His Sexy Bad Habit (19 page)

Smiling, he nodded slowly. “Actually, it is. Lionsgate is releasing
De Chocolat.”

“Over my dead body,” she shouted, not caring about the looks they were receiving from the other patrons in the bar. “Why did you come back into my life? You caused me more pain than I’ve ever wanted to experience. You coming back
with that damned film is a reminder of the fool I was for you. Just drop it, Emerson.”

Though her eyes flashed anger, as he looked at her all he could think about was feeling her kiss. She had the softest lips he’d ever tasted and he wondered if they were still soft and sweet. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with a heated urgency.

It took ten seconds for Serena to snatch away from him, stomp on his foot and knee him in his midsection.

“Touch me again and I swear I will drop you where you stand! This movie is
not
going to happen. If I were you, I’d go back to L.A. and find another sucker to buy your brand of bullshit.” Serena swore, then stomped out of the hotel.

Emerson shook his head and smirked as he thought about the fire in her kiss. She still wanted him and he was going to have her.

“Well, well,” Casey said as she approached him. “That was some little show you and my brother-in-law’s girlfriend put on. So, is she the actress you came here to find?”

“She is. I take it that you don’t like her since she’s the woman keeping you from the man you want,” Emerson said as he strode over to the bar.

Casey followed him, clutching her cell phone. “I don’t like her because she’s not good enough for Antonio and she isn’t the kind of woman I want around my nephew.”

Emerson held a stool out for Casey, then sat down. “So what are you going to do about it?” he asked.

“A picture is worth a thousand words,” she said as she held up her phone and showed Emerson the image of him and Serena kissing. “When Antonio sees this, I’m sure he’ll dump her. Then you can pack her up and take her to Los Angeles with you.”

Emerson smiled widely. “You know, I think I like you.”

“Good, then you can buy me a drink,” she said as she waved for the bartender. “Thanks to me, we both should get what we want.”

Serena didn’t want to go back to the restaurant after her confrontation with Emerson. Knowing him, he’d try to spin it for more PR for that damned movie. Besides, she figured the reporters were still camped out waiting for her and she wasn’t in the mood to be photographed or talked to. She needed Antonio’s arms around her.

She needed to get the thought of Emerson’s kiss out of her mind. It wasn’t as if she was turned on by it. He hadn’t rattled her as she’d thought he might if they’d ever gotten that close again. Instead, his touch and his lips disgusted her. She couldn’t believe she’d ever loved him or wanted to be his wife.

Thank God I’ve grown up,
she thought as she pulled up to a stoplight and dialed Antonio’s number.

“Hey you,” he said when he answered the phone. “How’s work going?”

“I left early,” she said as the light turned green.
“I was wondering if I could come over. I really need to see you.”

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Not really. There are reporters stalking me at work and I had an unpleasant conversation with Emerson.”

“Come on over. A.J. and I are watching
Finding Nemo
for what seems like the millionth time, and eating pizza. You can escape for as long as you need to,” he said. Antonio’s voice comforted her in ways he couldn’t even imagine.

Serena smiled and headed to his place. “Thank you,” she said. “This means a lot.”

“I’m here for you, baby,” he said. “See you when you get here.”

Fifteen minutes later, Serena was walking up the front steps of Antonio’s house and she felt a calmness take over her body as she rang the doorbell. He opened the door with smile on his face and a bit of tomato sauce on his white tank top, but Serena didn’t care about the stain as he enveloped her in his arms.

“It’s going to be all right,” he whispered as they embraced.

“When you say it, I believe it,” she said as they headed into the den.

“Miss Serena,” A.J. said. “We saved you some pizza.”

She crossed over to the little boy and gave him a hug. “Thank you. I’m sure it’s good since your dad is wearing some of it,” she joked.

Antonio looked down at his shirt and laughed.
“Just for that,” he said. “I’m taking the biggest piece.”

“Daddy,” A.J. said. “That’s not nice.”

“Yeah,” Serena said, placing her hand on her hip and pretending to be upset. “That’s not nice when I’m so hungry.”

Antonio threw his hands up, “All right, all right. I know when I’m outnumbered. The pizza’s in the kitchen.”

Serena followed him and leaned against the counter as he grabbed a plate for her. When he walked over to the counter and set the plate down, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his, kissing him slow and tenderly. Antonio’s hands stroked her back gently as they kissed and she nearly melted.

She broke the kiss and stepped back. “I wouldn’t want to get something started and miss the movie or have your son see me in my underwear again.”

“He’ll be asleep soon and you can start whatever you like,” Antonio said in a husky whisper. “Tell me about the conversation you had with Emerson.”

Serena rolled her eyes as she picked up her plate and placed two slices of pizza on it. “I went to the Westin and he was in the bar. I told him this movie isn’t going to happen and that he’s a piece of scum for using something I made when I thought we had a future, to make a name for himself. He had the unmitigated gall to say he was going to make me a star. The same lies he told five years ago.”

Antonio folded his arms and studied her as she spoke. Part of him silently wondered if there was more to what she was feeling for this man. He didn’t want to believe she could still have feelings for the jerk who broke her heart, but he wasn’t a fool. Women didn’t always get over their first love.

Serena caught his questioning gaze. “What?” she asked.

“Don’t take this the wrong way. But I have to ask. Are you sure this is just about the movie?”

“Yes,” she said, struggling not to raise her voice. “If this was three or four years ago, you’d have a reason to wonder. But I don’t feel anything for that bastard anymore. I finally see him for what he really is.”

“And what’s that?”

“A selfish jackass who didn’t deserve me in the first place,” she said.

Antonio leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “That’s good to know.”

“Guys,” A.J. called out. “You’re missing the movie.”

Antonio and Serena headed into the den. As she chewed her pizza and watched Antonio, she wondered if she should tell him that Emerson kissed her.

It didn’t mean anything and there is no need to give him a reason to think that it did,
she thought.

Once the movie ended, A.J. pulled out his art book and showed Serena the snakes he’d drawn at camp.

“Wow,” she said as she looked at the drawings.
“That’s very realistic. Were you scared when you looked at the snakes? I know I would be.”

“Nope,” A.J. said proudly. “I even touched a python.”

“I never would’ve done that,” Serena exclaimed. “Do you like snakes?”

“Only the ones that won’t bite me,” he replied with a smile.

Serena nodded. She’d known her share of snakes and if she could, she’d chop the head off the biggest one.

Antonio walked over to A.J. and Serena with two dishes of chocolate ice cream. “All right, after dessert, you need to take your bath,” Antonio told his son after handing him his ice cream.

“Yes, sir,” the little boy replied before digging into his ice cream.

Serena took her dish and asked, “Where’s yours?”

“You’re going to eat all of that?” he asked, nodding toward the overflowing dish.

“Chocolate ice cream is my favorite,” she said. “I’m not sharing.”

Antonio pulled a second spoon out of his shorts pocket and dug into the dish. “That’s fine,” he said as he took a huge scoop. “I don’t play fair.”

Serena and A.J. giggled as melted ice cream dripped onto Antonio’s shirt. “See what happens when you steal,” she said as she wiped the spot away.

The trio ate their ice cream and laughed for another hour before Serena took the empty
dishes into the kitchen while Antonio took A.J. upstairs to give him a bath.

A.J. hopped out of the tub, dripping water onto the floor as Antonio grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his son.

“Are you and Miss Serena going to have another sleepover?” he asked his father.

“Maybe,” Antonio said. “Are you all right with that?”

“I like her. Do you like her too?”

“I do,” Antonio said. “She’s a really nice person.”

A.J. nodded as he dried his head. “She’s not a derelict,” the little boy said.

Antonio laughed tersely. “No, she isn’t.”

“But she’s your girlfriend, right?”

“All right, son. It’s time for bed,” Antonio said. “And yes, she is my girlfriend.”

“I have a girlfriend too,” A.J. said. “She thought I was brave because I touched the snake, but I was really scared.”

Antonio laughed, thinking of all the silly things he’d done to impress a girl at that age. “Well, you’d better be careful trying to impress her. She’s going to expect you to keep doing it.”

“I’m really not scared of the snakes anymore,” A.J. said. “I’m a big boy now.”

“Well it’s time for this big boy to go to bed.” The two bounded down the hall to A.J.’s room. Antonio watched his son as he put on his pajamas and smiled. He was happy Serena and A.J. got along so well. He’d wondered for a while
after Marian’s death how dating would affect his son. What if he’d make a mistake in choosing the wrong woman? What if the woman didn’t mesh with his son? He was so lucky those problems didn’t exist with Serena. A.J. was comfortable around her and she hadn’t tried to be his mother nor tried to tell Antonio how to raise his son.

“Daddy,” A.J. said, breaking into Antonio’s thoughts.

“Yes, son?”

“I said I’m a big boy. I don’t need a nightlight.”

Antonio walked over to A.J.’s bed and tucked him in. Kissing him on the forehead, he said, “Good night, Champ.” He flipped the lamp off as A.J. closed his eyes. Then he stepped out of the room and counted to ten silently. Just as he suspected, the lamp popped back on. Antonio didn’t mind because he didn’t want A.J. growing up too fast anyway.

When Antonio got downstairs, he was surprised to find Serena in the kitchen drying their dishes. “You didn’t have to do this,” he said from the doorway. Serena turned around and flashed him a bright smile.

“I know, but I wanted to.” She dried her hands on a dish towel and crossed over to Antonio. “Besides, it’s the least I could do. Thank you for making tonight special and simple.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m going to have to properly thank you for your dishwashing.”

Serena placed her hand on his chest and
stroked him back and forth. “How are you going to thank me?”

Antonio lifted her onto the edge of the counter. “I’m going to start with this,” he said, then captured her lips in a soft, searing kiss. Glad that she’d cleared off the bar, he leaned her back as he kissed her deeper and slipped his hand underneath her shirt, touching her silky skin and filling with desire.

She moaned as Antonio kissed each inch of flesh he exposed as he lifted her shirt. His tongue danced across her flat belly, spending time around her navel causing her legs to quake with anticipation.

“Antonio,” she intoned as he unsnapped the button on her pants.

He pulled them down and slipped his hand inside the barely-there lace thong that covered her mound of sexuality. Antonio stroked her and parted her wet folds of flesh with his finger seeking out her bud. When he found it, he stroked it slowly, making a circular motion with his finger.

Serena became wet like a flowing river. She gasped and moaned at the same time as his lips and tongue replaced his finger. Shifting her hips, she pressed her body into his mouth as he licked and sucked until she called out his name in a husky whisper.

He pulled back from her, his face glazed with her desire. “Let’s take this outback.” Lifting her off the counter he headed outside to the enclosed porch. Antonio laid Serena on the plush sofa and peeled the rest of her clothes off. Slowly,
he licked and sucked her erect nipples while caressing her inner thighs, making her shiver with desire and anticipation. He moved slowly, tasting every inch of her. She was the one thing he couldn’t resist. She was sweeter than honey, more addictive than chocolate. Antonio’s desire grew as he inched down her body. As much as he wanted to dive into her wetness, he pulled back. “Protection,” he said, then dashed inside.

While he was gone, Serena checked the back door to make sure it was locked. The last thing she wanted was to be interrupted by Antonio’s psychotic sister-in-law. After checking the door, she returned to the chair and laid back just as Antonio walked out on the porch, his erection shielded by a condom.

He looked at Serena as she struck a sensual pose. “Damn,” he exclaimed as he closed the space between them and pulled her against his chest.

Serena kissed him with a hot passion that took his breath away. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he lowered himself on top of her, moaning as he entered her wetness. They ground against each other slowly, their moans piercing the air as they gave each other pleasure beyond words. Antonio kneaded her breasts as she pumped her hips into his. Serena arched her back, allowing him to go deeper inside her. She reveled in every throbbing inch of him as he rolled his hips, touching every sensitive spot inside her valley.

Antonio intoned her name as Serena tightened her thighs around him and gripped his penis
tightly. “You feel so good,” he moaned, coming closer to his climax.

Serena was in the middle of her second orgasm as he brought his lips down on top of her nipples. “Antonio,” she called out as her body shuttered with pleasure.

“Serena.”

Moments later, they came together and fell into a sweaty embrace, their hearts beating in sync as they lay back on the sofa. She stroked his chest and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

Safe. She felt safe and comforted in his embrace.
Am I in love with this man?
she thought as she ran her index finger down his bicep.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m great,” she replied.

“Yes, you are,” he said, then kissed her chin. “I’m glad you came over tonight. I’m even happier that you’re a part of my life.”

“Not as happy as I am,” she said. “I never thought I’d feel this way. Never thought I’d find someone I could really be myself with and be so comfortable with.”
Or love,
she added silently as she stared into his eyes.

“I’m glad we’re sharing this together,” he said. “You’re the kind of woman I never thought would want anything to do with me and here we are. I can’t get enough of you and I don’t ever want to think about what my life would be like without you in it.”

“Lucky for you, you’re not going to have to find out,” she said, then captured his lips in a searing
kiss that instantly aroused him again. When they broke the kiss, Antonio stood and scooped Serena up in his arms.

“Let’s go inside,” he said. “I want to make love to you until the sun comes up.”

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, Serena knew that she’d fallen in love again. But this time, she knew it was real.