“Fine.”
“Umm, I’ll pass, Julietta. Thanks for the invite though.”
Sawyer watched in fascination as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Wolfe a pointed stare. “you’re coming. Noon. No need to bring anything with you.”
Panic lit the boy’s eyes. “I, uh, made other plans. I can’t go.”
She never backed down. “I’m inviting you to dinner with my family, Wolfe. My mother loves to cook for guests, and this will give her pleasure.”
A twinge of sympathy coursed through Sawyer. Wolfe rarely mingled with anyone other than at work-related meetings. every time Sawyer tried to get him to join him for dinner or any type of social activity, he refused.
Wolfe lifted his head and stuck out his chin. “I don’t do well with mothers. They don’t like me.”
She smiled, reached out, and touched his hand. Wolfe didn’t even flinch. “you don’t know my mother. She’ll adore you. I am asking you to come as a favor to me. Mama’s been lonely without her children home, and you will make her happy.”
oh, she was good. Who could possibly refuse such a heartfelt invitation? He watched Wolfe crumble piece by piece in front of him.
“Fine. I’ll come.”
“Grazie.”
Wolfe made his exit. “I gotta go. See you at home.”
He rushed out without another word and finally left them alone.
The smile vanished. His ice queen reappeared and came out to play. “I see you’re a bully even outside the bedroom.”
He glanced at the construction crew and decided it was time to remind her who was boss. “Funny, seems like you stepped into the role perfectly. Poor Wolfe didn’t know what hit him. Now, follow me.”
He turned and started for the back room. raw mate-rials blocked most of the space, but he’d spotted a sturdy wooden table in the corner that would serve his purpose.
She trotted after him, caught up in the argument. “He needs to be included in something bigger. Being isolated for too long is harmful.”
“Wolfe learned early he could only trust himself. It’ll take him time to come around. Watch your step.”
She jumped over a cord and sidestepped a power saw.
“A good meal around a table with people he trusts is important. running to the McDonald’s drive-thru serves no purpose.”
He winced, grabbed her hand, and maneuvered her through the open frame. “I made a mistake, okay? Is that a good reason to try to keep me from Mama Conte’s cooking?”
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t attend Sunday dinners.”
“I changed my mind. especially since Wolfe gets to go.
over here.”
The room was dark. He guided her deeper into the space until her back pressed against the table. Sawdust and pieces of wood were scattered over the surface. “He uses his appearance to keep people away. Mama will see right through it, and maybe he’ll realize not everyone will judge him. Where are we?”
“or he can freak out with bad memories of his own family dinners and backslide. I’m trying not to push him too hard.” He grabbed the rag near him and wiped off the table. “Sit up here for a moment.”
“replacing a good memory with a bad one is one way to heal. Believe me, I know. Why am I sitting on a construction table, Sawyer?”
Anticipation ripped through him. “Because I want to make you come.”
He watched the emotions ripple over her face. Shock.
Fascination. Fear.
And lust.
He stepped in between her legs and eased the hem of her skirt up. She offered no resistance, her mind evidently working into a steam of rational lectures on exactly why this wasn’t a good idea. He took advantage of the pause, widened her thighs, and pushed her back so she was off balance.
Her hands gripped his shoulders. The pulse beat madly at the base of her throat, and her scent rose to his nostrils.
Coconut and a hint of vanilla. rich coffee. He dipped his head to the naked curve of her neck and breathed deep.
She sucked in her breath and tried to push him away.
“Are you crazy?” she whispered. “you can’t say things like that. The construction team is here. This is a public building.
you may like acting out a p**n movie in public, but this is not what turns me on.”
He growled and bit the tender flesh behind her ear. A shudder wracked her body. “I’m not into public displays, either. In fact, the idea of another man seeing you naked makes me want to beat the shit out of him.” Her fingers bit into his suit jacket and her legs trembled. God, he loved making a liar out of her. She loved the excitement of being told what to do, and though he’d never share, the bite of danger only added to the sizzle. “I gave you time to be nice, and all you did was torture me this week.”
A low moan rumbled from her throat. “I did nothing of the sort. I never even mentioned our night together.”
“exactly.” He ran one hand up her skirt and found warm skin with no stockings or pantyhose to block his path.
His finger traced the edge of her silk underwear and realized she was already wet. Frigid? This woman was hotter than Hades. “Did you dress like this for me? Did you hope I’d finally snap and do what I’ve dreamed about every day at that conference table?”
Her outrage only made his dick swell to full staff. “of course not.” Her breath hitched as he stroked a thumb over the delicate fabric. “I—I was waiting for you to mention it.
I refuse to be one of those women. Clingy and helpless and begging for a man.”
The knowledge she was just as off center as he was soothed him. He’d thought giving her time and space would help. Now he realized he should’ve yanked her in his arms and kissed her senseless the very next day. His fault. He intended to fix it now.
“Baby, you’d never be helpless. I’ve been dying to get my hands on you all week but wanted to give you time.”
She arched toward him for more. “That was polite of you.”
“Time’s up.”
He took her mouth like he’d been fantasizing. Claimed her lips, stroking long and deep with his tongue, inhaling her flavor like an alcoholic on a binge. He pressed his palm over her core and rubbed, and she wrapped her legs tight around his hips and hung on. She licked fire and need and lust, and his body tightened with an urgency that fogged his brain and drove him forward to take and take and take. . . .