Escape to Heaven (Heaven on Earth Book 1) (4 page)

“Ethan, slow your roll. He got the message.” Tony looked over at Adele in the ring with Tyler and lowered his head for a second. Accepting things he couldn’t control was not one of his strong points. However, he’d known this day was going to come sooner or later. Adele had been so broken when they had first met her. At the time, she had needed them to take care of her as if she were a bird with a broken wing. It had taken five long years, but she had finally healed. He knew she was much stronger now than she had ever been before. Although he hated to admit it, she no longer needed them to protect her at every turn. Intellectually, he was aware of this. Emotionally…well, that was a different story.

He’d noticed the look in her eyes as she’d talked to Stefano, and never before had he seen her respond to anyone that way. During all the years he had known her, she had never looked at anyone like that, with something other than wariness and caution. Yeah, Adele was changing. Shit, she had already changed. It was just going to take them all a bit longer to catch up with her.

Sighing, Tony turned to the man standing next to him, “Ethan, you’re always such a hothead. Leave the dude alone. We’ll keep an eye out for him when we’re here at the gym. He won’t get next to Adele unless she wants him to.”

“What? Hell no, she’s not ready for that.” Ethan had a quick temper and did not appreciate being outmaneuvered. Plus, Tony recognized that there was something in his past that made Ethan want to wrap Adele in a bubble and protect her from the world. Ethan had never spoken about his childhood, but based on his reaction to Adele, Tony could only guess.

Speaking calmly to his friend, he tried to help him understand. “Maybe yes, maybe no. Regardless of whether or not we think she’s ready, we have to give her the chance to decide on her own. We can’t protect her forever.” Giving his brother-in-arms a moment to let those words sink in, he continued. “We will still protect her, but she has to make her own way. Maybe not this guy, but there will be someone else. Get ready, buddy—I think we’re going to have a lot of sleepless nights.”

Clapping his hand on Ethan’s back, Tony laughed at the look of utter dread that came over Ethan’s face. “Come on, man. Let’s go hit the bag.”

Chapter Three

Adele was tired and sore. Tyler had worn her body out at the gym yesterday. The man had no mercy. He had tried to grill her about the new guy and what he had said to her, but she was staying mum on the subject, not giving anything away. There wasn’t much to say anyway. Sure, she found him attractive, but that was probably the only time she would ever see him.

She looked at her weekend shopping list, mentally calculating how much food she would need for the guys. She added a few more items for the grill and headed off to the market to make her purchases before everyone started to show up. No matter how much food she bought when they came over, there never seemed to be enough. That was the main reason why she had waited until this morning to make her market run. Just in case they called with last-minute requests.

Plus, Ethan was rather picky about the type of food she bought for their gatherings. He was the designated master griller and had the cooking utensils to prove it. Though she wasn’t sure where he’d learned his craft, that man could take any food item, cook it on the grill and make it taste like pure heaven. It wasn’t just steak, chicken, and pork. Oh no, he did everything from vegetables to fruit to pasta. If anyone else tried to even go near the grill, Ethan would start brandishing his cooking utensils like they were weapons. When this happened at their very first cookout, Adele was a little unsure of how to take it until all the guys started laughing. So the one thing she knew about today’s meal was that if Ethan said they needed a certain type of food, garnish, or seasoning, then she would get it. No questions asked. She also knew Ethan would pay her back every penny she spent today. Not just on the items she picked up for the cookout, but the entire grocery bill.

Pulling up to her local market, she was glad the parking lot wasn’t overflowing. After a few minutes, she was able to find a pretty good parking space. With her sore muscles, she was especially grateful for that little bit of luck today. That was part of the reason she had arrived so early. In and out of the store in less than thirty minutes was her motto when visiting the market—she just didn’t have time to linger. Gazing longingly at the coffee shop next door to the main grocery store, she started planning the type of flavored coffee and flaky pastry she would order when finished with her required shopping. Adele grabbed a shopping cart and walked into the store, not wanting to waste any additional time dawdling. Only going to the sections that carried the food she needed, she was so focused on picking up the right ingredients that she didn’t see the guy in front of her until it was too late.

“Hi. Adele? Is that you?”

“Oh! Hi.” The man standing in front of her was sexy as hell and, interestingly enough, very familiar. Then she remembered where she’d seen him before. “I met you at the gym yesterday, right?” Damn, did he have to look so good in a pair of scruffy jeans this early in the morning?

“Yes. Fancy meeting you here. How are you?”

Noticing that he looked just as good as he did yesterday, she could not help the breathless tone of her voice, “Fine, thanks. I’m just picking out some food for a cookout this afternoon with my family.”

“Oh, that’s nice. I’m just picking up a few things myself.” He shifted a few items in his arms, as if showing her proof of his statement. “So, you’re married? Do you have a large family?”

“No. Yes.” She grimaced a bit at how she was messing this up so bad. “Let me try that again. No, I’m not married. But, yes, I guess I do have a pretty big family. You met three of them yesterday at the gym. The other two were off doing God knows what.”

Adele smiled at the confused look that came over his face and waited for him to ask the obvious question. “The three guys from the gym are your family?” He shifted his feet, looking a bit more uncomfortable every second. “Yeah, I noticed that they seemed quite protective of you. So, I know this may be a pretty bold question, but you all look so different. How are you related? Or, are you are you dating one of them?”

“Well, that’s rather forward of you.” She laughed at the thought of her dating one of the guys, but noticed that Stefano seemed completely serious. “Me? Dating one of them? Oh goodness no! They’re like my brothers. Did they tell you I was dating one of them? I’ll hurt them. I swear I will.”

He laughed at her final statement, and his hazel eyes got a wonderful crinkle on the side. It made her smile as well. “No, nothing like that. Although they did seem quite…out of sorts…when I noticed you in the ring. They made a point to give me a warning you were off-limits.”

“Ah, that explains it. Yes, they are quite protective of me, but they just look out for me. Sometimes more than they should.”

“Well, I don’t think they view it that way.” She watched him shift the items in his arms and his muscles flexed. Instantly, she thought of what it would feel like to be held in those arms. Attraction to a man like this had not happened in years. She could not understand what was going on. Why this man? Why now?

Responding to his last statement, “No, I don’t think they do either. So, do you live in this area?”

“Yeah, I live in a condo about five miles away. It’s corporate housing since I just moved into the area a few months ago.”

“Oh, so you’re new to Alexandria? Where are you from originally?”

“I grew up in New Jersey, but joined the Marines when I was eighteen. I’ve moved around quite a bit since then.” She knew there was more to his story, but did not think the ice cream aisle in the local grocery store was the place to probe.

“Is your family still in Jersey?” Adele found that she was having a great conversation with him and wanted to prolong it as much as she could. She had all but forgotten they were standing in the middle of a grocery store. He had a friendly smile, and he seemed quite nice now that they were having a regular conversation. She was very glad they had crossed paths again.

“Most of them. My mom and dad still live there in the house where I grew up. I try to visit Jersey as often as I can since it’s not too far away. My younger brother is in Boston living life as a carefree bachelor. My two cousins are up there in Boston as well and own a restaurant.” He’d walked closer to her and leaned against one of the grocery store shelves, as if settling in for a long visit.

Staring up at him, Adele felt breathless all of a sudden and had to change the subject, “So, what exactly did they say to you the other day?”

He gave her an intense stare, and she wondered if Ethan and Tony had been out of line. “Nothing. Well, nothing much anyway, other than what I said earlier. They warned me that you were off-limits and that if I had any ideas about talking with you, I’d better forget them.”

Those damn men. She knew why they did it, but damn, they needed to back off a little. She was still a grown-ass woman. Maybe she had needed them to hover over her a bit at first, but not so much anymore. She had grown so much over the years and it was time she took the lead in her life. She’d show them just how grown she really was. Looking at the man standing in front of her, she could not help but appreciate how strikingly handsome he was, even more so than she had originally thought when she had seen him at the gym yesterday. His lean body was exactly the way she liked, with strong shoulders, a wide chest, and his torso tapered down in the shape of a “V.” His hips were lean and his muscled thighs were visible under his loose-fitting jeans. All in all, he was absolutely luscious, and she was ready to have some fun.

She gave him a saucy grin and knew her eyes held a mischievous glint as she came up with the perfect plan to rattle the guys. “Well, Stefano, as I mentioned, I’m having a cookout today. You mentioned that you’re new in town and I would be happy to welcome you to our lovely city. Are you busy this afternoon?”

Eyebrows raised, his grin became wider as he unfolded his frame and stood up straight. “Well, that depends on what you had in mind.”

“If you’re free, why don’t you come over and hang out. Meet the guys in a more relaxed environment. They’re really quite nice once you get to know them.”

“You mean the three guys who treated me as if they wanted nothing more than to rearrange my face? Those guys?” He laughed out loud, the sound causing her own smile to widen in return. “You’re not really serious, are you?” He had a devilish grin on his face and she knew he was game, even though he protested.

“Actually, no, it’s not for the three of them. It’s for all five. Come on, Stefano, join the fun. This is my payback to them, since I know the three of them will have told the other two, Noah and Daniel, all about you already. This should be interesting.”

He gave her wide grin, and she couldn’t help but laugh. A kindred spirit. She liked that.

“So, there’s two more like the ones I met yesterday. You know, I think I’ll take you up on that invitation. What time do you want me there?”

“Two o’clock okay?” At his nod, she reached into her purse and pulled out a business card and pen. “Great, let me give you the address.”

*****

Walking up to the front door of Adele’s two-story home, Stefano knew the shit was about to hit the proverbial fan. Oh well—he wasn’t too concerned about it. Adele had invited him over, and he would have been a fool to refuse. During their brief conversation in the grocery store, he had felt more comfortable with her than he had ever felt before with a woman, which was saying something.

Her smile was bright and friendly, and he enjoyed the silky, smooth sound of her voice. Sure, he could use the excuse that he was too old for this kind of stuff, but why not have a little fun. Still, something about the way she held herself away from him told him that he wasn’t seeing the whole picture. He could tell she was reserved and held a bit of herself back. Maybe one day he would find out why. While she seemed to laugh and smile with the best of them, there was also something in her eyes that said “don’t get too close.” She was a very sexy woman and had a great sense of humor, which were both attractive to him.

An added bonus was that she was damn sexy. Her jeans fit her body like a glove, molding to her ass as if they had been made just for her. When they had parted ways in the store earlier today, he’d just stood there and watched her walk away from him. His hands had itched to feel her skin and mold her body against his while pressing his firm body against her lush curves.

And her skin was simply beautiful. She had an unblemished, fresh-scrubbed woman-next-door look and was one of those rare women who didn’t need an ounce of makeup to enhance her features.

But her lips, oh damn, they were oh so luscious and looked just right for kissing. Her bottom lip was slightly fuller than her top one, as if it were in a perpetual pout. He had never noticed how sexy that look was on a woman until he had seen it on her. It was downright sinful and made him want to kiss and nibble at her lips until she opened up for him, letting him inside.

However, no matter how attracted he was to Adele, he knew her brothers were going to be a problem for him. If she were his sister, he would be a problem for any man trying to come around her. So, while he couldn’t necessarily blame them for being overly protective, it sure as hell didn’t make him any less annoyed. All he had to do was find a way to get Adele alone so they could talk privately about getting to know each other better. Stefano was determined to get her away from their prying eyes and convince her that he was someone worth knowing.

He knocked on the door to Adele’s single-family home and turned to look at the cars littering the driveway and street in front of her house. Other than his car, there were five trucks of varying shapes and sizes and one red sporty car sitting in the garage. This meant he was the last person to arrive and everyone else was already inside. Damn, he sure hoped he was ready for this.