The potato chips were calling my name, so after my shower I wrapped a towel around my hips and went downstairs. Along the way, I took a detour through the living room and checked out the cluster of photos on the mantel. They were all of Reno with his mom and his kid brother, taken throughout the years. His love for those two was really touching.
I continued on to the kitchen and began browsing through the bags of gas station treats. I’d been acting like a petulant child when I grabbed an entire armload of chips, and I’d wanted to see what Reno would do about it. Much to my surprise, he’d indulged me. Maybe that was just because he was smart enough to pick his battles, but still.
Just then, I detected movement out of the corner of my eye and whipped my head around. At the sight of a scorpion making its way across the kitchen floor, I screamed like the victim in a slasher film and scrambled onto the countertop. Yes, I’d been warned, but the sight of an actual fucking scorpion still freaked me the hell out.
Moments later, Reno appeared in the kitchen and asked, “Are you alright? What’s wrong?” He was wearing nothing but a pair of black briefs, and he was holding a machine gun, of all things.
I pointed at the scorpion, who’d frozen in place. Reno’s posture relaxed, and he exclaimed, “Fucking hell, you almost gave me a heart attack! I thought Greco’s men had found this place and were attacking you.” He slung the weapon over his shoulder by its strap and opened a kitchen cabinet. Then he grabbed a metal colander and stuck it over the scorpion, like he was giving the thing its own personal thunder dome.
In the next instant, I shocked the hell out of both of us by bursting into tears. I didn’t do it on purpose. In fact, I had no explanation for it, other than a whole bunch of things catching up to me all at once.
Reno muttered, “Oh, shit,” and hurried over to me. When he picked me up, I wrapped my arms and legs around him, and he said, “You’re shaking.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t usually cry at the drop of a hat. In fact, I barely cry at all.”
He was so kind. Instead of telling me to snap out of it, he carried me out of the kitchen and said gently, “I know this isn’t just about getting scared by that scorpion. I made a mistake by pulling you out of your world and dragging you all this way, then putting you in the middle of the shit I’m dealing with.”
“I didn’t really give you much choice.”
Reno ended up carrying me upstairs, and when we reached the second floor I begged, “Please don’t banish me to the guest room.” I barely recognized this needy, emotional version of myself.
He brought me with him into the main bedroom and said, “I thought you’d want some privacy, but you’re welcome to sleep here.” After he put me down on the bed, he disappeared into a walk-in closet and emerged a few moments later without the weapon.
I curled into a ball under the covers, trying to take up as little space as possible, while he settled in so we were facing each other. He reached out and brushed my hair off my face, and he gave me a little smile before shutting his eyes.
It only took him a few seconds to fall asleep, but I was pretty wound up. I shifted around carefully while trying not to wake him, pulled the damp towel off my waist, and dropped it on the floor. Then I tried to get comfortable without flailing around like a fish on a hook.
Talking my way into his bed hadn’t been the best idea. He was exhausted, and I should have just let him have some space.
I rolled onto my side so I was facing him and tucked my hand under my head. Then I took the opportunity to really study him, from his thick, black lashes to the sensual curve of his full lips.
He really was strikingly attractive, but he was a lot more than that, too. He tried to show the world a tough outer shell, but in truth he was one of the kindest people I’d ever met. I wondered why he tried so hard to pull off that tough guy persona. Was it because he wanted to follow in the footsteps of the father he’d never met? I didn’t know the answer to that, and maybe he didn’t, either.
Bottom line though, I was grateful he allowed me to see the real Adriano. That was probably reserved for a select few. I just couldn’t figure out why I’d made the cut.
* * *
When Reno’s alarm went off, I hid my face and groaned. Apparently I’d actually fallen asleep, but it felt like I’d only been out for a minute.
He reached over me and jabbed at his phone to get it to shut up. It was a relief when it fell silent. I probably would have drifted off again, except for one thing—I suddenly realized we were all tangled up together, and I was buck naked. The latter only became clear to me when he ran his hand down my back and skimmed my bare ass.
I leaned back a bit to assess the situation. I’d been using his bicep as a pillow, one of his legs was wedged between my thighs, and we were both sporting semis. Whether or not this was super awkward depended entirely on Reno’s reaction.
I met his gaze and waited to see what he’d do. Never mind that I desperately wanted to kiss him. Whatever happened next had to be his decision, since I’d destroyed his trust the night we met.
It made me so fucking happy when he slid his hand around the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine. I had no idea why he’d want this—why he’d wantme—but I reveled in it instead of questioning it.
I never thought we’d find ourselves here again, and the chance of an encore after this one seemed next to impossible. So, if this was it—if this was the last time I ever got to be with Adriano Dombruso, I was damn well going to soak up every moment. I’d savor it, then store it away, for a time when I was alone again and all I had left was the memory of him.
Everything happened quickly after that kiss. He got naked and pushed me onto my back, and then he explored every part of me with his hands and mouth and tongue. Meanwhile, I did that thing that was always such a struggle for me—I surrendered control.
My nerves kicked in at first, but I soon realized I had nothing to worry about. Adriano wasn’t going to hurt me. Just the opposite—he became totally focused on making me feel amazing.
I bucked beneath him as he sucked my cock and sent waves of pleasure rolling up my spine. I was only vaguely aware of the sounds I was making, or the fact that I parted my legs to offer him more of me. My attention was on the gorgeous man between my thighs, and the way he was making my toes curl.
This went on for a while, until he sat up and told me, “I need to be in you.”
I murmured, “Fuck yes,” and sat up, too.