She turns her face up and smiles at me. “Tell me what you think. Be honest.”
She quickly sidesteps me, but I place a hand on her back before she can get too far away. This may have been a bad idea. I love having Carleen living with me. That’s not the problem. The issue is I feel our bond deepening.
It’s not limited to my place either. Like now, we’re still at the restaurant after hours, working on the new menu for next week. I’m not going to lie and say I don’t feel the chemistry flowing between us.
I get a pang in my heart every time I think of having to go to Italy where my life will change forever, there will be no turning back.
I take a bite of the pasta and scallop dish she has prepared. The flavor is magnificent. The lemon and the herbs are the perfect pairing, and the pasta is cooked to perfection.
“It’s delicious. I’d add a little black pepper and maybe zest some lemon. This is going on the menu, Car.”
“No, it’s not ready. I was thinking of doing a cream sauce or something.”
“It’s perfect. You’re overthinking. I’m telling you, this is going to be a hit. Look at the sear you have on these scallops. A few simple edits and this is it. The cream sauce will drown out the crispiness of the sear and ruin the pasta. This butter sauce you have here is nice. Leave it.”
She looks at me with wide eyes. I can’t help tugging her into me with an arm wrapped around her head. I kiss her forehead.
It’s only been three days and I want things we can never have. We’ve laughed and talked late into the night every night since she’s been with me.
It doesn’t matter if we’ve gotten home late and are exhausted from closing. We go to our rooms and shower the day away, then end up on my couch fighting to stay up to spend stolen time together.
She’s become more of a magnet. I can’t stay away from her. I’ve questioned why I’m going through with this family promotion. Gio would be the better fit. I’ve never understood why I’m being groomed for it. Hell, Dante would be even better.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve earned the name Rio the Butcher—not from the kitchen either. While I’m not as brutal as Dante, I can be just as vicious when provoked. I haven’t had to show that side since I was a Capo. Man, the shit I did when I was twenty.
To this day, I think it was the actions of some shit Dante and I pulled that got the books open. All three of us were made at the same time. Both my grandfathers were proud—Grandpa Esposito more so of me. I don’t think he much liked the fact that Gio was made at all.
Now, as an underboss, I haven’t had to prove myself. My name travels for me. Although, I get the feeling this trip is about to change all of that.
“Where’d you go?” Carleen says in that soft, raspy voice of hers.
“Just thinking. Hey, so Dante and I decided to go to the company Halloween party as 1920s gangsters.” I pause, knowing this is stupid of me, but we’re both going so here goes. “I was wondering if you would be my Bonnie. You know, come with me as Bonnie and Clyde.”
She bites her lip. “Um, that only gives me two days to find a costume.”
“I sort of got it for you.”
She lifts a brow at me. I give her my best smile. “Oh, come on. It’s much better than showing up in a chef’s coat. That idea is so lame. You’re not even trying. It will be fun. The pictures alone will be worth it.”
She frowns. “I was not going in a chef’s coat.” She pouts.
“Oh wait, you were going with the scrubs.” I laugh.
“Ugh, you don’t know me as well as you think. Let’s clean up and get out of here.”
“No, wait. I want you to taste this,” I say as I push the dish she made toward her.
I hold the fork out and watch that gorgeous mouth as she wraps her full lips around the fork as she closes her amber eyes. She hums and I grow hard from the sound.
When she opens her eyes, the smile on her lips is priceless. Her entire face is lit with excitement. Now this is the Carleen I watched fall in love with the kitchen.
“Oh my God that is divine.”
I wink at her. “See, I told you.”
“Okay, okay, but I couldn’t have done this without you, Rio. You could have told me to get out of your kitchen and find something else to do with my life, but you have been supportive from the beginning. You will never understand how much that means to me.”