by L. D. Davis
He sighed. He was disappointed and relieved that I did not answer his question directly. He slipped the strap of the bag onto his shoulder and came to me. His honey eyes peered into mine and he put his hand on my cheek.
“I don’t doubt that you love me, Tabitha,” he said gently. “I know you love me, and I love you, but stop lying to me and stop lying to yourself. I’m not who you really want or need and it is unfair to keep me here when you can’t give me one hundred percent, when someone else has your heart.”
He kissed me and I opened up for him, eager to put everything I had into that kiss, to try to convince him and myself that there was at least a kindling for him. We could make this work. We could be together. He didn’t have to leave, if only he would feel it in my kiss. But even to me, the kiss fell short. I could not sell him a story without any truth to it.
Xander sighed when he pulled away from me. He rested his head against mine and said, “I don’t know why it took me four years to realize that there was no heat in your kiss.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, because the least I could do was apologize. “I’m so sorry.”
He took a deep, fortifying breath, kissed my forehead and then walked out of the room. Moments later, the front door slammed shut and I was left in our house, alone.
“I don’t believe in a girl code. I believe in integrity.”
~Carin M., Utah, United States~
Chapter Nine
Four Years Later
I stood in the parking lot, staring at the building as my fingers nervously twisted the leather straps of my purse. I could get back into the rental car, drive directly to the airport, and get the hell out of Miami, or I could summon my guts from the pit of my churning stomach and walk my ass into that restaurant.
I turned back to my car.
I never claimed to be brave.
“Tabitha?” A familiar voice called my name from across the parking lot.
I stopped but didn’t turn around to face her. I was contemplating making a dash for it, but Sandy was faster than me. She’d chase me, catch me, and then drag me kicking and screaming into the joint.
“Tabitha, you wouldn’t be trying to run away, would you?” Sandy Philips asked in her naturally raspy voice that drove men crazy.
I sighed and turned to face her. She looked amazing in her red cocktail dress that highlighted her long, toned legs and the curve of her hips. When we graduated from high school, she didn’t have the boobs to fill the top of the dress out, but Sandy was literally what one would call a late bloomer.
We had been friends throughout grade school and high school, but we lost touch throughout college. I ran into her at the store not too long after I returned to the east coast three years ago, and she had more or less become my closest friend.
“Come on,” she said, extending her hand to me. “You promised Leo you would be here.”
“I didn’t promise Leo I’d be here. I told you that I would be here, and you told Leo that you promised I would be here. If I don’t go inside, you would be breaking a promise to Leo, not me.”
“Don’t make me hit you.”
I knew Sandy wouldn’t have hit me, hard, but I took her hand anyway.
I had not seen Leo in nine years, since the day he walked out of my college apartment. I had managed to avoid him for all of those years—and I suppose vice versa. For some reason, Leo wanted to have an impromptu reunion with several of our old classmates in the restaurant that he now owned and operated in Miami. He sent me a postcard invite in real life snail mail and followed up repeatedly with Sandy. She wouldn’t let it go until I agreed to attend.
I held my breath as we walked inside the restaurant that he had named Leo’s. I thought it was a little obnoxious that he named the place after himself, but I didn’t comment on it. I peeked into the dining area but didn’t see anyone I recognized. It was a full house and various aromas wafted into the lobby. I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in, but I was deeply impressed by the décor and layout of the place. Even though it was spacious, it felt homey, quaint, and had a traditional look to it, but at the same time, felt very contemporary. It was clean and bright and the staff seemed to be very professional. Leo’s seemed like a good place to relax and enjoy good food with exceptional service. Okay, so that’s what I read in a review of the place, but I definitely agreed so far.
The hostess explained that our gathering was in the back of the building in a separate dining area as she led us down a hallway to a set of double doors.
“Ready?” San asked, her hand poised to push open a door.
“No,” I answered, but she pushed the door open anyway. Bitch.
I saw him immediately, standing in a cluster of people across the room, talking animatedly, entertaining the masses. I probably would have stood there staring at him for a long time if Sandy and I weren’t approached by some other familiar faces.
I smiled and hugged and said things like “you look great” to the former football star that lost most of his hair, and “you still look the same” to the former cheerleader who was now bigger than me. I murmured cute phrases about pictures of children and pets and clicked my tongue at any bad news, but through it all, my eyes would search for Leo. He was always a little closer than he was before, trying to make his way across the room, but always getting stopped along the way. By the time he reached me, I was distracted, answering questions about my books. We came from a very small town in New Jersey, and they all seemed to think that I was living this luxurious life just because I had a couple of best sellers. I didn’t like being the center of attention, especially when there were doctors, police officers, and servicemen in the room.
The group finally started to disperse when dinner started to appear on the long buffet tables. Sandy started to say something to me, but she broke out in a big grin at something or someone behind me. Before I could turn around, Leo stepped around me and pulled Sandy into a hug that must have knocked the breath out of her.
Holy hell, where did those muscles come from!
Leo’s biceps stretched the fabric that was wrapped around them, and even from the side, I could see muscles pressing against his shirt that he had not had nine years earlier.
“How are you feeling?” he asked San, holding both of her hands in his.
She shrugged and said, “I’m surviving.”
A hushed conversation started about her recent divorce. Even though I was already privy to that information, I felt like I was intruding. I started to back away, but gasped when I felt a strong hand encircle my wrist. Leo had not taken his eyes off of Sandy, but he had a firm grip on me. He wasn’t going to let me go that easily. He never did.
“Anyway,” Sandy was saying a moment later. “I’m glad I’m here and we’re not going to talk about me and my woes anymore tonight, okay? I want to enjoy the night.”
“Of course,” Leo said and leaned in and kissed her cheek, making me stumble a little as he moved forward.
Sandy looked down at his hand on my wrist and failed at trying not to laugh.
“I’m going to go get something to eat,” she said, looking at me with amusement.
“You should stay,” I piped in. “I don’t mind hearing about your woes.”
My betraying friend just grinned and deserted me, choosing food over my rescue.
“Hussy,” I muttered.
Leo moved directly in front of me. I am pretty sure that my mouth fell open. Sea green-blue eyes peered down at me, with one cocky eyebrow in a perfect arch. A smirk curved on his full lips. His natural olive skin was lightly toasted from the Miami sun. Leo looked like he finally grew into his Roman god-like body, and I was a simple-minded mortal that could not stop gaping at him.
Leo was always a good-looking guy, though there was a time in my life when I’d rather lie down on a major highway than admit that, but his looks had always been undeniable. Apparently, life had been good to Leo Pesciano because he looked healthy, in all of the right places.
“Are you going to just stand there and stare at me?” he asked in a soft, teasing tone that tickled my senses.
“Yes. No! What?” I took a step back, but that was as far back as I could go with Leo latched onto my arm. “I’m not staring,” I said defensively.
“You are staring at me so hard,” he said, a grin spreading across his wonderfully chiseled face. He gently pulled me toward him, closing the space between us. “You’re probably thinking about how attractive I am, and wondering what my abs look like, what they taste like.”
Without discussing it with my brain first, my eyes dropped to his abs. He was wearing a blue button down that must have been glued on, because I could see the outline of those abdominal muscles. I licked my bottom lip. Leo chuckled.
My eyes snapped back to his face. “You sure have some ridiculous ideas about your body,” I said.
“Ridiculously true ideas,” he countered. He took another step. God, why was he so close? My breasts were nearly touching his chest now. “But there is one person in here tonight sexier than me.”
I made a show of looking around the room until my eyes landed on one of the servers, an older woman who looked like she had smoked two packs a day while lying in the sun for five thousand years.
“You’re right,” I said, drawing his attention to the clueless woman. “She’s hot.”
Leo laughed so loud that several people turned to watch. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. I held on to him, breathing him in as my heart fluttered about in my chest like an idiotic butterfly. His scent caressed my senses. He smelled of the sea, something citrusy and sweet, and the faint smell of leather. I missed his scent and the way it clung to my skin after I’ve been near him.
“I am so glad you came,” he whispered in my ear.
“So am I,” I said honestly.
“I’m afraid if I let you go, you’re going to run away.”
“If you don’t let me go, I may suffocate.”
“If you’re passed out on the floor, you can’t run away,” he countered.
“I promise I won’t run away.”
Reluctantly, he pulled away, but he didn’t release me. He held my hands in his and did not leave any space between us.
“Are you leaving with Sandy in the morning?” he asked, looking hopeful.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “We didn’t even come together. I flew in from California.”
His eyes widened and he smiled. “I like the sound of that.”
I laughed softly. “I always buy one-way tickets. I like to keep my options open.”
“Well, why don’t you keep the breakfast option open for me tomorrow morning?”
I should really say no. I should really say no. I should say no.
“Sure,” I said softly.
Idiot.
“Great,” he said with relief. He took a step back and openly inspected my body, head to toe. I felt a blush in my cheeks.
“You are stunning, Tabs,” he said, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe it.
“Whatever.” I shrugged it off. I knew I was pretty, and sometimes sexy, but stunning? Not really.
I just barely held back a gasp when one of his hands cupped my face. His hand was hot on my skin. His beautiful eyes gazed intensely into mine. My god, were we not in a room full of people?
“You are stunning, Tabitha,” he said in a tone that was firm and soft at the same time.
Before I could respond, with what, I didn’t know, he dropped one of my hands and began to lead me away. “Come on, let’s get some food. I can’t wait for you to taste it.”
Usually, after a guy inspects my body, he says something like, “How about we start at the salad bar?” or “Let’s skip dinner and go for a nice healthy walk.” The best one I’ve heard to date was “Maybe we should get a table instead. You would probably be uncomfortable in the booth.” I wish I could tell you I made that up, but I didn’t.
Leo started piling a plate high with food. My eyes grew wide. Did he think I was going to eat all of that?
“What are you doing?” I hissed. “That’s entirely too much food for me.”
“It’s not all for you, you self-absorbed brat,” he hissed back. “You have to share with me.”
“Why can’t you have your own plate?” I asked and snickered. “You on a diet, Pesciano? Need to drop some weight off of that fat head of yours?”
“Baby, if you ever had my fat head, you wouldn’t be talking shit,” he said.
I think I expired.
“Don’t be a pig!” I exclaimed, ignoring my hot cheeks as I slapped his arm.
Laughing, Leo said, “Stop, you’re going to make me drop the plate!”
“I hope you drop it all over your ‘tasty’ abs.” I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, let me get my own plate.”
“Where would be the fun in that?” He walked ahead of me a little ways. “Grab two forks.”
“Oh, don’t want to share a fork, do you?” I muttered as I grabbed two forks.
I didn’t think he had heard me, but when I was beside him again, he put his mouth lightly against my ear, making me shiver as his lips moved.
“I would love to share a fork with you, if it means I can taste your mouth without it being so obvious.”
In spite of myself, I not only gasped but shivered again and nearly dropped the silverware. Leo laughed and walked away. It had taken me a few seconds before I was able to force my feet to move to follow him.
Chapter Ten
“Leo, this is amazing,” I said with sincerity a couple of hours later as we left the kitchen of his restaurant. The party was still going on in the banquet room a couple of hours after my arrival, but Leo wanted to take me on a personal tour of his establishment.
“Thank you.”
He gestured to a couple of empty stools at the end of the bar a few feet away. I pulled myself up into my chair as gracefully as possible in a dress and heels
“Captain and Coke, and my usual,” Leo told the bartender as he stood between me and his stool.
“Aww, how sweet,” I said. “You remember my underage alcoholic drink of choice.”
He put one arm across the back of my stool as he moved dangerously close to me. His chest was pressed lightly against my arm, and his hard thighs pressed against my upper leg. Positively charged fingers trailed over the bare skin of my upper arm as I tried to control my breathing. His face was inches from mine. I opened my mouth to remind him about personal space, but he spoke first.
“I remember everything about you, Tabs,” he said quietly.
“Then you will remember how I feel about you being in my personal space,” I said just as quietly. I brought one hand up to his chest and gave him a gentle push. He chuckled and thanked the bartender as he put our drinks down on the bar.
“What were you doing in California?”
“My family took a train for a return visit to Crazy Town,” I said after a deep inhale. I picked up my glass and studied the melting ice cubes floating in the brown liquid. “I didn’t want to go. So, I got on a plane and went to visit some friends.”
Leo shifted beside me and leaned on the bar. I could feel his eyes on me. “So, your brother…”
“Is still a devout drug addict?” I glanced up at him, a faint, sad, and bitter smile on my lips. “Yes, and my mom is still flittering around him like he’s the only thing she lives for in this world, and my dad is still in silent denial when he’s not yelling at my mom about money.”
“I’m sorry, Tabs,” Leo said sympathetically.
I shrugged, because what could I say.
“This is going to sound wrong,” he said after draining his glass.
I raised an eyebrow. “Most of what you say is usually wrong.”
He smiled, but his expression settled into a softer expression. “That day we found out about Tack stealing the money was…it was really bad for you. I can still feel it, you know? How I felt for you then.” His nod was slow and his eyes slightly unfocuse
d. “I hated what your mom did and I hated that your dad didn’t come to check on you. I hated all of that,” he whispered. His eyes refocused and he looked me in the eyes again. “But there is one thing that I salvaged from that day.”
I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from inhaling loudly, gulping in air like a fish out of water, because I knew, I knew what he was going to say. I let him say it.
“I got to kiss you that day,” he said. His eyes were ablaze and practically scorched my face with their intensity.
Oh, my stupid heart.
Tiny shivers tickled up my spine as I sat there, locked in Leo’s gaze as we both remembered.
“Hey,” Sandy’s sudden appearance startled us. We looked away from each other. I put my glass to my mouth and Leo turned to face San. “Isn’t this your party, Pesciano?”
Leo chuckled. “Yes, mom, I’m coming. Come on, Tabs, you’ll have to continue your attempt at seduction at the party.”
I slammed my now empty glass down and whirled on him. I slapped his shoulder as he laughed. He walked ahead as I got down from the stool. I knew the drinks were free, but I dug into my purse for a tip anyway as Sandy hovered beside me.
“Your face was red when I came in here,” she said, grinning widely.
“So?” I found a five-dollar bill and laid it on the bar under my glass.
“So, were you trying to seduce him? Tryna get some of that Pesciano Penis, huh?”
I rolled my eyes at her as we began to walk back to the banquet room. “You’re really disturbing, you know that? You’re the one that’s all friendly with him. How do I know you haven’t indulged in the Pesciano Pecker?”
She laughed her throaty, sexy laugh. “Maybe I wanted to in high school,” she said with a shrug. “Who didn’t? But no, my friend. I have never indulged in the Pesciano Pecker.”
I gave her a doubtful side eye. “Hmm. You did stay with him for three weeks after your divorce. Who knows what desperation led you to do.”
