Baby V (Chianti Kisses #1) (11 page)

He kisses my forehead again and turns me around toward the stairs before he playfully slaps my behind,
 “
Go
.
”

I dutifully go to my room while he waits at the bottom of the stairs watching as I close the door. The last three days have been a complete whirlwind with my mind racing to catch up and fully comprehend the many changes in my life.

I’
ve finished my education for the time being and am no longer a nomad student shuffling between campus and home. That home currently being demolished and resurrected in new form, a stranger to me. The familiar people and faces that share my life have changed over, leaving me missing the simple and uncomplicated friendships I had left at school. My life had been my own to succeed or screw up as I deemed necessary, with no consequences to anyone other than myself.

Now,
I’
m being asked to handle a vast amount of resources and money that can directly help others who need it... or I can disappoint and fail them instead. These adjustments in my life have been weighing heavily on my mind but my newfound connection with Dom is tantamount on the quick inventory I take of my life at the moment.

The boy that was always in the background, the crowd, for all of my highs, lows and all that fell in-between is now occupying my thoughts in a completely different way.
I’
ve always regarded and accepted him as a constant in my life, but now it feels as though that life is somehow revolving around him. The change has been both gradual and sudden.

There had been quick glances, fleeting moments over the past few years that are now seeming to form a backdrop to the romance starting to ignite. I
t’
s so much history between two people just starting to navigate the uneasy footing of something new.

What if i
t’
s a disaster? Ther
e’
s no way I can ever go back to lumping him in the brother category after h
e’
s made my body and soul feel things that until now were dormant and unknown. Is he thinking the same about me? Oh I would just die to know. At least
I’
ll have time and space to think this through without his beautiful face being near, luring me back to crazy thoughts about turning our previously safe relationship upside down and inside out.

Sleep is the only answer I find to these questions.

~*~

The coffee must be ground fresh as its deep, fragrant aroma reaches my room. It stirs the need to caffeinate my sluggish body and wake. Pulling on my robe I head to the source, out into the warming rays of sunlight now filling the house. Mom and Aunt Rosie are setting the dining room table for breakfast, whispering to each other as they go about their business.

“
Morning Momma, Aunt Rosie
.
”

I wish I had dressed before coming downstairs. The two of them are fully made-up and accessorized, even though it is barely eight AM. I expected coffee... not a three course breakfast spread. Mom puts her last plate down, meeting me half-way down the length of the shiny mahogany table.

“
Morning sweetie! You look more better today!
,
” She hugs me, obviously relieved that my depression did not last overnight. When she satisfies her motherly instinct to hold me, she guides me over to the kitchen
.
“
Help Aunt Rosie carry things
,”
she abandons me to return to her table setting.

Aunt Rosie and Nonna are now bustling in the kitchen, stacking the large plates full of waffles, sausage and scrambled eggs. I take the largest of the platters from Aunt Rosie just as she fills it to capacity.
“I’
ll take this for you. Why are we going all-out? Cereal will be just fine for me
.
”

“
No dear. I make a big hearty breakfast for Dom every time he leaves for a trip
,
”
 
she briefs me.
 “
I want him going off with a full stomach, so he can concentrate on business. He eats terribly on these trips,
I’
m sure. Men would just as well eat a meal that comes out of a wrapper if left to their own devices. I
t’
s a woma
n’
s job to see to it that they are properly fed and not worried about growling bellies while dealing with important things like company matters.

I know better than to try and educate the older women in this family. They are from a different generation and are set in their ways. Le
t’
s face it...
I’
m on the receiving end of these endeavors.
I’
m not about to do anything to have them reconsider their daily care-giving. The feminist in me decides to bite her tongue and enjoy her delicious homemade breakfast.

The coffee is being poured and the food served as I join the table. I sit down in the only open chair which is directly to the right of Do
m’
s place at the head of the table. He has
n’
t come into the room yet and so we wait to devour the beautiful meal until he joins us. My stomach growls at the sight of my syrup laden plate. The few sips of coffee that I take do little to appease it.

Dom finally joins us, ending his call just as he walks in and places his cell phone in his pocket. I know he must have gotten less sleep than I had, so how is it possible that he looks even more drop dead  sexy than usual this morning?

His crisp white dress shirt fails to camouflage the bulges under his shirt. I blink hard to clear my mind of the taunting sight. He catches me stealing another glimpse at his rounded pecs and smiles as he takes his place at the end of the table.

“
Sorry about that. Just some last minute details. You could have started without me
.
”

He knows full well that if I had taken one bite of my food, the three women sitting with us would have pounced. They didn't raise me to suddenly throw caution to the wind and break an untold amount of etiquette especially before
I’
ve even finished my first cup of coffee. Nonna takes the initiative to start the chain of holding hands around our feast.

“
We wait for you, Dominico. Now we say grace and thank
.
”

We all follow suit, holding the hand of the person closest on either side. Dom grasps my palm and bows his head as I dip my chin. Nonna nods approvingly as we all assume the position, before lowering her own head and giving thanks.

“
Dear Lord... thank you for wonderful breakfast we share with Domenico. Keep him safe to come home. Bless his trip with good things and hold his heart pure
.
”

The sounds of plate shifting and utensil clanking signals the start to the meal. I try to take my hand from Do
m’
s but he holds firm, staring around at his plate taking inventory of his meal. I pull my hand harder only for it to be held hostage as the frustration in me grows. Do
m’
s mouth purses tight as he holds down his smirk, using his free hand to raise his coffee cup to his lips.

I glance around the table to see women enjoying their breakfast and chatting, willing one of them to notice and reprimand him for his taunting behavior. We play a tug of war of sorts with my hand until I grow angry that my waffles are cooling.

Determined to free myself and salvage what is left of my food, I pull much harder as Dom casually drops my hand in time to see me fly backward and almost out of my chair. The women look up at the loud movement. Dom nearly spits out his coffee mid-swallow as he stifles his laugh, hiding his guilt from his spectators. Clearing his throat, he looks first at our moms and then at me, in a mock authoritative tone, reprimanding me.

“
V... really. This is a breakfast table. Control yourself!
,
” and then he winks.

What. A little. Prick. I gather myself back in my chair as eyes are catching me from all directions to determine the cause of my most recent bout of clumsiness.

“
Sorry.... sorry
.
”

Slowly, the table returns to its previous state, just in time to enjoy the last bit of warmth to my breakfast and finish my coffee while the caffeine starts to work its wonder on my body. Dishes are cleared, counters wiped and food scraps discarded. I excuse myself to return to my room to shower for the day.

~*~

The warm water washes away my embarrassment from the practical joke. Stepping out of the oversized shower stall, I choose the larger of the towels to wrap my long hair, turban style. The smaller of the two struggles to cover my body as I hold the ends together under my arm and exit the steam filled bathroom.

Dom is sitting on my bed hunched forward with his forearms resting on his knees and his head bowed. The opening door causes him to stand.

His unexpected presence causes me to jump in shock, my fingers grasping at the corners of my towel before it will drop. I look ridiculous,
I’
m sure, standing there practically sopping wet with little more than a washcloth to shield any escaping evidence of my nakedness. Dom flushes a shade of scarlet and shields his eyes to the side quickly as I gasp.

“
Jesus, Dom! What are you trying to do? Give me a heart attack or something
?
”

He swallows hard enough for me to notice.

“
V. Yo
u’
re gonna give
me
a heart attack! Throw something on before I loose it
.
”

I search my room for my robe. Pointing to the white mound of fabric on the chaise lounge
.“
Dom, over there. Grab my robe. There
!
”

Stumbling to the far end of the room, eyes covered, he knocks his knee into the nearby table. Recovering, he swipes the robe and tosses it blindly to me. With his back facing me, I can see his front reflection in a large dressing mirror, eyes peeking through his fingers.

“
No peeking!
,
”
 
I reprimand him. Confident that his eyes are secure under his palm, I hastily drop my towel and throw on the robe.
 “
What are you
doing
in here? What if someone catches you
?
”

He cautiously turns and limps over to where I stand.
“
Nobody knows
I’
m in here, V. My meetin
g’
s been moved up.
I’
m leaving early. I just wanted to say goodbye, tha
t’
s it, I swear
.
”
 
He holds his palms up as to show that he figuratively has nothing up his sleeve.
 “
I did
n’
t know that yo
u’
re naked
.
”

My robe may be thick, but it may as well be made of lace as
I’
m sure Dom can picture wha
t’
s beneath, running his eyes up and down my length. His face flushes and the tips of his ears redden.

Pulling the neck of the robe tighter around myself, I slit my eyes.
 “
I was
n’
t naked. I was wearing a towel
.
”

“
You call that a towel? Well, whatever it was, you look.... dangerously sexy in it.
I’
m gonna use that image to tide me over while
I’
m away
.
” He steps toward me as I take a smaller step back until
I’
ve backed into a wall.

I can tell h
e’
s struggling to keep his eyes fixed on mine rather than wandering down to the exposed skin by the opening of my robe. Exactly what kind of goodbye is he looking for, sneaking into my room like this? Especially with my mother downstairs! My brothers would take turns skinning him alive if they catch wind that
I’
m naked wrapped in nothing but a cover of loose cotton behind closed doors with a man that is not my husband.

Even if i
t’
s Dom.

I start to feel a rush of adrenaline at the thought. The girl they have gone to such great lengths to hide away and shelter from anything remotely inappropriate or improper is in fact here alone in her bedroom with a man that makes her want to throw caution to the wind and just wrap around him.

With an inner surge of bravado, I let go of the closely held lapels at my throat and let them fall naturally, exposing my clavicle and the patch of smooth skin above the mounds of flesh scarcely hidden. I attempt my best
 “
come-hithe
r
” expression. His eyes close tight and by now I have come to recognize the outward signs that h
e’
s fighting something within.
I’
ve done this to him, am capable of making him respond.