dante sometimes looks like he’d rather be anywhere than with me. At the zoo was one of those times when I knew how much he misses his mother, how much of a piss-poor substitute I am. She’d have had me smiling and laughing the whole way through the winding paths, talking a million miles a minute about each animal. Then there was earlier this week, when he was struggling with his math work. Hilda couldn’t help him, saying Dante was too advanced for her to even attempt it. I tried my hand, taking the time to figure it out before helping him. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye, watching his mannerisms, the way he huffed out a breath, bored out of his mind, then the swinging of his legs got in on the action. I bided my time, not saying a word, allowing him to work through whatever was bothering him so much, meanwhile figuring out the problem.